Preferences

This allows the user to alter configuration parameters of their VODesktop client. The supplied default configuration should be sufficient for most users.

System

Here the user can change a number of local configuration options:

• Show advanced features: this is not normally selected. If you select this, hit the Apply button and then more user options are shown in this and the other configuration menus - which can be useful for advanced usage and debugging purposes.
• Working directory: where VODesktop stores local cache files - by default this is in the .workbench dirctory of the users home space. Note that if you chance this, VOdsktop must be restarted for those changes to take effect.
• At startup, launch: defines which of the VODesktop applications, if any, is launched on startup. By default the Voexplorer application is launched. You can change this to one of Voexplorer, All VO Scope, Helio Scope, Task Runner, File Explorer, or none.
• Check for updates on startup - it is advisable to leave this box checked

Advanced System options

These are only presented to the user if the Show advanced features option has been selected.

Here the user can change a number of local configuration options:

• Show advanced features: this is not normally selected. If you select this, hit the Apply button and then more user options are shown in this and the other configuration menus - which can be useful for advanced usage and debugging purposes.
• Working directory: where VODesktop stores local cache files - by default this is in the .workbench dirctory of the users home space. Note that if you chance this, VOdsktop must be restarted for those changes to take effect.
• At startup, launch: defines which of the VODesktop applications, if any, is launched on startup. By default the Voexplorer application is launched. You can change this to one of Voexplorer, All VO Scope, Helio Scope, Task Runner, File Explorer, or none.
• Check for updates on startup - it is advisable to leave this box checked

Advanced System options

These are only presented to the user if the Show advanced features option has been selected.

Registry

Here details of the VO Registry that VO Desktop is pointing to are given. The default value is the main AstroGrid registry and there is also a Fallback Registry should there be a problem with the main one.

• Registry endpoint - registry that VO Desktop is pointing to
• Fallback Registry endpoint - fallback registry
• Cached entries expire after - Time after which any cached registry information is discarded.

General

• Refresh services monitor every By default this is set to 3600 seconds, and is the frequency that VODesktop polls the VO monitor to check on the status of services (as noted by the red/green traffic light symbols against services queried through VOExplorer).

• Run self tests at startup this is selected by default and means that the Self Tests are run on startup.

• Self test delay. By default this is set to 5 seconds and is the delay between starting VOdesktop and actioning the self tests.

Registry

Here details of the VO Registry that VO Desktop is pointing to are given. The default value is the main AstroGrid registry and there is also a Fallback Registry should there be a problem with the main one.

• Registry endpoint - registry that VO Desktop is pointing to
• Fallback Registry endpoint - fallback registry
• Cached entries expire after - Time after which any cached registry information is discarded.

Cds services

These are only presented to the user if the Show advanced features option has been selected in the System menu item.

• Sesame endpoint - the endpoint of the Sesame service at CDS
• Vizier endpoint - the endpoint of the Vizier service at CDS
• Coordinate endpoint - the endpoint of the coordinates service at CDS
• Ucd dictionary endpoint - the endpoint of the dictionary of UCDs (Unified Content Descriptors) at CDS
• GLU resolver endpoint - the endpoint of the Aladin GLU service at CDS

Network

• HTTP Proxy Host - If your institution is running an http proxy, VODesktop will need to know its host, so that it can talk to the outside world. You can specify its address here.
• HTTP Proxy port number - type in here the port number used by the http proxy at your institution.

Performance

• Maximum background threads
• Timeout scaling factor
• Show progress dialogues after