In order to collect single crystal diffraction images from a position-sensitive detector, you need a program that controls the shutter, the goniometers and detector (i.e. a diffractometer). You want to collect preliminary images to check that the crystal diffracts and that the Bragg peaks can be integrated. This is further discussed in the dtdisplay documentation. dtcollect does the actual data acquisition by controlling the diffractometer hardware.
After dtcollect has been installed and placed in your PATH, just enter dtcollect along wiith an optional image filename to run it. Since dtcollect is an X Window program the standard X command line options are also supported. Messages are written to stdout and stderr as required. The syntax for running dtcollect is simply: dtcollect The dtcollect main window shown later will appear on the display. The main features of the window are a title, a menu bar with some command buttons, a shutter control panel, an expose control panel, a scan control panel, two goniometer control panels for the crystal and detector, a source wavelength control panel, and a scrolled text output region. Each of these features is discussed in following sections, but first a word about how to get help within dtcollect. Getting help
The main window title is usually supplied by the window manager. dtcollect changes the title in response to user input. When the mouse is used to arm a button, the title is changed to show what that button does. If you use Motif 1.2, when you click in a text field or tab to it, the title is changed to show what the text field is used for. In this way, you can receive continuous context-sensitive help. If you ever have a question about what a button does, move the mouse pointer over the button, then press and hold down the mouse button. The title will show what the function of the button is. To activate the function, simply release the mouse button. Do not release the mouse button with the pointer in the button unless you want to activate the function. To avoid activating the function, move the mouse pointer off the button, then release the mouse button. To see what a text field does, simply click in it and read the help line in the window title. You can also customize the help lines. More extensive help can be viewed by selecting the HTML Help Viewer command from the Help menu.