ISTP CDF Skeleton Editor

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.

Installation

The following installers do not require installing Java or CDF first. The Windows and MacOs installers do not require administrative privileges.

Windows:

• 64-bit Intel: skteditor-1.3.6.msi

MacOS:

• 64-bit Intel: skteditor-1.3.5.dmg
• 64-bit Apple: skteditor-1.3.8.dmg

Debian/Ubuntu Linux:

• 64-bit Intel: skteditor_1.3.6-1_amd64.deb
• 64-bit HiDPI Intel: skteditor_1.3.6-hidpi_amd64.deb
• 32-bit ARM: skteditor_1.3.6-1_armhf.deb
• 32-bit HiDPI ARM: skteditor_1.3.6-hidpi_armhf.deb
• 64-bit ARM: skteditor_1.3.6-1_arm64.deb
• 64-bit HiDPI ARM: skteditor_1.3.6-hidpi_arm64.deb

Web Start Use

Instead of using the above installers, you may choose to run SKTEditor using the WebStart method. In the case, you need to install OpenWebStart first.

Once Web Start is installed, do the following to run the skteditor:

1. Download the skteditor.jnlp file.

2. Locate the skteditor.jnlp file in the Downloads folder using the operating system’s file browser (for example, Window’s File Explorer, MacOS’s Finder, or Linux’s Nemo).

3. Right-click the skteditor.jnlp file and choose to

   • Windows: Open With > Launcher for .jnlp applications according to JSR-56.
   • MacOS: Open With > OpenWebStart javaws.
   • Linux: Open With > OpenWebStart.
     This may result in a security dialog window warning you the jnlp file was download from spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov.
   • Choose to Open the file.

4. You may also get several dialog windows indicating that the application’s digital signature (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) could not be verified.

   • Choose Run to continue.

Notes

• .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 .skt and .nc files.
• 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 $ GDK_SCALE=2 javaws https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/skteditor/skteditor.jnlp 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.
• Chrome/Microsoft Edge: After selecting the Launch Application button, Downloads may show skteditor.jnlp was blocked because this type of file can harm your device. To overcome this select .../More actions for the skteditor.jnlp file and choose keep. Then select Open file.

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Manual Installation

Instead of launching the application from the above button, the application may be installed by following the Manual Installation Instructions.

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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.

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Uninstall

This application may be uninstalled by following the Uninstall Instructions.

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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.

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Feedback

Comments and questions about this application are welcome. Please use this e-mail address to send your comments, question, or problem reports.