McIDAS Programmer's Manual

[Search Manual] [Index] [Table of Contents] [Go to Previous] [Go to Next]

Chapter 2

This chapter provides an overview of the basic concepts you must know to develop applications programs in McIDAS-X. First, it looks at McIDAS-X from a user's perspective. Then it provides an overview of McIDAS-X at the system level. Finally, it describes how to build user applications that will interact appropriately with the McIDAS-X environment. You will learn:

• the types of data available in McIDAS-X and how users access them
• the types of commands users can enter on the McIDAS-X Text and Command Window
• the coordinate systems McIDAS-X uses for displaying images and graphics on the McIDAS-X Image Window
• the components of the McIDAS-X environment and how they're organized
• the tools available for writing and debugging your code
• the formats and conventions to use when writing online command helps, setting status codes, naming new functions, or creating interface documentation blocks
• some helpful hints for programming in McIDAS-X

This chapter is organized into these sections:

• McIDAS user applications
  
  Data types
  How users access McIDAS-X data
  The McIDAS-X windows
• McIDAS system overview
  
  Shared memory
  Resident programs
  Applications programs
• McIDAS developer overview
  
  Writing McIDAS-X applications
  The McIDAS-X library
  C and Fortran function interfaces
  Debugging McIDAS-X applications
  Programming do's and don'ts
  

  [Search Manual] [Index] [Table of Contents] [Go to Previous] [Go to Next]