| Platform | Hardware | Operating System | Supported Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Intel/AMD 64-bit | 7, 8, 10 | |
| Macintosh | Intel 64-bit | OS X | 10.9, 10.10 |
| UNIX | Intel/AMD 64-bit | Linux | Kernel 2.6.32, glibc 2.12 |
| SPARC 64-bit | Solaris | 10 | |
| Intel/AMD 64-bit |
An X-Windows manager is required for Macintosh. The software products were tested using XQuartz 2.7.4.
32-bit installers for Windows are no longer available. However, the 32-bit binaries are still provided with the 64-bit Windows installer so that you can launch IDL in 32-bit mode on 64-bit Windows systems. You can find the 32-bit versions of IDL in the IDL 8.5 program group under Start > Programs > IDL 8.5 > 32-bit.
For information on new routines and features, see "What's New" in the IDL Help.
| Default Value Changed for Tile Cache Size Preference The default value for the IDL_GR_TILECACHESIZE preference has been changed from a default of 512 MB to 0. A value of 0 indicates an "unlimited" tile cache size: memory usage will continue to grow as more graphics tiles are cached. You can set this preference in the IDL Workbench Preferences dialog. |
| Live Tools have been removed The obsolete Live Tools routines have been removed from the IDL installation. These routines have been obsolete since IDL 6.2. If you have code that uses the Live routines, you should migrate your code to use the new function graphics routines. |
| Code SAVE Files
Created with IDL 8.3 Cannot be Restored in Previous Versions In IDL 8.3 the IDL Save file revision level was increased from 11 to 12 because of the new colon operator (see the "What's New in IDL 8.3" Help topic). Save files that contain IDL code and that are created with IDL 8.3 and later versions cannot be restored in previous versions of IDL. If you want to distribute a code SAVE file to other users who may only have IDL 8.0, IDL 8.1, or IDL 8.2, you should create your SAVE file using one of these earlier IDL versions. Note: This change does not affect older Code SAVE files or SAVE files that contain data. |
| IDL Workspace Migration IDL does not automatically update the IDL workspace between releases. After upgrading to a new IDL version, you have the following options:
|
| IDL Core Preference Migration IDL does not automatically migrate IDL core preferences between releases. After upgrading IDL to a new version, you should: Reset any IDL core preferences you want to use with the new IDL version by using the Preferences dialog or the PREF_SET routine. |
| Additional
Documentation is Provided In Acrobat (PDF) Documents The online help contains all the routines and functions in the IDL language. Documentation that does not exist in the online help is provided in fully searchable PDF format as part of the IDL installation, located in <install_dir>\help\pdf. |
| IDLffVideoWrite Cannot
Create Animated GIFs Because of vendor issues in the ffmpeg library, IDLffVideoWrite cannot create animated GIF files. Use the WRITE_GIF routine instead. |
|
| Installation error on
Windows platforms: "Key not valid for use in specified state" Some customers have reported this error during the installation process. It is caused by a Microsoft update (KB2918614), which affects the Windows installer service. Workaorund: uninstall this Microsoft update. For more information, see the Microsoft Community website. |
|
| IDL-42545 | WIDGET_TREE
Drop Event
Can Cause IDL to Crash if an Error Exists in the DRAG_NOTIFY Callback
Routine If there is an error (such as an undefined variable) in the custom DRAG_NOTIFY callback routine, IDL may freeze or crash since the error halts execution in the child routine and IDL cannot return to the calling function. Workaround: Handle potential problems in the callback routine by including CATCH statements in your code. See the documentation topic "Responding to Drag Notifications (Callbacks)" for more information. |
| IDL-55393 | Breakpoints
in Files
