The NetCDF Fortran 77 Interface Guide ************************************* This document describes the FORTRAN-77 interface to the netCDF library. This document applies to netCDF version 4.0-beta2. This document was last updated in 5 June 2008. For a complete description of the netCDF format and utilities see *Note Top: (netcdf)Top. 1 Use of the NetCDF Library *************************** You can use the netCDF library without knowing about all of the netCDF interface. If you are creating a netCDF dataset, only a handful of routines are required to define the necessary dimensions, variables, and attributes, and to write the data to the netCDF dataset. (Even less are needed if you use the ncgen utility to create the dataset before running a program using netCDF library calls to write data. *Note ncgen: (netcdf)ncgen.) Similarly, if you are writing software to access data stored in a particular netCDF object, only a small subset of the netCDF library is required to open the netCDF dataset and access the data. Authors of generic applications that access arbitrary netCDF datasets need to be familiar with more of the netCDF library. In this chapter we provide templates of common sequences of netCDF calls needed for common uses. For clarity we present only the names of routines; omit declarations and error checking; omit the type-specific suffixes of routine names for variables and attributes; indent statements that are typically invoked multiple times; and use ... to represent arbitrary sequences of other statements. Full parameter lists are described in later chapters. 1.1 Creating a NetCDF Dataset ============================= Here is a typical sequence of netCDF calls used to create a new netCDF dataset: NF_CREATE ! create netCDF dataset: enter define mode ... NF_DEF_DIM ! define dimensions: from name and length ... NF_DEF_VAR ! define variables: from name, type, dims ... NF_PUT_ATT ! assign attribute values ... NF_ENDDEF ! end definitions: leave define mode ... NF_PUT_VAR ! provide values for variable ... NF_CLOSE ! close: save new netCDF dataset Only one call is needed to create a netCDF dataset, at which point you will be in the first of two netCDF modes. When accessing an open netCDF dataset, it is either in define mode or data mode. In define mode, you can create dimensions, variables, and new attributes, but you cannot read or write variable data. In data mode, you can access data and change existing attributes, but you are not permitted to create new dimensions, variables, or attributes. One call to NF_DEF_DIM is needed for each dimension created. Similarly, one call to NF_DEF_VAR is needed for each variable creation, and one call to a member of the NF_PUT_ATT family is needed for each attribute defined and assigned a value. To leave define mode and enter data mode, call NF_ENDDEF. Once in data mode, you can add new data to variables, change old values, and change values of existing attributes (so long as the attribute changes do not require more storage space). Single values may be written to a netCDF variable with one of the members of the NF_PUT_VAR1 family, depending on what type of data you have to write. All the values of a variable may be written at once with one of the members of the NF_PUT_VAR family. Arrays or array cross-sections of a variable may be written using members of the NF_PUT_VARA family. Subsampled array sections may be written using members of the NF_PUT_VARS family. Mapped array sections may be written using members of the NF_PUT_VARM family. (Subsampled and mapped access are general forms of data access that are explained later.) Finally, you should explicitly close all netCDF datasets that have been opened for writing by calling NF_CLOSE. By default, access to the file system is buffered by the netCDF library. If a program terminates abnormally with netCDF datasets open for writing, your most recent modifications may be lost. This default buffering of data is disabled by setting the NF_SHARE flag when opening the dataset. But even if this flag is set, changes to attribute values or changes made in define mode are not written out until NF_SYNC or NF_CLOSE is called. 1.2 Reading a NetCDF Dataset with Known Names ============================================= Here we consider the case where you know the names of not only the netCDF datasets, but also the names of their dimensions, variables, and attributes. (Otherwise you would have to do "inquire" calls.) The order of typical C calls to read data from those variables in a netCDF dataset is: NF_OPEN ! open existing netCDF dataset ... NF_INQ_DIMID ! get dimension IDs ... NF_INQ_VARID ! get variable IDs ... NF_GET_ATT ! get attribute values ... NF_GET_VAR ! get values of variables ... NF_CLOSE ! close netCDF dataset First, a single call opens the netCDF dataset, given the dataset name, and returns a netCDF ID that is used to refer to the open netCDF dataset in all subsequent calls. Next, a call to NF_INQ_DIMID for each dimension of interest gets the dimension ID from the dimension name. Similarly, each required variable ID is determined from its name by a call to NF_INQ_VARID.Once variable IDs are known, variable attribute values can be retrieved using the netCDF ID, the variable ID, and the desired attribute name as input to a member of the NF_GET_ATT family (typically NF_GET_ATT_TEXT or NF_GET_ATT_DOUBLE) for each desired attribute. Variable data values can be directly accessed from the netCDF dataset with calls to members of the NF_GET_VAR1 family for single values, the NF_GET_VAR family for entire variables, or various other members of the NF_GET_VARA, NF_GET_VARS, or NF_GET_VARM families for array, subsampled or mapped access. Finally, the netCDF dataset is closed with NF_CLOSE. There is no need to close a dataset open only for reading. 1.3 Reading a netCDF Dataset with Unknown Names =============================================== It is possible to write programs (e.g., generic software) which do such things as processing every variable, without needing to know in advance the names of these variables. Similarly, the names of dimensions and attributes may be unknown. Names and other information about netCDF objects may be obtained from netCDF datasets by calling inquire functions. These return information about a whole netCDF dataset, a dimension, a variable, or an attribute. The following template illustrates how they are used: NF_OPEN ! open existing netCDF dataset ... NF_INQ ! find out what is in it ... NF_INQ_DIM ! get dimension names, lengths ... NF_INQ_VAR ! get variable names, types, shapes ... NF_INQ_ATTNAME ! get attribute names ... NF_INQ_ATT ! get attribute values ... NF_GET_ATT ! get attribute values ... NF_GET_VAR ! get values of variables ... NF_CLOSE ! close netCDF dataset As in the previous example, a single call opens the existing netCDF dataset, returning a netCDF ID. This netCDF ID is given to the NF_INQ routine, which returns the number of dimensions, the number of variables, the number of global attributes, and the ID of the unlimited dimension, if there is one. All the inquire functions are inexpensive to use and require no I/O, since the information they provide is stored in memory when a netCDF dataset is first opened. Dimension IDs use consecutive integers, beginning at 1. Also dimensions, once created, cannot be deleted. Therefore, knowing the number of dimension IDs in a netCDF dataset means knowing all the dimension IDs: they are the integers 1, 2, 3, ... up to the number of dimensions. For each dimension ID, a call to the inquire function NF_INQ_DIM returns the dimension name and length. Variable IDs are also assigned from consecutive integers 1, 2, 3, ... up to the number of variables. These can be used in NF_INQ_VAR calls to find out the names, types, shapes, and the number of attributes assigned to each variable. Once the number of attributes for a variable is known, successive calls to NF_INQ_ATTNAME return the name for each attribute given the netCDF ID, variable ID, and attribute number. Armed with the attribute name, a call to NF_INQ_ATT returns its type and length. Given the type and length, you can allocate enough space to hold the attribute values. Then a call to a member of the NF_GET_ATT family returns the attribute values. Once the IDs and shapes of netCDF variables are known, data values can be accessed by calling a member of the NF_GET_VAR1 family for single values, or members of the NF_GET_VAR, NF_GET_VARA, NF_GET_VARS, or NF_GET_VARM for various kinds of array access. 1.4 Adding New Dimensions, Variables, Attributes ================================================ An existing netCDF dataset can be extensively altered. New dimensions, variables, and attributes can be added or existing ones renamed, and existing attributes can be deleted. Existing dimensions, variables, and attributes can be renamed. The following code template lists a typical sequence of calls to add new netCDF components to an existing dataset: NF_OPEN ! open existing netCDF dataset ... NF_REDEF ! put it into define mode ... NF_DEF_DIM ! define additional dimensions (if any) ... NF_DEF_VAR ! define additional variables (if any) ... NF_PUT_ATT ! define other attributes (if any) ... NF_ENDDEF ! check definitions, leave define mode ... NF_PUT_VAR ! provide new variable values ... NF_CLOSE ! close netCDF dataset A netCDF dataset is first opened by the NF_OPEN call. This call puts the open dataset in data mode, which means existing data values can be accessed and changed, existing attributes can be changed (so long as they do not grow), but nothing can be added. To add new netCDF dimensions, variables, or attributes you must enter define mode, by calling NF_REDEF.In define mode, call NF_DEF_DIM to define new dimensions, NF_DEF_VAR to define new variables, and a member of the NF_PUT_ATT family to assign new attributes to variables or enlarge old attributes. You can leave define mode and reenter data mode, checking all the new definitions for consistency and committing the changes to disk, by calling NF_ENDDEF. If you do not wish to reenter data mode, just call NF_CLOSE, which will have the effect of first calling NF_ENDDEF. Until the NF_ENDDEF call, you may back out of all the redefinitions made in define mode and restore the previous state of the netCDF dataset by calling NF_ABORT. You may also use the NF_ABORT call to restore the netCDF dataset to a consistent state if the call to NF_ENDDEF fails. If you have called NF_CLOSE from definition mode and the implied call to NF_ENDDEF fails, NF_ABORT will automatically be called to close the netCDF dataset and leave it in its previous consistent state (before you entered define mode). At most one process should have a netCDF dataset open for writing at one time. The library is designed to provide limited support for multiple concurrent readers with one writer, via disciplined use of the NF_SYNC function and the NF_SHARE flag. If a writer makes changes in define mode, such as the addition of new variables, dimensions, or attributes, some means external to the library is necessary to prevent readers from making concurrent accesses and to inform readers to call NF_SYNC before the next access. 1.5 Error Handling ================== The netCDF library provides the facilities needed to handle errors in a flexible way. Each netCDF function returns an integer status value. If the returned status value indicates an error, you may handle it in any way desired, from printing an associated error message and exiting to ignoring the error indication and proceeding (not recommended!). For simplicity, the examples in this guide check the error status and call a separate function to handle any errors. The NF_STRERROR function is available to convert a returned integer error status into an error message string. Occasionally, low-level I/O errors may occur in a layer below the netCDF library. For example, if a write operation causes you to exceed disk quotas or to attempt to write to a device that is no longer available, you may get an error from a layer below the netCDF library, but the resulting write error will still be reflected in the returned status value. 1.6 Compiling and Linking with the NetCDF Library ================================================= Details of how to compile and link a program that uses the netCDF C or FORTRAN interfaces differ, depending on the operating system, the available compilers, and where the netCDF library and include files are installed. Nevertheless, we provide here examples of how to compile and link a program that uses the netCDF library on a Unix platform, so that you can adjust these examples to fit your installation. Every FORTRAN file that references netCDF functions or constants must contain an appropriate INCLUDE statement before the first such reference: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' Unless the netcdf.inc file is installed in a standard directory where the FORTRAN compiler always looks, you must use the -I option when invoking the compiler, to specify a directory where netcdf.inc is installed, for example: f77 -c -I/usr/local/netcdf/include myprogram.f Alternatively, you could specify an absolute path name in the INCLUDE statement, but then your program would not compile on another platform where netCDF is installed in a different location. Unless the netCDF library is installed in a standard directory where the linker always looks, you must use the -L and -l options to link an object file that uses the netCDF library. For example: f77 -o myprogram myprogram.o -L/usr/local/netcdf/lib -lnetcdf Alternatively, you could specify an absolute path name for the library: f77 -o myprogram myprogram.o -l/usr/local/netcdf/lib/libnetcdf. 