Index: /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h
===================================================================
--- /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h	(revision 16699)
+++ /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/include/gfitsio.h	(revision 16700)
@@ -184,4 +184,5 @@
 int     gfits_get_bintable_column      PROTO((Header *header, FTable *table, char *label, void **data));
 int     gfits_get_bintable_column_type PROTO((Header *header, char *label, char *type, int *Nval));
+void   *gfits_get_bintable_column_data PROTO((Header *header, FTable *table, char *label, char *type, int *Nrow, int *Ncol));
 int     gfits_get_table_column         PROTO((Header *header, FTable *table, char *label, void **data));
 int     gfits_get_table_column_type    PROTO((Header *header, char *label, char *type));
Index: /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/table/F_get_column.c
===================================================================
--- /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/table/F_get_column.c	(revision 16699)
+++ /branches/eam_branch_20080223/Ohana/src/libfits/table/F_get_column.c	(revision 16700)
@@ -14,4 +14,104 @@
   tmp = Pin[2]; Pin[2] = Pin[5]; Pin[5] = tmp; \
   tmp = Pin[3]; Pin[3] = Pin[4]; Pin[4] = tmp; }
+
+void *gfits_get_bintable_column_data (Header *header, FTable *table, char *label, char *type, int *Nrow, int *Ncol) {
+
+  int i, N, Nfields, Nval, Nbytes, Nx, Ny, Nstart, Nv, Nb;
+  char tlabel[80], field[80], format[80], tmpline[16];
+  char *Pin, *Pout, *array;
+  double Bscale, Bzero;
+
+  if (label == (char *) NULL) return (NULL);
+  if (label[0] == 0) return (NULL);
+
+  /* find label in header */
+  tlabel[0] = 0;
+  if (!gfits_scan (header, "TFIELDS", "%d", 1, &Nfields)) return (NULL);
+  for (i = 1; strcmp (label, tlabel) && (i < Nfields + 1); i++) {
+    sprintf (field, "TTYPE%d", i);
+    gfits_scan (header, field, "%s", 1, tlabel);
+  }
+  if (strcmp (label, tlabel)) return (NULL);
+  N = i - 1;
+
+  Bscale = 1; 
+  Bzero  = 0;
+
+  /* interpret format */
+  sprintf (field, "TSCAL%d", N);
+  gfits_scan (header, field, "%lf", 1, &Bscale);
+  sprintf (field, "TZERO%d", N);
+  gfits_scan (header, field, "%lf", 1, &Bzero);
+  sprintf (field, "TFORM%d", N);
+  gfits_scan (header, field, "%s", 1, format);
+
+  if (!gfits_bintable_format (format, type, &Nval, &Nbytes)) return (NULL);
+  
+  /* check existing table dimensions */
+  gfits_scan (header, "NAXIS1",  "%d", 1, &Nx);
+  gfits_scan (header, "NAXIS2",  "%d", 1, &Ny);
+
+  /* scan columns to find insert point */
+  Nstart = 0;
+  for (i = 1; i < N; i++) {
+    sprintf (field, "TFORM%d", i);
+    gfits_scan (header, field, "%s", 1, format);
+    gfits_bintable_format (format, tmpline, &Nv, &Nb);
+    Nstart += Nv*Nb;
+  }
+
+  /* extract bytes from table into array */
+  ALLOCATE (array, char, Nbytes*Nval*Ny);
+  Pin  = table[0].buffer + Nstart;
+  Pout = array;
+  for (i = 0; i < Ny; i++, Pin += Nx, Pout += Nval*Nbytes) {
+    memcpy (Pout, Pin, Nval*Nbytes);
+  }
+
+  /* convert data in-situ with correct type, byte swap and Bzero/Bscale */
+  Pin  = array;
+  Pout = array;
+  if (!strcmp (type, "char")) {
+    for (i = 0; i < Nval*Ny; i++, Pin+=Nbytes, Pout+=Nbytes) {
+      *(char *)Pout = *(char *)Pin*Bscale + Bzero;
+    }
+  }
+  if (!strcmp (type, "short")) {
+    for (i = 0; i < Nval*Ny; i++, Pin+=Nbytes, Pout+=Nbytes) {
+# ifdef BYTE_SWAP
+      SWAP_BYTE;
+# endif
+      *(short *)Pout = *(short *)Pin*Bscale + Bzero;
+    }  
+  }
+  if (!strcmp (type, "int")) {
+    for (i = 0; i < Nval*Ny; i++, Pin+=Nbytes, Pout+=Nbytes) {
+# ifdef BYTE_SWAP
+      SWAP_WORD;
+# endif
+      *(int *)Pout = *(int *)Pin*Bscale + Bzero;
+    }
+  }
+  if (!strcmp (type, "float")) {
+    for (i = 0; i < Nval*Ny; i++, Pin+=Nbytes, Pout+=Nbytes) {
+# ifdef BYTE_SWAP
+      SWAP_WORD;
+# endif
+      *(float *)Pout = *(float *)Pin*Bscale + Bzero;
+    }
+  }
+  if (!strcmp (type, "double")) {
+    for (i = 0; i < Nval*Ny; i++, Pin+=Nbytes, Pout+=Nbytes) {
+# ifdef BYTE_SWAP
+      SWAP_DBLE;
+# endif
+      *(double *)Pout = *(double *)Pin*Bscale + Bzero;
+    }
+  }
+
+  *Ncol = Nval;
+  *Nrow = Ny;
+  return (array);
+}
 
 /***********************/