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[netCDF #UAK-176631]: ncdump with -x option fails

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  • Subject: [netCDF #UAK-176631]: ncdump with -x option fails
  • Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2011 16:09:55 -0600
Peter,

I wrote:

> > When the attached nc4 file is dumped using ncdump -h, the contents is
> > successfully dumped as contained in file, ncdumpbug.1.txt.
> >
> > When the same file is dumped using ncdump -h -x, ncdump prints the
> > dimensions, then prints the following error message:
> >
> > ncdump: NetCDF: Attempt to convert between text & numbers
> >
> > The output for the -x option should also contain variables and attributes.
> 
> As currently documented in the man page reference for ncdump
> 
> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/netcdf/docs/ncdump-man-1.html
> 
> the -x option doesn't yet work for netCDF-4 files that don't use the netCDF 
> classic model:
> 
> -x       Output XML (NcML) instead of CDL. The NcML does not include data 
> values. The
> NcML output option currently only works for netCDF classic model data.

I meant to mention that the reason your netCDF-4 file does not conform to the 
netCDF-4 classic
model is that it uses the "string" data type.  The netCDF classic model only 
supports arrays of
char data, not real strings.

--Russ

> The lack of ncdump support for NcML output for netCDF-4 files is a
> known issue that you can track in our Jira system:
> 
> https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/jira/browse/NCF-12
> 
> Thanks for pointing out that the error messages are currently
> inadequate in informing users that NcML output for the netCDF-4
> enhanced model is not yet supported in the C-based ncdump.
> 
> I think the ncdump that's part of the netCDF-Java Tools-UI tool does
> support NcML output for netCDF-4 enhanced model files, so if you have
> netCDF-Java, you might try that as a workaround:
> 
> java -classpath toolsUI.jar ucar.nc2.NCDumpW /path/to/your/file
> -ncml
> 
> --Russ
> 
> Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
> address@hidden                      http://www.unidata.ucar.edu
> 
> 

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



Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: UAK-176631
Department: Support netCDF
Priority: High
Status: Closed