Add/remove local section in a message - ECC BUFR FAQ

Add/remove local section in a message?

Step-by-step guide

Add/remove local section in a message

In a BUFR message it is possible to have an optional section 2 to be used as local section for information that is relevant for the processing and archiving systems used by a processing centre. Adding or removing a local section from a BUFR message is very easy with ecCodes by setting the key "section2Present". The following bufr_set example will add a local section:
```
bufr_set -s section2Present=1 in.bufr out.bufr
```
The following example will remove a local section:
```
bufr_set -s section2Present=0 in.bufr out.bufr
```
It is important to mention that the local section does not have a prescribed structure and its structure depends on the originating centre. Moreover the values in the newly added local section will be all zeros and correct values must be set after creating the section.