%++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
%.COPYRIGHT  (c)  1990-2010 European Southern Observatory
%.IDENT      createcolu.hlq
%.AUTHOR     JDP, IPG/ESO
%.KEYWORDS   MIDAS, help files, CREATE/COLUMN
%.PURPOSE    On-line help file for the command: CREATE/COLUMN
%.VERSION    1.0  12-OCT-1983 : Creation, JDP
%.VERSION    1.1  04-Mar-1991 : New Table Version, FO
%----------------------------------------------------------------
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SECTION./COLU
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CREATE/COLUMN						18-AUG-2010   JDP
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CREATE/COLUMN table column [unit] [format] [type]
	create a table column
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Purpose:      
           Creates a new column in a table. Values in the column are
           initialized to NULL. Information associated with that column is
           also initialized. A column may have a depth, i.e each element
           of the table may be itself an array.
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Syntax:  
           CREATE/COLUMN table column [unit] [format] [type]
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           table = table name
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           column = column reference (by label, i.e. :name),
		    max. 16 chars. including the ':'
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           unit = optional units included in double quotation marks,
		  max. 16 chars.; blanks are used by default
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           format = format associated with the column according to the
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                    FORTRAN-77 rules, with some extensions. The format 
                    is used by default when the table is displayed 
                    (commands READ/TABLE and PRINT/TABLE). 
                    Possible formats are (lower-case edit the sign)
                    for characters: Aww   
                    for integers:   Iww      iww      (sign edited)
                                    Xww      Oww      for hexa / octal
                                    Tww.dd   tww.dd   for Date+Time
                                                      (seconds since 1970)
                                    Zww      zww      zero-filled
                    for floating:   Fww.dd   fww.dd   (sign edited)
                                    Eww.dd   eww.dd   (sign edited)
                                    Gww.dd  
                                    Rww.dd   rww.dd   for Right Ascensions
                                    Sww.dd   sww.dd   for Sexagesimal (decl.)
                                    Tww.dd   tww.dd   for Date+Time (JD)
                                    Zww.dd   zww.dd   zero-filled
                    Default format is E12.6 for R*4,D24.17 for R*8,I11 for I*4 
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           type   = column type including its dimension within  parenthesis
                    Possible types are 
                    R*4(array_size)   real single precision (default)
                    R*8(array_size)   real double precision
                    C*n               character string, n bytes length
                    I*n(array_size)   signed integer (n = 1 , 2 or 4)
		    U*4(array_size)   unsigned integer
                    Default array_size is 1.
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See also:
           NAME/COLUMN, WRITE/TABLE, PLOT/TABLE
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Note:         1) Column labels and/or units > 16 chars. will be truncated,
	   but the command will not abort, just a warning message displayed.
	      2) The special function M$EXISTC(table,label) may be used at 
	   the command level to check whether a column exists or not. 
	   The function returns -2 if the table doesn't exist, the physical 
	   number of the column or -1 of the column doesn't exist.
              3) Most of the MIDAS commands are not able yet to deal with 
	   3D tables. If, e.g., a column is declared as being an array of 
	   dimension 12, these commands will only be able to access, for 
	   each row of the table, the first element of the array. 
           An exception is the command PLOT/TAB, which is able to plot the 
	   data points in a 3-dim table.
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Examples:
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           CREATE/COLUMN mytable :RADVEL "KM.SEC-1" E12.3
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           CREATE/COLUMN mytable :FLUX R*4(12) "Jy" E12.3
             Create a column labeled :FLUX made of 12 real numbers (array)
             in table `mytable.tbl'.
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