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The following describes the most significant changes which occurred in
the NDF_ system between versions V1.2 and V1.3 (not the current
version):
- 1.
- New facilities have been added for handling NDF history
information (see §
).
- 2.
- New facilities have been added to allow the automatic reading and writing
of data files written in a variety of ``foreign'' (i.e. non-NDF)
formats. These are described in a separate document
(SSN/20).
- 3.
- A new routine NDF_OPEN has been added to provide a general
means of accessing NDF datasets by name,
locator, or a combination of
both. It is modelled on the Fortran OPEN statement (see
§
) and provides flexible NDF access for
programmers who do not wish to use the ADAM parameter system.
- 4.
- The symbolic constant DAT__ROOT provided by HDS is now
supported by all NDF_ routines which accept HDS
locators (see
§
). Use of this constant in place of an HDS
locator indicates that the associated component name is in fact the
full name of the HDS object (or NDF). This allows access to HDS
objects by name as an alternative to using locators. The name of a
foreign format data file may also be supplied using this mechanism
(SSN/20).
- 5.
- All routines that accept the names of pre-existing NDF datasets now
support subscripting, and will return an appropriate NDF section.
- 6.
- A new selective copy routine NDF_SCOPY has been added (see
§
) which performs component propagation in a
similar manner to NDF_PROP but does not depend on the
ADAM parameter system.
- 7.
- The two sets of routines NDF_XGT0x and NDF_XPT0x (where ``x''
is I, R, D, L or C) will now accept compound component names when
reading or writing the values of objects in NDF extensions. This
allows direct access to values stored within nested structures or
arrays in extensions (see
§§
&
).
The routine NDF_XIARY has also been similarly enhanced.
- 8.
- The routine NDF_TUNE has been extended to support new tuning
parameters, most of which are associated with the facilities for
accessing foreign data formats (see above).
- 9.
- Tuning parameters now acquire their default values from
environment variables (see §
).
- 10.
- Due to changes in the underlying data system
(HDS), locators to
data objects may now be annulled freely without risk of affecting the
operation of the NDF_ library.
- 11.
- There is no longer any need to call the routine HDS_START
in standalone programs which use the NDF_ library (previously this
was required), although doing so will do no harm.
- 12.
- Instructions for compiling and linking NDF applications on
UNIX have been added to the documentation.
- 13.
- On UNIX systems where shareable libraries are supported, these
are now installed in a separate .../share directory (rather than
alongside the non-shareable libraries in the .../lib directory). You
should include the appropriate .../share directory (normally
/star/share on Starlink systems) in your library search path if you
wish to use shareable libraries on UNIX.
- 14.
- The routine NDF_XNUMB now returns a guaranteed value of zero if
it is called with STATUS set, or if it should fail for any reason.
- 15.
- A number of new error codes associated with the NDF history
component and with access to foreign data formats have been added to
the include file NDF_ERR.
- 16.
- The routine NDF_IMPRT has been documented as obsolete. Its
function is now performed by NDF_FIND by specifying a blank second
argument.
- 17.
- The routine NDF_TRACE has been documented as obsolete. Its
function is now performed by NDF_TUNE via the tuning parameter
`TRACE'.
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Up: CHANGES AND NEW FEATURES
Previous: CHANGES AND NEW FEATURES
Starlink User Note 33
R.F. Warren-Smith
11th January 2000
E-mail:rfws@star.rl.ac.uk
Copyright © 2000 Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils