SPDF/ISTP Compliance

Introduction

This application's primary purpose is to facilitate the construction of skeleton CDF files that conform to the  Space Physics Data Facility Guidelines for CDF (see https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/sp_use_of_cdf.html).  The application may be used to create new skeleton CDF files or it may be used to edit existing files.  While the application encourages the user to create fully compliant files, it does allow non-compliant files to be saved.  During editing of a file, the file will necessarily be non-compliant at times.  Therefore, the user is partially responsible for initiating compliance checks at appropriate and convenient times during their editing session.  The application automatically performs certain compliance checks when opening an existing file.  An automatic variable compliance check is also performed each time the user selects a different variable on the Variable panel.  There are three levels of compliance checks that a user may initiate.  Each of these is described below.  For all compliance checking operations, diagnostic messages concerning compliance are desplayed in the Messages window which is displayed by selecting the Show Messages button at the bottom righthand corner of the editor window.

Message Window

Global Attributes

The SPDF/ISTP Guidelines (see https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp_guide/gattributes.html) specify global attributes that should be defined.  Compliance with the guideline's required global attributes may be check independently of other aspects of compliance.

To check the compliance of the global attributes

Variable

The SPDF/ISTP Guidelines (see https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp_guide/variables.html) specify many details of how variables and their attributes should be defined.  The compliance of an individual variable's definition may be check independently of other aspects of compliance.

To check the compliance of a single variable definition

File

The  Space Physics Guideline for CDF (see https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/sp_use_of_cdf.html) compliance of the entire file (both global attributes and all variable definitions) may be check in a single operation.

To check the compliance of the entire file

See also: