[Gdal-dev] Testing creating and opening raster datasets

[Frank Warmerdam]

On 9/13/05, Ari Jolma <ari.jolma at tkk.fi> wrote:
> - What does the "unsupported combination.." mean and how to detect it
> before creating a dataset?

Ari,

There are cases where particular combinations of pixel 
data type and band number are not supported.   However,
in the NITF driver case, I think I just never implemented proper
creation support for complex data types.  I have removed these
from the format list till I have time to implement and test them
properly.

> - ENVI hdr reports that it can create "UInt32Float32" datatypes, this is
> a bug in envidataset.cpp:1375.

Fixed.

> - Atlantis MFF2 (HKV) Raster announces that it can create datasets of
> more types than it actually can.

I'll leave this to Gillian to address. 

> - It takes a bit of guessing (I hard coded that into the test script)
> what filename to give to the Open function to make it succeed. Is the
> extension available somewhere in the metadata? (sorry, too lazy to look
> now).

Where there is a clearly preferred extension for a format, 
it is set in the driver metadata like this:
        poDriver->SetMetadataItem( GDAL_DMD_EXTENSION, "ntf" );

For some formats there is no obvious preferred extension.  In some
cases it may just be that there is no metadata definition of it when
there ought to be. 

I would add that while I try to declare enough information in the
driver metadata to allow deciding what options are supported by
what formats, I have not been completely successful.  To some 
extent the user still ends up having to read the format docs for
odd situations. 

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
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and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent