HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format 5)
.h5.hdf5.he5Countless instrument-control and analysis tools (MATLAB, Python/h5py, many detector/beamline data-acquisition systems)
What it is
A general-purpose hierarchical binary container for large scientific datasets — groups nested like folders, each holding named numeric datasets. AltaiPlot reads real third-party HDF5 files through a bundled Python/h5py bridge, walking the full hierarchy rather than assuming a flat single-group layout.
Who produces it
Widely used across physics, astronomy, and materials science for large or multi-dataset experiment output — from synchrotron beamlines to simulation checkpoints.
What we read / what we don't read
What we read
- Any 1D or 2D numeric dataset anywhere in the file's group hierarchy (recursive walk, not just the root group)
- Sub-groups nested arbitrarily deep
What we don't read
- Non-numeric datasets (strings, compound/structured types) — listed explicitly as unsupported, never guessed at
- Datasets with more than 2 dimensions
- HDF5 attributes (metadata attached to groups/datasets) — not surfaced in the import
How to import it into AltaiPlot
- Open AltaiPlot and drag your .h5/.hdf5/.he5 file onto the window, or use File → Import.
- AltaiPlot detects the HDF5 signature and hands it to the bundled Python reader automatically.
- Every 1D/2D numeric dataset found anywhere in the file is listed by its full path — pick the one you need.
- Datasets that can't be read (wrong shape or type) are shown separately with the reason, instead of being silently omitted.
Auditability note: this page's capability claims are sourced fromresources/python/app_sidecar.py:964 — see the full format list for every extension AltaiPlot recognizes.