Re: [netcdfgroup] does anyone mind if the fortran 77 library always gets its own file, instead of being combined with the C library?

• To: Ted Mansell <Ted.Mansell@xxxxxxxx>, netcdfgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: Re: [netcdfgroup] does anyone mind if the fortran 77 library always gets its own file, instead of being combined with the C library?
• From: Ed Hartnett <ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:23:11 -0600

Ted Mansell <Ted.Mansell@xxxxxxxx> writes:

> Howdy, Ed!
>
> Wouldn't this also affect Fortran90, since it uses nf_ functions? (Or
> has that changed?)

Yep. F90 users are also F77 users. (But this will change when we
refactor the fortran APIs, sometime in 2011 I hope.)

> I suppose this would break older, unmaintained, software that expects
> just "-lnetcdf"?  (Of course netcdf4 does that already if you compile
> it with hdf5 features.)

For static builds (which has been the default up to this release) there
won't be a problem until the next time the code is linked. At that time,
the nf_ functions will not be found until the user modifies his
makefile, or changes the LIBS environment variable.

But the code does not need to be changed (or even recompiled).

As you note, changes like this are already required if users upgrade to
netCDF-4 will the HDF5 features. Similarly with the opendap client.

But shared libraries simplify things for the user. Once again a simple
-lnetcdf (or, for fortran 77 users, -lnetcdff) is all that will be
needed. The shared library mechanism tracks down all dependent
libraries.

Thanks,

Ed


-- 
Ed Hartnett  -- ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

• References:
  • [netcdfgroup] does anyone mind if the fortran 77 library always gets its own file, instead of being combined with the C library?
    • From: Ed Hartnett