how to force re-reading variable names in a timeseries?

[BenWibking]

I have an ADIOS2 dataset where the variables change between outputs. This is due to the application following the convention (from openPMD) that the dataset variable names include the cycle number, like this:

In the screenshot above, 758 is the cycle for this snapshot.

This works fine when opening an ADIOS2 dataset that consists of a single snapshot, but it doesn't work when opening more than one snapshot in a timeseries (create with a *.visit file), since VisIt only reads the variable names from the first snapshot, and then doesn't update the variable names when advancing to the next files in the series.

Is there a way to force VisIt to re-read the variable names when loading a new file in a timeseries?

[cyrush]

@BenWibking

Here are a few things to try:
Try to select a timestep and then use "reopen" and see if you get new variables.

Also, under VisIt preferences, there is a "Treat all databases as time-varying" option that should refresh the metadata every timestep.

(Make sure to hit apply, and maybe even save settings)

Finally, If this will mostly be the case for ADIOS2 or OpenPMD, we can update the reader in a future release to always re-check.

[BenWibking]

I checked this box in Preferences, saved settings, and restarted VisIt. Then I checked that the box was still checked in Preferences, and then opened the timeseries again. However, it still only shows the fields from the first snapshot. If I move the time slider to another snapshot, then click Reopen, then I get error messages like this:

VisIt cannot read the SIL for the file "/Users/benwibking/Downloads/new_bp5/adios.visit" on host localhost.

The metadata server returned the following message:

There was an error opening /Users/benwibking/Downloads/new_bp5/adios.visit. It may be an invalid file.
VisIt tried using the following file format readers to open the file: ADIOS2, ADIOS

If you know the specific format reader VisIt should use to
read this data, you can use Open As... (GUI) or
'-o <file>,<plugin> (CL arg.) and identify that specific reader
for VisIt to try. This will possibly give more information on
the exact error.

(If I open the snapshots individually, this doesn't happen.)

[cyrush]

Thanks, there must be something more complex with the ADIOS2 case -- it looks like you are using a .visit file to group a timeseries of bp files? Is it possible to share a few timesteps so we can explore?

[BenWibking]

Sure, here's a dataset of bp files, the .visit file, and the session file:
visit_adios2_timeseries.tar.gz

[BenWibking]

@cyrush Let me know whether I should create an Issue for this.