[ HDF5 Tutorial Top ]
HDF5 is a file format and library for storing scientific data. HDF5 was designed and implemented to address the deficiencies of HDF4.x. It has a more powerful and flexible data model, supports files larger than 2 GB, supports parallel I/O, and is thread-safe. For a short overview presentation of the HDF5 data model, library and tools see:
http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HDF5/HDF5_overview/index.htmThis tutorial covers the basic HDF5 data objects and file structure, the HDF5 programming model and the API functions necessary for creating and modifying data objects. It also introduces the available HDF5 tools to access HDF5 files.
The examples used in this tutorial, along with a Makefile to compile them can be found in ./examples/. You can also download a tar file with the examples and Makefile. In order to use the Makefile you may have to edit it and update the compiler and compiler options, as well as the path for the HDF5 binary distribution.
Please check the References for where to find other examples of HDF5 Programs.
We hope that the step-by-step examples and instructions will give you a quick start with HDF5.
Please send your comments and suggestions to hdfhelp@ncsa.uiuc.edu.