Changes in IDL 5.4

Features Added in IDL 5.4

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

Table I-62: Features Introduced in IDL 5.4
Feature	Description
![XYZ].CRANGE	![XYZ].CRANGE, formerly a 2-element vector of single-precision floating point values, is now a 2-element vector of double-precision floating point values.
![XYZ].RANGE	![XYZ].RANGE, formerly a 2-element vector of single-precision floating point values, is now a 2-element vector of double-precision floating point values.
![XYZ].S	![XYZ].S, formerly a 2-element vector of single-precision floating point values, is now a 2-element vector of double-precision floating point values.
![XYZ].TICKFORMAT	The third argument (that is, the argument indicating the value at the tick mark) for any callback functions set via the ![XYZ].TICKFORMAT field will now become a double-precision floating point value (rather than a single-precision floating point value).
![XYZ].TICKINTERVAL	![XYZ].TICKINTERVAL is a scalar indicating the interval between major tick marks for the first axis level. This setting takes precedence over ![XYZ].TICKS.
![XYZ].TICKLAYOUT	![XYZ].TICKLAYOUT is a scalar that indicates the style to be used to draw each level of the axis.
![XYZ].TICKUNITS	![XYZ].TICKUNITS is a string (or a vector of strings) indicating the units to be used for axis tick labeling.
![XYZ].TICKV	![XYZ].TICKV, formerly a vector of single-precision floating point values, is now a vector of double-precision floating point values.
!MAKE_DLL	Introduced
!P.T	!P.T has changed from a single-precision 4-by-4 array of floating-point values to a double-precision floating-point array of values.
!VERSION	The !VERSION system variable has two new fields called MEMORY_BITS and FILE_OFFSET_BITS that tell you how many bits are used by the current IDL to access memory and files, respectively.
ARRAY_EQUAL	Introduced
ASSOC	Can now read from compressed files.
BESELK	Introduced
BINOMIAL	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE, GAUSSIAN
BLK_CON	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
BREAK	Introduced
CALL_EXTERNAL	Added the following keywords: AUTO_GLUE, CC, COMPILE_DIRECTORY, EXTRA_CFLAGS, EXTRA_LFLAGS, IGNORE_EXISTING_GLUE, LD, NOCLEANUP, SHOW_ALL_OUTPUT, VERBOSE
CEIL	Added the following keywords: L64
CLOSE	Added the following keywords: EXIT_STATUS, FORCE
COLORMAP_APPLICABLE	Introduced
CONTINUE	Introduced
CONTOUR	Added the following keywords: CLOSED, NLEVELS, PATH_DOUBLE, PATH_FILENAME, PATH_INFO
CONVERT_COORD	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
CURVEFIT	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
CV_COORD	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
CW_CLR_INDEX	Added the following keywords: VALUE
CW_FILESEL	Added the following keywords: WARN_EXIST
DEVICE	Added the following keywords: PRE_DEPTH, PRE_XSIZE, PRE_YSIZE
DIALOG_PICKFILE	Added the following keywords: FILTER
DIALOG_READ_IMAGE	Added the following keywords: GET_PATH
DIALOG_WRITE_IMAGE	Added the following keywords: WARN_EXIST
FACTORIAL	Added the following keywords: UL64
FILE_CHMOD	Introduced
FILE_DELETE	Introduced
FILE_EXPAND_PATH	Introduced
FILE_MKDIR	Introduced
FILE_TEST	Introduced
FILE_WHICH	Introduced
FLOOR	Added the following keywords: L64
FREE_LUN	Added the following keywords: EXIT_STATUS, FORCE
FSTAT	The following new fields are returned in the FSTAT structure: ATIME — Date of last access CTIME — Creation date MTIME — Date of last modification
GETENV	Added the following keywords: ENVIRONMENT
HANNING	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
HISTOGRAM	Added the following keywords: BINSIZE, L64, MAX, NBINS, REVERSE_INDICES
HOUGH	Introduced
IBETA, IGAMMA	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE, EPS, ITER, ITMAX
IDLanROI::GetProperty	Added the following keywords: N_VERTS
IDLanROI::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLanROI::Rotate	Added the following keywords: CENTER
IDLffShape	Introduced
IDLgrAxis::Init	Added the following keywords: AM_PM, DAYS_OF_WEEK, MONTHS, TICKFORMAT, TICKINTERVAL, TICKLAYOUT, TICKUNITS
IDLgrContour::Init	Added the following keywords: DATA_VALUES, DOUBLE_DATA, DOUBLE_GEOM
IDLgrMPEG::Init	Added the following keywords: BITRATE, IFRAME_GAP, MOTION_VEC_LENGTH, QUALITY
IDLgrPlot::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLgrPolygon::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLgrPolyline::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLgrROI::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLgrSurface::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
IDLgrView::Init	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
JULDAY	Arguments now accept array values
LABEL_DATE	Added the following keywords: AM_PM, DATE_FORMATS, DAYS_OF_WEEK, OFFSET, ROUND_UP
LAGUERRE	Introduced
LEEFILT	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
LEGENDRE	Introduced
LINFIT	Added the following keywords: COVAR, MEASURE_ERRORS, YFIT
LIVE_CONTOUR, LIVE_PLOT, LIVE_SURFACE	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE (Note: the LIVE_* Routines were made obsolete in IDL 6.0.)
LMFIT	Added the following keywords: MEASURE_ERRORS, SIGMA
MAKE_DLL	Introduced
MAP_2POINTS	Introduced
MATRIX_MULTIPLY	Introduced
MEMORY	Introduced
MIN_CURVE_SURF	Added the following keywords: CONST, SPHERE
MPEG_OPEN	Added the following keywords: BITRATE, IFRAME_GAP, MOTION_VEC_LENGTH, QUALITY
ONLINE_HELP	Added the following keywords: TOPICS, HTML_HELP
OPENR/OPENU/OPENW	Added the following keywords: RAWIO, STDIO
POLY_FIT	Added the following keywords: CHISQ, COVAR, MEASURE_ERRORS, SIGMA, STATUS, YERROR, YFIT
RADON	Introduced
RANDOMN, RANDOMU	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE, LONG
READ_JPEG	Added the following keywords: UNIT
READ_PNG	Introduced
READ_PNG	Added the following keywords: ORDER
READ_TIFF	Added the following keywords: CHANNELS, INTERLEAVE
READU	Added the following keywords: TRANSFER_COUNT
REGRESS	Added the following keywords: CHISQ, CONST, CORRELATION, DOUBLE, FTEST, MCORRELATION, MEASURE_ERRORS, SIGMA, STATUS, YFIT
RESOLVE_ROUTINE	Added the following keywords: COMPILE_FULL_FILE
REVERSE	Added the following keywords: OVERWRITE
ROUND	Added the following keywords: L64
SAVGOL	Introduced
SIZE	Added the following keywords: DIMENSIONS, L64, N_ELEMENTS, STRUCTURE
SOCKET	Introduced
SORT	Added the following keywords: L64
SPAWN	Added the following argument: ErrResult Added the following keywords: EXIT_STATUS, FORCE, HIDE, LOG_OUTPUT, NOSHELL, NOWAIT, NULL_STDIN, STDERR
SPHER_HARM	Introduced
SVDC	Added the following keywords: ITMAX
SVDFIT	Added the following keywords: MEASURE_ERRORS, SIGMA
SWITCH	Introduced
SYSTIME	If the SecondsFlag argument (previously called Arg) is zero, the ElapsedSeconds argument may be set to the number of seconds past 1 January 1970 UTC. Added the following keywords: UTC
The Metafile Display Device	Introduced
TIMEGEN	Introduced
TRIGRID	Added the following keywords: XOUT, YOUT
VALUE_LOCATE	Added the following keywords: L64
VERT_T3D	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
WHERE	Added the following keywords: COMPLEMENT, NCOMPLEMENT, L64
WRITE_JPEG	Added the following keywords: UNIT
WRITE_PNG	Added the following keywords: ORDER
XDXF	Introduced
XINTERANIMATE	Added the following keywords: MPEG_BITRATE, MPEG_IFRAME_GAP, MPEG_MOTION_VEC_LENGTH, MPEG_QUALITY
XOBJVIEW	Added the following keywords: BACKGROUND, DOUBLE_VIEW, REFRESH, TLB
XPLOT3D	Introduced
XROI	Introduced
XVOLUME	Introduced

