Version numbers

[Jon Tischler]

Regarding the CHAR8, UINT8, INT8 stuff, characters should be characters,
integers should be integers, and uints should be uints.  The advantage
comes at readout time.  If you are trying to make a displayer, then how you
disply the SDS or attribute depends upon which type it is.  We should allow
SDS's to be characters, otherwise we have to support other HDF
constructions for storing string information.  I do not see any real need
to have an 8 bit int (or unit) attribute, however, why impose that
limitation?  Just let people store what the need/want.  As soon as you
exclude it, you will find that somebody needs it, and some other software
will not work with the change.

Jon

>What is the final word on NX_CHAR? Currently the NAPI code writes
>NX_CHAR as DFNT_CHAR8, but treats attributes read in as DFNT_UINT8,
>DFNT_CHAR8 or DFNT_UCHAR8 as character types (for backward
>compatability) and NULL terminates them; however it looks like the
>current NXdict API uses DFNT_INT8 as the character type.  This may not
>be a problem if we don't allow 8 bit values to be anything other than
>strings when they are in attributes - proper 8 bit numbers should be
>part of an SDS and not an attribute? Of course, do we then allow SDS's
>of characters?
>
>Freddie
>
>P.S. I assume we should write a global attribute "NeXus_version"
>containing the
>     API version when we create a new file - i don't believe we do at the
>moment
>
>--
>Freddie Akeroyd                        Email:  Freddie.Akeroyd at rl.ac.uk
>ISIS Facility                          Tel:    +44 1235 445457
>Rutherford Appleton Laboratory         Fax:    +44 1235 445720
>Chilton, DIDCOT, OX11 OQX, GB          WWW:    http://www.isis.rl.ac.uk/








Jon Tischler, Oak Ridge National Lab        Solid State Division
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