There are a number of hard limits and settings in the Ferret code: the number of variables that may be defined, the number of datasets open at a time, the length of certain strings, etc. Some of these limits have been relaxed with successive Ferret versions as computing resources have expanded.
|
Parameter Name |
Value |
Description |
|
memsize |
25.6 |
Initial size of memory at startup, in Megawords. You can always change the memory at startup with the -memsize option, or during a Ferret session with the SET MEMORY command. SHOW MEMOR gives the current size of the memory cache. |
|
cmnd_buff_len
|
2048 |
Length of the command buffer. You can make long commands more readable using the continuation character backslash \ |
|
Number of arguments to go scripts |
99 |
Maximum number of arguments to a go script. Use the syntax ($nn) or $nn in the script. (See Arguments to GO tools) |
|
Length of arguments to go scripts |
511 |
Maximum length in characters of each argument to a go script. |
|
maxvars |
2000 |
Maximum number of all variables defined by SET DATA (including aliases USE and FILE) |
|
maxdsets |
5000 |
Maximum number of open datasets |
|
max_uvars |
2000 |
Maximum number of all user-defined variables (LET var = ) |
|
maxezvars |
100 |
Maximum number of variables that can be read from a single delimited ASCII file, using SET DATA/FORMAT=DELIMITED |
|
maxezfreefmtvars |
20 |
Maximum number of variables that can be read in free format from a single ASCII file, e.g. using FILE or SET DATA/EZ/VARIABLES="var1,var2". (Use a DELIMITED read, see just above, to read 100.) |
|
max_item_list |
1000 |
Maximum number of items in a list of the form {item1, item2, ...}, e.g. constant-array definitions. |
| length of dataset name | 1024 | Maximum length in characters of dataset names. This is the total length of a filename including its path, or the total length of a url. |
|
maxstepfiles |
5000 |
Maximum number of files with time step data. These are read via descriptor files. This is a limit on the cumulative sum of all files in all open multi-file data sets. |
|
s_filename |
512 |
Maximum length of the filenames listed within descriptor files. |
|
length of variable names |
128 |
Maximum length of all variable names. |
|
length of label text |
2048 |
Maximum length of labels. |
| max_viewports | 200 | Maximum number of pre-defined viewports. |
|
max_grids |
5000 |
Maximum number of static grids (grids defined by DEFINE GRID). |
|
max_dyn_grids |
5000 |
Total number of grids that can be defined at any time, static and dynamic. Dynamic grids are created by opening data sets and by implicit regridding operations such as strides (e.g. var[i=1:100:10]), regridding operations between grids of different dimensionality (e.g. temp4d[g=sst]), and external functions that create new grids (e.g. EOF_SPACE(A, F)) . |
|
max_lines |
1000 |
Maximum number of static axes. Static axes are axes defined by DEFINE AXIS |
|
max_dyn_lines |
1500 |
Total number of axes, static and dynamic, that can be defined. Dynamic axes are defined by opening data sets and by implicit regridding operations such as strides (e.g. var[i=1:100:10]), regridding operations between grids or axes of different dimensionality (e.g. temp4d[gx=sst]), and external functions that create new grids (e.g. SAMPLEXY(sst, xpts, ypts)) |
|
maxlinestore (coordinates storage) |
none |
No limit in Ferret v7.3 and above. Coordinate data is dynamically allocated. Here is an FAQ with discussion for versions earlier than 7.3 |
|
abstract_line_dim |
20480 |
Dimension of the default abstract axis for reading ASCII data. To read larger amounts of data, explicitly define an axis or grid. See the notes in the section on reading ASCII data about the way the grid for ascii data is defined. |
|
max_symbols |
5000 |
The total number of symbols, including those defined by DEFINE SYMBOL commands and those automatically defined by Ferret and PPLUS, which are discussed in the section on special symbols |
|
ef_max_args |
9 |
Maximum number of arguments that may be passed to an external function. |
|
ef_max_work_arrays |
9 |
Maximum number of work arrays defined by an external function for use by that function. |
|
spec_size |
250 |
Maximum number of levels in a spectrum, or palette file (.SPK) |
|
pattern_num |
50 |
Maximum number of patterns defined in a pattern file (.PAT) |
|
year |
Years in dates may take values from 0000 to 9999 |