The common file library is a set of routines that provide access to a file structure called the common file. The common file structure is a third generation attempt to provide a unifying file structure for storing CFD data. It provides a flexible and extendable mechanism for storing CFD and other data as well. The purpose of the common file library is to insulate the applications programmer from the nuances of dealing with the myriad of different computer types that make up a computing system. By using the library the application programmer can process a common file from another machine without having to perform explicit conversions.
The PDF form of the Common File User's Guide (386K, 82 pages) was created using pdfTeX and the hyperref package, and is designed to be printed. The PDF file may be viewed and/or printed using a variety of freely available software packages, including Acrobat Reader , GhostScript , and xpdf . The HTML form is designed for interactive use, and the contents are listed below.
The complete Common File User's Guide in HTML form is also available for installation on a local system. This is a gzip'ed tar file (76K, 277K gunzip'ed), and may be downloaded by clicking on the link while holding down the shift key, assuming your browser supports this capability. A dialogue box will appear for you to specify the directory and file name. To unpack the contents, do
gunzip -c cff.tar.gz | tar xvf -The files will be extracted and stored in the directory cff. Point your browser to the local file cff/index.html to display the Common File User's Guide home page. Note that this does not include the PDF form of the manual. Note also that some links, to other manuals, etc., may not work.
Last updated 6 Mar 2006