IDL

Average customer rating:

Strange book
THE book to learn how to program IDL applications
Valuable Guide to IDL
Don't waste your money
Objects Are Fun!

IDL Programming Techniques
David W. Fanning
Manufacturer: Fanning Software Consulting
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Similar Items:

Practical IDL Programming
Application Development with IDL
An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language
Power Graphics with IDL: A Beginners Guide to IDL Object Graphics
Calling C from IDL: Making Sense of the Sometimes Confusing World of C and IDL

ASIN: 096623832X

Book Description

This book describes the essential IDL (Interactive Data Language) programming techniques readers need to write programs in the IDL language. It not only covers all the basics of line plots, contour and surface plots, image display, color handling, and hardcopy output, but it is also the only book currently available that shows readers how to write an IDL program with a graphical user interface and how to create and use objects in IDL. It is full of examples, tips, and tricks IDL programmers need to write powerful and elegant IDL programs. The book describes over 50 IDL programs that can be used to enhance the reader's own IDL programs.

Customer Reviews:

Strange book.......2006-05-08

I started programming in FORTRAN 77. When I got into image analysis, I discovered IDL. This book is interesting (read: strange) because it tells you what IDL can do, rather than how it works. I want to sit down and write efficient, effective IDL programs. This book is not very helpful in doing this. It seems to be more of a showcase for IDL.

At this point I'm going to try "Practical IDL Programming" -- this book seems to go into the nuts and bolts of IDL syntax.

The bottom line is that Fanning's book is not well suited for individuals that want to simply write lines of IDL code.

THE book to learn how to program IDL applications.......2002-11-05

This is the definitive reference for novice and experienced IDL programmers alike. From a clear description of how to handle colors to an introduction to object oriented programming in IDL, this book covers most topics that will get the novice started and keep going through sophisticated GUI application development. This book can be read from cover-to-cover or you can pick and choose a chapter on a topic you'd like to learn. David's relaxed style is conducive to learning the fundamentals and, most importantly, he shows the many tricks that only an expert programmer knows. I cannot say enough good things about this book!

Valuable Guide to IDL.......2002-07-21

The IDL manuals issued with the software are only mildly helpful when it comes to learning the language. That's why David Fanning's IDL Programming Techniques is uniquely valuable. The book serves as both a course and a reference guide to IDL, where examples are provided to assist the reader with their programming needs. David's book centers on the most common use of IDL: displaying plots, analyzing images, and scientific data formatting. David's examples are often detailed with additional commands that are not routinely considered when using the RSI manuals, but are substantially helpful in improving the codes performance. The book and the accompaning code available online will help any user improve their computational ability. After working through the book, my productivity in IDL use has increased at least an order of magnitude. Furthermore, I frequently refer to the book while I'm building new codes, and as such, this has become one of the most valuable books on my shelf. The book covers reading and writing HDF data, Widgets, screen and hardcopy outputs, and general IDL fundamentals. As an added plus, David is remarkably responsive, through his website, when the reader needs some additional help.

Don't waste your money.......2002-06-07

I can only assume that the reason this book got so many good reviews is because for so long it was the only book out there on IDL: and compared to learning IDL from the computer manuals anything seems good.
My complaints: The author continually introduces extraneous commands into his examples just to show off what IDL can do. He does not explain where these extra bells and whistles come from, and so gives the impression that IDL is FAR MORE ARBITRARY than necessary. This is annoying to say the least, but also makes it difficult to learn the lanquage when you can't understand the complete example. The chapter on color is especially nightmarish: a plethora of commands with very little complete explanation. Programming by rote.
...

Objects Are Fun!.......2000-12-05

Just received the 2nd edition and couldn't put it down till I finished the new chapter on objects! Even though I bought the 1st edition last year, that chapter was worth the entire price. Although I had taken a formal course in object graphics a few years ago, I didn't appreciate, until reading the 2nd edition, their general applicability. It motivated me to start writing (and re-writing) all my code with objects, they are fun!

Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing: With Algorithms for ENVI/IDL

Average customer rating:

Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing: With Algorithms for ENVI/IDL
Morton J. Canty
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language
Practical IDL Programming
Remote Sensing, Third Edition: Models and Methods for Image Processing
Remote Sensing Digital Image Analysis: An Introduction
Remote Sensing: The Image Chain Approach

ASIN: 0849372518

Book Description

Introducing advanced undergraduate and graduate level techniques used in the processing of multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing imagery, Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing: With Algorithms for ENVI/IDL covers such topics as basic Fourier, wavelet, principle components, minimum noise fraction transformation, and Ortho-rectification; panchromatic sharpening; multivariate change detection; supervised and unsupervised land cover classification; hyperspectral analysis; and topographic modeling. With programming examples in IDL and applications that support ENVI, it offers many extensions, such as for data fusion, statistical change detection, clustering and supervised classification with neural networks, all available as source code.

