Chapter 2

Learning the Basics

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:

Types of data available in McIDAS-X and how users access them
Types of commands users can enter on the McIDAS-X Text and Command Window
Coordinate systems McIDAS-X uses for displaying images and graphics on the McIDAS-X Image Window
Components of the McIDAS-X environment and how they're organized
Tools available for writing and debugging your code
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

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