Re: java netCDF issue

>To: address@hidden
>From: Emory Creel <address@hidden>
>Subject: Re: 20000411: java netCDF issue
>Organization: UIC
>Keywords: java netcdf metadata

Hi Emory,

> I have been having trouble extracting metadata from netCDF
> files using the code currently available.  You said that your
> group was rewriting java code for netCDF files and I was wondering
> if you have pregressed to the point of obtaining metadata, which
> at this point is all I need.  If so, could I do some beta testing
> on the program?  Thanks!

The current released netCDF Java interface software should work fine
for obtaining metadata.  A small example that opens a netCDF file
and just prints the variable names is available from

  http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/java/examples/ReadAnyNetcdf.java

(It also reads the data but doesn't do anything with it.)

Another example that prints the structure of a specified netCDF file,
but none of the actual data, much like the "ncdump" utility with the
"-h" (header) option, is available from 

  
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/java/examples/ShowNetcdfSchema.java

It just calls the toString() method of the NetcdfFile class, which
uses the toCdl(StringBuffer buf) method of the Schema class to format
information about each object into a String.  The toCdl(StringBuffer
buf) methods of other classes such as the Dimension, Attribute, and
Variable classes are also useful for displaying individual lines of
metadata.

Similarly, 

  http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/java/examples/DumpNetcdf.java

outputs the metadata for a netCDF file followed by the actual data.

For an example of another Java program that provides a graphical
display of the metadata and data in an arbitrary netCDF file, see
Donald Denbo's ncBrowse program:

  http://plover.wrc.noaa.gov/java/ncBrowse/

If you have a (small) example of something that doesn't work or a
specific question about the interface that the documentation doesn't
explain well enough, send that to "address@hidden" and we'll
try to answer it.

--Russ

_____________________________________________________________________

Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                     http://www.unidata.ucar.edu