2 Datasets ********** 2.1 Datasets Introduction ========================= This chapter presents the interfaces of the netCDF functions that deal with a netCDF dataset or the whole netCDF library. A netCDF dataset that has not yet been opened can only be referred to by its dataset name. Once a netCDF dataset is opened, it is referred to by a netCDF ID, which is a small nonnegative integer returned when you create or open the dataset. A netCDF ID is much like a file descriptor in C or a logical unit number in FORTRAN. In any single program, the netCDF IDs of distinct open netCDF datasets are distinct. A single netCDF dataset may be opened multiple times and will then have multiple distinct netCDF IDs; however at most one of the open instances of a single netCDF dataset should permit writing. When an open netCDF dataset is closed, the ID is no longer associated with a netCDF dataset. Functions that deal with the netCDF library include: * Get version of library. * Get error message corresponding to a returned error code. The operations supported on a netCDF dataset as a single object are: * Create, given dataset name and whether to overwrite or not. * Open for access, given dataset name and read or write intent. * Put into define mode, to add dimensions, variables, or attributes. * Take out of define mode, checking consistency of additions. * Close, writing to disk if required. * Inquire about the number of dimensions, number of variables, number of global attributes, and ID of the unlimited dimension, if any. * Synchronize to disk to make sure it is current. * Set and unset nofill mode for optimized sequential writes. * After a summary of conventions used in describing the netCDF interfaces, the rest of this chapter presents a detailed description of the interfaces for these operations. 2.2 NetCDF Library Interface Descriptions ========================================= Each interface description for a particular netCDF function in this and later chapters contains: * a description of the purpose of the function; * a FORTRAN function prototype that presents the type and order of the formal parameters to the function; * a description of each formal parameter in the C interface; * a list of possible error conditions; and * an example of a FORTRAN program fragment calling the netCDF function (and perhaps other netCDF functions). The examples follow a simple convention for error handling, always checking the error status returned from each netCDF function call and calling a handle_error function in case an error was detected. For an example of such a function, see Section 5.2 "Get error message corresponding to error status: nc_strerror". 2.3 NF_STRERROR =============== The function NF_STRERROR returns a static reference to an error message string corresponding to an integer netCDF error status or to a system error number, presumably returned by a previous call to some other netCDF function. The list of netCDF error status codes is available in the appropriate include file for each language binding. Usage ===== CHARACTER*80 FUNCTION NF_STRERROR(INTEGER NCERR) `NCERR' An error status that might have been returned from a previous call to some netCDF function. Errors ====== If you provide an invalid integer error status that does not correspond to any netCDF error message or or to any system error message (as understood by the system strerror function), NF_STRERROR returns a string indicating that there is no such error status. Example ======= Here is an example of a simple error handling function that uses NF_STRERROR to print the error message corresponding to the netCDF error status returned from any netCDF function call and then exit: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... SUBROUTINE HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) INTEGER STATUS IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) THEN PRINT *, NF_STRERROR(STATUS) STOP 'Stopped' ENDIF END 2.4 Get netCDF library version: NF_INQ_LIBVERS ============================================== The function NF_INQ_LIBVERS returns a string identifying the version of the netCDF library, and when it was built. Usage ===== CHARACTER*80 FUNCTION NF_INQ_LIBVERS() Errors ====== This function takes no arguments, and thus no errors are possible in its invocation. Example ======= Here is an example using nc_inq_libvers to print the version of the netCDF library with which the program is linked: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... PRINT *, NF_INQ_LIBVERS() 2.5 NF_CREATE ============= This function creates a new netCDF dataset, returning a netCDF ID that can subsequently be used to refer to the netCDF dataset in other netCDF function calls. The new netCDF dataset opened for write access and placed in define mode, ready for you to add dimensions, variables, and attributes. A creation mode flag specifies whether to overwrite any existing dataset with the same name and whether access to the dataset is shared. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_CREATE (CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER CMODE, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' The file name of the new netCDF dataset. `CMODE' The creation mode flag. The following flags are available: NF_NOCLOBBER, NF_SHARE, NF_64BIT_OFFSET, NF_NETCDF4 and NF_CLASSIC_MODEL. You can combine the affect of multiple flags in a single argument by using the bitwise OR operator. For example, to specify both NF_NOCLOBBER and NF_SHARE, you could provide the argument OR(NF_NOCLOBBER, NF_SHARE). A zero value (defined for convenience as NF_CLOBBER) specifies the default behavior: overwrite any existing dataset with the same file name and buffer and cache accesses for efficiency. The dataset will be in netCDF classic format. *Note NetCDF Classic Format Limitations: (netcdf)NetCDF Classic Format Limitations. Setting NF_NOCLOBBER means you do not want to clobber (overwrite) an existing dataset; an error (NF_EEXIST) is returned if the specified dataset already exists. The NF_SHARE flag is appropriate when one process may be writing the dataset and one or more other processes reading the dataset concurrently; it means that dataset accesses are not buffered and caching is limited. Since the buffering scheme is optimized for sequential access, programs that do not access data sequentially may see some performance improvement by setting the NF_SHARE flag. This only applied to classic and 64-bit offset format files. Setting NF_64BIT_OFFSET causes netCDF to create a 64-bit offset format file, instead of a netCDF classic format file. The 64-bit offset format imposes far fewer restrictions on very large (i.e. over 2 GB) data files. *Note Large File Support: (netcdf)Large File Support. Setting NF_NETCDF4 causes netCDF to create a netCDF-4/HDF5 format file. Oring NF_CLASSIC_MODEL with NF_NETCDF4 causes the netCDF library to create a netCDF-4/HDF5 data file, with the netCDF classic model enforced - none of the new features of the netCDF-4 data model may be usedin such a file, for example groups and user-defined types. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF_CREATE returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Possible causes of errors include: * Passing a dataset name that includes a directory that does not exist. * Specifying a dataset name of a file that exists and also specifying NF_NOCLOBBER. * Specifying a meaningless value for the creation mode. * Attempting to create a netCDF dataset in a directory where you don't have permission to create files. Example ======= In this example we create a netCDF dataset named foo.nc; we want the dataset to be created in the current directory only if a dataset with that name does not already exist: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS ... STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.6 NF__CREATE ============== This function is a variant of NF_CREATE, NF__CREATE (note the double underscore) allows users to specify two tuning parameters for the file that it is creating. These tuning parameters are not written to the data file, they are only used for so long as the file remains open after an NF_CREATE. This function creates a new netCDF dataset, returning a netCDF ID that can subsequently be used to refer to the netCDF dataset in other netCDF function calls. The new netCDF dataset opened for write access and placed in define mode, ready for you to add dimensions, variables, and attributes. A creation mode flag specifies whether to overwrite any existing dataset with the same name and whether access to the dataset is shared. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_CREATE (CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER CMODE, INTEGER INITIALSZ, INTEGER CHUNKSIZEHINT, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' The file name of the new netCDF dataset. `CMODE' The creation mode flag. The following flags are available: NF_NOCLOBBER, NF_SHARE, and NF_64BIT_OFFSET. Setting NF_NOCLOBBER means you do not want to clobber (overwrite) an existing dataset; an error (NF_EEXIST) is returned if the specified dataset already exists. The NF_SHARE flag is appropriate when one process may be writing the dataset and one or more other processes reading the dataset concurrently; it means that dataset accesses are not buffered and caching is limited. Since the buffering scheme is optimized for sequential access, programs that do not access data sequentially may see some performance improvement by setting the NF_SHARE flag. Setting NF_64BIT_OFFSET causes netCDF to create a 64-bit offset format file, instead of a netCDF classic format file. The 64-bit offset format imposes far fewer restrictions on very large (i.e. over 2 GB) data files. *Note Large File Support: (netcdf)Large File Support. A zero value (defined for convenience as NF_CLOBBER) specifies the default behavior: overwrite any existing dataset with the same file name and buffer and cache accesses for efficiency. The dataset will be in netCDF classic format. *Note NetCDF Classic Format Limitations: (netcdf)NetCDF Classic Format Limitations. `initialsz' This parameter sets the initial size of the file at creation time. `chunksizehintp' The argument referenced by chunksizehintp controls a space versus time tradeoff, memory allocated in the netcdf library versus number of system calls. Because of internal requirements, the value may not be set to exactly the value requested. The actual value chosen is returned by reference. Using the value NF_SIZEHINT_DEFAULT causes the library to choose a default. How the system chooses the default depends on the system. On many systems, the "preferred I/O block size" is available from the stat() system call, struct stat member st_blksize. If this is available it is used. Lacking that, twice the system pagesize is used. Lacking a call to discover the system pagesize, we just set default chunksize to 8192. The chunksize is a property of a given open netcdf descriptor ncid, it is not a persistent property of the netcdf dataset. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF__CREATE returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Possible causes of errors include: * Passing a dataset name that includes a directory that does not exist. * Specifying a dataset name of a file that exists and also specifying NF_NOCLOBBER. * Specifying a meaningless value for the creation mode. * Attempting to create a netCDF dataset in a directory where you don't have permission to create files. Example ======= In this example we create a netCDF dataset named foo.nc; we want the dataset to be created in the current directory only if a dataset with that name does not already exist: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS, INITIALSZ, CHUNKSIZEHINT ... INITIALSZ = 2048 CHUNKSIZEHINT = 1024 STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, INITIALSZ, CHUNKSIZEHINT, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.7 NF_CREATE_PAR ================= This function is a variant of nc_create, nc_create_par allows users to open a file on a MPI/IO or MPI/Posix parallel file system. The parallel parameters are not written to the data file, they are only used for so long as the file remains open after an nc_create_par. This function creates a new netCDF dataset, returning a netCDF ID that can subsequently be used to refer to the netCDF dataset in other netCDF function calls. The new netCDF dataset opened for write access and placed in define mode, ready for you to add dimensions, variables, and attributes. This function is only available for netCDF-4 files. The creation mode flag must include NC_NETCDF4. When a netCDF-4 file is created for parallel access, collective operations are the default. To use independent access on a variable, *Note NF_VAR_PAR_ACCESS::. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_CREATE_PAR(CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER CMODE, INTEGER MPI_COMM, INTEGER MPI_INFO, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' The file name of the new netCDF dataset. `CMODE' The creation mode flag. The following flags are available: NF_NOCLOBBER, NF_NETCDF4 and NF_CLASSIC_MODEL. You can combine the affect of multiple flags in a single argument by using the bitwise OR operator. For example, to specify both NF_NOCLOBBER and NF_NETCDF4, you could provide the argument OR(NF_NOCLOBBER, NF_NETCDF4). Setting NF_NETCDF4 causes netCDF to create a netCDF-4/HDF5 format file. Oring NF_CLASSIC_MODEL with NF_NETCDF4 causes the netCDF library to create a netCDF-4/HDF5 data file, with the netCDF classic model enforced - none of the new features of the netCDF-4 data model may be usedin such a file, for example groups and user-defined types. Only netCDF-4/HDF5 files may be used with parallel I/O. `MPI_COMM' The MPI communicator. `MPI_INFO' The MPI info. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF_CREATE returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Possible causes of errors include: * Passing a dataset name that includes a directory that does not exist. * Specifying a dataset name of a file that exists and also specifying NF_NOCLOBBER. * Specifying a meaningless value for the creation mode. * Attempting to create a netCDF dataset in a directory where you don't have permission to create files. Example ======= 2.8 NF_OPEN =========== The function NF_OPEN opens an existing netCDF dataset for access. