Changes in IDL 5.6

Features Added in IDL 5.6

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

Table I-54: Features Introduced in IDL 5.6
Feature	Description
ATAN	Added the following keywords: PHASE
BESELI, BESELJ, BESELK, BESELY	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE, ITER
BETA	Now accepts complex arguments
COMPILE_OPT	Added the STRICTARRSUBS option
COPY_LUN	Introduced
CURVEFIT	Added the following keywords: YERROR
DIAG_MATRIX	Introduced
DIGITAL_FILTER	Added the following keywords: DOUBLE
ERF	Now accepts complex arguments
ERFCX	Now accepts complex arguments
EXPINT	Added the following keywords: ITER
FILE_COPY	Introduced
FILE_DELETE	Added the following keywords: ALLOW_NONEXISTENT, VERBOSE
FILE_LINES	Introduced
FILE_LINK	Introduced
FILE_MOVE	Introduced
FILE_READLINK	Introduced
FILE_SAME	Introduced
GAMMA	Now accepts complex arguments
GAUSSFIT	Added the following keywords: CHISQ, SIGMA, YERROR
H5_BROWSER	Introduced
H5_CLOSE	Introduced
H5_GET_LIBVERSION	Introduced
H5_OPEN	Introduced
H5_PARSE	Introduced
H5A_CLOSE	Introduced
H5A_GET_NAME	Introduced
H5A_GET_NUM_ATTRS	Introduced
H5A_GET_SPACE	Introduced
H5A_GET_TYPE	Introduced
H5A_OPEN_IDX	Introduced
H5A_OPEN_NAME	Introduced
H5A_READ	Introduced
H5D_CLOSE	Introduced
H5D_GET_SPACE	Introduced
H5D_GET_STORAGE_SIZE	Introduced
H5D_GET_TYPE	Introduced
H5D_OPEN	Introduced
H5D_READ	Introduced
H5F_CLOSE	Introduced
H5F_IS_HDF5	Introduced
H5F_OPEN	Introduced
H5G_CLOSE	Introduced
H5G_GET_COMMENT	Introduced
H5G_GET_LINKVAL	Introduced
H5G_GET_MEMBER_NAME	Introduced
H5G_GET_NMEMBERS	Introduced
H5G_GET_OBJINFO	Introduced
H5G_OPEN	Introduced
H5I_GET_TYPE	Introduced
H5R_DEREFERENCE	Introduced
H5R_GET_OBJECT_TYPE	Introduced
H5S_CLOSE	Introduced
H5S_COPY	Introduced
H5S_CREATE_SIMPLE	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_BOUNDS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_ELEM_NPOINTS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_ELEM_POINTLIST	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_HYPER_BLOCKLIST	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_HYPER_NBLOCKS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SELECT_NPOINTS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SIMPLE_EXTENT_DIMS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SIMPLE_EXTENT_NDIMS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SIMPLE_EXTENT_NPOINTS	Introduced
H5S_GET_SIMPLE_EXTENT_TYPE	Introduced
H5S_IS_SIMPLE	Introduced
H5S_OFFSET_SIMPLE	Introduced
H5S_SELECT_ALL	Introduced
H5S_SELECT_ELEMENTS	Introduced
H5S_SELECT_HYPERSLAB	Introduced
H5S_SELECT_NONE	Introduced
H5S_SELECT_VALID	Introduced
H5T_CLOSE	Introduced
H5T_COMMITTED	Introduced
H5T_COPY	Introduced
H5T_EQUAL	Introduced
H5T_GET_ARRAY_DIMS	Introduced
H5T_GET_ARRAY_NDIMS	Introduced
H5T_GET_CLASS	Introduced
H5T_GET_CSET	Introduced
H5T_GET_EBIAS	Introduced
H5T_GET_FIELDS	Introduced
H5T_GET_INPAD	Introduced
H5T_GET_MEMBER_CLASS	Introduced
H5T_GET_MEMBER_NAME	Introduced
H5T_GET_MEMBER_OFFSET	Introduced
H5T_GET_MEMBER_TYPE	Introduced
H5T_GET_NMEMBERS	Introduced
