William Pence wrote:
This mention of the NEXTEND keyword caused me to rethink what is really
meant by EXTEND = F: EXTEND = T is defined to mean that the FITS file
*is permitted* to have extensions following the primary array (the
actually wording in the Standard is "may contain extensions" ); it does
not mean that the file actually has any extensions.

If EXTEND = F, then this logically means the opposite, i.e., that the
FITS file is *not permitted* to have any extensions. But this is not
the meaning that the STEREO mission folks really intended by setting
EXTEND = F since they surely don't care if users were to add extensions
to the files at a later date.

We don't expect users to add extensions on their own.

Personally, I have no objection to deprecating the EXTEND keyword. The current
definition isn't particularly meaningful.

Bill Thompson


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William Thompson
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Code 671
Greenbelt, MD 20771
USA

301-286-2040