using Visual Basic to read netCDF files

• To: netcdfgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: using Visual Basic to read netCDF files
• From: Michael Harrison <jmh@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 16:06:28 -0400

I am hoping I am not the first person to have this problem, so here goes:

I am trying to use the Windows 32 bit DLL package to read netCDF files into
a program written in Visual Basic 4. (Why VB4? Simply because I have no
time or inclination to learn VC++ or some comparible language...and
besides, I've heard this would work.) Anyway...I am having a devil of a
time getting this to work! First off, when I examine the header files that
would seen to go into a C program, it looks like there are multiple
subroutines for similar functions (eg., "ncopen" and "nc_open",
etc)...unfortunately, even though I seem to have everything declared
properly, I keep getting "type mismatch" errors when I run the program
using either subroutine. (I had another interesting error pop up as
well...if you use "ByVal <filename> AS STRING" in the "Declare ncopen"
statement, it shuts off VB...just like that! No warning or errors, just
shuts it down like you shot it with a gun...weird)

Here are my specific question:

1.  Has anyone else attempted this same procedure of using the Win32 DLL in
Visual Basic? And if so, have they been successful? And if they have, can
the *please* let me in of the secret??

2.  Has anyone actually coded the netCDF reading and writing routines
directly into Visual Basic? And if they have, can I have a peek??

I realize I'm probably displaying my primitive programming nature with
these questions, but the truth is, I have very little desire to do alot of
programming, only what is necessary to get by. If ANYONE can help me out, I
would appreciate it!!

Thanks in advance!

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Michael Harrison

Department of Geography
University of Florida
3141 Turlington Hall
Gainesville, FL, USA
32611

(352) 392-0494 (voice -- school)
(352) 846-5969 (voice -- home)
(352) 392-8855 (fax)
 
jmh@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.geog.ufl.edu/~jmh

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"The real question is not whether machines
 can think, but whether men can."

                -- B.F. Skinner

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