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HDF5 C API

The HDF5 library provides several interfaces, or APIs. These APIs provide routines for creating, accessing, and manipulating HDF5 files and objects.

The library itself is implemented in C. To facilitate the work of FORTRAN 90, C++ and Java programmers, HDF5 function wrappers have been developed in each of these languages. This tutorial discusses the use of the C functions and the FORTRAN wrappers.

All C routines in the HDF5 library begin with a prefix of the form H5*, where * is one or two uppercase letters indicating the type of object on which the function operates. The FORTRAN wrappers come in the form of subroutines that begin with h5 and end with _f. Java routine names begin with “H5*” and are prefixed with “H5.” as the class. Constants are in the HDF5Constants class and are prefixed with "HDF5Constants.". The APIs are listed below:

API	DESCRIPTION
H5	Library Functions: general-purpose H5 functions
H5A	Annotation Interface: attribute access and manipulation routines
H5D	Dataset Interface: dataset access and manipulation routines
H5E	Error Interface: error handling routines
H5F	File Interface: file access routines
H5G	Group Interface: group creation and operation routines
H5I	Identifier Interface: identifier routines
H5L	Link Interface: link routines
H5O	Object Interface: object routines
H5P	Property List Interface: object property list manipulation routines
H5R	Reference Interface: reference routines
H5S	Dataspace Interface: dataspace definition and access routines
H5T	Datatype Interface: datatype creation and manipulation routines
H5Z	Compression Interface: compression routine(s)

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