User's Guide - HDF Files

## B.6 HDF Files

HDF is a multiobject file structure that is designed to facilitate the transfer of data between machines. HDF was created at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

Data Explorer provides support for importing HDF files that contain a Scientific DataSet (SDS). A Scientific DataSet is an HDF set that stores rectangular gridded Arrays of data, together with the information about the data.

Note: Scientific Data Sets should be created using the DFSD API and not the SD API.

To import HDF files, specify the filename as the `name` parameter. By default, all the datasets will be imported and collected into a Group. To import a particular dataset specify a number corresponding to that dataset as the `variable` parameter (0 corresponds to the first dataset). The `format` parameter must be "hdf".

If dimension scales are specified, Data Explorer uses these to construct positions; otherwise positions have an origin of 0.0 and deltas of 1.0 along each dimension. Data Explorer automatically constructs regular connections for either case.

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