HDFView

Latest Release: HDFView 3.3.0

HDFView is a visual tool for browsing and editing HDF4 and HDF5 files.

Using HDFView, you can

• view a file hierarchy in a tree structure
• create new files, add or delete groups and datasets
• view and modify the content of a dataset
• add, delete and modify attributes   

About 3.x Releases: New features and changes, installation, documentation

• Installation
• Documentation

Tutorial: Learn how to use HDFView to create, edit and view files 

User's Guide: Learn about the features in HDFView (PDF)

This software:

• Uses 64-bit object identifiers (since HDF5-1.10)
• Is packaged with the Java HDF4 and HDF5 Object packages

About 3.x Releases

HDFView 3.3.0 is a maintenance release that was built with HDF5-1.14.0, HDF 4.2.16, and Open JDK 19.

HDFView 3.2.0 is a maintenance release that was built with HDF5-1.12.2, HDF 4.2.15, and Open JDK 15.

HDFView 3.1.4 is a maintenance release that was built with HDF5-1.10.9, HDF 4.2.15, and Open JDK 15.

Installation

The basics steps to install HDFView are:

Unix:

• Build HDF5 (and HDF4 if needed) with Java enabled with shared libraries.
• Set JAVA_HOME and ANT_HOME to the top directory for the Java and Ant installations.
• Set the HDFLIBS and HDF5LIBS environment variables to point to the install location of HDF4 and HDF5. (If you do not want to include the HDF4 library just set HDFLIBS to the path for HDF5.)
• Run ant run.
• Run ant package.
• The built binary will be in the build/dist directory of the HDFView source.

Windows:

• Build HDF4 and HDF5 with Java enabled with shared libraries (with CMake). All you should have to do is edit HDF5options and turn java on as follows:

uncomment:  set (ADD_BUILD_OPTIONS "${ADD_BUILD_OPTIONS} -DHDF5_BUILD_JAVA:BOOL=ON")

comment out: set (ADD_BUILD_OPTIONS "${ADD_BUILD_OPTIONS} -DHDF5_BUILD_JAVA:BOOL=OFF")

• Set the HDFLIBS and HDF5LIBS environment variables (setting HDF4 to the HDF5 path turns off HDF4) to the location of HDF4 and HDF5:

HDF5LIBS: C:\Program Files\HDF_Group\HDF5\<path to HDF5 installation>


HDFLIBS:  C:\Program Files\HDF_Group\<path to HDF4 or HDF5 installation>


Set the ANT_HOME and JAVA_HOME environment variables to the location of the software:

JAVA_HOME:  C:\Program Files\<path to openjdk installation>


ANT_HOME:   C:\Program Files\<path to Apache Ant installation>


• Run ant run and ant package.

For complete instructions, see the docs/Build_HDFView.txt file in the source code or here.

Documentation

• HDFView and HDF Java Object Package javadocs
• HDFView User's Guide
  
• Module Guide: Instructions on implementing HDFView modules
• HDF Object Package: Design Notes