function 'xsequence' = unravel = huh?

[Elizabeth Dobbins <dobbins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi ferreters;

Maybe I have the honor of posting the first question about a function in
version 5.0 that's not in version 4.4.

Anyway, to provide input for a pre-existing FORTRAN routine, I am trying to
write a 2-D field out of ferret as a single line of ASCII data.  For
instance, I've got an X by Y matrix that looks like:

u = [ u(1,1)  u(1,2)  u(1,3) 
      u(2,1)  u(2,2)  etc     ]

which I'd like to write as a single line that's X*Y long:

u =  u(1,1)  u(1,2)  u(1,3)  u(2,1)  u(2,2) etc. 
     
Ferret's LIST command won't do it.  I end up with Y lines that are each X
numbers long.  I thought I'd found the solution with ferret's new
'xsequence' function, which I thought would rearrange a entire matrix into
a single line of data - that's what its description of unravel means to
me.  However, its output seems to be some subset of the matrix, not the
whole thing. 

Could someone please explain what 'xsequence' is doing?  And if it isn't
doing what I need, could someone suggest another way beside writing
another FORTRAN routine?

Thanks,
Liz

*********************
Elizabeth L. Dobbins
Research Scientist
JISAO/PMEL
phone: (206) 526-4581

Fine words butter no parsnips.