---
name: "starpkg"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "starplot"
version: "0.95.5-8.3+b1"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/starpkg"
---

# starpkg(1)

convert a StarPlot data set to StarPlot file format

## NAME

starpkg - convert a StarPlot data set to StarPlot file format

## SYNOPSIS

**starpkg** \[ --dataset \] *data-set* \[ --dest *destination* \]\
 **starpkg** --recurse *input-dir* \[ --dest *destination* \]\

## DESCRIPTION

On the StarPlot web site are available some packages of data that include both an original data file from NASA, and also a  specification file. These packages are referred to as "data sets", from which [**starconvert**(1)](/starconvert/1.md) can produce a data file in StarPlot format.  For ease of use, this should be done via the starpkg shell script.\

## USAGE

Assuming that *data-set* is a valid StarPlot data set (either in tar.gz format or a directory resulting from uncompressing the tar.gz file), the \`starpkg --dataset' command converts it to a StarPlot-formatted data file.  Note that the \`--dataset' flag is optional, and the name of the input data set may be specified without it. In order to be a valid StarPlot data set, a directory or tar.gz file must contain at least a valid specification file whose name ends with \`.spec' and a flat text data file named \`catalog.dat'.

If the \`--dest' option is omitted, the default location of the output file is the first of the directories */usr/share/starplot*, *$PWD*, *$HOME* in which the user has write permissions.  If \`--dest' is omitted or *destination* is a directory, the name of the output file will by default be ${specfilename%.spec}.stars.  For instance, a data set containing *gliese.3.spec* will produce a file named *gliese.3.stars*.

The \`starpkg --recurse' form of the command executes the above action for every StarPlot data set contained in *input-dir*, placing the resulting StarPlot data files to the directory *destination*. (If the --dest option is omitted, the default destination directory is chosen as above.)  This form of the starpkg command is most useful when a new version of StarPlot has been installed and you wish to regenerate all StarPlot data files from data sets using the new starconvert program.

## OPTIONS

- \--dataset, -s

  Specify a directory or tar.gz file to use as a StarPlot data set.

- \--dest, -d

  Specify the file or directory in which to output StarPlot-format data files.

- \--quiet, -q

  Print only fatal errors to the terminal.

- \--recurse, -r

  Specify a directory in which to search for StarPlot data sets.

- \--starconvert-option *option*

  Pass *option* through to **starconvert**.  If you wish to pass more than one option (or an option that takes a following argument), you should give this flag multiple times, once for each **starconvert** option or argument.

- \--verbose, -v

  Print all starconvert output to the terminal.\

## SEE ALSO

[**starplot**(1)](/starplot/1.md), [**starconvert**(1)](/starconvert/1.md)

## AUTHOR

Copyright © 2000-2002 under the GNU GPL by Kevin B. McCarty  *\<starplot@starplot.org\>*. The StarPlot web page is at *www.starplot.org*.