File Conversion Utility Project
Peter Webb.

Abstract:

A general utility to convert images from one file format to another.  Runs in
one of two modes:  interactive, which presents a graphical user interface 
based on the X window system; and batch, which employs a simple command-line
interface.

Motivation:

In the interest of promoting the use of HDF, NCSA needs to provide users with
a tool that allows them to produce HDF files from images stored in other file
formats.  Such a utility, Import2HDF, is already available for the Macintosh.
Making this tool available on Unix-based platforms will increase the ease
with which scientists on machines that run Unix can use HDF, and will therefore
increase the number of HDF users.

Implementation Plan:

Use the Import2HDF utilities as a base for the conversion routines.  These must
be ported to Unix (they were developed under MPW on the Mac) and modified
slightly to conform to the conventions used by the rest of the program (error
handling, primarily).  The first release will only understand the TIFF, FITS
and GIF image formats.  With the use of the pbmplus image processing library
(provided on the X distribution tape) the Reformat utility could be expanded
to understand a great many more formats: SUN pixrect, Macintosh, Tektronix,
and on almost ad infinitum.

The X-based user interface uses the Athena Widget Set, which runs on top
of the X Intrinsics toolkit.  The Widget Set provides many user-interface
paradigms (dialog boxes, lists, and scrollbars) at the cost of a large
(500K minimum) executable.  The program will also be available in a simplier
configuration, in which the command line interface will be the only way in
which it can be used.  This version will not be able to use the X window
system, but its executable file will be much smaller.

Current Status:

The X-based interface is almost complete. The TiffToRI8 routine has been ported
to Unix, and is being tested.


