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> Nan, > > We still use the mexnc stuff to write NetCDF files from Matlab. > > There is capability to write NetCDF files using NetCDF Java, but they > don't have the complete functionality of the C and Fortran interfaces. > One show stopper for us was that you can't open an existing file (in > redefine mode) and modify or add attributes, change variable names, > etc. Russ argues that you have to write the whole file anyway when > you add an attribute, and that is true. So I guess you could write a > matlab wrappers that would just do that. But that's a pain. Actually, the netCDF C interface only has to rewrite the whole file if you modify an attribute in a way that takes more space than is available in the file header, so it's efficient to just change the value of an attribute in a way that takes no more space, or only a little more space that's available in the header. I believe it's also possible to add an attribute, if there is extra space in the file header, which can be reserved when the file is created by a call to nc__enddef(). > The Unidata guys did say at one point that they wanted to have the > full functionality of the C interface implemented in NetCDF Java, but > I don't know whether that's one month or two years off. It's still not there. In netCDF-4, the "header" info is distributed throughout the file, so the file never has to be rewritten to accommodate a schema change, such as addition of new attributes, dimensions, or variables. But the only way writing netCDF-4 files will be available anytime soon from the netCDF Java interface is through JNI wrappers that call the C library. An MIT developer is working on that now, but I don't know when it will be available ... > I trust Russ or Sachin will correct me here if I stated things incorrectly. > > -Rich > > On Fri, May 2, 2008 at 11:48 AM, Nan Galbraith <address@hidden> wrote: > > Hi Rich - > > > > I've been perusing your recent (February? ) COFDL presentation > > because I'm getting ready to add NetCDF output to our real-time > > processing system, and our newer computers don't have NetCDF > > functionality yet. > > > > Can you give me a quick sketch of the system you're using to write > > NetCDF files? I was going to download a new copy of mexcdf - > > or whatever the new name is - but now it looks like there's an all-Java > > alternative. Is that what you use for writing NetCDF? > > > > The unidata netcdf-java web site is pretty confusing, more than link > > that "contains everything" and has "all other jar files you might need" > > so it's not quite clear what you really want/need. Checking the recent > > posts on the mailing list doesn't show any specific advice on this - maybe > > I'll email John C directly and ask for clarification... unless you know. > > > > We're running on Macs now, just to keep things interesting. If you > > have experience with the java library for writing NetCDF (especially > > on a Mac), or if you know anyone who does, could you let me know? > > > > Thanks! > > Nan > > > > > > > > -- > > ******************************************************* > > * Nan Galbraith (508) 289-2444 * > > * Upper Ocean Processes Group Mail Stop 29 * > > * Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution * > > * Woods Hole, MA 02543 * > > ******************************************************* > > > > > > > > > > -- > Dr. Richard P. Signell (508) 457-2229 > USGS, 384 Woods Hole Rd. > Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598