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_OPEN(CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER OMODE, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' File name for netCDF dataset to be opened. `OMODE' A zero value (or NF_NOWRITE) specifies the default behavior: open the dataset with read-only access, buffering and caching accesses for efficiency. Otherwise, the creation mode is NF_WRITE, NF_SHARE, or OR(NF_WRITE, NF_SHARE). Setting the NF_WRITE flag opens the dataset with read-write access. ("Writing" means any kind of change to the dataset, including appending or changing data, adding or renaming dimensions, variables, and attributes, or deleting attributes.) The NF_SHARE flag is appropriate when one process may be writing the dataset and one or more other processes reading the dataset concurrently; it means that dataset accesses are not buffered and caching is limited. Since the buffering scheme is optimized for sequential access, programs that do not access data sequentially may see some performance improvement by setting the NF_SHARE flag. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF_OPEN returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset does not exist. * A meaningless mode was specified. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_OPEN to open an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc for read-only, non-shared access: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', 0, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.9 NF__OPEN ============ The function NF)_OPEN opens an existing netCDF dataset for access, with a performance tuning parameter. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF__OPEN(CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER OMODE, INTEGER CHUNKSIZEHINT, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' File name for netCDF dataset to be opened. `OMODE' A zero value (or NF_NOWRITE) specifies the default behavior: open the dataset with read-only access, buffering and caching accesses for efficiency Otherwise, the creation mode is NF_WRITE, NF_SHARE, or OR(NF_WRITE,NF_SHARE). Setting the NF_WRITE flag opens the dataset with read-write access. ("Writing" means any kind of change to the dataset, including appending or changing data, adding or renaming dimensions, variables, and attributes, or deleting attributes.) The NF_SHARE flag is appropriate when one process may be writing the dataset and one or more other processes reading the dataset concurrently; it means that dataset accesses are not buffered and caching is limited. Since the buffering scheme is optimized for sequential access, programs that do not access data sequentially may see some performance improvement by setting the NF_SHARE flag. `CHUNKSIZEHINT' This argument controls a space versus time tradeoff, memory allocated in the netcdf library versus number of system calls. Because of internal requirements, the value may not be set to exactly the value requested. The actual value chosen is returned by reference. Using the value NF_SIZEHINT_DEFAULT causes the library to choose a default. How the system chooses the default depends on the system. On many systems, the "preferred I/O block size" is available from the stat() system call, struct stat member st_blksize. If this is available it is used. Lacking that, twice the system pagesize is used. Lacking a call to discover the system pagesize, we just set default chunksize to 8192. The chunksize is a property of a given open netcdf descriptor ncid, it is not a persistent property of the netcdf dataset. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF__OPEN returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset does not exist. * A meaningless mode was specified. Example ======= Here is an example using NF__OPEN to open an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc for read-only, non-shared access: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS, CHUNKSIZEHINT ... CHUNKSIZEHINT = 1024 STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', 0, CHUNKSIZEHINT, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.10 NF_OPEN_PAR ================ This function opens a netCDF-4 dataset for parallel access. This opens the file using either MPI-IO or MPI-POSIX. The file must be a netCDF-4 file. (That is, it must have been created using NC_NETCDF4 in the creation mode). This function is only available if netCDF-4 was configured with the .use-parallel option before being built. Also HDF5 parallel must be installed (before netCDF-4 is installed.) Before either HDF5 or netCDF-4 can be installed with support for parallel programming, and MPI layer must also be installed on the machine, and usually a parallel file system. NetCDF-4 exposes the parallel access functionality of HDF5. For more information about what is required to install and use the parallel access functions, see the HDF5 web site. When a netCDF-4 file is opened for parallel access, collective operations are the default. To use independent access on a variable, *Note NF_VAR_PAR_ACCESS::. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_OPEN_PAR(CHARACTER*(*) PATH, INTEGER OMODE, INTEGER MPI_COMM, INTEGER MPI_INFO, INTEGER ncid) `PATH' File name for netCDF dataset to be opened. `OMODE' A zero value (or NF_NOWRITE) specifies the default behavior: open the dataset with read-only access. Otherwise, the mode may be NF_WRITE. Setting the NF_WRITE flag opens the dataset with read-write access. ("Writing" means any kind of change to the dataset, including appending or changing data, adding or renaming dimensions, variables, and attributes, or deleting attributes.) Setting NF_NETCDF4 is not necessary (or allowed). The file type is detected automatically. `MPI_COMM' The MPI communicator. `MPI_INFO' The MPI info. `ncid' Returned netCDF ID. Errors ====== NF_OPEN returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset does not exist. * A meaningless mode was specified. * Not a netCDF-4 file. Example ======= 2.11 NF_REDEF ============= The function NF_REDEF puts an open netCDF dataset into define mode, so dimensions, variables, and attributes can be added or renamed and attributes can be deleted. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_REDEF(INTEGER NCID) `NCID' netCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. Errors ====== NF_REDEF returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset is already in define mode. * The specified netCDF dataset was opened for read-only. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_REDEF to open an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc and put it into define mode: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_WRITE, NCID) ! open dataset IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_REDEF(NCID) ! put in define mode IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.12 NF_ENDDEF ============== The function NF_ENDDEF takes an open netCDF dataset out of define mode. The changes made to the netCDF dataset while it was in define mode are checked and committed to disk if no problems occurred. Non-record variables may be initialized to a "fill value" as well (*note NF_SET_FILL::). The netCDF dataset is then placed in data mode, so variable data can be read or written. This call may involve copying data under some circumstances. *Note File Structure and Performance: (netcdf)File Structure and Performance. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_ENDDEF(INTEGER NCID) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. Errors ====== NF_ENDDEF returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset is not in define mode. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. The size of one or more variables exceed the size constraints for whichever variant of the file format is in use). *Note Large File Support: (netcdf)Large File Support. * Example ======= Here is an example using NF_ENDDEF to finish the definitions of a new netCDF dataset named foo.nc and put it into data mode: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS ... STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! create dimensions, variables, attributes STATUS = NF_ENDDEF(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.13 NF__ENDDEF =============== The function NF__ENDDEF takes an open netCDF dataset out of define mode. The changes made to the netCDF dataset while it was in define mode are checked and committed to disk if no problems occurred. Non-record variables may be initialized to a "fill value" as well (*note NF_SET_FILL::). The netCDF dataset is then placed in data mode, so variable data can be read or written. This call may involve copying data under some circumstances. *Note File Structure and Performance: (netcdf)File Structure and Performance. This function assumes specific characteristics of the netcdf version 1 and version 2 file formats. Users should use nf_enddef in most circumstances. Although this function will be available in future netCDF implementations, it may not continue to have any effect on performance. The current netcdf file format has three sections, the "header" section, the data section for fixed size variables, and the data section for variables which have an unlimited dimension (record variables). The header begins at the beginning of the file. The index (offset) of the beginning of the other two sections is contained in the header. Typically, there is no space between the sections. This causes copying overhead to accrue if one wishes to change the size of the sections, as may happen when changing names of things, text attribute values, adding attributes or adding variables. Also, for buffered i/o, there may be advantages to aligning sections in certain ways. The minfree parameters allow one to control costs of future calls to nc_redef, nc_enddef by requesting that minfree bytes be available at the end of the section. The align parameters allow one to set the alignment of the beginning of the corresponding sections. The beginning of the section is rounded up to an index which is a multiple of the align parameter. The flag value ALIGN_CHUNK tells the library to use the chunksize (see above) as the align parameter. The file format requires mod 4 alignment, so the align parameters are silently rounded up to multiples of 4. The usual call, nc_enddef(ncid); is equivalent to nc_enddef(ncid, 0, 4, 0, 4); The file format does not contain a "record size" value, this is calculated from the sizes of the record variables. This unfortunate fact prevents us from providing minfree and alignment control of the "records" in a netcdf file. If you add a variable which has an unlimited dimension, the third section will always be copied with the new variable added. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_ENDDEF(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER H_MINFREE, INTEGER V_ALIGN, INTEGER V_MINFREE, INTEGER R_ALIGN) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `H_MINFREE' Sets the pad at the end of the "header" section. `V_ALIGN' Controls the alignment of the beginning of the data section for fixed size variables. `V_MINFREE' Sets the pad at the end of the data section for fixed size variables. `R_ALIGN' Controls the alignment of the beginning of the data section for variables which have an unlimited dimension (record variables). Errors ====== NF__ENDDEF returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF dataset is not in define mode. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. * The size of one or more variables exceed the size constraints for whichever variant of the file format is in use). *Note Large File Support: (netcdf)Large File Support. Example ======= Here is an example using NF__ENDDEF to finish the definitions of a new netCDF dataset named foo.nc and put it into data mode: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS, H_MINFREE, V_ALIGN, V_MINFREE, R_ALIGN ... STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! create dimensions, variables, attributes H_MINFREE = 512 V_ALIGN = 512 V_MINFREE = 512 R_ALIGN = 512 STATUS = NF_ENDDEF(NCID, H_MINFREE, V_ALIGN, V_MINFREE, R_ALIGN) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.14 NF_CLOSE ============= The function NF_CLOSE closes an open netCDF dataset. If the dataset is in define mode, NF_ENDDEF will be called before closing. (In this case, if NF_ENDDEF returns an error, NF_ABORT will automatically be called to restore the dataset to the consistent state before define mode was last entered.) After an open netCDF dataset is closed, its netCDF ID may be reassigned to the next netCDF dataset that is opened or created. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_CLOSE(INTEGER NCID) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. Errors ====== NF_CLOSE returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * Define mode was entered and the automatic call made to NF_ENDDEF failed. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_CLOSE to finish the definitions of a new netCDF dataset named foo.nc and release its netCDF ID: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS ... STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! create dimensions, variables, attributes STATUS = NF_CLOSE(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.15 NF_INQ Family ================== Members of the NF_INQ family of functions return information about an open netCDF dataset, given its netCDF ID. Dataset inquire functions may be called from either define mode or data mode. The first function, NF_INQ, returns values for the number of dimensions, the number of variables, the number of global attributes, and the dimension ID of the dimension defined with unlimited length, if any. The other functions in the family each return just one of these items of information. For FORTRAN, these functions include NF_INQ, NF_INQ_NDIMS, NF_INQ_NVARS, NF_INQ_NATTS, and NF_INQ_UNLIMDIM. An additional function, NF_INQ_FORMAT, returns the (rarely needed) format version. No I/O is performed when these functions are called, since the required information is available in memory for each open netCDF dataset. