[Paraview-developers] H5py in paraview python

[Ben Boeckel]

On Mon, Apr 03, 2017 at 08:38:15 -0400, Ben Boeckel wrote:
> > We have been trying to include h5py in a binary windows install of
> > Paraview and are having quite some troubles.
> 
> I'll try and take a stab at getting it into the superbuild this week.

Here's the current status of this MR which adds h5py to the packages:

    https://gitlab.kitware.com/paraview/paraview-superbuild/merge_requests/305

First, it appears that h5py doesn't work with HDF5 1.8.13, so I tried
updating HDF5 to 1.8.18. Unfortunately, *lots* of things changed in that
period and now `H5_BUILT_AS_DYNAMIC_LIB` is required to use it on
Windows as a shared library. Silo and netcdf are patched on that branch
to handle it. However, VTK cannot. I have a WIP branch here:

    https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/merge_requests/2678

but Xdmf3 stands in the way there since it needs updated to do the same
logic (rather, to use `vtk_hdf5.h` which handles this instead of trying
to use `hdf5.h` on its own), but that's a longer process. It also looks
like VisItBridge has issues with the new Silo update as well, but that
is easier.

You can use that branch with a ParaView patched with the linked VTK MR
if you can disable XDMF3 in your local binaries (our binaries enable it,
so I can't merge it yet). Alternatively, you can hack Xdmf3 to include
`vtk_hdf5.h` anywhere it includes `H5public.h` or `hdf5.h` directly
instead. VisItBridge should have an update soonish, but may also be
disabled as well.

--Ben