Hello Heiko,
An alternative is to use ncks which prints NcML/XML (and CDL)
since NCO version 4.3.3. Although version 4.3.6 (current released
version) only prints XML metadata (like ncdump -x), the current
snapshot prints XML data values as well. It works for netCDF4 files,
variable subsetting, and hyperslabs with the normal NCO switches.
You could install the latest snapshot by following the instructions at
nco.sf.net, or wait a few weeks until the 4.3.7 release.
The results of a typical XML dump follow. Feedback welcome.
cz
zender@givre:~$ ncks --xml ~/nco/data/in_grp.nc
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<netcdf xmlns="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/netcdf/ncml-2.2";
location="/home/zender/nco/data/in_grp.nc">
<dimension name="gds_crd" length="8" />
<dimension name="lat" length="2" />
<dimension name="lev" length="3" />
<dimension name="lon" length="4" />
<dimension name="time" length="10" isUnlimited="true" />
<dimension name="vrt_nbr" length="2" />
<variable name="area" type="float" shape="lat">
<attribute name="units" value="meter2" />
<values>10., 10.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="ilev" type="float" shape="lev vrt_nbr">
<attribute name="purpose" value="Cell boundaries for lev
coordinate" />
<values>0., 300., 300., 750., 750., 1013.25</values>
</variable>
<variable name="lat" type="float" shape="lat">
<attribute name="units" value="degrees_north" />
<values>-90., 90.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="lat_lon" type="float" shape="lat lon">
<values>1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., 8.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="lev" type="float" shape="lev">
<attribute name="units" value="hybrid_sigma_pressure" />
<attribute name="bounds" value="ilev" />
<values>100., 500., 1000.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="lon" type="float" shape="lon">
<attribute name="units" value="degrees_east" />
<values>0., 90., 180., 270.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="one" type="float">
<values>1.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="scl" type="float">
<values>1.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="time" type="double" shape="time">
<values>1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., 8., 9., 10.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="unique" type="int">
<attribute name="purpose" value="the only variable of this name in
this file, to test smallest possible access requests" />
<values>73</values>
</variable>
<attribute name="Conventions" value="CF-1.0" />
<attribute name="history" value="History global attribute.
" />
<attribute name="julian_day" value="200000.04" />
<attribute name="RCS_Header" value="$Header$" />
<group name="/g1">
<variable name="g1v1" type="int">
<values>1</values>
</variable>
<variable name="lon" type="float" shape="lon">
<attribute name="units" value="degrees_east" />
<values>0., 90., 180., 270.</values>
</variable>
<variable name="scl" type="float">
<values>1.1</values>
</variable>
<variable name="v1" type="int">
<values>1</values>
</variable>
<group name="/g1/g1g1">
<variable name="scl" type="float">
<values>1.11</values>
</variable>
<variable name="v1" type="int">
<values>11</values>
</variable>
</group>
</group>
[et cetera]
</netcdf>
--
Charlie Zender, Earth System Sci. & Computer Sci.
University of California, Irvine 949-891-2429 )'(
