ncvue: a minimal GUI for a quick view of netcdf files

ncvue is a minimal GUI for a quick view of netCDF files. It is aiming to be a drop-in replacement for ncview, being slightly more general than ncview, which targets maps. If ncvue is used with maps, it supports mostly structured grids, more precisely the grids supported by cartopy.

ncvue is a Python script that can be called from within Python or as a command line tool. It is not supposed to produce publication-ready plots but rather provide a quick overview of the netCDF file.

The complete documentation for ncvue is available from: https://mcuntz.github.io/ncvue/

The current version features three panels, that means three different plotting styles: Scatter/Line plots, Contour Plots, and Maps, with extensive tooltips on buttons, sliders, entry boxes, spinboxes, and menus. It includes the possibility to open and change netCDF files within ncvue. The netCDF file will be changed in all panels of the primary window and any secondary window once focus changes on the panel or window. Graphical documentation exists on Github Pages.

The current version also provides two standalone applications on macOS and on Windows that come with all necessary libraries to run ncvue, including Python. Links to the installers are given on Github and in the documentation.

Version 3.6 added different designs on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Version 4.0 moved to a new project structure, using pyproject.toml, automatic versioning, src layout, and Github actions for continuous integration.

Version 4.1 ported ncvue to conda-forge.

Version 4.2 allowed groups in netcdf files.

Version 4.3 allowed multiple netcdf files.

Version 4.4 added borders, rivers, and lakes.

Version 5.0 uses CustomTkinter if installed.

Version 5.1 provides disk images with standalone versions.