Changes in IDL 5.3

Features Added in IDL 5.3

The following API features (functions, procedures, object classes or methods, etc.) were introduced in this release of IDL.

Table I-65: Features Introduced in IDL 7.1
Feature	Description
.FULL_RESET_SESSION	Introduced
.RESET_SESSION	Introduced
ADAPT_HIST_EQUAL	Introduced
BINARY_TEMPLATE	Introduced
BREAKPOINT	Added the following keywords: DISABLE, ENABLE
CALL_EXTERNAL	Added the following keywords: UNLOAD
CDF_COMPRESSION	Introduced
CHECK_MATH	Added the following keywords: MASK, NOCLEAR
COMPILE_OPT	Introduced
CW_FILESEL	Introduced
CW_LIGHT_EDITOR	Introduced
CW_LIGHT_EDITOR_GET	Introduced
CW_LIGHT_EDITOR_SET	Introduced
CW_PALETTE_EDITOR	Introduced
CW_PALETTE_EDITOR_GET	Introduced
CW_PALETTE_EDITOR_SET	Introduced
DIALOG_READ_IMAGE	Introduced
DIALOG_WRITE_IMAGE	Introduced
DILATE	Added the following keywords: BACKGROUND, CONSTRAINED, PRESERVE_TYPE, UINT, ULONG
DLM_LOAD	Introduced
DRAW_ROI	Introduced
ENABLE_SYSRTN	Introduced
EOS_EXISTS	Introduced
EOS_GD_QUERY	Introduced
EOS_PT_QUERY	Introduced
EOS_QUERY	Introduced
EOS_SW_QUERY	Introduced
ERODE	Added the following keywords: PRESERVE_TYPE, UINT, ULONG
EXTRACT_SLICE	Added the following arguments: PlaneNormal, Xvec Added the following keywords: ANISTROPY, VERTICES
FIX	Added the following keywords: PRINT, TYPE
GET_DRIVE_LIST	Introduced
GRID_TPS	Introduced
HDF_SD_SETCOMPRESS	Introduced
HELP	Added the following keywords: BRIEF, FULL, FUNCTIONS, NAMES, PROCEDURES
IDL_TMPDIR Environment variable	Introduced.
IDLanROI	Introduced
IDLanROIGroup	Introduced
IDLffDICOM::Read	Added the following keywords: ENDIAN
IDLffLanguageCat	Introduced (Note: replaced by IDLffLangCat in IDL 6.1)
IDLgrAxis::Init	Added the following keywords: TEXTALIGNMENTS, TEXTBASELINE, TEXTUPDIR
IDLgrBuffer::GetDeviceInfo	Introduced
IDLgrClipboard::Draw	Added the following keywords: FILENAME, POSTSCRIPT, VECTOR
IDLgrClipboard::GetDeviceInfo	Introduced
IDLgrImage::Init	Added the following keywords: SUB_RECT
IDLgrPrinter::Draw	Added the following keywords: VECTOR
IDLgrROI	Introduced
IDLgrROIGroup	Introduced
IDLgrVRML::GetDeviceInfo	Introduced
IDLgrWindow::GetDeviceInfo	Introduced
IMAGE_STATISTICS	Introduced
INTERPOL	Added the following keywords: LSQUADRATIC, QUADRATIC, SPLINE
ISOCONTOUR	Introduced
ISOSURFACE	Introduced
LABEL_REGION	Added the following arguments: Data Added the following keywords: ALL_NEIGHBORS, ULONG
LMGR	Added the following keywords: EXPIRE_DATE, INSTALL_NUM, SITE_NOTICE
MESH_CLIP	Introduced
MESH_DECIMATE	Introduced
MESH_ISSOLID	Introduced
MESH_MERGE	Introduced
MESH_NUMTRIANGLES	Introduced
MESH_SMOOTH	Introduced
MESH_SURFACEAREA	Introduced
MESH_VALIDATE	Introduced
MESH_VOLUME	Introduced
MIN_CURVE_SURF	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
MORPH_CLOSE	Introduced
MORPH_DISTANCE	Introduced
MORPH_GRADIENT	Introduced
MORPH_HITORMISS	Introduced
MORPH_OPEN	Introduced
MORPH_THIN	Introduced
MORPH_TOPHAT	Introduced
MSG_CAT_CLOSE	Introduced. Replaced by IDLffLangCat in IDL 6.1.
MSG_CAT_COMPILE	Introduced. Replaced by IDLffLangCat in IDL 6.1.
MULTI	Introduced
OPENR/OPENU/OPENW	Added the following keywords: COMPRESS
PARTICLE_TRACE	Introduced
QUERY_IMAGE	Introduced
QUERY_WAV	Introduced
READ_BINARY	Introduced
READ_IMAGE	Introduced
READ_WAV	Introduced
RESOLVE_ROUTINE	Added the following keywords: EITHER, NO_RECOMPILE
ROUTINE_INFO	Added the following keywords: DISABLED, ENABLED, SOURCE
SAVE	Added the following keywords: COMPRESS
SPRSIN	Added the following arguments: Columns, Rows, Values, N
STRCMP	Introduced
STREAMLINE	Introduced
STREGEX	Introduced
STRJOIN	Introduced
STRMATCH	Introduced
STRMID	Added the following keywords: REVERSE_OFFSET
STRPOS	Added the following keywords: REVERSE_OFFSET, REVERSE_SEARCH
STRSPLIT	Introduced
STRUCT_ASSIGN	Added the following keywords: NOZERO
STRUCT_HIDE	Introduced
TETRA_CLIP	Introduced
TETRA_SURFACE	Introduced
TETRA_VOLUME	Introduced
THIN	Added the following keywords: NEIGHBOR_COUNT, PRUNE
TOTAL	Added the following keywords: CUMULATIVE
VALUE_LOCATE	Introduced
VECTOR_FIELD	Introduced
WATERSHED	Introduced
WRITE_IMAGE	Introduced
WRITE_WAV	Introduced
XOBJVIEW	Introduced