H5T_GET_NORM	Introduced
H5T_GET_OFFSET	Introduced
H5T_GET_ORDER	Introduced
H5T_GET_PAD	Introduced
H5T_GET_PRECISION	Introduced
H5T_GET_SIGN	Introduced
H5T_GET_SIZE	Introduced
H5T_GET_STRPAD	Introduced
H5T_GET_SUPER	Introduced
H5T_IDLTYPE	Introduced
H5T_MEMTYPE	Introduced
H5T_OPEN	Introduced
HELP	Added the following keywords: SHARED_MEMORY
HISTOGRAM	Added the following keywords: LOCATIONS
IBETA	Now accepts complex arguments
IDLanROI::ComputeMask	Added the following keywords: RUN_LENGTH
IDLanROIGroup::ComputeMask	Added the following keywords: RUN_LENGTH
IDLffShape::GetProperty	Added the following keywords: N_RECORDS
IDLffShape::Init	Added the following keywords: DBF_ONLY
IDLffShape::Open	Added the following keywords: DBF_ONLY
IDLffXMLSAX	Introduced
IDLgrAxis::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrBuffer::GetDeviceInfo	Added the following keywords: MAX_NUM_CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrBuffer::PickData	Added the following keywords: PICK_STATUS
IDLgrClipboard::GetDeviceInfo	Added the following keywords: MAX_NUM_CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrContour::GetLabelInfo	Introduced
IDLgrContour::Init	Added the following keywords: AM_PM, C_LABEL_INTERVAL. C_LABEL_OBJECTS, C_LABEL_NOGAPS, C_LABEL_SHOW C_USE_LABEL_COLOR, C_USE_LABEL_ORIENTATION. CLIP_PLANES, DAYS_OF_WEEK, LABEL_FONT, LABEL_FORMAT, LABEL_FRMTDATA, LABEL_UNITS, MONTHS, USE_TEXT_ALIGNMENTS
IDLgrImage::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrModel::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrPlot::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrPolygon::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrPolyline::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES, LABEL_NOGAPS. LABEL_OFFSETS. LABEL_OBJECTS, LABEL_POLYLINES, LABEL_USE_VERTEX_COLOR, USE_LABEL_COLOR, USE_LABEL_ORIENTATION, USE_TEXT_ALIGNMENTS
IDLgrROI::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrROIGroup::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrSurface::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrSymbol::Init	Added the following argument: Data
IDLgrTessellator::AddPolygon	Added the following keywords: AUXDATA
IDLgrTessellator::Tessellate	Added the following keywords: AUXDATA
IDLgrText::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrVolume::Init	Added the following keywords: CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrVRML::GetDeviceInfo	Added the following keywords: MAX_NUM_CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrWindow::GetDeviceInfo	Added the following keywords: MAX_NUM_CLIP_PLANES
IDLgrWindow::PickData	Added the following keywords: PICK_STATUS
IDLgrWindow::SetCurrentCursor	Added the following argument: CursorName
IGAMMA	Now accepts complex arguments
ISOCONTOUR	Added the following keywords: C_LABEL_INTERVAL. C_LABEL_SHOW, OUT_LABEL_OFFSETS, OUT_LABEL_POLYLINES, OUT_LABEL_STRINGS
LA_CHOLDC	Introduced
LA_CHOLMPROVE	Introduced
LA_CHOLSOL	Introduced
LA_DETERM	Introduced
LA_EIGENPROBLEM	Introduced
LA_EIGENQL	Introduced
