imas-core 5.5.3

Python bindings to the IMAS Access Layer core

IMAS-Core

IMAS-Core is a lowlevel library with Python bindings for reading and writing fusion experiment data in standard IMAS format.

It provides easy access to data stored in HDF5, MDSplus, and other formats, making it simple to work with fusion physics data across platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows).

This repository contains the Lowlevel components of the Access Layer:

• C lowlevel interface used by the various High Level Interfaces
• Python bindings to the lowlevel interface
• Backends for reading and writing IMAS data
• MDS+ model logic for creating the models required by the MDS+ backend

Quick Installation

Install IMAS-Core with a single command:

pip install imas-core
python -c "import imas_core"

That's it! No need to compile or configure anything.

Features

• ✅ Easy to Install - Single pip install command
• ✅ Multiple Formats - HDF5, MDSplus, UDA, in-memory, and more
• ✅ Cross-Platform - Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows
• ✅ IMAS Standard - Access standardized fusion data structures
• ✅ Read & Write - Both data access and creation supported

Installation Options

For Python Users (Recommended)

# Simple install from PyPI for Python applications
pip install imas-core

# Verify installation
python -c "import imas; print(imas.__version__)"

For Developers

See Building from Source for detailed build instructions.

Using IMAS-Core with High-Level Languages

When IMAS-Core is built and installed via CMake, it creates a complete runtime environment with:

• C/C++ Libraries (libal.so) with full headers
• Python Bindings (imas_core Python package)
• Fortran Support via pkg-config configuration
• Java Support via imas.jar
• MATLAB Support via MEX bindings
• Models for MDSplus backend access

After installation, configure your environment:

export PATH="/path/to/install/bin:$PATH"
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/path/to/install/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/path/to/install/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH"
export HDF5_USE_FILE_LOCKING=FALSE
export PYTHONPATH="/path/to/install/lib/pythonX.X/site-packages:$PYTHONPATH"

Then use IMAS-Core from your preferred language:

• Python: import imas (see examples above)
• C/C++: Link against libal.so with provided headers
• Fortran: Use pkg-config to get compiler flags
• Java: Use imas.jar in your classpath
• MATLAB: Add MEX directory to MATLAB path

Documentation

• User Guide - Complete user documentation
• Installation Guide - Installation instructions
• Backends Guide - Available data backends
• URIs Guide - Data entry URI documentation
• Configuration - Configuration options
• FAQ - Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting - Common issues & solutions

System Requirements

• Python: 3.8 or newer
• OS: Linux, macOS, or Windows
• pip: 19.0 or newer

Available Backends

IMAS-Core supports multiple data storage formats:

Backend	Use Case	Remote	File-based
HDF5	Default, local storage	No	Yes
MDSplus	ITER experiments	Yes	No
UDA	Distributed access	Yes	No
Memory	Testing, IPC	No	No
FlexBuffers	Message passing	No	Yes
ASCII	Debugging	No	Yes

Troubleshooting

Can't find file?

# Check file path
import os
print(os.path.exists('/path/to/file.h5'))

Need help?

• See Troubleshooting Guide
• Check FAQ
• Open an Issue on GitHub

What's Included?

IMAS-Core provides:

• Python API - Full Python bindings with NumPy support
• Multiple Backends - HDF5, MDSplus, UDA, and more
• Data Creation - Create and populate IMAS IDS structures
• Data Access - Read from multiple sources transparently
• Standard Format - IMAS standardized data structures

For Developers

To build IMAS-Core from source:

git clone https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Core.git
cd IMAS-Core
cmake -Bbuild -GNinja -DAL_PYTHON_BINDINGS=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$(pwd)/test-install"
cmake --build build --target install

See Developer Guide for detailed instructions.

Links

• Homepage:
• GitHub: https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Core
• PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/imas-core/
• Data Dictionary: https://imas-data-dictionary.readthedocs.io/
• Issue Tracker: https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Core/issues

License

IMAS-Core is released under the LGPL-3.0 License

Support

• Email: [e-mail]
• Documentation: https://imas-core.readthedocs.io/
• Issues: https://github.com/iterorganization/IMAS-Core/issues