Step-by-step guide

A particular originating centre may wish to store extra meta-data in their own BUFR files (NOT meant for international exchange!)

1. First of all go to the ecCodes definitions directory (use codes_info).  Look in the following file (assuming you are using BUFR edition 4):

   definitions/bufr/boot_edition_4.def

   
   

2. If the local section is present, which is when the key "localSectionPresent" equals 1, we load the file:

   definitions/bufr/section.2.def

   
   

3. Then this file looks to see if the centre is ECMWF (i.e. centre==98). If so we load in a definitions file called:

   bufr/rdb_key.def or bufr/rdb_key_28.def

   
   

4. The details of why we have two such files is not important. The main thing is that the user can load his/her own local definition file here with a statement like this:

   if (bufrHeaderCentre == code) { template localSect "bufr/my.local.section.def"; }

   Here the code is the centre's code e.g. For Turkey it might be 91 (=Ankara).

5. Then in the file definitions/bufr/my.local.section.def define your local keys. Have a look at our one i.e. rdb_key.def to get an idea of how we have added keys there.

   To test things: Take a BUFR message whose centre==91 and then add the local section via:

   % bufr_set -s section2Present=1 in.bufr out.bufr

   You can also use the key "localSectionPresent" (these two keys are the same)

   

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