text: #ifndef teca_dataset_source_h
  #define teca_dataset_source_h
  
  #include "teca_algorithm.h"
  #include "teca_metadata.h"
  #include "teca_dataset.h"
  #include "teca_shared_object.h"
  
  #include <vector>
  
  TECA_SHARED_OBJECT_FORWARD_DECL(teca_dataset_source)
  
  /// An algorithm that serves up user provided data and metadata.
  /**
   * This algorithm can be used to inject a dataset constructed
   * on outside of TECA into a TECA pipeline.
   */
  class teca_dataset_source : public teca_algorithm
  {
  public:
      TECA_ALGORITHM_STATIC_NEW(teca_dataset_source)
      TECA_ALGORITHM_DELETE_COPY_ASSIGN(teca_dataset_source)
      TECA_ALGORITHM_CLASS_NAME(teca_dataset_source)
      ~teca_dataset_source();
  
      // report/initialize to/from Boost program options
      // objects.
      TECA_GET_ALGORITHM_PROPERTIES_DESCRIPTION()
      TECA_SET_ALGORITHM_PROPERTIES()
  
      // set/get the dataset to insert into the pipeline
      TECA_ALGORITHM_VECTOR_PROPERTY(p_teca_dataset, dataset)
  
      void set_dataset(const p_teca_dataset &ds)
      { this->set_datasets({ds}); }
  
      // set/get the metadata to insert into the pipeline
      TECA_ALGORITHM_PROPERTY(teca_metadata, metadata)
  
  protected:
      teca_dataset_source();
  
  private:
      teca_metadata get_output_metadata(unsigned int port,
          const std::vector<teca_metadata> &input_md) override;
  
      const_p_teca_dataset execute(unsigned int port,
          const std::vector<const_p_teca_dataset> &input_data,
          const teca_metadata &request) override;
  
  private:
      std::vector<p_teca_dataset> datasets;
      teca_metadata metadata;
  };
  
  #endif
  