I was unaware of the _Unsigned attribute. I was always confused by the
language around setting the ranges to the expected unsigned range. Until
this discussion I wasn't really sure what that was about. Having used
unsigned types, now I'm beginning to wonder if the data we've created
should be changed. If I understand Charlie correctly, then I agree with
him: I think _Unsigned = true is clearer. I think requiring both is
burdensome and allowing one or the other is crufty. (What a great word.)
Mary Jo
On Fri, 22 Sep 2017, Charlie Zender wrote:
> Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2017 09:40:53 -0700
> From: Charlie Zender <zender at uci.edu>
> To: "Signell, Richard" <rsignell at usgs.gov>,
> Chris Barker <chris.barker at noaa.gov>
> Cc: CF Metadata Mail List <cf-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CF-metadata] Add new integer types to CF?
>
> _Unsigned = "true" is cleaner and clearer to me
> than the valid_* attributes.
> To me, Rich's suggestion requires a consensus
> to _drop_ valid_* in CF 1.8, and instead make
> _Unsigned the preferred workaround for file formats
> that do not support unsigned types.
> Unless people want to require _both_
> _Unsigned and valid_* (seems burdensome to me),
> or allow either _Unsigned or valid_* (seems
> crufty to me). What do others think?
>
> On 9/22/17 04:49, Signell, Richard wrote:
>> lookin at the NUG, how about saying:
>>
>> In file types that don't offer native support for unsigned types,
>> integer or byte variables that are to be interpreted as unsigned must
>> have the attribute _Unsigned = "true".
> --
> Charlie Zender, Earth System Sci. & Computer Sci.
> University of California, Irvine 949-891-2429 )'(
> _______________________________________________
> CF-metadata mailing list
> CF-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu
> http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mary Jo Brodzik, Senior Associate Scientist, 303-492-8263
NSIDC/CIRES, Univ. of Colo. at Boulder, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0449
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used
when we created them." --Albert Einstein
Received on Fri Sep 22 2017 - 11:27:21 BST
