Updates to NeXus web pages and API

[Ray Osborn]

We are in the process of simplifying the original version of the API
through the provision of helper routines, which will combine several
function calls into one e.g. combining NXmakedata, NXopendata and
NXputdata.  The details have not yet been worked out, but I made the
mistake of modifying the web pages ahead of time.  I have now tried to put
the web pages in order again, so what you read on the web should correspond
to what you download from the FTP site.  To make sure, please download the
NeXus API again if you have already done so.

We have transferred the FTP site to a Unix machine so the new URL is
<ftp://coral.pns.anl.gov/pub/NeXus/>.  The previous FTP site was VMS, which
caused a few problems to some.  We may need to change the site again, but
we will inform you when we do.

There is one difference between the current implementation and what is in
the detailed routine descriptions.  I have put datatypes down as NX_,
whereas the NeXus API still uses the HDF DFNT_ versions.  Therefore,
replace NX_ with DFNT_ in all type declarations.  Note that NX_CHAR becomes
DFNT_UINT8.

Please start to experiment with the API if you have time, and report any
problems to this mailing list.

Ray Osborn



------------------------------------------------------
Dr Ray Osborn                  Tel: +1 (630) 252-9011
Materials Science Division     Fax: +1 (630) 252-7777
Argonne National Laboratory    E-mail: ROsborn at anl.gov
Argonne, IL 60439-4845


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