Re: [netcdfgroup] legal NetCDF variable names

• To: David Brown <dbrown@xxxxxxxx>
• Subject: Re: [netcdfgroup] legal NetCDF variable names
• From: Ed Hartnett <ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:34:48 -0600

David Brown <dbrown@xxxxxxxx> writes:

> Hi,
>
> When we recently relinked our software products, NCL and PyNIO, with  
> the newly released version of
> the NetCDF 4.0 library we discovered that there seems to have been a  
> change in the actual, as opposed
> to the documented, rules for variable names. Specifically it appears  
> that names that begin with a digit can no longer
> be written to NetCDF files.

Howdy All!

As David points out, creating names beginning with a digit are no
longer allowed in version 3.6.3 and version 4.0. This is in accordance
with the documented rules, but was never enforced in previous
versions.

We are changing the code (and the documentation) so that names
beginning with a digit are allowed again. Users should note that such
names also violate the CF conventions, and possibly other conventions.

I'll announce here when the code has been changed, and those who need
to create objects with names that begin with a digit can grab the
daily snapshot.

Thanks,

Ed

-- 
Ed Hartnett  -- ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [netcdfgroup] legal NetCDF variable names
    • From: Dave Allured

• References:
  • [netcdfgroup] legal NetCDF variable names
    • From: David Brown