PDI 1.7.1

the PDI data interface

The Decl'NetCDF plugin

The Decl'NetCDF plugin was created to read from and write to NetCDF files in a declarative way.

Decl'NetCDF plugin allows you to:

  1. Read/write data as NetCDF variables from/to NetCDF file.
  2. Define groups in the NetCDF file. Groups can be nested.
  3. Read/write variables and groups attributes. Automatically read and written when openning the file.
  4. Execute input/output operations on event.
  5. Execute input/output operations on data share (when the event is not defined).
  6. Define UNLIMITED dimension and dimensions names.
  7. Read/write only part of NetCDF variable by hyperslab definition.
  8. Read/write in parallel mode using MPI.

Configuration elements

The root of Decl'NetCDF plugin configuration (named decl_netcdf), is a dictionary or a list of dictionaries that contains the following subtrees:

key value
logging logging optional
file file subtree mandatory
communicator communicator subtree optional
on_event on_event subtree optional
groups groups subtree optional
variables variables subtree optional
write write subtree optional
read read subtree optional

Configuration examples:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: ""file_name.nc""
write: ...
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
- file: ""file_name.nc""
write: ...
- file: "file_name_2.nc"
write: ...
- file: ""file_name.nc""
read: ...

file subtree

Defines name (path) of the input/output file.

key value
file string containing filename (can have $-expressions)

Configuration example:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name_${i}.nc"

communicator subtree

Warning
Feature not tested yet

Enables parallel NetCDF input/output. Defines communicator to use on read/write (all processes must have the same communicator and filename).

key value
communicator $-expression to valid MPI_comm

Configuration example:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: ""file_name.nc""
communicator: $MPI_COMM_WORLD

on_event subtree

Defines on which events the plugin reads/writes data from/to NetCDF file. The value can be either single event name or the array of events names (both examples presented below).

key value
on_event string or array of string that cointain event names

Configuration examples:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
on_event: "event"
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
on_event: ["event_1", "event_2"]

when subtree

Defines the condition on which plugin will execute input/output operation on the file.

key value
when $-expression condition evalueated to boolean value

Configuration example:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
when: "$i < 10"

groups subtree

Defines groups in the NetCDF file. Mainly used to read/write attributes values of the groups.

If group won't have any attributes, this subtree can be omitted. Decl'NetCDF plugin will create group by default for every variable.

key value
groups Map of group name subtree

Configuration example:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
groups:
group1:
attributes:
attr1:
value: $value1
attr2:
value: $value2
group1/group2:
attributes:
attr1:
value: $value3
attr2:
value: $value4

group name subtree

key value
name (path) of the group Map with attribute key with value as map of attribute subtree

variables subtree

Defines variables in the NetCDF file. Mainly used to define dimensions names and read/write attributes of the variable.

  1. If no dimensions names are defined, the plugin will give them arbitrary names.
  2. If the data type of variable differs from the one in descriptor this subtree is mandatory. It also allows to define UNLIMITED dimension (size of dimension must be then set to 0).
  3. If the variable is in group it has to be define in the variable name (/ group notation: group_name/varaibale_name)
  4. This subtree can be omitted. In this case, the name of NetCDF variable will be the same as the name of the descriptor and have the same type and no attributes.
key value
variable path variable definition subtree

Configuration example:

plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
variables:
group1/group2/variable_name:
type: array
subtype: double
size: [0, $value, $value] # 0 -> UNLIMITED dimension
dimensions: ["time", "height", "width"]
attributes:
attr1: $value

variable definition subtree

key value
type type of variable (defined the same way as other types in PDI) optional
dimensions array of dimensions names of variable optional
attributes Map of attribute subtree optional

attribute subtree

key value
attribute name $-expression value to be written as attribute

write subtree

The write subtree can have 2 definitions:

  1. Just a name of descriptor to write or the list of descriptors names to write to file. In this case the name of NetCDF variable will be the same as the name of the descriptor and have the same type and no attributes.

    Configuration examples:

    plugins:
    decl_netcdf:
    file: "file_name.nc"
    write: data_name
    #-------------------------------------
    plugins:
    decl_netcdf:
    file: "file_name.nc"
    write: [data_name_1, data_name_2]
  2. Dictionary, with key as descriptor name and value as following subtree:
key value
when read/write when subtree optional
variable variable name to write (may be defined in variables subtree) optional
variable_selection subtree optional

Configuration example:

data:
int_submatrix_11:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [4, 4]
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
variables:
integer_matrix:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [8, 8]
dimensions: ["height", "width"]
write:
int_submatrix_11:
when: $i < 10
variable: integer_matrix
variable_selection: # select bottom-left submatrix 4x4
start: [4, 4]
subsize: [4, 4]
Warning
To write a record datatype, decl_netcdf.type type attribute must be defined with compound type name.

Record write configuration example:

data:
particle:
type: struct
+decl_netcdf.type: particle_xyz
members:
- x: double
- y: double
- z: double
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
write: [particle]

subtree

Defines the part of file NetCDF variable where from read/to write the data. The hyperslab will be created from given start and subsize (count) lists.

key value
start list specifying start index for each dimension optional
subsize list specifying count for each dimension optional

read/write when subtree

Defines the condition on which plugin will read/write specific variable.

key value
when $-expression condition evalueated to boolean value

read subtree

The read subtree can have 2 definitions:

  1. Just a name of descriptor to read or the list of descriptors names to read to file. In this case the name of NetCDF variable must be the same as the name of the descriptor and have the same type and no attributes will be read.

    Configuration examples:

    plugins:
    decl_netcdf:
    file: "file_name.nc"
    read: data_name
    #-------------------------------------
    plugins:
    decl_netcdf:
    file: "file_name.nc"
    read: [data_name_1, data_name_2]
  2. Dictionary, with key as descriptor name and value as following subtree:
key value
when read/write when subtree optional
variable variable name to read (may be defined in variables subtree) optional
variable_selection subtree optional

Configuration example:

data:
int_submatrix_11:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [4, 4]
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
file: "file_name.nc"
variables:
integer_matrix:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [8, 8]
read:
int_submatrix_11:
when: $i < 10
variable: integer_matrix
variable_selection: # select bottom-left submatrix 4x4
start: [4, 4]
subsize: [4, 4]

Full yaml example

metadata:
var_attr: float
group1_attr: float
group1_data_attr: float
data:
int_submatrix_top:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [4, 8]
int_submatrix_bottom:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [4, 8]
plugins:
decl_netcdf:
- file: "example.nc"
on_event: "write"
groups:
group_1:
attributes:
some_attr: $group1_attr
group_1/data:
attributes:
some_attr: $group1_data_attr
variables:
group_1/data/int_matrix:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [8, 8]
dimensions: ["height", "width"]
attributes:
custom_attr: $var_attr
write:
int_submatrix_top:
variable: group_1/data/int_matrix
variable_selection:
start: [0, 0]
subsize: [4, 8]
int_submatrix_bottom:
variable: group_1/data/int_matrix
variable_selection:
start: [4, 0]
subsize: [4, 8]
- file: "example.nc"
on_event: "read"
groups:
group_1/data:
attributes:
some_attr: $custom_attr
variables:
group_1/data/int_matrix:
type: array
subtype: int
size: [8, 8]
dimensions: ["height", "width"]
attributes:
custom_attr: $var_attr
read:
int_submatrix_top:
variable: group_1/data/int_matrix
variable_selection:
start: [0, 0]
subsize: [4, 8]
int_submatrix_bottom:
variable: group_1/data/int_matrix
variable_selection:
start: [4, 0]
subsize: [4, 8]