An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language

Average customer rating:

A Book for Beginning IDL Users

An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language
Kenneth P. Bowman
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Practical IDL Programming
IDL Programming Techniques
Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing: With Algorithms for ENVI/IDL
Application Development with IDL
Statistical Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences, Volume 91, Second Edition (International Geophysics)

ASIN: 012088559X
Release Date: 2005-10-01

Book Description

In todays information age, scientists and engineers must quickly and efficiently analyze extremely large sets of data. One of the best tools to accomplish this is Interactive Data Language (IDL®), a programming and visualization environment that facilitates numerical modeling, data analysis, and image processing. IDLs high-level language and powerful graphics capabilities allow users to write more flexible programs much faster than is possible with other programming languages.

An Introduction to Programming with IDL enables students new to programming, as well as those with experience in other programming languages, to rapidly harness IDLs capabilities: fast, interactive performance; array syntax; dynamic data typing; and built-in graphics. Each concept is illustrated with sample code, including many complete short programs.

·Margin notes throughout the text quickly point readers to the relevant sections of IDL manuals

·End-of-chapter summaries and exercises help reinforce learning

·Students who purchase the book are eligible for a substantial discount on a student version of the IDL software

Customer Reviews:

A Book for Beginning IDL Users.......2006-01-27

Nothing is more intimidating to a new user of IDL than to sit down at a computer with an empty command line prompt and a stack of manuals on their desk and be told to write an IDL program. Where to begin!? And the experience is especially frightening to a new user with little or no programming experience in any language, let alone IDL.

Ken Bowman has written an IDL book specifically for this user. It is intended as an introductory computer programming course for the research user with little or no training in any computer language, and it evolved from notes Ken uses in his own undergraduate IDL programming courses. It is meant to get the new IDL user analyzing and plotting data as soon as possible.

It is a narrow path he treads, because it is just as easy to offer too much detail as it is to offer too little information to the beginning user. Ken, for the most part, gets it exactly right in covering a broad selection of topics. I quibble with just two chapters. He sweeps aside the complexity of PostScript output by offering the new user two utility programs he fails to explain in the text, and his theoretical explanation of the FFT function left me gasping for breath and lamenting I hadn't paid closer attention in those long-ago math classes.

This is a book that will get you started, but probably won't answer all your questions when you turn your attention to more difficult research problems. Ken doesn't pretend it is anything other than what it is, however, and provides generous and helpful suggestions for where you can find additional information as you become ready for it. Readers already familiar with another programming language will appreciate this introduction to IDL, but might become frustrated with the slower pace and lack of specific detail on many topics.

The book has an associated web page, where you can find, among other things, the source code for all the programs mentioned in the book. Pay particular attention to the Errata section, especially if you are interested in structures in IDL. A printer glitch removed all the curly brackets from Ken's IDL code in the structure chapter and none of the examples will work as written in the book. A software problem, no doubt. (The example programs for the chapter are correct.) It serves as a reminder to me of how complex a topic software programming can be. This friendly book will be a welcome introduction to the subject for many a potential IDL programmer.

Average customer rating:

this is the book to write COM, starting from the data model
Not usable by itself.
A good resource for obscure IDL
Excellent Com book
Some useful information, but not as complete as expected.

COM IDL and Interface Design
Al Major
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Essential COM
ATL COM Programmer's Reference
Inside Com (Microsoft Programming Series)
Inside Distributed Com (Mps)
Professional Visual C++ 5 Activex/Com Control Programming (Professional)

ASIN: 1861002254

Amazon.com

An expert-mode guide to the inner workings of the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), COM IDL and Interface Design also provides some excellent sample code for objects that are useful for an e-commerce Web site. The author argues that you can design with Interactive Data Language (IDL) manually and then write the code behind it in C++, Visual Basic, or Java.

The book begins with a quick tour of Component Object Model (COM) basics, including interface diagrams and dual interfaces (used for scripting COM objects in VB). Next comes material on remote method calls and DCOM, including some excellent material on apartment models and marshalling. There is a thorough guide to all IDL data types, whether basic types, arrays, references, and pointers or VB automation data types (such as BSTRs and Variants). A chapter on application design displays the author's considerable knowledge of COM and software patterns.

