---
name: "gethead"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "wcstools"
version: "3.9.7-1.1+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gethead"
---

# gethead(1)

Print FITS or IRAF header keyword values

## Name

gethead - Print FITS or IRAF header keyword values

## Synopsis

gethead \[-hptv\] \[-d pathname\] \[-n num\] \<FITS or IRAF file\> kw1 kw2 ... kwn

## Description

Print values of the specified keywords from the given image header.  By default they are all listed on one line, separated by spaces.  The *-v* flag causes the keyword names and values to be printed, one keyword per line. To read keywords from a list of files, substitute @\<listfile\> for the file names on the command line.  To read a lot of keywords, put them, one per line, in a file and substitute @\<keylistfile\> on the command line. If two @ commands are present, the program will figure out which contains file names and which contains keywords.

## Options

- **-a**

  List file name even if keywords are not found

- **-d**

  Root directory for input files (default is cwd)

- **-e**

  Output keyword=value's on one line per file

- **-f**

  Never print filenames (default is to print them if more than one)

- **-g**

  Output keyword=value's on one line per keyword

- **-h**

  flag causes the keyword names to be printed at top of columns.

- **-n**

  Number of decimal places in numeric output

- **-o**

  OR conditions instead of ANDing them

- **-p**

  Print full pathnames of files

- **-t**

  flag causes the output to be in tab-separated tables with keyword column headings.

- **-u**

  Always print \_\_\_ if keyword not found, event if only one keyword in search

- **-v**

  Print output as \<keyword\>=\<value\>, one per line

## Web Page

http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/software/wcstools/gethead.html

## Author

Jessica Mink, SAO (jmink@cfa.harvard.edu)