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER ndims, INTEGER nvars,INTEGER ngatts, INTEGER unlimdimid) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_NDIMS (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER ndims) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_NVARS (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER nvars) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_NATTS (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER ngatts) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_UNLIMDIM (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER unlimdimid) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_FORMAT (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER format) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `ndims' Returned number of dimensions defined for this netCDF dataset. `nvars' Returned number of variables defined for this netCDF dataset. `ngatts' Returned number of global attributes defined for this netCDF dataset. `unlimdimid' Returned ID of the unlimited dimension, if there is one for this netCDF dataset. If no unlimited length dimension has been defined, -1 is returned. `format' Returned format version, one of NF_FORMAT_CLASSIC, NF_FORMAT_64BIT, NF_FORMAT_NETCDF4, NF_FORMAT_NETCDF4_CLASSIC. Errors ====== All members of the NF_INQ family return the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_INQ to find out about a netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, NDIMS, NVARS, NGATTS, UNLIMDIMID ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_NOWRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_INQ(NCID, NDIMS, NVARS, NGATTS, UNLIMDIMID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.16 NF_SYNC ============ The function NF_SYNC offers a way to synchronize the disk copy of a netCDF dataset with in-memory buffers. There are two reasons you might want to synchronize after writes: * To minimize data loss in case of abnormal termination, or * To make data available to other processes for reading immediately after it is written. But note that a process that already had the dataset open for reading would not see the number of records increase when the writing process calls NF_SYNC; to accomplish this, the reading process must call NF_SYNC. This function is backward-compatible with previous versions of the netCDF library. The intent was to allow sharing of a netCDF dataset among multiple readers and one writer, by having the writer call NF_SYNC after writing and the readers call NF_SYNC before each read. For a writer, this flushes buffers to disk. For a reader, it makes sure that the next read will be from disk rather than from previously cached buffers, so that the reader will see changes made by the writing process (e.g., the number of records written) without having to close and reopen the dataset. If you are only accessing a small amount of data, it can be expensive in computer resources to always synchronize to disk after every write, since you are giving up the benefits of buffering. An easier way to accomplish sharing (and what is now recommended) is to have the writer and readers open the dataset with the NF_SHARE flag, and then it will not be necessary to call NF_SYNC at all. However, the NF_SYNC function still provides finer granularity than the NF_SHARE flag, if only a few netCDF accesses need to be synchronized among processes. It is important to note that changes to the ancillary data, such as attribute values, are not propagated automatically by use of the NF_SHARE flag. Use of the NF_SYNC function is still required for this purpose. Sharing datasets when the writer enters define mode to change the data schema requires extra care. In previous releases, after the writer left define mode, the readers were left looking at an old copy of the dataset, since the changes were made to a new copy. The only way readers could see the changes was by closing and reopening the dataset. Now the changes are made in place, but readers have no knowledge that their internal tables are now inconsistent with the new dataset schema. If netCDF datasets are shared across redefinition, some mechanism external to the netCDF library must be provided that prevents access by readers during redefinition and causes the readers to call NF_SYNC before any subsequent access. When calling NF_SYNC, the netCDF dataset must be in data mode. A netCDF dataset in define mode is synchronized to disk only when NF_ENDDEF is called. A process that is reading a netCDF dataset that another process is writing may call NF_SYNC to get updated with the changes made to the data by the writing process (e.g., the number of records written), without having to close and reopen the dataset. Data is automatically synchronized to disk when a netCDF dataset is closed, or whenever you leave define mode. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_SYNC(INTEGER NCID) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. Errors ====== NF_SYNC returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The netCDF dataset is in define mode. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_SYNC to synchronize the disk writes of a netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_WRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! write data or change attributes ... STATUS = NF_SYNC(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 2.17 NF_ABORT ============= You no longer need to call this function, since it is called automatically by NF_CLOSE in case the dataset is in define mode and something goes wrong with committing the changes. The function NF_ABORT just closes the netCDF dataset, if not in define mode. If the dataset is being created and is still in define mode, the dataset is deleted. If define mode was entered by a call to NF_REDEF, the netCDF dataset is restored to its state before definition mode was entered and the dataset is closed. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_ABORT(INTEGER NCID) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. Errors ====== NF_ABORT returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * When called from define mode while creating a netCDF dataset, deletion of the dataset failed. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_ABORT to back out of redefinitions of a dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, LATID ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_WRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_REDEF(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'LAT', 18, LATID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) THEN ! dimension definition failed CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_ABORT(NCID) ! abort redefinitions IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ENDIF ... 2.18 NF_SET_FILL ================ This function is intended for advanced usage, to optimize writes under some circumstances described below. The function NF_SET_FILL sets the fill mode for a netCDF dataset open for writing and returns the current fill mode in a return parameter. The fill mode can be specified as either NF_FILL or NF_NOFILL. The default behavior corresponding to NF_FILL is that data is pre-filled with fill values, that is fill values are written when you create non-record variables or when you write a value beyond data that has not yet been written. This makes it possible to detect attempts to read data before it was written. *Note Fill Values::, for more information on the use of fill values. *Note Attribute Conventions::, for information about how to define your own fill values. The behavior corresponding to NF_NOFILL overrides the default behavior of prefilling data with fill values. This can be used to enhance performance, because it avoids the duplicate writes that occur when the netCDF library writes fill values that are later overwritten with data. A value indicating which mode the netCDF dataset was already in is returned. You can use this value to temporarily change the fill mode of an open netCDF dataset and then restore it to the previous mode. After you turn on NF_NOFILL mode for an open netCDF dataset, you must be certain to write valid data in all the positions that will later be read. Note that nofill mode is only a transient property of a netCDF dataset open for writing: if you close and reopen the dataset, it will revert to the default behavior. You can also revert to the default behavior by calling NF_SET_FILL again to explicitly set the fill mode to NF_FILL. There are three situations where it is advantageous to set nofill mode: 1. Creating and initializing a netCDF dataset. In this case, you should set nofill mode before calling NF_ENDDEF and then write completely all non-record variables and the initial records of all the record variables you want to initialize. 2. Extending an existing record-oriented netCDF dataset. Set nofill mode after opening the dataset for writing, then append the additional records to the dataset completely, leaving no intervening unwritten records. 3. Adding new variables that you are going to initialize to an existing netCDF dataset. Set nofill mode before calling NF_ENDDEF then write all the new variables completely. If the netCDF dataset has an unlimited dimension and the last record was written while in nofill mode, then the dataset may be shorter than if nofill mode was not set, but this will be completely transparent if you access the data only through the netCDF interfaces. The use of this feature may not be available (or even needed) in future releases. Programmers are cautioned against heavy reliance upon this feature. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_SET_FILL(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER FILLMODE, INTEGER old_mode) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `FILLMODE' Desired fill mode for the dataset, either NF_NOFILL or NF_FILL. `old_mode' Returned current fill mode of the dataset before this call, either NF_NOFILL or NF_FILL. Errors ====== NF_SET_FILL returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID refers to a dataset open for read-only access. * The fill mode argument is neither NF_NOFILL nor NF_FILL.. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_SET_FILL to set nofill mode for subsequent writes of a netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER NCID, STATUS, OMODE ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_WRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! write data with default prefilling behavior ... STATUS = NF_SET_FILL(NCID, NF_NOFILL, OMODE) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! write data with no prefilling ... 2.19 NF_SET_DEFAULT_FORMAT ========================== This function is intended for advanced users. Starting in version 3.6, netCDF introduced a new data format, the first change in the underlying binary data format since the netCDF interface was released. The new format, 64-bit offset format, was introduced to greatly relax the limitations on creating very large files. Users are warned that creating files in the 64-bit offset format makes them unreadable by the netCDF library prior to version 3.6.0. For reasons of compatibility, users should continue to create files in netCDF classic format. Users who do want to use 64-bit offset format files can create them directory from NF_CREATE, using the proper cmode flag. (*note NF_CREATE::). The function NF_SET_DEFAULT_FORMAT allows the user to change the format of the netCDF file to be created by future calls to NF_CREATE without changing the cmode flag. This allows the user to convert a program to use 64-bit offset formation without changing all calls the NF_CREATE. *Note Large File Support: (netcdf)Large File Support. Once the default format is set, all future created files will be in the desired format. Two constants are provided in the netcdf.inc file to be used with this function, nf_format_64bit and nf_format_classic. Using NF_CREATE with a cmode including nf_64bit_offset overrides the default format, and creates a 64-bit offset file. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_SET_DEFAULT_FORMAT(INTEGER FORMAT, INTEGER OLD_FORMT) `FORMAT' Either nf_format_64bit or nf_format_classic. `OLD_FORMAT' The default format at the time the function is called is returned here. Errors ====== NF_SET_FILL returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * An NC_EINVAL error is returned if an invalid default format is specified. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_SET_FILL to set nofill mode for subsequent writes of a netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, OLD_FORMAT ... STATUS = NF_SET_DEFAULT_FORMAT(nf_format_64bit, OLD_FORMAT) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... 3 Groups ******** NetCDF-4 added support for hierarchical groups within netCDF datasets. Groups are identified with a ncid, which identifies both the open file, and the group within that file. When a file is opened with NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE, the ncid for the root group of that file is provided. Using that as a starting point, users can add new groups, or list and navigate existing groups. All netCDF calls take a ncid which determines where the call will take its action. For example, the NF_DEF_VAR function takes a ncid as its first parameter. It will create a variable in whichever group its ncid refers to. Use the root ncid provided by NF_CREATE or NF_OPEN to create a variable in the root group. Or use NF_DEF_GRP to create a group and use its ncid to define a variable in the new group. Variable are only visible in the group in which they are defined. The same applies to attributes. "Global" attributes are defined in whichever group is refered to by the ncid. Dimensions are visible in their groups, and all child groups. Group operations are only permitted on netCDF-4 files - that is, files created with the HDF5 flag in nf_create. (*note NF_CREATE::). Groups are not compatible with the netCDF classic data model, so files created with the NC_CLASSIC_MODEL file cannot contain groups (except the root group). 3.1 Find a Group ID: NF_INQ_NCID ================================ Given an ncid and group name (NULL or "" gets root group), return ncid of the named group. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_NCID(INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER GRPID) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `NAME' A character array that holds the name of the desired group. Must be less then NF_MAX_NAME. `GRPID' The ID of the group will go here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check getting the group by name retval = nf_inq_ncid(ncid, group_name, grpid_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.2 Get a List of Groups in a Group: NF_INQ_GRPS ================================================ Given a location id, return the number of groups it contains, and an array of their ncids. