pyFitsVSC

This extension allows the user to preview FITS files directly from VSC without having to render them to PNG manually or worry about scaling and plotting settings.

This is what the window looks like when you click a *.fits file in the VSCode explorer sidebar:

Cmd+clicking on the URL that is generated will open the preview in a browser, too!

Description

pyFitsVSC is a VS Code extension designed to provide previews of FITS files seamlessly within the editor. The extension contributes the pyfitsviewer custom editor to display FITS file contents.

Requirements

This extension runs using the pyFitsServer backend located at https://github.com/GillySpace27/pyFitsServer. You'll need to install that separately and confirm that it is running before this extension will work.

Installation of pyFitsServer

To install and run pyFitsServer, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GillySpace27/pyFitsServer.git

2. Navigate to the directory:

   cd pyFitsServer

3. Install the dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the server:

   python server.py

5. Confirm the server is running properly by running tests (from the project root):

   pytest

Installation of pyFitsVSC

It's recommended to install pyFitsVSC from a precompiled .vsix file provided by the developer to avoid complications with compiling from source. This file will be located in the releases on github.

Installing from the Precompiled VSIX File

1. Download the precompiled .vsix file provided by the developer.
2. Open VS Code.
3. Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
4. Click the three-dot menu (...).
5. Select Install from VSIX....
6. Browse to and select the downloaded .vsix file.

Compiling and Packaging from Source

If you need to compile and package pyFitsVSC from source, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GillySpace27/pyfitsvsc.git

2. Navigate to the directory:

   cd pyfitsvsc

3. Install VSCE:

   npm install -g vsce

4. Compile TypeScript Code:

   npm run compile

5. Package the extension:

   vsce package

6. Install the VSIX file:
   • Open VS Code
   • Go to Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X)
   • Click the three-dot menu (...)
   • Select Install from VSIX...
   • Browse to and select the .vsix file created by the previous step.

Extension Contributions

This extension contributes the following features:

• 'FITS File Preview' as default editor for FITS files

Known Issues

• Being packaged with the server included would be very helpful
• Seems to reduce the resolution of the preview too much
• Some FITS files break the extension, throwing an Assertion Error. I don't know why that happens yet.

Features Planned

• Select the HDU you want to view
• Select the kind of normalization you want to use
• Support for zooming and panning

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial release of the extension.

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Usage

Once everything is set up, you can preview FITS files by simply clicking on a .fits file in the explorer.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.