[gradsusr] plotting long variable names

[Maue, Ryan]

Don,

I used the previous version of g2ctl (0.0.8.7) + opengrads 2.0.1 to create the control and idx.  

mxuphl5000_2000  0  0,7,199,2  ** 5000-2000 m above ground Hourly Maximum of Updraft Helicity over layer 2km to 5 km AGL [m2/s2]

The variable plotted fine for t > 1, as the variable isn't defined at the analysis time. 

The control file also includes the "m" at the end of the variable but when the file is opened, it is truncated.  

RYAN

________________________________________
From: gradsusr-bounces at gradsusr.org [gradsusr-bounces at gradsusr.org] on behalf of Donald Van Dyke [don.vandyke at noaa.gov]
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 11:10 PM
To: gradsusr at gradsusr.org
Subject: [gradsusr] plotting long variable names

All,

I've run into some trouble trying to plot variables with very long names
from NCEP.  I updated to the recent GrADS 2.0.2, wgrib2, and g2ctl
releases with no further success.  Specifically, I'm trying to plot
certain max variables from the hi-res NCEP NAM nest as well as some
other NCEP hi-res models (ARW and NMM).  As an example, I've attached
the control file that g2ctl produces from a NAM nest grib2 file.  Note
some of the very long variable names such as MXUPHL5000_2000m.
Unfortunately, I'm interested in plotting some of those, and it doesn't
work.  If I run a simple script such as

'reinit'
'open namnest.ctl'
'set gxout shaded'
'd MXUPHL5000_2000m'
'printim test.png'

'quit'

I get an error that says

Syntax Error:  Invalid Operand
   'mxuphl5000_2000m' not a variable or function name
   Error ocurred at column 1
DISPLAY error:  Invalid expression
   Expression = mxuphl5000_2000m
No hardcopy metafile open
GX package terminated

Is there an easy solution to this?  Ideally, I'd like to either see
GrADS be able to read these long variable names, or NCEP use shorter
names.  I suppose it is possible to trick it into working by using
wgrib2 to rename the variables I want to plot into something shorter
that GrADS can read and writing those to a new grib2 file, but that
seems like a lot of needless work and trickery.  Am I missing something
here?  Thanks for any help anyone can give.

-Don