AIPS HELP file for OUTCLASS in 31DEC09

As of Sat Nov 21 18:37:52 2009

HELP SECTION

OUTCLASS
Type: Adverb  (String*12)
Use:  Data files are stored in AIPS under logical names which
      have 3 parts: a 12-character "name" field, a 6-character
      "class" field, and a numeric "sequence number" field.
      OUTCLASS is used to specify the "class" field for the
      output data file from a verb or task.  This adverb is
      handled by AIPS tasks and verbs under special "wildcard"
      rules.  These rules determine how the default output class
      is combined with the user-specified OUTCLASS to create the
      class field actually used.  Except for '*', '?', and
      trailing blanks (when an * is present), all characters
      specified in OUTCLASS are copied to the corresponding
      character positions in the final class field.  A '?' in
      OUTCLASS causes the corresponding character in the default
      class to be used.  An '*' in OUTCLASS causes 0 or more
      characters (as many as possible) from the default class to
      be used beginning at the character position of the *.  The
      number of characters (excluding trailing blanks) which
      follow the * in the user-specified OUTCLASS determine how
      many characters may be used.  For the examples, assume
      that the default class is '123456'.  Then, OUTCLASS = '*'
      results in an actual class of '123456'.  OUTCLASS =
      'A?B*D' results is 'A2B45D' and OUTCLASS = '?? CAL'
      results in '12 CAL'.
Null value:  '      '
      Taken as '*' and the "default" value for OUTCLASS is the
      task name unless the Help file for the specific task or
      verb states otherwise.  If the first character in OUTCLASS
      is a back slash ('_'), then the default is changed from
      the task name to the actual INCLASS.  The _ does not
      appear in the final output class, but the remaining 5
      letters (if any) in OUTCLASS are used as above (as if they
      had been typed in character positions 1 - 5 of OUTCLASS).

EXPLAIN SECTION