Chapter 2: Fundamentals of IDL Syntax
2.1 Interactive and Compiled Modes
2.2 Variables
2.3 Introduction to Arrays
2.4 Array Indexing
2.5 Expressions and Arithmetic Operators
2.6 Relational and Boolean Operators
2.7 Structures
2.8 Pointers
2.9 Array Properties
2.10 Locating Values Within an Array
2.11 Array Reordering
2.12 Array Resizing

Chapter 3: Writing IDL Programs
3.1 Defining and Compiling Programs
3.2 Control Statements
3.3 Parameters and Keywords
3.4 Checking Parameters and Keywords
3.5 Scripts, Include Files, and Journaling
3.6 Global Variables
3.7 Error Handling
3.8 Efficient Programming

Chapter 4: Input and Output
4.1 Standard Input and Output
4.2 Working with Files
4.4 Reading and Writing Formatted (ASCII) Files
4.5 Reading and Writing Unformatted (Binary) Files
4.6 Scientific Data Formats
4.7 Reading and Writing netCDF Files
4.8 Reading and Writing HDF Files

Chapter 5: Direct Graphics
5.1 Graphics Devices
5.2 Display Modes
5.3 Graphics Windows
5.4 Working with Colors
5.5 Display Mode Troubleshooting

Chapter 6: Plotting Data
6.1 Plotting Overview
6.2 Plot Positioning
6.3 Plot Customization
6.4 Plot Colors
6.5 Titles, Labels, and Symbols
6.6 Error Bar, Histogram, and Bar Plots
6.7 Contour Plots
6.8 Mesh and Shaded Surface Plots
6.9 Mapping

Chapter 7: Displaying Images
7.1 Image Fundamentals
7.2 Image Display Routines
7.3 Customizing Image Scaling
7.4 Sizing the Image to Fit the Display
7.5 Displaying TrueColor Images
7.6 Displaying Images on the PostScript and Printer Devices
7.7 An Image Display Procedure

Chapter 8 Creating Graphical Output
8.1 Bitmap and Vector Output
8.2 Creating Bitmap Output Files
8.3 Creating PostScript Output
8.4 Creating Printer Output

Chapter 9: Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
9.1 Introduction to GUI Programming
9.2 Creating Widgets
9.3 Working with Existing Widgets
9.4 Events and Event Handling
9.5 A GUI Application

Appendix A: IDL on the Internet

Appendix B: Mathematical Routines

Appendix C: Widget Event Structures

Appendix D: Widget Properties

Appendix E: Graphics Device Properties

Liam E. Gumley