Opened via Links, Shortcuts, or Alternate Paths To improve performance, IDL always compiles the first version of a file it finds in its path. If you open a file in the editor and set a breakpoint, then compile from a version of the same file with a different path, IDL will not assume that the two files are the same. As a result, IDL will not stop at the breakpoint set in the second file. Alternate paths to the same file can be constructed via UNIX links, Windows shortcuts, mapped drives, or UNC paths. Workaround: Make sure that the full path to the file in which you set the breakpoint is the same as the full path to the compiled file. If you use the IDL Workbench, compiling using the Workbench menus or toolbars will ensure that the same path is used for compilation and debugging. |
| IDL-49236 | Deleting
a Project or
a
Directory Within a Project While the Project Is Open Causes Exceptions
when the Workbench Exits When a project file or a directory within a project is deleted from outside the Workbench (for example, from Windows Project Explorer) while the project is open, a warning message may be issued while the Workbench is still running. An exception may occur on exiting the Workbench. |
| IDL-51318 IDL-51322 |
Formatter
Preferences
for Keywords and Class Names are
Ignored by the Source→Format
Command The keyword and class name formatting preferences set on the IDL Formatter preference page are not applied when the code is highlighted and the Source > Format command is selected. |
| IDL-58532 | Default
UTF-8 Encoding
is Corrupting .pro Files with Non-English Characters Non-English characters are converted to symbols when imported into the IDL Workbench. Importing a .pro file containing non-English characters in IDL permanently corrupts the file with bad characters. Workaround: Before opening a file or before saving an open file, change the file encoding to ISO-8859-1 for Spanish or German, or to Shift-JIS for Japanese. To change the encoding for an individual file, open the file in an IDL editor, then select File > Properties. In the Resources dialog box, change the 6Text file encoding preference. To change the default encoding preference for IDL, select Window > Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, choose General > Workspace. Change the Text file encoding preference. |
| IDL-57214 IDL-58285 IDL-58839 |
IDL
Crashes on
Macintosh
and UNIX When Performing Graphics Operations Where GL Drivers are
Present Possible workaround: Rename the gl_driver.so file (located in bin\bin.<platform>) to gl_driver.ba. |
| IDL-60473 | Accessing
Preferences
while IDL is Busy May Hang Workbench Trying to change Preferences while IDL is busy (for example, when a lengthy command is being executed) may cause the Workbench to hang. |
| IDL-63902 IDL-52705 |
Using
the IDL_Java Bridge Causes the Workbench to Ignore the Current
Directory in CLASSPATH Workaround: Copy the .class file to any other directory explicitly listed in CLASSPATH. |
| IDL-60599 | On
Macintosh OS, Only
One Workbench Instance Can Run at a Time Even if the preference "Prompt for workspace on startup" is set and multiple workspaces are available, only one instance will run. Workaround: Run the Workbench from the init script located in the idlde.darwin.x86_64.app/Contents/MacOS directory of your IDL installation. |
| IDL-64149 |
Widget Interface Loses Focus When Selection is Made in a Drop-down List Workaround: In X11 Preferences, enable "Click-through Inactive Windows" |
| IDL-67319 IDL-67320 |
Graphics
Rendering Causes Memory and Device Errors XQuartz version 2.7.2 causes these error messages when creating IDL Graphics. When IDL is installed, the Macintosh operating system may direct you to install the most recent version of XQuartz. Workaround: Use the latest version of XQuartz. |
| IDL-68845 | Launching
the IDL Workbench on Macintosh May Prompt Installation of Java v1.6 If you launch the IDL Workbench on Macintosh without first having Java v1.6 installed, the Macintosh OS may prompt you to install it first. This will happen even though IDL includes Java v1.7. For more information on this issue, please see: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11919004/eclipse-4-2-mac-os-x-10-8-ml-and-java-6 Workaround: Install the Macintosh version of Java 1.6 when prompted. The Workbench will continue to use Java v1.7 as it was installed with IDL. Another workaround is to add a softlink as sudo from Frameworks 1.6 -> 1.7 as described in the link above. |
