README
                    The Cancer Imaging Archive
                      TCIA Interactive Menu
                            Version 3

Contents

• Introduction
• TCIA Menu Setup
• Useful Tips
• Sample Property File
• User Requirements
• Sample Test Cases
• Troubleshooting
• Bug Reports and Feedback

Introduction

The TCIA interactive menu is designed to provide users of The Cancer Imaging Archive with the ability to easily interact with the TCIA Programmatic Interface (REST API). This version is designed to be compatible with version 3 of the API. Users of the TCIA menu will be able to call any existing method available in the API, as well as keep existing TCIA Collections and Patients synchronized locally.

The TCIA menu uses the same directory structure as the Java Web Start download options currently available on the TCIA wiki site found at:

https://wiki.cancerimagingarchive.net/display/Public/Wiki

To make best use of the TCIA menu, it's recommended to configure a %TCIA_HOME% system environment variable and create a TCIA properties file, as described below.

TCIA Menu Setup

1. Checkout all files available on the TCIA GitHub page.
2. Follow instructions below in User Requirements section.
3. To take advantage of certain features of the TCIA menu, configure a system environment variable called "TCIA_HOME" and point it at the directory that contains all of your local TCIA directories and files.
4. To reduce the need to enter repetitive user input, create a properties file in your TCIA_HOME directory as described below in Useful Tips.

Useful Tips

1. Configure a system environment variable called "TCIA_HOME" and point it at the directory that contains all of your local TCIA directories and files. When the menu asks for a directory, just click the key, and the application will automatically search for a directory with the name of the Collection or Patient to be updated. If no %TCIA_HOME% environment variable is configured, the application will use the current working directory as the home directory.
2. Create a properties file in your %TCIA_HOME% directory. Use this file to store repetitive information to avoid having to manually enter. The only name requirements for the file are the ".properties" extension. Optional properties: (a) api_key: When asked to enter an API_KEY, just hit the key, and the application will automatically search for one in your properties file. (b) collections: For #18 in the menu, this property is expected to be configured with a comma-delimited list of valid Collection names to be updated. (c) patients: For #19 in the menu, this property is expected to be configured with a comma-delimited list of valid Patient IDs to be updated.

Sample Property File

#TCIA User Configuration File; #Tue Apr 11 03:29:31 EST 2017 api_key=12345678-1234-9876-a5a5-1h84hd84j234 collections=Lung Phantom,RIDER Breast MRI patients=4482356,RIDER-2217584661

User Requirements

1. Install Python 3.3 or later
2. Install pip 9.0.1
3. Install pydicom 0.9.9 Use command: pip install pydicom

Sample Test Cases

Coming Soon.

Troubleshooting

Coming Soon.

Bug Reports and Feedback

Please report any bugs and feedback to:

• Phone (voice or text): +1 385-275-8242 (ASK-TCIA)
• Email:help@cancerimagingarchive.net