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_GRPS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER NUMGRPS, INTEGER NCIDS) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `NUMGRPS' An integer which will get number of groups in this group. `NCIDS' An array of ints which will receive the IDs of all the groups in this group. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C What groups are there from the root group? retval = nf_inq_grps(ncid, ngroups_in, grpids) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.3 Find all the Variables in a Group: NF_INQ_VARIDS ==================================================== Find all varids for a location. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_VARIDS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGERS VARIDS) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `VARIDS' An already allocated array to store the list of varids. Use nf_inq_nvars to find out how many variables there are. (*note NF_INQ Family::). Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check varids in subgroup. retval = nf_inq_varids(subgrp_in, nvars, varids_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.4 Find all Dimensions Visible in a Group: NF_INQ_DIMIDS ========================================================= Find all dimids for a location. This finds all dimensions in a group, or any of its parents. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_DIMIDS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER DIMIDS, INTEGER INCLUDE_PARENTS) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `DIMIDS' An array of ints when the dimids of the visible dimensions will be stashed. Use nf_inq_ndims to find out how many dims are visible from this group. (*note NF_INQ Family::). `INCLUDE_PARENTS' If zero, only the group specified by NCID will be searched for dimensions. Otherwise parent groups will be searched too. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check dimids in subgroup. retval = nf_inq_dimids(subgrp_in, ndims, dimids_in, 0) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (ndims .ne. 2 .or. dimids_in(1) .ne. dimids(1) .or. & dimids_in(2) .ne. dimids(2)) stop 2 3.5 Find the Length of a Group's Name: NF_INQ_GRPNAME_LEN ========================================================= Given ncid, find length of the full name. (Root group is named "/", with length 1.) Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_GRPNAME_LEN(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER LEN) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `LEN' An integer where the length will be placed. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check the length of the full name. retval = nf_inq_grpname_len(grpids(1), full_name_len) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.6 Find a Group's Name: NF_INQ_GRPNAME ======================================= Given ncid, find relative name of group. (Root group is named "/"). The name provided by this function is relative to the parent group. For a full path name for the group is, with all parent groups included, separated with a forward slash (as in Unix directory names) *Note NF_INQ_GRPNAME_FULL::. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_GRPNAME(INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `NAME' The name of the group will be copied to this character array. The name will be less than NF_MAX_NAME in length. `' Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check the name of the root group. retval = nf_inq_grpname(ncid, name_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (name_in(1:1) .ne. '/') stop 2 3.7 Find a Group's Full Name: NF_INQ_GRPNAME_FULL ================================================= Given ncid, find complete name of group. (Root group is named "/"). The name provided by this function is a full path name for the group is, with all parent groups included, separated with a forward slash (as in Unix directory names). For a name relative to the parent group *Note NF_INQ_GRPNAME::. To find the length of the full name *Note NF_INQ_GRPNAME_LEN::. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_GRPNAME_FULL(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER LEN, CHARACTER*(*) NAME) `NCID' The group id for this operation. `LEN' The length of the full group name will go here. `NAME' The name of the group will be copied to this character array. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check the full name. retval = nf_inq_grpname_full(grpids(1), full_name_len, name_in2) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.8 Find a Group's Parent: NF_INQ_GRP_PARENT ============================================ Given ncid, find the ncid of the parent group. When used with the root group, this function returns the NF_ENOGRP error (since the root group has no parent.) Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_GRP_PARENT(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER PARENT_NCID) `NCID' The group id. `PARENT_NCID' The ncid of the parent group will be copied here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENOGRP' No parent group found (i.e. this is the root group). `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_groups.F. C Check the parent ncid. retval = nf_inq_grp_parent(grpids(1), grpid_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 3.9 Create a New Group: NF_DEF_GRP ================================== Create a group. Its location id is returned in new_ncid. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_GRP(INTEGER PARENT_NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER NEW_NCID) `PARENT_NCID' The group id of the parent group. `NAME' The name of the new group. `NEW_NCID' The ncid of the new group will be placed there. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Group names must be unique within a group. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceed max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag HDF5. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_EPERM' Attempt to write to a read-only file. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. Example ======= In this exampe rom nf_test/ftst_groups.F, a groups is reated, and then a sub-group is created in that group. C Create the netCDF file. retval = nf_create(file_name, NF_NETCDF4, ncid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) C Create a group and a subgroup. retval = nf_def_grp(ncid, group_name, grpid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) retval = nf_def_grp(grpid, sub_group_name, sub_grpid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 4 Dimensions ************ 4.1 Dimensions Introduction =========================== Dimensions for a netCDF dataset are defined when it is created, while the netCDF dataset is in define mode. Additional dimensions may be added later by reentering define mode. A netCDF dimension has a name and a length. At most one dimension in a netCDF dataset can have the unlimited length, which means variables using this dimension can grow along this dimension. There is a suggested limit (100) to the number of dimensions that can be defined in a single netCDF dataset. The limit is the value of the predefined macro NF_MAX_DIMS. The purpose of the limit is to make writing generic applications simpler. They need only provide an array of NF_MAX_DIMS dimensions to handle any netCDF dataset. The implementation of the netCDF library does not enforce this advisory maximum, so it is possible to use more dimensions, if necessary, but netCDF utilities that assume the advisory maximums may not be able to handle the resulting netCDF datasets. Ordinarily, the name and length of a dimension are fixed when the dimension is first defined. The name may be changed later, but the length of a dimension (other than the unlimited dimension) cannot be changed without copying all the data to a new netCDF dataset with a redefined dimension length. A netCDF dimension in an open netCDF dataset is referred to by a small integer called a dimension ID. In the FORTRAN interface, dimension IDs are 1, 2, 3, ..., in the order in which the dimensions were defined. Operations supported on dimensions are: * Create a dimension, given its name and length. * Get a dimension ID from its name. * Get a dimension's name and length from its ID. * Rename a dimension. 4.2 NF_DEF_DIM ============== The function NF_DEF_DIM adds a new dimension to an open netCDF dataset in define mode. It returns (as an argument) a dimension ID, given the netCDF ID, the dimension name, and the dimension length. At most one unlimited length dimension, called the record dimension, may be defined for each netCDF dataset. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_DIM (INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER LEN, INTEGER dimid) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `NAME' Dimension name. Must begin with an alphabetic character, followed by zero or more alphanumeric characters including the underscore ('_'). Case is significant. `LEN' Length of dimension; that is, number of values for this dimension as an index to variables that use it. This should be either a positive integer or the predefined constant NF_UNLIMITED. `dimid' Returned dimension ID. Errors ====== NF_DEF_DIM returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The netCDF dataset is not in definition mode. * The specified dimension name is the name of another existing dimension. * The specified length is not greater than zero. * The specified length is unlimited, but there is already an unlimited length dimension defined for this netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_DEF_DIM to create a dimension named lat of length 18 and a unlimited dimension named rec in a new netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, LATID, RECID ... STATUS = NF_CREATE('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'lat', 18, LATID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'rec', NF_UNLIMITED, RECID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 4.3 NF_INQ_DIMID ================ The function NF_INQ_DIMID returns (as an argument) the ID of a netCDF dimension, given the name of the dimension. If ndims is the number of dimensions defined for a netCDF dataset, each dimension has an ID between 1 and ndims. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_DIMID (INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER dimid) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `NAME' Dimension name, a character string beginning with a letter and followed by any sequence of letters, digits, or underscore ('_') characters. Case is significant in dimension names. `dimid' Returned dimension ID. Errors ====== NF_INQ_DIMID returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The name that was specified is not the name of a dimension in the netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_INQ_DIMID to determine the dimension ID of a dimension named lat, assumed to have been defined previously in an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, LATID ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_NOWRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_INQ_DIMID(NCID, 'lat', LATID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 4.4 NF_INQ_DIM Family ===================== This family of functions returns information about a netCDF dimension. Information about a dimension includes its name and its length. The length for the unlimited dimension, if any, is the number of records written so far. The functions in this family include NF_INQ_DIM, NF_INQ_DIMNAME, and NF_INQ_DIMLEN. The function NF_INQ_DIM returns all the information about a dimension; the other functions each return just one item of information. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_DIM (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER DIMID, CHARACTER*(*) name, INTEGER len) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_DIMNAME (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER DIMID, CHARACTER*(*) name) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_DIMLEN (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER DIMID, INTEGER len) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `DIMID' Dimension ID, from a previous call to NF_INQ_DIMID or NF_DEF_DIM. `NAME' Returned dimension name. The caller must allocate space for the returned name. The maximum possible length, in characters, of a dimension name is given by the predefined constant NF_MAX_NAME. `len' Returned length of dimension. For the unlimited dimension, this is the current maximum value used for writing any variables with this dimension, that is the maximum record number. Errors ====== These functions return the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The dimension ID is invalid for the specified netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_INQ_DIM to determine the length of a dimension named lat, and the name and current maximum length of the unlimited dimension for an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, LATID, LATLEN, RECID, NRECS CHARACTER*(NF_MAX_NAME) LATNAM, RECNAM ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_NOWRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ! get ID of unlimited dimension STATUS = NF_INQ_UNLIMDIM(NCID, RECID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... STATUS = NF_INQ_DIMID(NCID, 'lat', LATID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ! get lat length STATUS = NF_INQ_DIMLEN(NCID, LATID, LATLEN) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ! get unlimited dimension name and current length STATUS = NF_INQ_DIM(NCID, RECID, RECNAME, NRECS) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 4.5 NF_RENAME_DIM ================= The function NF_RENAME_DIM renames an existing dimension in a netCDF dataset open for writing. If the new name is longer than the old name, the netCDF dataset must be in define mode. You cannot rename a dimension to have the same name as another dimension. