Introduction to HDF5 
HDF5 User Guide 
Other HDF5 documents and links 

HDF5: API Specification
Reference Manual

The HDF5 library provides several interfaces, each of which provides the tools required to meet specific aspects of the HDF5 data-handling requirements.

See below for the FORTRAN90 and C++ APIs.

Library Functions     The general-purpose H5 functions.
Attribute Interface The H5A API for attributes.
Dataset Interface The H5D API for manipulating scientific datasets.
Error Interface The H5E API for error handling.
File Interface The H5F API for accessing HDF files.
Group Interface The H5G API for creating physical groups of objects on disk.
Identifier Interface The H5I API for working with object identifiers.
Property List Interface The H5P API for manipulating object property lists.
Reference Interface The H5R API for references.
Dataspace Interface The H5S API for defining dataset dataspace.
Datatype Interface The H5T API for defining dataset element information.
Compression Interface The H5Z API for compression.
Tools Interactive tools for the examination of existing HDF5 files.
Predefined Datatypes Predefined datatypes in HDF5.

Ragged Arrays  

The H5RA API for ragged arrays was removed from the HDF5 library at Release 1.4.

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The Fortran90 and C++ APIs to HDF5

The HDF5 Library distribution now includes FORTRAN90 and C++ APIs. These APIs are described in the following documents.

Fortran90 API

HDF5 FORTRAN90 User's Notes contains general information regarding the API. Specific information on each API call is found in the Reference Manual.

Fortran90 APIs in the Reference Manual: The current version of the HDF5 Reference Manual includes a description of the FORTRAN90 API to HDF5. Fortran subroutines exist in the H5A, H5D, H5E, H5F, H5G, H5I, H5P, H5R, H5S, and H5T interfaces and are described on those pages.

In general, each Fortran subroutine performs exactly the same task as the corresponding C function. The links at the top of each reference manual section go to the C function descriptions, which serve as general descriptions for both the C and Fortran APIs. A button, under Non-C API(s) at the end of the C function description, opens an external browser window displaying the Fortran-specific information. You will probably want to adjust the size and location of this external window so that both browser windows are visible and to facilitate moving easily between them.

C++ API HDF5 C++ User's Notes

HDF5 C++ Interfaces




Introduction to HDF5 
HDF5 User Guide 
Other HDF5 documents and links 

HDF Help Desk
Last modified: 19 January 2001
Describes HDF5 Release 1.4, February 2001
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