as_CF: Create a 'CFDataset' or 'CFVariable' instance from an R...

In ncdfCF: Easy Access to NetCDF Files with CF Metadata Conventions

Create a CFDataset or CFVariable instance from an R object

Description

With this function you can convert an R object into a CFDataset or CFVariable, depending on the characteristics of the argument obj. The object to convert can be an array, matrix or vector of type logical, integer, numeric or character, or a terra::SpatRaster.

Usage

as_CF(name, obj)

## Default S3 method:
as_CF(name, obj)

## S3 method for class 'SpatRaster'
as_CF(name, obj)

Arguments

name	The name of the CFDataset or CFVariable to create.
obj	The object to convert. This can be an array, matrix or vector of type logical, integer, numeric or character, or a terra::SpatRaster.

Details

Dimnames on the R object will be converted to instances of a CFAxis descendant class, depending on their values. If the dimnames along a dimension of the R object can be converted to numeric, then it will be an instance of CFAxisNumeric. If the dimnames are character, a first attempt is made to create a CFAxisTime (i.e. the dimnames have to represent timestamps), failing that a CFAxisCharacter will be created. If no dimnames are set, an instance of CFAxisDiscrete is generated.

The axes of the CFVariable instance(s) are oriented as in the object. Note that this is different from standard practice in the netCDF community and the portability of saved data sets is thus limited. You can improve this situation by setting the orientation of the axes and by adding attributes.

After creation of the CFDataset or CFVariable, it is recommended to set other properties, such as attributes or a coordinate reference system.

Value

An instance of class CFDataset or CFVariable.

ncdfCF documentation built on Jan. 24, 2026, 1:08 a.m.