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Open a Chart from Cygnus

Compass charts can also be opened directly from the sibling application Cygnus. Double-clicking an ephemeris record there, or a point on a graphic ephemeris line, opens the corresponding chart here on the same date and time as the record or point you clicked.

Overview​

The gesture belongs to Cygnus; Compass is the side that receives it. There is no control for this inside Compass, and none is needed.

What sets this hand-off apart from the Aquila one is what travels with the request. The Cygnus study's own bodies, aspect angles, and parallel-aspect choice are carried inside it, so the chart arrives configured by the study rather than by Compass's stored defaults. A moment you pick out of an ephemeris is drawn on the same terms the study was reading it on.

The chart is either Mundane or Transit, since those are the only two kinds the hand-off carries.

What happens behind the scenes​

The receiving behavior is the same in every respect as for an Aquila request:

  • When Compass is already running, the chart window opens and comes to the front.
  • When Compass is installed but closed, Cygnus starts it and passes the request along.
  • When a request arrives while Compass is still starting, it is held and opened once loading finishes.
  • When a second copy of Compass is launched with a request, it forwards the request to the copy already running and exits.
caution

A request written in a newer version of the hand-off format than this copy of Compass understands is refused with a message asking you to update Compass. Use the update notification on the toolbar, or check your version in the About Dialog.

Procedures​

Open a Compass Chart from a Cygnus Ephemeris Record​

With an ephemeris study open in Cygnus:

  • Double-click an ephemeris record.

The corresponding Mundane or Transit chart opens in Compass at that moment and with the study's settings, and is brought to the front. Compass is started first if it was not already running.

tip

Double-clicking a point on a graphic ephemeris line reaches the same result by the same route, so you can pick a moment off the graph as easily as off the table.