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_RENAME_DIM (INTEGER NCID, INTEGER DIMID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `DIMID' Dimension ID, from a previous call to NF_INQ_DIMID or NF_DEF_DIM. `NAME' New dimension name. Errors ====== NF_RENAME_DIM returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The new name is the name of another dimension. * The dimension ID is invalid for the specified netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. * The new name is longer than the old name and the netCDF dataset is not in define mode. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_RENAME_DIM to rename the dimension lat to latitude in an existing netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID, LATID ... STATUS = NF_OPEN('foo.nc', NF_WRITE, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! put in define mode to rename dimension STATUS = NF_REDEF(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_INQ_DIMID(NCID, 'lat', LATID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_RENAME_DIM(NCID, LATID, 'latitude') IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ! leave define mode STATUS = NF_ENDDEF(NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 5 User Defined Data Types ************************* 5.1 User Defined Types Introduction =================================== NetCDF-4 has added support for four different user defined data types. `compound type' Like a C struct, a compound type is a collection of types, including other user defined types, in one package. `variable length array type' The variable length array may be used to store ragged arrays. `opaque type' This type has only a size per element, and no other type information. `enum type' Like an enumeration in C, this type lets you assign text values to integer values, and store the integer values. Users may construct user defined type with the various nf_def_* functions described in this section. They may learn about user defined types by using the nf_inq_ functions defined in this section. 5.2 Learn the IDs of All Types in Group: NF_INQ_TYPEIDS ======================================================= Learn the number of types defined in a group, and their IDs. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_TYPEIDS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER NTYPES, INTEGER TYPEIDS) `NCID' The group id. `NTYPES' A pointer to int which will get the number of types defined in the group. If NULL, ignored. `TYPEIDS' A pointer to an int array which will get the typeids. If NULL, ignored. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_BADID' Bad ncid. Example ======= The following example is from the test program nf_test/ftst_vars3.F. retval = nf_inq_typeids(ncid, num_types, typeids) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.3 Learn About an User Defined Type: NF_INQ_TYPE ================================================= Given an ncid and a typeid, get the information about a type. This function will work on any type, including atomic and any user defined type, whether compound, opaque, enumeration, or variable length array. For even more information about a user defined type *Note NF_INQ_USER_TYPE::. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_TYPE(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER SIZE) `NCID' The ncid for the group containing the type (ignored for atomic types). `XTYPE' The typeid for this type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, NF_DEF_OPAQUE, NF_DEF_ENUM, NF_DEF_VLEN, or NF_INQ_VAR, or as found in netcdf.inc in the list of atomic types (NF_CHAR, NF_INT, etc.). `NAME' The name of the user defined type will be copied here. It will be NF_MAX_NAME bytes or less. For atomic types, the type name from CDL will be given. `SIZEP' The size of the type (in bytes) will be copied here. VLEN type size is the size of one element of the VLEN. String size is returned as zero, since it varies from string to string. Return Codes ============ `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad typeid. `NF_ENOTNC4' Seeking a user-defined type in a netCDF-3 file. `NF_ESTRICTNC3' Seeking a user-defined type in a netCDF-4 file for which classic model has been turned on. `NF_EBADGRPID' Bad group ID in ncid. `NF_EBADID' Type ID not found. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from the test program nf_test/ftst_vars3.F, and it uses all the possible inquiry functions on an enum type. C Check the enum type. retval = NF_INQ_TYPEIDS(ncid, num_types, typeids) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (num_types .ne. MAX_TYPES) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_enum(ncid, typeids(1), type_name, base_type, & base_size, num_members) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (base_type .ne. NF_INT .or. num_members .ne. 2) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_enum_member(ncid, typeids(1), 1, member_name, & member_value) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (member_name(1:len(one_name)) .ne. one_name) stop 2 5.4 Learn About an User Defined Type: NF_INQ_USER_TYPE ====================================================== Given an ncid and a typeid, get the information about a user defined type. This function will work on any user defined type, whether compound, opaque, enumeration, or variable length array. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_USER_TYPE(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER SIZE, INTEGER BASE_NF_TYPE, INTEGER NFIELDS, INTEGER CLASS) `NCID' The ncid for the group containing the user defined type. `XTYPE' The typeid for this type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, NF_DEF_OPAQUE, NF_DEF_ENUM, NF_DEF_VLEN, or NF_INQ_VAR. `NAME' The name of the user defined type will be copied here. It will be NF_MAX_NAME bytes or less. `SIZE' The size of the user defined type will be copied here. `BASE_NF_TYPE' The base typeid will be copied here for vlen and enum types. `NFIELDS' The number of fields will be copied here for enum and compound types. `CLASS' The class of the user defined type, NF_VLEN, NF_OPAQUE, NF_ENUM, or NF_COMPOUND, will be copied here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad typeid. `NF_EBADFIELDID' Bad fieldid. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_types2.F. C Check the type. retval = nf_inq_user_type(ncid, typeids(1), name_in, size_in, & base_type_in, nfields_in, class_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.5 Compound Types Introduction =============================== NetCDF-4 added support for compound types, which allow users to construct a new type - a combination of other types, like a C struct. Compound types are not supported in classic or 64-bit offset format files. To write data in a compound type, first use nf_def_compound to create the type, multiple calls to nf_insert_compound to add to the compound type, and then write data with the appropriate nf_put_var1, nf_put_vara, nf_put_vars, or nf_put_varm call. To read data written in a compound type, you must know its structure. Use the NF_INQ_COMPOUND functions to learn about the compound type. In Fortran a character buffer must be used for the compound data. The user must read the data from within that buffer in the same way that the C compiler which compiled netCDF would store the structure. The use of compound types introduces challenges and portability issues for Fortran users. 5.5.1 Creating a Compound Type: NF_DEF_COMPOUND ----------------------------------------------- Create a compound type. Provide an ncid, a name, and a total size (in bytes) of one element of the completed compound type. After calling this function, fill out the type with repeated calls to NF_INSERT_COMPOUND (*note NF_INSERT_COMPOUND::). Call NF_INSERT_COMPOUND once for each field you wish to insert into the compound type. Note that there does not seem to be a way to read such types into structures in Fortran 90 (and there are no structures in Fortran 77). Fortran users may use character buffers to read and write compound types. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_COMPOUND(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER SIZE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER TYPEIDP) `NCID' The groupid where this compound type will be created. `SIZE' The size, in bytes, of the compound type. `NAME' The name of the new compound type. `TYPEIDP' The typeid of the new type will be placed here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Compound type names must be unique in the data file. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceeds max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag NF_NETCDF4. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_EPERM' Attempt to write to a read-only file. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_types2.F. C Define a compound type. retval = nf_def_compound(ncid, cmp_size, type_name, & cmp_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.5.2 Inserting a Field into a Compound Type: NF_INSERT_COMPOUND ---------------------------------------------------------------- Insert a named field into a compound type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNTION NF_INSERT_COMPOUND(INTEGER TYPEID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER OFFSET, INTEGER FIELD_TYPEID) `TYPEID' The typeid for this compound type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, or NF_INQ_VAR. `NAME' The name of the new field. `OFFSET' Offset in byte from the beginning of the compound type for this field. `FIELD_TYPEID' The type of the field to be inserted. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Field names must be unique within a compound type. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceed max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag NF_NETCDF4. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_types.F. C Define a compound type. retval = nf_def_compound(ncid, WIND_T_SIZE, type_name, & wind_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) retval = nf_insert_compound(ncid, wind_typeid, u_name, 0, NF_INT) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) retval = nf_insert_compound(ncid, wind_typeid, v_name, 4, NF_INT) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.5.3 Inserting an Array Field into a Compound Type: NF_INSERT_ARRAY_COMPOUND ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Insert a named array field into a compound type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INSERT_ARRAY_COMPOUND(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER OFFSET, INTEGER FIELD_TYPEID, INTEGER NDIMS, INTEGER DIM_SIZES) `NCID' The ID of the file that contains the array type and the compound type. `XTYPE' The typeid for this compound type, as returned by nf_def_compound, or nf_inq_var. `NAME' The name of the new field. `OFFSET' Offset in byte from the beginning of the compound type for this field. `FIELD_TYPEID' The base type of the array to be inserted. `NDIMS' The number of dimensions for the array to be inserted. `DIM_SIZES' An array containing the sizes of each dimension. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Field names must be unique within a compound type. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceed max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag NF_NETCDF4. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. `NF_ETYPEDEFINED' Attempt to change type that has already been committed. The first time the file leaves define mode, all defined types are committed, and can't be changed. If you wish to add an array to a compound type, you must do so before the compound type is committed. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_types2.F. C Define a compound type. retval = nf_def_compound(ncid, cmp_size, type_name, & cmp_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) C Include an array. dim_sizes(1) = NX dim_sizes(2) = NY retval = nf_insert_array_compound(ncid, cmp_typeid, ary_name, 0, & NF_INT, NDIMS, dim_sizes) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.5.4 Learn About a Compound Type: NF_INQ_COMPOUND -------------------------------------------------- Get the number of fields, length in bytes, and name of a compound type. In addtion to the NF_INQ_COMPOUND function, three additional functions are provided which get only the name, size, and number of fields. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER SIZEP, INTEGER NFIELDSP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_NAME(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_SIZE(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER SIZEP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_NFIELDS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER NFIELDSP) `NCID' The ID of any group in the file that contains the compound type. `XTYPE' The typeid for this compound type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, or NF_INQ_VAR. `NAME' Character array which will get the name of the compound type. It will have a maximum length of NF_MAX_NAME. `SIZEP' The size of the compound type in bytes will be put here. `NFIELDSP' The number of fields in the compound type will be placed here. Return Codes ============ `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Couldn't find this ncid. `NF_ENOTNC4' Not a netCDF-4/HDF5 file. `NF_ESTRICTNC3' A netCDF-4/HDF5 file, but with CLASSIC_MODEL. No user defined types are allowed in the classic model. `NF_EBADTYPE' This type not a compound type. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad type id. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_types.F. C Check it differently. retval = nf_inq_compound(ncid, typeids(1), name_in, size_in, & nfields_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (name_in(1:len(type_name)) .ne. type_name .or. & size_in .ne. WIND_T_SIZE .or. nfields_in .ne. 2) stop 2 C Check it one piece at a time. retval = nf_inq_compound_nfields(ncid, typeids(1), nfields_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (nfields_in .ne. 2) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_size(ncid, typeids(1), size_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (size_in .ne. WIND_T_SIZE) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_name(ncid, typeids(1), name_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (name_in(1:len(type_name)) .ne. type_name) stop 2 5.5.5 Learn About a Field of a Compound Type: NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELD ------------------------------------------------------------------- Get information about one of the fields of a compound type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELD(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER FIELDID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER OFFSETP, INTEGER FIELD_TYPEIDP, INTEGER NDIMSP, INTEGER DIM_SIZESP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDNAME(INTEGER TYPEID, INTEGER FIELDID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDINDEX(INTEGER TYPEID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER FIELDIDP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDOFFSET(INTEGER TYPEID, INTEGER FIELDID, INTEGER OFFSETP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDTYPE(INTEGER TYPEID, INTEGER FIELDID, INTEGER FIELD_TYPEIDP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDNDIMS(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER FIELDID, INTEGER NDIMSP) INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_COMPOUND_FIELDDIM_SIZES(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER FIELDID, INTEGER DIM_SIZES) `NCID' The groupid where this compound type exists. `XTYPE' The typeid for this compound type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, or NF_INQ_VAR. `FIELDID' A one-based index number specifying a field in the compound type. `NAME' A character array which will get the name of the field. The name will be NF_MAX_NAME characters, at most. `OFFSETP' An integer which will get the offset of the field. `FIELD_TYPEID' An integer which will get the typeid of the field. `NDIMSP' An integer which will get the number of dimensions of the field. `DIM_SIZESP' An integer array which will get the dimension sizes of the field. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad type id. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/fst_types.F. C Check the first field of the compound type. retval = nf_inq_compound_field(ncid, typeids(1), 1, name_in, & offset_in, field_typeid_in, ndims_in, dim_sizes_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (name_in(1:len(u_name)) .ne. u_name .or. offset_in .ne. 0 .or. & field_typeid_in .ne. NF_INT .or. ndims_in .ne. 0) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_fieldname(ncid, typeids(1), 1, name_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (name_in(1:len(u_name)) .ne. u_name) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_fieldoffset(ncid, typeids(1), 1, & offset_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (offset_in .ne. 0) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_fieldtype(ncid, typeids(1), 1, & field_typeid_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (field_typeid_in .ne. NF_INT) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_compound_fieldndims(ncid, typeids(1), 1, & ndims_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (ndims_in .ne. 0) stop 2 5.6 Variable Length Array Introduction ====================================== NetCDF-4 added support for a variable length array type. This is not supported in classic or 64-bit offset files, or in netCDF-4 files which were created with the NF_CLASSIC_MODEL flag. A variable length array is represented in C as a structure from HDF5, the nf_vlen_t structure. It contains a len member, which contains the length of that array, and a pointer to the array. So an array of VLEN in C is an array of nc_vlen_t structures. The only way to handle this in Fortran is with a character buffer sized correctly for the platform. The extra access functions NF_GET_VLEN_ELEMENT and NF_PUT_VLEN_ELEMENT to get and put one VLEN element. (That is, one array of variable length.) When calling the put, the data are not copied from the source. When calling the get the data are copied from VLEN allocated memory, which must still be freed (see below). VLEN arrays are handled differently with respect to allocation of memory. Generally, when reading data, it is up to the user to malloc (and subsequently free) the memory needed to hold the data. It is up to the user to ensure that enough memory is allocated. With VLENs, this is impossible. The user cannot know the size of an array of VLEN until after reading the array. Therefore when reading VLEN arrays, the netCDF library will allocate the memory for the data within each VLEN. It is up to the user, however, to eventually free this memory. This is not just a matter of one call to free, with the pointer to the array of VLENs; each VLEN contains a pointer which must be freed. 5.6.1 Define a Variable Length Array (VLEN): NF_DEF_VLEN -------------------------------------------------------- Use this function to define a variable length array type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_VLEN(INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER BASE_TYPEID, INTEGER XTYPEP) `NCID' The ncid of the file to create the VLEN type in. `NAME' A name for the VLEN type. `BASE_TYPEID' The typeid of the base type of the VLEN. For example, for a VLEN of shorts, the base type is NF_SHORT. This can be a user defined type. `XTYPEP' The typeid of the new VLEN type will be set here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EMAXNAME' NF_MAX_NAME exceeded. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' Name is already in use. `NF_EBADNAME' Attribute or variable name contains illegal characters. `NF_EBADID' ncid invalid. `NF_EBADGRPID' Group ID part of ncid was invalid. `NF_EINVAL' Size is invalid. `NF_ENOMEM' Out of memory. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars4.F. C Create the vlen type. retval = nf_def_vlen(ncid, vlen_type_name, nf_int, vlen_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.6.2 Learning about a Variable Length Array (VLEN) Type: NF_INQ_VLEN --------------------------------------------------------------------- Use this type to learn about a vlen. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_VLEN(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER DATUM_SIZEP, INTEGER BASE_NF_TYPEP) `NCID' The ncid of the file that contains the VLEN type. `XTYPE' The type of the VLEN to inquire about. `NAME' The name of the VLEN type. The name will be NF_MAX_NAME characters or less. `DATUM_SIZEP' A pointer to a size_t, this will get the size of one element of this vlen. `BASE_NF_TYPEP' An integer that will get the type of the VLEN base type. (In other words, what type is this a VLEN of?) Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPE' Can't find the typeid. `NF_EBADID' ncid invalid. `NF_EBADGRPID' Group ID part of ncid was invalid. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars4.F. C Use nf_inq_vlen and make sure we get the same answers as we did C with nf_inq_user_type. retval = nf_inq_vlen(ncid, typeids(1), type_name, base_size, & base_type) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.6.3 Releasing Memory for a Variable Length Array (VLEN) Type: NF_FREE_VLEN ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- When a VLEN is read into user memory from the file, the HDF5 library performs memory allocations for each of the variable length arrays contained within the VLEN structure. This memory must be freed by the user to avoid memory leaks. This violates the normal netCDF expectation that the user is responsible for all memory allocation. But, with VLEN arrays, the underlying HDF5 library allocates the memory for the user, and the user is responsible for deallocating that memory. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_FREE_VLEN(CHARACTER VL); `VL' The variable length array structure which is to be freed. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPE' Can't find the typeid. Example ======= 5.6.4 Set a Variable Length Array with NF_PUT_VLEN_ELEMENT ---------------------------------------------------------- Use this to set the element of the (potentially) n-dimensional array of VLEN. That is, this sets the data in one variable length array. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_PUT_VLEN_ELEMENT(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) VLEN_ELEMENT, INTEGER LEN, DATA) `NCID' The ncid of the file that contains the VLEN type. `XTYPE' The type of the VLEN. `VLEN_ELEMENT' The VLEN element to be set. `LEN' The number of entries in this array. `DATA' The data to be stored. Must match the base type of this VLEN. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPE' Can't find the typeid. `NF_EBADID' ncid invalid. `NF_EBADGRPID' Group ID part of ncid was invalid. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars4.F. C Set up the vlen with this helper function, since F77 can't deal C with pointers. retval = nf_put_vlen_element(ncid, vlen_typeid, vlen, & vlen_len, data1) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.6.5 Set a Variable Length Array with NF_GET_VLEN_ELEMENT ---------------------------------------------------------- Use this to set the element of the (potentially) n-dimensional array of VLEN. That is, this sets the data in one variable length array. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_GET_VLEN_ELEMENT(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) VLEN_ELEMENT, INTEGER LEN, DATA) `NCID' The ncid of the file that contains the VLEN type. `XTYPE' The type of the VLEN. `VLEN_ELEMENT' The VLEN element to be set. `LEN' This will be set to the number of entries in this array. `DATA' The data will be copied here. Sufficient storage must be available or bad things will happen to you. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPE' Can't find the typeid. `NF_EBADID' ncid invalid. `NF_EBADGRPID' Group ID part of ncid was invalid. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars4.F. C Read the vlen attribute. retval = nf_get_att(ncid, NF_GLOBAL, 'att1', vlen_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) C Get the data from the vlen we just read. retval = nf_get_vlen_element(ncid, vlen_typeid, vlen_in, & vlen_len_in, data1_in) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.7 Opaque Type Introduction ============================ NetCDF-4 added support for the opaque type. This is not supported in classic or 64-bit offset files. The opaque type is a type which is a collection of objects of a known size. (And each object is the same size). Nothing is known to netCDF about the contents of these blobs of data, except their size in bytes, and the name of the type. To use an opaque type, first define it with *Note NF_DEF_OPAQUE::. If encountering an enum type in a new data file, use *Note NF_INQ_OPAQUE:: to learn it's name and size. 5.7.1 Creating Opaque Types: NF_DEF_OPAQUE ------------------------------------------ Create an opaque type. Provide a size and a name. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_OPAQUE(INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER SIZE, INTEGER TYPEIDP) `NCID' The groupid where the type will be created. The type may be used anywhere in the file, no matter what group it is in. `NAME' The name for this type. Must be shorter than NF_MAX_NAME. `SIZE' The size of each opaque object. `TYPEIDP' Pointer where the new typeid for this type is returned. Use this typeid when defining variables of this type with *Note NF_DEF_VAR::. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad typeid. `NF_EBADFIELDID' Bad fieldid. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F. C Create the opaque type. retval = nf_def_opaque(ncid, opaque_size, opaque_type_name, & opaque_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.7.2 Learn About an Opaque Type: NF_INQ_OPAQUE ----------------------------------------------- Given a typeid, get the information about an opaque type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_OPAQUE(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER SIZEP) `NCID' The ncid for the group containing the opaque type. `XTYPE' The typeid for this opaque type, as returned by NF_DEF_COMPOUND, or NF_INQ_VAR. `NAME' The name of the opaque type will be copied here. It will be NF_MAX_NAME bytes or less. `SIZEP' The size of the opaque type will be copied here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad typeid. `NF_EBADFIELDID' Bad fieldid. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F. C Use nf_inq_opaque and make sure we get the same answers as we did C with nf_inq_user_type. retval = nf_inq_opaque(ncid, typeids(2), type_name, base_size) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.8 Enum Type Introduction ========================== NetCDF-4 added support for the enum type. This is not supported in classic or 64-bit offset files. 5.8.1 Creating a Enum Type: NF_DEF_ENUM --------------------------------------- Create an enum type. Provide an ncid, a name, and a base integer type. After calling this function, fill out the type with repeated calls to NF_INSERT_ENUM (*note NF_INSERT_ENUM::). Call NF_INSERT_ENUM once for each value you wish to make part of the enumeration. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_ENUM(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER BASE_TYPEID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER TYPEIDP) `NCID' The groupid where this compound type will be created. `BASE_TYPEID' The base integer type for this enum. Must be one of: NF_BYTE, NF_UBYTE, NF_SHORT, NF_USHORT, NF_INT, NF_UINT, NF_INT64, NF_UINT64. `NAME' The name of the new enum type. `TYPEIDP' The typeid of the new type will be placed here. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Compound type names must be unique in the data file. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceeds max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag NF_NETCDF4. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_EPERM' Attempt to write to a read-only file. