IDL Programming Tips

This IDL Programming Tips and Tricks database is constantly being updated. I have a large collection of tips I've collected from teaching hundreds of IDL users and from the IDL news group (comp.lang.idl-pvwave). I try to add a half dozen or so new tips per month. Doing so takes quite a bit of time. If you find this information helpful, and you would like to contribute to this free service, please consider making a small donation of any amount to support this work.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered here, please fill out this question form. I'll see what I can do to find an answer.

New IDL Programming Tips

• How can I create an evenly spaced vector in log space?
• Can you show me how to create a 2D scatter plot?
• Compare filled contour plots in different graphics systems.
• Can you show me how to browse and visualize an HDF-EOS grid file?
• Can you show me how to navigate a GOES East or West GeoTiff image?

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Search Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming

Tip Topics

New Tips Most Frequently Asked Questions Catalyst Library Tips Color Tips Coyote Graphics Tips Direct Graphics Display Tips Line Plot Tips Contour Plot Tips Surface Plot Tips General Plot Tips 3D Plot Tips Histogram Plot Tips Image Display Tips Colorbar Tips Image Processing Tips Error Messages

File Reading/Writing Tips General Programing Tips IDL Workbench Tips iTool Tips Map Projection Tips Math Tips Miscellaneous Tips Function Graphics (IDL 8.x) Tips Object Graphics Tips Object Programming Tips PostScript Output Tips Programming Algorithm Tips String Processing Tips The IDL Way Tutorials Widget Programming Tips

Most Frequently Asked Questions

• I keep hearing about the Coyote Graphics System (CGS). What in the world is it!?
• How do I install the Coyote Library?
• The program I downloaded from the Coyote Library doesn't compile. What should I do?
• Yikes! What happened to TVImage, FSC_Color, and FSC_Colorbar? I can't find them in the Coyote Library!
• Can you recommend a good book for learning IDL?
• What is the best way to create a filled contour plot?
• How do I add a color bar to my graphics plot?
• Can you explain how color works in IDL?
• Aren't there better alternatives to the Plot, Contour, and Surface commands?
• Can you help me create, browse and read netCDF files in IDL?
• Can you tell me how to read an ASCII data file with columns of data?
• What are the 10 most common programming errors in IDL?
• Can you show me how to use Greek symbols in IDL?
• What is the best way to produce IDL graphics for Internet or Powerpoint display?
• Are IDL PostScript landscape files always upside-down!?
• I hear the Histogram command is awesome. What do you know about it?
• How can I make a histogram plot that looks like a histogram plot?