<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi, Everybody! <div><br></div><div>I have posted GrADS version 2.0.a9. The GrADS downloads web page (<a href="http://iges.org/grads/downloads.html"><font color="#001fdf" style="color: rgb(0, 31, 223); "><u>http://iges.org/grads/downloads.html</u></font></a>) has been updated with links to the source code and a few pre-compiled binaries. Don Hooper and John Huddleston generously provide 32-bit linux and windows binaries, I will post them when they are available as their busy schedules allow. </div><div><br></div><div>This new release has a rather long list of new features and bug fixes; many of these were implemented as a result of requests or reports from users (including the recent revelation of junk bytes at the beginning of some grib files). Thanks for your valuable input! Please see <a href="http://iges.org/grads/changelog-2.0.txt">http://iges.org/grads/changelog-2.0.txt</a> for the complete list. I recommend you look carefully at the change log if you are going to use 2.0.a9. </div><div><br></div><div>There is a new GIS interface for creating shapefiles with contours (from gridded data) or points (from station or gridded data sets). New commands are set gxout shp, set shp, clear shp, set shpattr, and q shpopts. Please read the <a href="http://grads.iges.org/grads/gadoc/shapefiles.html">shapefiles</a> documentation -- it will guide you to the reference pages for all the new commands and gives some examples (including images) of how to use this new capability.</div><div><br></div><div>To write out a KML file containing contours, use the new option '-ln' to <a href="http://grads.iges.org/grads/gadoc/gradcomdsetkml.html">set kml</a>. The option to create a KML file with contours does not require any extra libraries and will always be enabled. </div><div><br></div><div>There are three new template substitution string options, for forecast times expressed in minutes, hours+minutes, or days+hours+minutes. Documentation page <a href="http://grads.iges.org/grads/gadoc/templates.html">templates</a> has been updated with more detailed information. </div><div><br></div><div>There are two new startup options to use when invoking GrADS: </div><div>-a<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>sets the aspect ratio of the graphics page, so you are no longer limited to 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 8.5.</div><div>-C<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>enables colorization of the text in the command window </div><div>Please see <a href="http://iges.org/grads/gadoc/gradcomdgrads.html">http://iges.org/grads/gadoc/gradcomdgrads.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>Files that are templated on E but not T do not have to be padded with missing data if ensembles do not have same start/end times. This is for binary and SDF formats, it was never necessary for grib data. </div><div><br></div><div>Enjoy! </div><div><br></div><div><div apple-content-edited="true"> <div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 12px; "><div>--</div><div>Jennifer M. Adams</div><div>IGES/COLA</div><div>4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302</div><div>Calverton, MD 20705</div><div><a href="mailto:jma@cola.iges.org">jma@cola.iges.org</a></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div> </div><br></div></body></html>