Features Obsoleted in IDL 5.4

The following features were present in IDL Version 5.3 but became obsolete in IDL Version 5.4.

Table I-63: Routines Obsoleted in IDL 5.4
Routine	Replaced by	.pro File?
POLYFITW	POLY_FIT, MEASURE_ERRORS keyword	polyfitw.pro
RIEMANN	RADON

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

Table I-64: Arguments and Keywords Obsoleted in IDL 5.4
Routine	Argument or Keyword	Description
LINFIT	SDEV keyword	This keyword has been replaced by the MEASURE_ERRORS keyword.
LM_FIT	WEIGHTS keyword	This keyword has been replaced by the MEASURE_ERRORS keyword.
OPEN	BINARY keyword	Windows file I/O changed to function like UNIX file I/O.
	NOAUTOMODE keyword	Windows file I/O changed to function like UNIX file I/O.
	NOSDTIO keyword	Keyword was renamed RAWIO.
POLY_FIT	Yfit argument	Argument replaced by the YFIT keyword.
	Yband argument	Argument replaced by the YBAND keyword.
	Sigma argument	Argument replaced by the YERROR keyword.
	Corrm argument	Argument replaced by the COVAR keyword.
REGRESS	Weights argument	Argument replaced by the MEASURE_ERRORS keyword.
	Yfit argument	Argument replaced by the YFIT keyword.
	Const argument	Argument replaced by the CONST keyword.
	Sigma argument	Argument replaced by the SIGMA keyword.
	Ftest argument	Argument replaced by the FTEST keyword.
	R argument	Argument replaced by the CORRELATION keyword.
	Rmul argument	Argument replaced by the MCORRELATION keyword.
	Chisq argument	Argument replaced by the CHISQR keyword.
	Status argument	Argument replaced by the STATUS keyword.
	RELATIVE_WEIGHT keyword	Keyword no longer necessary.
SVDFIT	WEIGHTS keyword	Keyword replaced by the MEASURE_ERRORS keyword.