MEDLoader

Introduction

MEDLoader is a package in charge of loading from a file or write to a file in MED format a MEDCoupling data structure. The fact that these functionalities are not merged in MEDCoupling is explained by a willingness of reducing as much as possible the dependancies of MEDCoupling libraries.

As a MED file can combine several MEDCoupling aspects in one (for exemple meshes in MED file on different mesh dimension with families and groups) the API of MEDLoader is much more rich than simply read and write.

MEDCoupling mesh does not fit a MED file mesh, and a MEDCoupling field does not fit a MED file field. But it is possible to emulate with a very good fidelity a MED file mesh and a MED file field with a collection of MEDCoupling instances for each.

That's why MEDLoader module offers two different approaches to perform Read/Write from/to MED file.

• Either the user is close too MEDCoupling concepts. This is the case if pieces of information to access or to write are directly mapped to a MEDCouplingMesh/MEDCouplingFieldDouble in MEDCoupling package. this case, the basic API is recommended in this case because simpler and faster.

• Or the user knows the MED file concept well and if nature of information to deal with do not fit exactly the class offered by MEDCoupling, the advanced API is recommended. This is typically the case for a user that wants to precisely set/get mesh/group/family groups set on different level lying on a same field defined partially... This API is faster, all information contained in file is represented, but less check is performed.
  This API is recommended for users that want to operate directly on MED files (split of MED files for example)

The two methods are not opposed, they are compatible each other so it is possible to mix them. But the user should keep in mind that behaviour of these two methods can vary.