I'm pleased to announce the release of NEP (NetCDF Extension Pack) version
1.5.1, which adds comprehensive NetCDF example programs to help users learn
and master the NetCDF API.
## What's New in v1.5.1
This release integrates 22 example programs demonstrating NetCDF
programming patterns in both C and Fortran, covering classic NetCDF and
NetCDF-4 features. All examples include automated output validation and are
fully integrated into the build system.
### Example Programs Included
**C Classic Examples (6 programs):**
- Basic 2D arrays and coordinate variables
- NetCDF format variants (classic, 64-bit offset, CDF-5)
- Size limits and unlimited dimensions
- Multi-dimensional (4D) variables
**C NetCDF-4 Examples (5 programs):**
- NetCDF-4/HDF5 format basics
- Compression filters (deflate, shuffle)
- Chunking strategies and performance optimization
- Multiple unlimited dimensions
- User-defined types (compound, vlen, enum, opaque)
**Fortran Examples (11 programs):**
- Complete Fortran equivalents of all C examples
- Identical output for cross-language learning
- Demonstrates Fortran 90+ NetCDF API
### Key Features
- **Automated Testing**: All examples run as automated tests with CDL-based
output validation
- **Learning Paths**: Structured progression from beginner to advanced
topics
- **Comprehensive Documentation**: Doxygen-integrated with detailed
explanations
- **Build Integration**: Examples build by default, can be disabled with
`-DBUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF` (CMake) or `--disable-examples` (Autotools)
- **CI Validation**: Examples tested automatically in GitHub Actions
### Building Examples
CMake:
```
cmake -B build -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=ON
cmake --build build
ctest --test-dir build
```
Autotools:
```
./configure --enable-examples
make
make check
```
Fortran examples require NetCDF-Fortran library and are automatically
skipped if unavailable.
## About NEP
NEP (NetCDF Extension Pack) extends NetCDF-4 with:
- High-performance compression (LZ4, BZIP2)
- CDF file reader (NASA Common Data Format)
- GeoTIFF file reader (geospatial raster data)
- Now: Comprehensive example programs
## Download and Documentation
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/Intelligent-Data-Design-Inc/NEP
- **Release Notes**:
https://github.com/Intelligent-Data-Design-Inc/NEP/blob/main/docs/releases/v1.5.1.md
- **Documentation**: https://intelligent-data-design-inc.github.io/NEP/
## Installation
NEP requires NetCDF-C v4.9+ and HDF5 v1.12+. Install via:
**From Source:**
```
git clone https://github.com/Intelligent-Data-Design-Inc/NEP.git
cd NEP
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local
cmake --build build
cmake --install build
```
## Feedback
We welcome feedback, bug reports, and contributions. Please visit our
GitHub repository to report issues or submit pull requests.
Thank you for your continued support of the NetCDF ecosystem!
Keep on NetCDFing!
Ed Hartnett
Intelligent Data Design, Inc.
https://github.com/Intelligent-Data-Design-Inc/NEP