Features Obsoleted in IDL 5.3

The following features were present in IDL Version 5.2 but became obsolete in IDL Version 5.3.

Table I-66: Routines Obsoleted in IDL 5.3
Routine	Replaced by	.pro File?
HDF_DFSD_* Routines	HDF_SD_* Routines
RSTRPOS	STRPOS, /REVERSE_SEARCH	`rstrpos.pro`
STR_SEP	STRSPLIT for single character delimiters STRSPLIT, /REGEX for longer delimiters	`str_sep.pro`

The following arguments and keywords are obsolete and should not be used in new IDL code.

Table I-67: Arguments and Keywords Obsoleted in IDL 5.3
Routine	Argument or Keyword	Description
BYTEORDER	DTOGFLOAT keyword	This keyword was available only on the VMS platform
BYTEORDER	GFLOATTOD keyword	This keyword was available only on the VMS platform.
CALL_EXTERNAL	DEFAULT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	PORTABLE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	VAX_FLOAT keyword	This keyword was available only on the VMS platform.
DEVICE	DEPTH keyword	This keyword was available only on the VMS platform.
DEVICE	FONT keyword	This keyword was replaced by the SET_FONT keyword.
DOC_LIBRARY	FILE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	PATH keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	OUTPUTS keyword	This keyword was available only on the VMS platform.
LINKIMAGE	DEFAULT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
MAKE_DLL	VAX_FLOAT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
OPEN	Record_Length argument	This argument was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	BLOCK keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	DEFAULT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	EXTENDSIZE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	FIXED keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	FORTRAN keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	INITIALSIZE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
OPEN, continued	KEYED keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	LIST keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	NONE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	PRINT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	SEGMENTED keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	SHARED keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	STREAM keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	SUBMIT keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	SUPERSEDE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	TRUNCATE_ON_CLOSE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	UDF_BLOCK keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	VARIABLE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
PRINT/PRINTF	REWRITE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
READ/READF	KEY_ID keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	KEY_MATCH keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	KEY_VALUE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
READ_TIFF	UNSIGNED keyword	This keyword became obsolete when IDL began supporting an unsigned 16-bit integer data type.
READU	KEY_ID keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	KEY_MATCH keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	KEY_VALUE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
SAVE	XDR keyword	IDL always writes XDR files.
SPAWN	NOCLISYM keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	NOLOGNAM keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
	NOTIFY keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.
WRITEU	REWRITE keyword	This keyword was ignored on non-VMS platforms.

SDF Routines Obsoleted in IDL 5.3

HDF_DFSD_* routines have been obsoleted in IDL 5.3.

What is DFSD and Why Are We Obsoleting It?

DFSD is an SD (Scientific Data Model). DFSD is the older, single-file SD form. The newer SD format, MFSD, is referred to in the IDL API as HDF_SD_*. New IDL code should use HDF_SD_* routines rather than HDF_DFSD_* routines.

Version HDF4.1r2 of HDF has obsoleted the DFSD interface, somewhat forcing us to do so as well. IDL 5.3 uses HDF4.1r3 (Version 4.1, revision 3). It is recommended that users convert their old HDF files to the 4.1r3 format.

The following HDF routines have been obsoleted in IDL 5.3.


HDF_DFSD_ADDDATA	HDF_DFSD_GETSLICE
HDF_DFSD_DIMGET	HDF_DFSD_PUTSLICE
HDF_DFSD_DIMSET	HDF_DFSD_READREF
HDF_DFSD_ENDSLICE	HDF_DFSD_SETINFO
HDF_DFSD_GETDATA	HDF_DFSD_STARTSLICE
HDF_DFSD_GETINFO