/*
* Copyright 1998-2014 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research/Unidata
*
* Portions of this software were developed by the Unidata Program at the
* University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
*
* Access and use of this software shall impose the following obligations
* and understandings on the user. The user is granted the right, without
* any fee or cost, to use, copy, modify, alter, enhance and distribute
* this software, and any derivative works thereof, and its supporting
* documentation for any purpose whatsoever, provided that this entire
* notice appears in all copies of the software, derivative works and
* supporting documentation. Further, UCAR requests that the user credit
* UCAR/Unidata in any publications that result from the use of this
* software or in any product that includes this software. The names UCAR
* and/or Unidata, however, may not be used in any advertising or publicity
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*
* THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY UCAR/UNIDATA "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR
* IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
* WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
* DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL UCAR/UNIDATA BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL,
* INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING
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* WITH THE ACCESS, USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
*/
package ucar.nc2;
import ucar.ma2.DataType;
import java.util.List;
/**
* A lightweight abstractions of a Variable.
*
* @author caron
* @see ucar.nc2.ft.FeatureDataset
*/
public interface VariableSimpleIF extends Comparable<VariableSimpleIF> {
/**
* Name of the data Variable.
* Not that this is technically ambiguous v-a-v short or full name;
* however, since this is a Variable interface, one must assume
* that it is intended to be getFullName().
*
* @return name of the data Variable
* @deprecated use getFullName or getShortName
*/
@Deprecated
public String getName();
/**
* full, backslash escaped name of the data Variable
* @return full, backslash escaped name of the data Variable
*/
public String getFullName();
/**
* short name of the data Variable
* @return short name of the data Variable
*/
public String getShortName();
/**
* description of the Variable
* @return description of the Variable, or null if none.
*/
public String getDescription();
/**
* Units of the Variable. These should be udunits compatible if possible
* @return Units of the Variable, or null if none.
*/
public String getUnitsString();
/**
* Variable rank
* @return Variable rank
*/
public int getRank();
/**
* Variable shape
* @return Variable shape
*/
public int[] getShape();
/**
* Dimension List. empty for a scalar variable.
* @return List of ucar.nc2.Dimension
*/
public List<Dimension> getDimensions();
/**
* Variable's data type
* @return Variable's data type
*/
public DataType getDataType();
/**
* Attributes for the variable.
* @return List of type ucar.nc2.Attribute
*/
public List<Attribute> getAttributes();
/**
* find the attribute for the variable with the given name, ignoring case.
* @param name attribute name
* @return the attribute for the variable with the given name, or null if not found.
*/
public ucar.nc2.Attribute findAttributeIgnoreCase(String name);
}