LA_EIGENVEC	Introduced
LA_ELMHES	Introduced
LA_GM_LINEAR_MODEL	Introduced
LA_HQR	Introduced
LA_INVERT	Introduced
LA_LEAST_SQUARE_EQUALITY	Introduced
LA_LEAST_SQUARES	Introduced
LA_LINEAR_EQUATION	Introduced
LA_LUDC	Introduced
LA_LUMPROVE	Introduced
LA_LUSOL	Introduced
LA_SVD	Introduced
LA_TRIDC	Introduced
LA_TRIMPROVE	Introduced
LA_TRIQL	Introduced
LA_TRIRED	Introduced
LA_TRISOL	Introduced
LNGAMMA	Now accepts complex arguments
MAKE_DLL	Added the following keywords: REUSE_EXISTING
MAP_PROJ_FORWARD	Introduced
MAP_PROJ_INIT	Introduced
MAP_PROJ_INVERSE	Introduced
MATRIX_POWER	Introduced
MEDIAN	Added the following keywords: DIMENSION
PRODUCT	Introduced
REGISTER_CURSOR	Introduced
SHMDEBUG	Introduced
SHMMAP	Introduced
SHMUNMAP	Introduced
SHMVAR	Introduced
SKIP_LUN	Introduced
SVDFIT	Added the following keywords: SING_VALUES, STATUS, TOL
SWAP_ENDIAN	Added the following keywords: SWAP_IF_BIG_ENDIAN, SWAP_IF_LITTLE_ENDIAN
SWAP_ENDIAN_INPLACE	Introduced
TRUNCATE_LUN	Introduced
WIDGET_BASE	Added the following keywords: TLB_ICONIFY_EVENTS, TLB_MOVE_EVENTS, TOOLBAR
WIDGET_BUTTON	Added the following keywords: CHECKED_MENU, TOOLTIP
WIDGET_COMBOBOX	Introduced
WIDGET_CONTROL	Added the following keywords: COMBOBOX_ADDITEM, COMBOBOX_DELETEITEM, COMBOBOX_INDEX, DRAW_KEYBOARD_EVENTS, SET_BUTTON, SET_COMBOBOX_SELECT, SET_TAB_CURRENT, SET_TAB_MULTILINE, SET_TREE_BITMAP, SET_TREE_EXPANDED, SET_TREE_SELECT, SET_TREE_VISIBLE, TABLE_BLANK, TABLE_DISJOINT_SELECTION, TLB_ICONIFY_EVENTS, TLB_MOVE_EVENTS, TLB_SIZE_EVENTS, TOOLTIP
WIDGET_DRAW	Added the following keywords: KEYBOARD_EVENTS, TOOLTIP
WIDGET_INFO	Added the following keywords: BUTTON_SET, COMBOBOX_GETTEXT, COMBOBOX_NUMBER, FONTNAME, MAP, SENSITIVE, TAB_CURRENT, TAB_MULTILINE, TAB_NUMBER, TABLE_DISJOINT_SELECTION, TLB_ICONIFY_EVENTS, TLB_MOVE_EVENTS, TLB_SIZE_EVENTS, TOOLTIP, TREE_EXPANDED, TREE_ROOT, TREE_SELECT, VISIBLE
WIDGET_LABEL	Added the following keywords: SUNKEN_FRAME
WIDGET_TAB	Introduced
WIDGET_TABLE	Added the following keywords: DISJOINT_SELECTION
WIDGET_TREE	Introduced
WRITE_TIFF	Added the following keywords: COMPRESSION
XROI	Added the following keywords: X_SCROLL_SIZE, Y_SCROLL_SIZE

Features Obsoleted in IDL 5.6

The following features were present in IDL Version 5.5 but became obsolete in IDL Version 5.6.

Table I-55: Routines Obsoleted in IDL 5.6
Routine	Replaced by	.pro File?
HDF_VD_GETNEXT	HDF_VG_GETNEXT
VAX_FLOAT	VAX_FLOAT keyword to OPENR/OPENU/OPENW

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

Table I-56: Arguments and Keywords Obsoleted in IDL 5.6
Routine	Argument or Keyword	Description
SPAWN	FORCE keyword	This keyword was incorrectly included in the SPAWN documentation.

The following graphics device is obsolete and should not be used in new IDL code.

Table I-57: Graphics Devices Obsoleted in IDL 5.6
Graphics Device	Description
The Macintosh Device (MAC)	The MAC device was only available in IDL for Macintosh versions running under OS 9 and earlier. Versions of IDL for Macintosh running under OS X and later use the X device.