Introduction

Grib2 messages have variable names such as HGT or TMP. The table built into wgrib2 can be agumented using "user defined grib tables". This allows you to add locally defined variables as well, update the grib table, and change the names of pre-existing variables. Wgrib2 looks for the user defined gribtable in (in order of search)

   environment varible: GRIB2TABLE
   environment varible: grib2table
   file: grib2table (in current working directory)

   Assuming your user definitions are in a file called "/home/my_name/my_grib2table"

   for sh/bash
     export GRIB2TABLE=/home/my_name/my_grib2table
   and for people who have a broken caps lock key
     export grib2table=/home/my_name/my_grib2table

   for csh
     setenv GRIB2TABLE /home/my_name/my_grib2table
   or
     setenv grib2table /home/my_name/my_grib2table

   You can also always put the user defined gribtable in the "grib2table" in 
   the "current working directory".

The user defined gribtable is searched before the built-in gribtable.

Format of the user defined gribtable

   Comments
       start with the first column staring with #, *, !
       any line that is not a definition line

   definitions:
       I1:I2:I3:I4:I5:I6:I7:I8:NAME:DESC:UNITS
       I1=discipline
       I2=master table set: used when using -set_var
       I3=master table low:
       I4=master table high:   (defintion valid for low <= mastertable <= high)
       I5=center
       I6=local table number
       I7=parameter category (code table 4.1)
       I8=parameter (code table 4.2)

       when a field is not used, use a value of -1

   all other lines are not used.  Warnings will be given when the number of colons suggest an error. 

For each variable, there is a master table set, low and high. The master table is a master version number. Each definition has a range of version numbers for which it is recognized. If you want the variable to defined for all version numbers, set "low" to zero and "high" to some large positive integer. The "set" value is master table number used when the "-set_var" option is used change the variable name.

Sample grib2table

/*
 * sample user grib table
 */
/*

  struct gribtable_s {
    int disc;   /* Section 0 Discipline                                */
    int mtab_set;    /* Section 1 Master Tables Version Number used by set_var      */
    int mtab_low;    /* Section 1 Master Tables Version Number low range of tables  */
    int mtab_high;   /* Section 1 Master Tables Version Number high range of tables */
    int cntr;   /* Section 1 originating centre, used for local tables */
    int ltab;   /* Section 1 Local Tables Version Number               */
    int pcat;   /* Section 4 Template 4.0 Parameter category           */
    int pnum;   /* Section 4 Template 4.0 Parameter number             */
    const char *name;
    const char *desc;
    const char *unit;
  };

*/
0:1:0:10:8:0:190:190:TEST1:Critcal Fire Weather:??
0:1:0:10:8:0:190:191:TEST2:Dry lightning:??
0:1:0:10:0:0:2:2:Utest:utest:m/s

Uses

1. update tables with new or local variables
2. convert the variable names to another convention, language
3. change the variable names that are produced by g2ctl
4. in the conversion to netcdf, you may want a different set of variable names