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F. C Create the enum type. retval = nf_def_enum(ncid, NF_INT, enum_type_name, enum_typeid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.8.2 Inserting a Field into a Enum Type: NF_INSERT_ENUM -------------------------------------------------------- Insert a named member into a enum type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INSERT_ENUM(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER IDENTIFIER, INTEGER VALUE) `NCID' The ncid of the group which contains the type. `TYPEID' The typeid for this enum type, as returned by nf_def_enum, or nf_inq_var. `IDENTIFIER' The identifier of the new member. `VALUE' The value that is to be associated with this member. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADID' Bad group id. `NF_ENAMEINUSE' That name is in use. Field names must be unique within a enum type. `NF_EMAXNAME' Name exceed max length NF_MAX_NAME. `NF_EBADNAME' Name contains illegal characters. `NF_ENOTNC4' Attempting a netCDF-4 operation on a netCDF-3 file. NetCDF-4 operations can only be performed on files defined with a create mode which includes flag NF_NETCDF4. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' This file was created with the strict netcdf-3 flag, therefore netcdf-4 operations are not allowed. (*note NF_OPEN::). `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F. one = 1 zero = 0 retval = nf_insert_enum(ncid, enum_typeid, zero_name, zero) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) retval = nf_insert_enum(ncid, enum_typeid, one_name, one) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) 5.8.3 Learn About a Enum Type: NF_INQ_ENUM ------------------------------------------ Get information about a user-defined enumeration type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_ENUM(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER BASE_NF_TYPE, INTEGER BASE_SIZE, INTEGER NUM_MEMBERS) `NCID' The group ID of the group which holds the enum type. `XTYPE' The typeid for this enum type, as returned by NF_DEF_ENUM, or NF_INQ_VAR. `NAME' Character array which will get the name. It will have a maximum length of NF_MAX_NAME. `BASE_NF_TYPE' An integer which will get the base integer type of this enum. `BASE_SIZE' An integer which will get the size (in bytes) of the base integer type of this enum. `NUM_MEMBERS' An integer which will get the number of members defined for this enumeration type. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad type id. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= In this example from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F, an enum type is created and then examined: retval = nf_inq_enum(ncid, typeids(1), type_name, base_type, & base_size, num_members) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (base_type .ne. NF_INT .or. num_members .ne. 2) stop 2 5.8.4 Learn the Name of a Enum Type: nf_inq_enum_member ------------------------------------------------------- Get information about a member of an enum type. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_ENUM_MEMBER(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER IDX, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER VALUE) `NCID' The groupid where this enum type exists. `XTYPE' The typeid for this enum type. `IDX' The one-based index number for the member of interest. `NAME' A character array which will get the name of the member. It will have a maximum length of NF_MAX_NAME. `VALUE' An integer that will get the value associated with this member. Errors ====== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad type id. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. Example ======= This example is from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F: C Check the members of the enum type. retval = nf_inq_enum_member(ncid, typeids(1), 1, member_name, & member_value) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (member_name(1:len(zero_name)) .ne. zero_name .or. & member_value .ne. 0) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_enum_member(ncid, typeids(1), 2, member_name, & member_value) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (member_name(1:len(one_name)) .ne. one_name .or. & member_value .ne. 1) stop 2 5.8.5 Learn the Name of a Enum Type: NF_INQ_ENUM_IDENT ------------------------------------------------------ Get the name which is associated with an enum member value. This is similar to NF_INQ_ENUM_MEMBER, but instead of using the index of the member, you use the value of the member. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_INQ_ENUM_IDENT(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER VALUE, CHARACTER*(*) IDENTIFIER) `NCID' The groupid where this enum type exists. `XTYPE' The typeid for this enum type. `VALUE' The value for which an identifier is sought. `IDENTIFIER' A character array that will get the identifier. It will have a maximum length of NF_MAX_NAME. Return Code =========== `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_EBADTYPEID' Bad type id, or not an enum type. `NF_EHDFERR' An error was reported by the HDF5 layer. `NF_EINVAL' The value was not found in the enum. Example ======= In this example from nf_test/ftst_vars3.F, the values for 0 and 1 are checked in an enum. retval = nf_inq_enum_ident(ncid, typeids(1), 0, member_name) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (member_name(1:len(zero_name)) .ne. zero_name) stop 2 retval = nf_inq_enum_ident(ncid, typeids(1), 1, member_name) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) if (member_name(1:len(one_name)) .ne. one_name) stop 2 6 Variables *********** 6.1 Variables Introduction ========================== Variables for a netCDF dataset are defined when the dataset is created, while the netCDF dataset is in define mode. Other variables may be added later by reentering define mode. A netCDF variable has a name, a type, and a shape, which are specified when it is defined. A variable may also have values, which are established later in data mode. Ordinarily, the name, type, and shape are fixed when the variable is first defined. The name may be changed, but the type and shape of a variable cannot be changed. However, a variable defined in terms of the unlimited dimension can grow without bound in that dimension. A netCDF variable in an open netCDF dataset is referred to by a small integer called a variable ID. Variable IDs reflect the order in which variables were defined within a netCDF dataset. Variable IDs are 1, 2, 3,..., in the order in which the variables were defined. A function is available for getting the variable ID from the variable name and vice-versa. Attributes (see *Note Attributes::) may be associated with a variable to specify such properties as units. Operations supported on variables are: * Create a variable, given its name, data type, and shape. * Get a variable ID from its name. * Get a variable's name, data type, shape, and number of attributes from its ID. * Put a data value into a variable, given variable ID, indices, and value. * Put an array of values into a variable, given variable ID, corner indices, edge lengths, and a block of values. * Put a subsampled or mapped array-section of values into a variable, given variable ID, corner indices, edge lengths, stride vector, index mapping vector, and a block of values. * Get a data value from a variable, given variable ID and indices. * Get an array of values from a variable, given variable ID, corner indices, and edge lengths. * Get a subsampled or mapped array-section of values from a variable, given variable ID, corner indices, edge lengths, stride vector, and index mapping vector. * Rename a variable. 6.2 Language Types Corresponding to netCDF external data types ============================================================== The following table gives the netCDF external data types and the corresponding type constants for defining variables in the FORTRAN interface: Type FORTRAN API Mnemonic Bits byte NF_BYTE 8 char NF_CHAR 8 short NF_SHORT 16 int NF_INT 32 float NF_FLOAT 32 double NF_DOUBLE 64 The first column gives the netCDF external data type, which is the same as the CDL data type. The next column gives the corresponding FORTRAN parameter for use in netCDF functions (the parameters are defined in the netCDF FORTRAN include-file netcdf.inc). The last column gives the number of bits used in the external representation of values of the corresponding type. Note that there are no netCDF types corresponding to 64-bit integers or to characters wider than 8 bits in the current version of the netCDF library. 6.3 Create a Variable: `NF_DEF_VAR' =================================== The function NF_DEF_VAR adds a new variable to an open netCDF dataset in define mode. It returns (as an argument) a variable ID, given the netCDF ID, the variable name, the variable type, the number of dimensions, and a list of the dimension IDs. Usage ===== INTEGER FUNCTION NF_DEF_VAR(INTEGER NCID, CHARACTER*(*) NAME, INTEGER XTYPE, INTEGER NVDIMS, INTEGER VDIMS(*), INTEGER varid) `NCID' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `NAME' Variable name. Must begin with an alphabetic character, followed by zero or more alphanumeric characters including the underscore ('_'). Case is significant. `XTYPE' One of the set of predefined netCDF external data types. The type of this parameter, NF_TYPE, is defined in the netCDF header file. The valid netCDF external data types are NF_BYTE, NF_CHAR, NF_SHORT, NF_INT, NF_FLOAT, and NF_DOUBLE. `NVDIMS' Number of dimensions for the variable. For example, 2 specifies a matrix, 1 specifies a vector, and 0 means the variable is a scalar with no dimensions. Must not be negative or greater than the predefined constant NF_MAX_VAR_DIMS. `VDIMS' Vector of ndims dimension IDs corresponding to the variable dimensions. If the ID of the unlimited dimension is included, it must be first. This argument is ignored if ndims is 0. `varid' Returned variable ID. Errors ====== NF_DEF_VAR returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible causes of errors include: * The netCDF dataset is not in define mode. * The specified variable name is the name of another existing variable. * The specified type is not a valid netCDF type. * The specified number of dimensions is negative or more than the constant NF_MAX_VAR_DIMS, the maximum number of dimensions permitted for a netCDF variable. * One or more of the dimension IDs in the list of dimensions is not a valid dimension ID for the netCDF dataset. * The number of variables would exceed the constant NF_MAX_VARS, the maximum number of variables permitted in a netCDF dataset. * The specified netCDF ID does not refer to an open netCDF dataset. Example ======= Here is an example using NF_DEF_VAR to create a variable named rh of type double with three dimensions, time, lat, and lon in a new netCDF dataset named foo.nc: INCLUDE 'netcdf.inc' ... INTEGER STATUS, NCID INTEGER LATDIM, LONDIM, TIMDIM ! dimension IDs INTEGER RHID ! variable ID INTEGER RHDIMS(3) ! variable shape ... STATUS = NF_CREATE ('foo.nc', NF_NOCLOBBER, NCID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! define dimensions STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'lat', 5, LATDIM) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'lon', 10, LONDIM) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) STATUS = NF_DEF_DIM(NCID, 'time', NF_UNLIMITED, TIMDIM) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) ... ! define variable RHDIMS(1) = LONDIM RHDIMS(2) = LATDIM RHDIMS(3) = TIMDIM STATUS = NF_DEF_VAR (NCID, 'rh', NF_DOUBLE, 3, RHDIMS, RHID) IF (STATUS .NE. NF_NOERR) CALL HANDLE_ERR(STATUS) 6.4 Define Chunking Parameters for a Variable: `NF_DEF_VAR_CHUNKING' ==================================================================== The function NF_DEF_VAR_CHUNKING sets the storage parameters for a variable in a netCDF-4 file. It can set the chunk sizes to get chunked storage, or it can set the contiguous lag to get contiguous storage. The total size the chunk must be less than 4 GiB. That is, the product of all chunksizes and the size of the data (or the size of nc_vlen_t for VLEN types) must be less than 4 GiB. This function must be called after the variable is defined, but before nf_enddef is called. Usage ===== NF_DEF_VAR_CHUNKING(INTEGER NCID, INTEGER VARID, INTEGER CONTIGUOUS, INTEGER CHUNKSIZES) `ncid' NetCDF ID, from a previous call to NF_OPEN or NF_CREATE. `varid' Variable ID. `contiguous' If non-zero, then contiguous storage is used for this variable. Variables with one or more unlimited dimensions cannot use contiguous storage. If contiguous storage is turned on, the chunksizes parameter is ignored. `chunksizes' An array of chunk sizes. The array must have the one chunksize for each dimension in the variable. If contiguous storage is used, the chunksizes parameter is ignored. Errors ====== NF_DEF_VAR_CHUNKING returns the value NF_NOERR if no errors occurred. Otherwise, the returned status indicates an error. Possible return codes include: `NF_NOERR' No error. `NF_BADID' Bad ncid. `NF_ENOTNC4' Not a netCDF-4 file. `NF_ENOTVAR' Can't find this variable. `NF_ELATEDEF' This variable has already been the subject of a NC_ENDDEF call. In netCDF-4 files NC_ENDDEF will be called automatically for any data read or write. Once enddef has been called, it is impossible to set the chunking for a variable. `NF_ENOTINDEFINE' Not in define mode. This is returned for netCDF classic or 64-bit offset files, or for netCDF-4 files, when they were been created with NF_STRICT_NC3 flag. (*note NF_CREATE::). `NF_ESTRICTNC3' Trying to create a var some place other than the root group in a netCDF file with NF_STRICT_NC3 turned on. Example ======= In this example from nf_test/ftst_vars.F, a file is created, two dimensions and a variable are defined, and the chunksizes of the data are set to the size of the data (that is, data will be written in one chunk). C Create the netCDF file. retval = nf_create(FILE_NAME, NF_NETCDF4, ncid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) C Define the dimensions. retval = nf_def_dim(ncid, "x", NX, x_dimid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) retval = nf_def_dim(ncid, "y", NY, y_dimid) if (retval .ne. nf_noerr) call handle_err(retval) C Define the variable. dimids(1) = y_dimid dimids(2) = x_dimid retval = NF_DEF_VAR(ncid, "data", NF_INT, NDIMS, dimid