| IDL-27165 | Using
DIALOG_PICKFILE
with the MULTIPLE Keyword Limits the Maximum nFiles or Maximum nBytes
for a File Array When attempting to open multiple files using DIALOG_PICKFILE, the operating system has a maximum buffer of 32767 bytes. |
| IDL-47445 | Export
Bridge
Instantiation Object Creation Failure with Embedded License Attempting to create an export object with an embedded license fails when no printer is set up. Workaround: Install and set up a printer before running IDL. |
| IDL-48454 | WIDGET_TIMER
Can Cause
Applications To Freeze Until An Event Is Sent To The Application WIDGET_TIMER events fail after 10 events. This problem happens in the following cases:
|
| IDL-49641 | Updating
Edited
Variable
Values is Slow While IDL is Busy or Blocking If you edit a variable value using the IDL Workbench Variables view while IDL is busy (for example, when a lengthy command is being executed, or when a widget application is blocking), it may appear that the variable is not being updated. The new variable value is displayed when IDL is no longer busy. (Related to ID 49604.) |
| IDL-61842 | IDL
on Windows 7 May
Have Unpredictable Behavior When Using Graphics The cause may be graphics cards that are unsupported in Windows 7. Please see a list of supported graphics cards on the Microsoft.com website. You may want to upgrade your graphic driver or switch the IDL Graphics preference to use software rendering. |
| IDL-66357 | Installing
into a Directory Named with Multibyte Characters May
Cause the IDL Workbench to Not Launch If you are installing IDL into a directory that contains multibyte characters, path names in the idlde.ini file may be truncated. Workaround for 32-bit systems: In the <install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86\idlde.ini file, edit the following lines: Line 2 should read: <install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86\jre\bin Line 14 should read: Dosgi.sharedConfiguration.area=<install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86\configuration Workaround for 64-bit systems: In the <install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86_64\idlde.ini file, edit the following lines: Line 2 should read: <install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86_64\jre\bin Line 14 should read: Dosgi.sharedConfiguration.area=<install_dir>\IDLxx\bin\bin.x86_64\configuration |
| IDL-66363 | Executable
for a C++ Project that Uses COM_idl_connect.tlb Needs to be in
\bin directory to Run If you create a C++ project that uses COM_idl_connect.tlb, the .exe must be installed in <install_dir>\bin\bin.x86 or <install_dir>\bin\bin.x86_64 to run. Alternatively, you can add the install path to the PATH environment variable. |
| IDL-14221 IDL-30564 |
DIALOG_PRINTERSETUP
Causes IDL to Hang When Called from a Modal Widget This is a known problem with no known workarounds except to use DIALOG_PRINTERSETUP with a non-modal widget. |
| IDL-41964 | IDL
Does Not Run in
Security Enhanced Linux Some recent versions of Linux implement mandatory access control in the Linux kernel using the Linux Security Modules framework. IDL will not run in such an environment without a modification to the security context for the IDL binaries. Workaround: Either disable SELinux or modify the default security context for IDL. See Help Article 3092 for details. |
| IDL-43301 | Upper
Left Corner of
Tree Widget is Never a Valid Drop Zone When the ability to drag and drop tree widget nodes has been enabled, the UNIX tree widget does not recognize the upper left corner of the widget as a valid drop zone. This area typically extends over the icons of the first two nodes (but not the labels). This is a vendor issue. You can drop items onto the first two nodes by moving the cursor over the labels instead of the icons. |
| IDL-55427 | IDL
Dataminer Requires latest
libstdc++ Third-party libraries used by the IDL Dataminer module require a library that may not be available by default on some newer Linux systems. Attempting to run the IDL Dataminer may cause IDL to issue an error similar to the following: % DLM_LOAD: Error loading sharable executable. Symbol: IDL_Load, File =/rsi/qa/unix/idl71/bin/bin.linux.x86_64/idl_dataminer.so libstdc++.so.5: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory You will need to install the appropriate libstdc++ compatible library for your platform. |
