The SKTEditor is a simple graphical user interface (GUI) application for creating and editing International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP)/Interagency Consultative Group (IACG) guideline compliant skeleton Common Data Format (CDF) files.
Software Prerequisites
To use this application, you must hava Java and, optionally (recommended), IcedTea (Web Start) installed on your computer. For more information, refer to these instructions before proceeding.
- .skt and .nc files: In order to read and write CDF skeleton files (extension .skt) and netCDF (extension .nc) files, you must first install CDF. This is not necessary to simply read/write CDF files. A full installation of netCDF is not necessary. Linux users will have to also install the cdf-to-netCDF and netCDF-to-cdf programs from the CDF Data Format Translation Tools into their $CDF_BIN directory.
- CDF: An installation of
CDF is not
required to use this editor from the above button to read/write CDF
files. It is only required to also be able to read/write
.sktand.ncfiles. - Java 11 or higher: To launch the application with WebStart (skteditor.jnlp file), you will likely need to ensure that the IcedTea software is installed. Refer to these instructions. To run the editor without WebStart, follow the "traditional" installation instructions.
- Small Window/Text on Linux: If the SKTEditor window and text appears small on a Linux computer with a high-DPI display (for example, a 4K monitor), try starting it by doing as a workaround. Although JEP 263 is suppose to correct this problem in Java 11, it has been observered to still exist on Linux and Java 11.
- Windows 10: This application functions on Windows 10. More information about Java on Windows is available at the following pages:
- Chrome/Microsoft Edge: After selecting the
Launch Applicationbutton,Downloadsmay showskteditor.jnlpwas blocked because this type of file can harm your device. To overcome this select.../More actionsfor the skteditor.jnlp file and choosekeep. Then selectOpen file.
Manual Installation (Alternative Option)
Instead of launching the application from the above button, the application may be installed by following the Manual Installation Instructions.
Command-line CDF Checkers
The SKTEditor GUI application contains two separate CDF standard checking functions. The first checks a CDF for compliance with the ISTP/SPDF guidelines. The second checks a CDF for compliance with project-specific guidelines (e.g., MMS Mission CDF File Format and Units of Measure Guides). This CDF checking software can also be run from a CLI (in addition to running it from within SKTEditor). An advantage to running the software from a CLI is to automate the checking of many files. Follow these instructions for installing and running the checkers from a CLI.
Uninstall
This application may be uninstalled by following the Uninstall Instructions.
License
The ISTP CDF Skeleton Editor is a software application that is made available under the terms of the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA).
The latest source code (SHA-256) is available for download.
Feedback
Comments and questions about this application are welcome. Please use this e-mail address to send your comments, question, or problem reports.
- NASA Official: Robert M. Candey (301)286-6707, Robert.M.Candey@nasa.gov
- Curator: Tami Kovalick
- Last Modified: