Creates an HDS data object of specified type and dimensions. It will either create a completely new container file or a new object within an existing structure. An existing container file will be overwritten but an existing component within a file will not.

By default the object created will be a scalar (dimension 0). If you want to create an object of different shape then either supply the dimensions on the command line or force prompting with the PROMPT keyword.

Primitives are not given values and this action must be performed subsequently by HMODIFY, HFILL or HCOPY.

INP = UNIV (Read)

TYPE = CHAR (Read)

DIMS$\ast$($\ast$) = INTEGER (Read)

% hcreate file1 _integer ’[10,25]’

Creates an HDS container file, file1, containing a 10x25 _INTEGER array. (Note that the square brackets have to be protected from the shell.)

% hcreate file1 struc

Creates an HDS container file, file1, containing a structure of type STRUC.

% hcreate file1.array _real ’[10,25]’

Creates a 10x25 array named ARRAY of type _REAL in the HDS structure created in the previous example

HDS divides objects into two classes, primitive and structured. The former contain simple data such as numbers or characters, whereas the latter contain collections of other objects, structured or primitive. The valid primitive types recognised by HDS are:

Any type not in the above list will be assumed to be a structured type.