The SDTS++ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ); version 1.19; 10, June 2003 Part 1 of 1. FAQ maintainer: sdts_owner@savitar.er.usgs.gov Thanks goes to Larry Moore, Jamie Moyers, Paul Craven, David Hensinger, and Phyllis Altheide for comments on this FAQ. (Items preceded by a `|' indicates changed or added text.) ------ Contents of this FAQ 1. What is SDTS++? 2. Compilers | 2.1 GNU g++ 2.8.1, 2.95.1, 3.x | 2.2 Visual C++ | 3. Where can I get it? | 4. What version is current? 5. Who wrote it? 6. How much does it cost? 7. What existing applications use SDTS++? 8. What kind of support does it have? 9. Does it use the STL? 10. How do I force the sdts++ build to use a compiler besides g++? 11. What's this builder stuff anyway? 12. Does sdts++ have a homepage? 13. What documentation does it have? ------ 1. What is SDTS++? SDTS++ is a C++ toolkit that programmers can use to write applications that can read or write SDTS datasets. ------ 2. Compilers 2.1 gcc 2.8.x, 2.95.1, 3.x and egcs. sdts++ currently supports both GNU gcc 2.8.x, 2.95.1, and 3.x gcc can be found at http://www.gnu.org/software/gcc The make files require GNU make, found at http://www.gnu.org/software/make/ If you want to change the lex and yacc files, I recommend getting GNU flex and bison, also from http://www.gnu.org/software/flex and http://www.gnu.org/software/bison, respectively. 2.2 Microsoft Visual C++ 6.x sdts++ also works with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 for Windows platforms. Note that you MUST apply the latest Service Pack before trying to use sdts++. ------ 3. Where can I get it? You can ftp SDTS++ from: ftp://sdts.er.usgs.gov/pub/sdts/software/sdtsxx/sdts++-1.5.1.tar.gz http://lychnobite.org/sdts/sdts++-1.5.1.tar.gz ------ 4. What version is current? As of June, 10 2003, version 1.5.1 is the latest ------ 5. Who wrote it? Developers at the USGS Mid-Continent Mapping Center in Rolla, Missouri. ------ 6. How much does it cost? It's free. There are no licensing fees or distribution restrictions. We would appreciate acknowledgment of the USGS contribution in any applications the toolkit is used for, but this is not legally necessary. ------ 7. What existing applications use SDTS++? There are two applications so far -- a USGS DEM and a DLG-3 viewer. You can go to the SDTS++ web page, http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/, to find out more about these applications. The USGS is also currently developing new software that will use sdts++. See also ``kdem'', which is a freeware Digital Elevation Model (DEM) viewer that can use sdts++ to read SDTS/DEMs: http://www.mindspring.com/~jamoyers/kdem/ ------ 8. What kind of support does it have? Unfortunately not much. There is a mailing list for SDTS related software. One purpose of this list is to provide peer support for SDTS software development efforts. Some of the SDTS++ development team subscribe to this list and _may_ address problems related to the toolkit. After all, if you're having problems with the library, chances are they are having the same problems, too. You can subscribe to this list by sending e-mail to 'majordomo@mailrmon1.er.usgs.gov' with a line in the body of the message that starts with ``subscribe sdts_software '' followed by your e-mail address. For example, if I were to subscribe to the sdts software mailing list, I'd use: subscribe sdts_software mcoletti@lychnobite.org "sdts_software" is a technical discussion list. There is no guarantee that questions posted to this list will be answered. Messages to the mailing list are sent to "sdts_software@mailrmon1.er.usgs.gov". General information about SDTS should be requested by sending mail to sdts@usgs.gov. sdts@usgs.gov is also a public mailing list, but it is monitored by USGS personnel. Questions sent to it will receive a response. ------ 9. Does it use STL? SDTS++ makes heavy use of the Standard Template Library. If your C++ compiler doesn't support STL, then it won't work with SDTS++. And, just because a C++ compiler supports the STL, it may be broken in such a way that SDTS++ won't work with it. You've been warned. ------ 10. How do I force the sdts++ build to use a compiler besides g++? The configure script will prefer to use g++ if it finds it in your path, /usr/local/bin/, or in the path specified by a ``--prefix'' script parameter. However, you can force the configure script to use a different C/C++ compiler by specifying them with the CC and CXX environment variables. For example, if I wanted to use ``/usr/bin/cc'' and ``/usr/bin/CC'' for the C and C++ compilers, respectively, I'd do this: % env CC=/usr/bin/cc CXX=/usr/bin/CC ./configure [Thanks to David Hensinger of Sandia Labs for the inspiration behind this question.] ------ 11. What's this builder stuff anyway? There's now the beginnings of a convenience layer in the 'builder' directory. It's incomplete in that it's only good enough to support the Raster Profile. However, the included perl scripts should make it easy to add new modules as necessary. Please keep in mind that this code is _highly_ experimental. Caveat emptor! ------ 12. Does sdts++ have a homepage? Yes. The official homepage is at ``http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/sdts/sdtsxx/''. Another, unofficial version is at ``http://lychnobite.org/sdts/''. (This is the scratch version that eventually propogates to the USGS site in some form.) ------ 13. What documentation does it have? SDTS++ has documentation in both GNU info and HTML formats found in the ``doc'' directory. The original GNU texi from which these were generated is also included. Also, Object Domain design diagrams, sdts.ood, are included. Object Domain's home page is http://www.objectdomain.com/. The documentation is also available online at: http://lychnobite.org/sdts/sdts++.html. ------ End of SDTS++ FAQ