# Ferret Version 5.41 Release notes

- New Features and Enhancements in Version 5.41
- Changes to options in Version 5.41
- Bug fixes in Version 5.41
- Known bugs in Version 5.41

> ## New Features and Enhancements in Version 5.41

> - New attribute for calendar type in NetCDF descriptor files. In the $BACKGROUND_RECORD use D_CALTYPE = 'NOLEAP' for example, to specify a non-standard calendar type for your data.
> - New internal string handling functions: STRLEN, UPCASE, DNCASE, STRINDEX, STRRINDEX, SUBSTRING, STRCAT and STRFLOAT.
> - New option for continuous color keys FILL/KEY=CONTINUOUS, and SHADE/KEY=CONTINUOUS plot a color key without the lines between the different levels.
> - New option VECTOR/NOKEY
> - New option CANCEL AXIS/ALL cancels user-defined axes, and restores coordinate storage for irregularly-spaced axes. Also, "yes? CANCEL AXIS axisname" cancels an axis and restores the coordinate storage used when an irregular axes was defined.
> - Symbols YAXIS_MIN and YAXIS_MAX always defined after a plot is drawn. Previously these were only defined when /VLIM option was specified on the plotting command. Now they are also defined when auto-scaling is used.

> ## Changed option in Version 5.41

> - PLOT/SYMBOL=DOT has been temporarily removed. We need to resolve some issues regarding metafiles and postscript. This option will be restored in future versions.

> ## Bug fixes in Version 5.41

> - Installation: Error messages about libXm.so.2: cannot open shared object file Motif libraries are no longer required, as they are linked statically in with the Ferret executable.
> - "**ERROR: illegal data type (float,string,...) for operation:" This error message occurred for some graphical operations on expressions involving IF--THEN. Fixed.
> - Bug in strides at the IO level which resulted in improper wrapping of data (highly visible corruption). Fixed.
> - Ferret hangs when attempting to access invalid DODS URLS Fixed.
> - SET DATA filename finds files with the extension .nc as well as .cdf
> - GIF creation now works with TrueColor visuals as well as PseudoColor visuals
> - Nested REPEATs involving parentheses were parsed incorrectly. Fixed.
> - Bugs/backwards compatibility issues with PPL commands. Previous behavior is restored. PPL commands make settings that persist throughout the Ferret session. Qualifiers to plot commands have their effect only on that command:
>   - PPL AXLABP settings persist.
>   - PPL AXSET persists; PLOT/AXES= or SHADE/NOAXES apply only to that one command.
>   - PPL LINE settings persist, setting dash characteristics; PLOT/DASH settings are only for that plot command
> - PLOT/VS/DASH[=] allows dashed lines on PLOT/VS plots.
> - SAMPLEXY function did not check for missing data in the (x,y) values to sample.
> - Horizontal log plots had wrong pattern of tic marks on the axis.
> - POLYGONS with missing vertices in overlay plots were not treated correctly.
> - POLYGON plots now load all the PPLUS memory needed for the plot once per polygon call.
> - Overlays on POLYGON plots now work.
> - POLYGON plots over a depth axis work correctly (previously needed a workaround where the vertices on the depth axis had to be multiplied by -1).
> - Axis label formatting for small negative numbers has been corrected.
> - Regridding with @AVE between unlike grids gave wrong results in some cases. This is corrected.
> - Overlays having No Valid Data now put this information in the key, rather than across the middle of the plot.

> ## Known bugs Version 5.41

> - Scaling of Curvilinear Vectors: Vector arrows in curvilinear coordinates are not scaled. We have a fix for this which will be in the next release.
> - Support for GIF creation using 24 bit color (TrueColor) visuals does not work under Solaris.

> `17-Sep-2002`