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Re: Fortran

In article <ojXO2.50044$qt5.6315@news.rdc2.occa.home.com>,
	"H T Onishi" <htonishi@home.com> writes:
> I'm just starting a project that requires developing 
> a GUI for a large
> FORTRAN code.  Work will be done on a PC.  We are 
> considering IDL, however,
> there is a "Just Say No" warning in one of the IDL 
> reference books.
> Developing a C wrapper is formidable because the 
> FORTRAN code is formidable.
> Has anyone successfully linked IDL and FORTRAN?  
> Any suggestions (such as
> avoid at all costs)?  Any comparisons with Visual Basic?


Several years ago, I wasted countless hours trying 
to get FORTRAN and IDL to work together via CALL_EXTERNAL.
The problem, I eventually found out, that you 
can (safely) do NO I/O in the FORTRAN code.  FORTRAN
I/O through CALL_EXT will seem to work Ok on some 
platforms, but will break IDL on others.
This warning is now added to the IDL 
documentation - do not ignore it!  If your FORTRAN has 
I/O scattered throughout, you will have a 
rough time.

If your GUI does not have to be extremely complex,
you can write it directly in FORTRAN.  Check out

http://www.cs.ubishops.ca/ljensen/fortran/dislin/dislin.html


Regards,

-bob mallozzi


-- 
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Robert S. Mallozzi                                       256-544-0887
                                                      Mail Code ES 84
Work: http://www.batse.msfc.nasa.gov/    Marshall Space Flight Center 
Play: http://cspar.uah.edu/~mallozzir/           Huntsville, AL 35812
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