prism_def_var

prism_def_var(var_id, var_name, grid_id, point_id, mask_id, var_nodims,
var_actual_shape, var_type, ierror)

Table 5.18: prism_def_var arguments

After the initialisation and grid definition phases, each field that will be send/received to/from another component (coupling field) or that will be written/read to/from a disk file (IO field) through PSMILe`put' / `send' actions needs to be declared and associated with a previously defined grid and mask.

The units of a coupling/IO field should be indicated in the PMIOD XML file. By consulting the appropriate PMIOD, the user is able to check if the units of a coupling field match on the source and target side and if not, he has to choose appropriate transformations in the SMIOC XML files.

For the case where a set of fields ordered along an extra dimension, sharing the same units, and located on the same set of points (e.g. chemical species), need to be treated together, the `bundle' notion has been introduced. Such bundle field should be declared as one coupling/IO field and the number of bundles should be indicate in var_nodims(2); only one var_id will be returned. This implies that the complete bundle will have to be transfered (send) to the remote component at once, and that the remote component must be able to treat these bundles; both components have to agree on the precise sequence of the physical fields contained in this fields.