This archive contains answers to questions sent to Unidata support through mid-2025. Note that the archive is no longer being updated. We provide the archive for reference; many of the answers presented here remain technically correct, even if somewhat outdated. For the most up-to-date information on the use of NSF Unidata software and data services, please consult the Software Documentation first.
> I create "strLen" dimension of size 255 because I don't know the > maximum length of strings. I have large size of NetCDF file as a > result. If I create "strLen" dimension of UNLIMITED length I get an > error: "Unlimited dimension must be outermost". > > Is there any approach to create arrays of dynamic size for > strings? Or I must to calculate maximum length of string by myself > before creating NetCDF file? Nope, there isn't any way to make non-square arrays in netCDF-3. Unfortunately, this does end up using extra space unless you know all your strings are the same length. So, yes, your best bet is to calculate the maximum length of the string before creating the netCDF file. Ethan Ticket Details =================== Ticket ID: WVX-463093 Department: Support netCDF Java Priority: Normal Status: Open