The heart of this book is the author's case study of COM objects needed for an electronic auction Web site. After walking through the design process, the author creates all the relevant COM objects in IDL. Next he shows client-side test programs written in Visual Basic, Visual J++, Visual C++ (and Microsoft Foundation Class [MFC]), VBScript, and JavaScript. The last part of the book builds the server-side objects (based on his IDL) in C++ using the leading-edge ActiveX Template Library (ATL) for fast performance. The author gives you everything you need here including several custom extensions to ATL.

Filled with expert knowledge, COM IDL and Interface Design turns out to be one of the best available guides for advanced development with distributed objects in DCOM on the Microsoft platform. --Richard Dragan

Book Description

What is the Subject Area?

The Interface Definition Language (IDL) provides a way of describing COM interfaces that doesn't depend on any other programming language. As such, it is currently the best and most generic means available for expressing your interface and object designs. More than that though, IDL is fundamental to the generation of the type libraries that are becoming pervasive within the COM architecture, and the marshaling code that enables COM remote procedure calls. Well-written IDL can enhance the performance of your COM components --- it's just too important to be left to the Wizards.

This book clearly explains the syntax and usage of IDL, but that's only the beginning of the story. You'll also learn how to write efficient interfaces in a way that facilitates their use from languages other than C++. You'll also get a comprehensive (over 40) list of interface and object design techniques and guidelines that shorten your design learning curve and pay for the price of the book.

The book places all of this in context by demonstrating C++/ATL code that implements an On-Line Auction. You'll see sophisticated COM techniques, such as Alternate Identity, Delayed Initialization, Split Identity, multiple scriptable IDispatch interfaces, persistence delegation, marshaling structures with embedded pointers, using IMallocSpy, etc.

The code is very far from being an academic exercise! The application functionality is realistic and the examples demonstrate how to build COM Object Models that work with cutting-edge technologies such as OLE-DB, DHTML controls, STL collections, etc. The architecture and interfaces are carefully designed to be used from any programming language and the book proves this! The COM client bindings chapter shows you how to build exactly the same front end to the Auction Server in VB, Java, C++/MFC, DHTML/VBScript and DHTML/JScript!

What's Great About this Book?

- Explains the syntax and features of the Interface Definition Language.
- Analyzes the issues surrounding COM marshaling and memory management.
- Teaches how to design your interfaces to be used from any client language.
- Examines common IDL programming pitfalls.
- Describes how COM types, interface and interface protocols bind to
the different client languages.
- Shows you how to design your application for maximum portability.
- Implements a realistic COM application with a fully-featured object model.

Who is this Book for?

This title is aimed primarily at C++ developers with a working knowledge of COM and ATL who want to improve the efficiency of their interfaces and make using them from client languages as intuitive as possible.

Its focus on interface programming should also make it valuable to experienced developers (including CORBA programmers) who are interested in learning about COM style Interface Programming. Because of the way it treats the design of COM object models, it should also prove helpful to architects and project leads who are responsible for implementation of object oriented systems that use the COM infrastructure.

Customer Reviews:

this is the book to write COM, starting from the data model.......2002-04-28

This book is a bottom up approach to COM, which starts from the IDL, but then goes through all the marshalling mechanisms, remote method calls, etc. About Mid-book Dr. Major presents an application design model which starts from the interfaces. The book will prove useful to those who want to design COM classes and interfaces that know how to behave based on whether they are local or remote, in-proc or out of proc and in general are better adapted to their environment.

Not usable by itself........2001-09-05

The contents are great. The explations are [not usable]. Best used in conjunction with, "Essential IDL", which is much more friendly and easier to understand and then try to fathom the more advanced details in this book, if you can that is.

A good resource for obscure IDL.......2000-11-10

This is one of those books that would be nice to have just in case. But the IDL that most programmers would need can be picked up from COM books or the MSDN. The author has some nice diagrams for marshalling and discusses various IDL nuances for pointers among other topics. He leads a rather obscure argument for not using QueryInterface(). This book would probably mean more for those that are highly skilled in COM.

This book is definitely not the place to start to learn COM. Try "Beginning ATL 3" or the more readable "Active Template Library" by Armstrong, or others. Keep in mind that IDL files are not even necessary to produce COM servers unless of course type libraries are needed. A use for this book would be to tinker with the IDL that is produced by wizards [ATL] or to understand it. But again chances are that one could or would learn most of the IDL that they need elsewhere.

Excellent Com book.......2000-08-15

This is an excellent book.I have bought many other books on ethernet and switching but nothing is comparable- it is much better.This is a very well structured book.If one is to buy only one book on ethernet it is the one.

But amazon.com is wrong in one way - they are giving credit to some ghost writers like alan major etc. in et al wheras in reality there is only one author i.e Al Major.When you buy the book you will know it as I did

Some useful information, but not as complete as expected........2000-08-07

I bought this book having grasped the basics of COM and IDL and expecting it to help me improve my designs and better understand the issues in how to develop a "good" COM interface.

I found to be mostly disappointing from a design standpoint. Many issues which six months later I had learned were really very important (e.g. the vital question of whether to support IDispatch or not and the huge performance penalty in MFC's default use of this interface) were not covered. There are many trade-offs in COM and I found little discussion of them here.

As a reference it has potential, since it is thorough and deep, but as other reviews have mentioned, it's not as easy to use as a reference as it perhaps should be.

Customer Reviews:

IDL in bits and pieces.......2002-10-14

This book goes into more detail about IDL than most people care about. However if you start wondering why your interface is not being properly marshalled, knowing your IDL will save you from scratching your head in biwilderment.

If you dont want any surprises from COM marshalling this is the book to get. Even in the .NET world, this book will be useful. All the COM components out there today are not just going to go away.

Become a COM expert.......2002-09-14

Forget about class factories and such...
The real issue in COM is type libraries and proxy/stubs and how these are created using IDL. Also of great importance is designing COM interfaces so that they may be utilized by VB and C++. This is a one stop reference for all that good information.
If you program COM, buy this book. It will pay for itself in minutes.

Required reading for anyone who uses COM.......2001-05-02

This is a great book that teaches you how to design and develop COM interfaces that work for C++ and VB clients and also explains the intricacies of the Interface Definition Language.

Even if you use COM at a higher level - ATL wizards, VB wizards and dont really write your own IDL file, you need to read this book to get an understanding of how you can do write even better COM clients and servers.

One thing i wish it also had is information about accessing these COM classes from VBScript.

Required Reading for COM Programmers.......2001-04-28

COM programmers have waited a long time for a definitive book on IDL, and Mr. Gudgin has written it. A superb summary of the language that is central to real-world COM programming, and a one-stop resource for developers struggling with IDL. Chock full of juicy details, with coverage of topics ranging from the structure of IDL files to method aliasing and asynchronous COM. If you're a COM programmer, this book will pay for itself many times over.

Average customer rating:

Excellent practical guide to IDL

Practical IDL Programming
Liam E. Gumley
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

IDL Programming Techniques
An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language
Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
An Introduction to Ocean Remote Sensing
Application Development with IDL

ASIN: 1558607005

Book Description

Increasingly, scientists and engineers must quickly and efficiently analyze and visualize extremely large sets of data. Interactive Data Language, IDL, was designed to address just this need. A popular data analysis and visualization programming environment, IDL is used worldwide by scientists and engineers in fields as diverse as the physical sciences, medical physics, and engineering test and analysis.

In Practical IDL Programming, Liam E. Gumley provides a solid foundation in the fundamentals of procedural programming in IDL. He presents concise information on how to develop IDL programmers that are well structured, reliable, and efficient. The example programs in the book demonstrate key concepts and provide functionality that can be applied immediately. In addition, the book offers readers practical tips and advice on IDL programming, which they would otherwise discover only after years of experience.

While only modest prior programming experience is assumed, readers with experience in any procedural language will quickly translate their skills to IDL, learning the best programming practices for this new environment. Scientists, engineers, and students in educational, government, and commercial research and development environments will all appreciate the author's guidance in helping them effectively analyze and visualize data.

* Presents a comprehensive and detailed treatment of IDL data types, operators, expressions, array operations, input and output, direct graphics, plotting and imaging, publication quality output, and graphical user interfaces.
* Designed for novices and experienced IDL users and programmers alike.
* Provides an accompanying Web site with downloadable versions of all IDL programs in the book and a link to downloadable demonstration versions of the IDL software.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent practical guide to IDL.......2003-02-06

If you're like me, you've probably been confused at times by the semantics of IDL. I've been using IDL for several years now and I still run into obstacles every now and then. What I needed was a book that went through the basics first (like a C or Fortran book) and then covered the really practical stuff like plotting, imaging, saving output etc. Liam Gumley has done a great job here in showing the reader how to put IDL to work. I also own Dave Fanning's book, and the two books complement each other nicely. However I'd have to give the edge to Practical IDL Programming for it's clear and straightforward explanation of IDL fundamentals, and for very clear and well explained example programs, many of which I now use every day.

Power Graphics with IDL: A Beginners Guide to IDL Object Graphics

Average customer rating:

Great Book. -- Buy direct from the author
Why reinvent the wheel?

Power Graphics with IDL: A Beginners Guide to IDL Object Graphics
Ronn Kling
Manufacturer: Kilvarock Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Application Development with IDL
IDL Programming Techniques
Calling C from IDL: Making Sense of the Sometimes Confusing World of C and IDL
Practical IDL Programming

ASIN: 0967127025

Customer Reviews:

Great Book. -- Buy direct from the author.......2003-10-15

Ronn Kling's book Calling C from IDL is invaluable to anyone learning how to use outside code in RSI's Interactive Data Language. He uses a large number of clear examples, walking you through all the necessary steps that the RSI supplied documentation lacks or is exceedingly vague on. Using this book will save you days if not weeks of aggravation if you must link outside code into IDL.

One thing though: as of this date (October 2003), this book is available directly from Ronn at kilvarock.com for much, much less than some of the prices I've seen here. Buying directly also helps support the author's efforts instead of excessively padding the pocketbook of an intermediate seller.

Why reinvent the wheel?.......2001-04-03

Ok, so you want to build an IDL application, only to find out that many of the routines you want exist in C. What do you do? Recode the whole thing? nah-nah, it would take a lot of time and even run slower. Then? Well, read Ronn's book on how to call C functions and exchange data between IDL and C and you can simply glue all the existing routines to your app! Yes, it is all in the official manual as well, but not in this easy to understand way, full of examples and code.

As usual Ronn writes in a friendly, informal way, making the text a lot easier to follow and digest. NJOY! ;)

Application Development with IDL
Average customer rating:

Straight to the point

Straight to the point

Application Development with IDL
Ronn Kling , and Ronn L. Kling
Manufacturer: Ronn King Consulting
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

IDL Programming Techniques

Power Graphics with IDL: A Beginners Guide to IDL Object Graphics

Calling C from IDL: Making Sense of the Sometimes Confusing World of C and IDL

Practical IDL Programming

An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language

ASIN: 0967127009

Book Description

This book is written for scientists, engineers and programmers who want to combine their analytical techniques with widget interfaces. In the past we were restricted to writing procedural programs that read namelists, files, or had data entered in from a prompt. This book shows how to integrate widget interfaces with analysis code resulting in an application that will increase your productivity and quality of your results. By using a widget interface, input values can be changed and results displayed in real time without having to endlessly execute the same procedures over and over again.

These techniques are illustrated with examples using active contours (snakes), simulated annealing, watershed segmentation, region of interest creation and object/widget hybrids. In each case the theory behind the application is explained, interface layout discussed and the code is created step by step.

In addition, numerous techniques to speed up your IDL code are shown and used in the examples.

Customer Reviews:

Straight to the point.......2000-12-22

Ronn did an excellent job with this one.

If you already have a basic IDL programming knowledge then this book is a must. Have you ever been staring at your screen while your computer was calculating all these loops for a huge dataset? Then you have not been using array techniques to speed up things. Ronn tells you how to do it, and this is just the first chapter of his book.

There are many techniques described in this book, all with source code and step-by-step analysis, so that you can also learn instead of just feel like using a cookbook.

The chapters about regions of interest (ROI's) and active contours (snakes) I found invaluable.

If your everyday needs are more than just typing a few commands at the IDL prompt, then you should learn the secrets of IDL programming by reading this book.

Straight to the point.......2000-12-22

Ronn did an excellent job with this one.

There are many techniques described in this book, all with source code and step-by-step analysis, so that you can also learn instead of just feel like using a cookbook.

The chapters about regions of interest (ROI's) and active contours (snakes) I found invaluable.

Customer Reviews:

Inspirational.......2005-11-18

I've never seen a book about Java IDL quite so clear and, well, inspiring. Plus the cover is pretty.

Good CORBA reference.......2001-06-09

This ia good material on CORBA with some useful discussions on CORBA services and architectural concepts. I have been doing a lot of CORBA and find this book to be a good guide.

Text and examples are hard to follow.......1999-09-07

Book doesn't even explain what is meant by "Java IDL" until page 91, and even there the definition is a poor one. A pretty good definition finally appears on p 241.

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