| IDL-55537 | IDLnetURL
Objects with
ENCODE Property Fails on Linux 32-Bit Using IDLnetURL with the ENCODE property set to a value other than 0 fails on 32-bit Linux systems. |
| IDL-57381 | Missing
64-bit Library IDL requires a 64-bit version of libXp. Red Hat-based Linux distributions such as RHEL and Fedora may not install this library by default. On Red Hat you can obtain this library using the following command: yum install libXp.x86_64 |
| IDL-58106 | DIALOG_PRINTERSETUP
Crashes on Linux 64-bit running in the Workbench Calling DIALOG_PRINTERSETUP from the Workbench causes 64-bit IDL to crash. Workaround: To set up a printer, launch IDL in command line mode and run DIALOG_PRINTERSETUP. Once you have set up a printer, the information is cached in your home directory. Then printed IDL programs will go to the appropriate printer regardless of whether you are running the Workbench or command line IDL. |
| IDL-58460 | IDL
Graphics Cause
Crash in Ubuntu Versions of UNIX Recent versions of Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions may not ship with the libstdc++.so.6 library, which is required by Xerces. You will need to download this library and install it in the /bin/bin.linux.x86 directory of your IDL installation. (On 64-bit installations, this directory is /bin/bin.linux.x86_64.) |
| IDL-59497 | IDL
Graphics Fail with
Software Rendering on Linux IDL graphics in the Workbench in software rendering mode may fail on Linux machines if the display is local and Xinerama is not enabled. Workaround: Configure Xinerama on the system or run from the IDL command line. |
| IDL-68960 IDL-68965 |
Java-IDL
Bridge with Drawable Windows Maknown problems y Not Render Properly
with Software
Rendering You may run into problems when using the Java-IDL Bridge with drawable windows and software rendering. The window may not display anything. Note that this affects the example code in the IDL documentation (IDLWindowExample.java and IDLgrWindowExample.java). Workaround: If nothing appears in the drawable window, change to hardware rendering by setting your drawable object's RENDERER property to zero (i.e., RENDERER=0). |
| IDL-69332 |
Selecting the
Help Preference Can Crash the IDL Workbench on Some Linux Systems Selecting Window > Preferences > Help on some Linux systems may cause the IDL workbench to crash. Workaround: Open the idlde.ini file and find the -vmargs line. Add the following new line after the -vmargs line: -Dorg.eclipse.swt.browser.DefaultType=mozilla. |
| IDL-5479 | Support HDF(version 4.1r2) attributes on VGROUPS IDL's HDF routines now support VGROUP attributes. See the What's New for details. |
| IDL-68785 | IMSL_SPValue is crashing Windows IMSL routines should now work properly on Windows. |
| IDL-69428 | Routines will not accept more than 255 parameters if keywords are present Routines should now work properly with more than 255 parameters. |
| IDL-69429 | IDL does not recognize Python installation when using WinPython The IDL Python bridge should now work properly with WinPython. |
| IDL-69437, IDL-69438, IDL-69439 | Python bridge problems on Linux The IDL Python bridge should now behave better on Linux platforms. |
| IDL-69442 | Possible bug in binomial.pro for N or V larger than 32767 N and V are no longer converted to integers. |
| IDL-69446 | Double clicking .pro file in Windows 10 crashes Workbench if not open already The Workbench should now launch properly. |
| IDL-69458 | WRITE_CSV keyword TABLE_HEADER produces extra commas WRITE_CSV with the TABLE_HEADER keyword now produces correct output. |
| IDL-69473 | Behavior of MIN() and MAX() without /NAN is faulty Previously, if your array contained NaN values, and you did not set the /NAN keyword, MIN or MAX would sometimes return NaN as the result and other times would return a valid value, depending upon the location of the NaN's in the array. Now, IDL always ignores NaN values and returns the correct minimum or maximum. |
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