diff --git a/src/C/H5.c b/src/C/H5.c
index eee8ae6..0682349 100644
--- a/src/C/H5.c
+++ b/src/C/H5.c
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ h5_err_t
 H5CloseFile (
 	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< file handle		*/
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_close_file (f));
 }
 
@@ -92,10 +92,27 @@ h5_err_t
 H5CheckFile (
 	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< file handle		*/
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_check_filehandle (f));
 }
 
+
+h5_err_t
+H5FlushStep (
+	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< file handle		*/
+	) {
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
+	H5_API_RETURN (h5_flush_step (f));
+}
+
+h5_err_t
+H5FlushFile (
+	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< file handle		*/
+	) {
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
+	H5_API_RETURN (h5_flush_file (f));
+}
+
 /*!
   \ingroup h5hut_model
 
@@ -113,7 +130,7 @@ H5SetStepNameFormat (
 	const h5_int64_t width		/*!< Width of the number	*/
 	) {
 	H5_API_ENTER3 (h5_err_t,
-		       "f=0x%p, name=\"%s\", width=%lld",
+		       "f=%p, name=\"%s\", width=%lld",
 		       f, name, (long long) width);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_set_stepname_fmt (f, name, width));
 }
@@ -134,7 +151,7 @@ H5GetStepNameFormat (
 	int* width			/*!< OUT: Width of the number	*/
 	) {
 	H5_API_ENTER4 (h5_err_t,
-		       "f=0x%p, name=0x%p, l_name=%llu, width=0x%p",
+		       "f=%p, name=%p, l_name=%llu, width=%p",
 		       f, name, (unsigned long long)l_name, width);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_get_stepname_fmt (f, name, l_name, width));
 }
@@ -151,7 +168,7 @@ H5SetStep (
 	h5_file_t* const f,		/*!< [in]  Handle to open file */
 	const h5_id_t step		/*!< [in]  Step to set. */
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER2 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p, step=%lld", f, (long long)step);
+	H5_API_ENTER2 (h5_err_t, "f=%p, step=%lld", f, (long long)step);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_set_step (f, step));
 }
 
@@ -166,7 +183,7 @@ h5_id_t
 H5GetStep (
 	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< Handle to open file */
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_get_step (f));
 }
 
@@ -184,7 +201,7 @@ int
 H5GetNumProcs (
 	h5_file_t* const f
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_get_num_procs(f));
 }
 
@@ -205,7 +222,7 @@ h5_ssize_t
 H5GetNumSteps (
 	h5_file_t* const f
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_get_num_steps(f));
 }
 
@@ -225,7 +242,7 @@ H5HasStep (
 	h5_id_t stepno
 	) {
 	H5_API_ENTER2 (h5_err_t,
-		       "f=0x%p, stepno=%lld",
+		       "f=%p, stepno=%lld",
 		       f,
 		       (long long)stepno);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_has_step (f, stepno));
@@ -242,7 +259,7 @@ h5_err_t
 H5StartTraverseSteps (
 	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< Handle to open file */
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_start_traverse_steps (f));
 }
 
@@ -257,7 +274,7 @@ h5_err_t
 H5TraverseSteps (
 	h5_file_t* const f		/*!< Handle to open file */
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=%p", f);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_traverse_steps (f));
 }
 
@@ -283,7 +300,7 @@ H5SetThrottle (
 	h5_file_t* f,
 	int factor
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER2 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p, factor=%d", f, factor);
+	H5_API_ENTER2 (h5_err_t, "f=%p, factor=%d", f, factor);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_set_throttle(f, factor));
 }
 #endif // PARALLEL_IO
@@ -314,7 +331,7 @@ h5_err_t
 H5SetErrorHandler (
 	h5_errorhandler_t handler
 	) {
-	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "handler=0x%p", handler);
+	H5_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "handler=%p", handler);
 	H5_API_RETURN (h5_set_errorhandler (handler));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/h5core/h5_openclose.c b/src/h5core/h5_openclose.c
index c44b27e..67544e7 100644
--- a/src/h5core/h5_openclose.c
+++ b/src/h5core/h5_openclose.c
@@ -325,6 +325,23 @@ h5_close_file (
 	H5_CORE_API_RETURN (H5_SUCCESS);
 }
 
+h5_err_t
+h5_flush_step (
+	h5_file_t * const f
+	) {
+	H5_CORE_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_CORE_API_RETURN (hdf5_flush (f->step_gid, H5F_SCOPE_LOCAL));
+}
+
+h5_err_t
+h5_flush_file (
+	h5_file_t * const f
+	) {
+	H5_CORE_API_ENTER1 (h5_err_t, "f=0x%p", f);
+	H5_CORE_API_RETURN (hdf5_flush (f->file, H5F_SCOPE_GLOBAL));
+}
+
+
 /*!
   \ingroup h5_core_filehandling
 
diff --git a/src/h5core/h5u_readwrite.c b/src/h5core/h5u_readwrite.c
index 64cb41f..7b72222 100644
--- a/src/h5core/h5u_readwrite.c
+++ b/src/h5core/h5u_readwrite.c
@@ -155,10 +155,12 @@ h5u_write_data (
 #ifdef PARALLEL_IO
 	TRY (h5_end_throttle (f));
 #endif
+	if (f->mode & H5_O_FLUSHSTEP)
+		TRY (hdf5_flush (f->step_gid, H5F_SCOPE_LOCAL));
+
 	TRY (hdf5_close_dataset (dset_id));
 
 	f->empty = 0;
-	TRY (hdf5_flush (f->step_gid, H5F_SCOPE_LOCAL));
 
 	H5_CORE_API_RETURN (H5_SUCCESS);
 }
diff --git a/src/include/h5core/h5_openclose.h b/src/include/h5core/h5_openclose.h
index 843ffde..8bf7885 100644
--- a/src/include/h5core/h5_openclose.h
+++ b/src/include/h5core/h5_openclose.h
@@ -12,17 +12,27 @@ h5_open_file (
 	MPI_Comm comm
 	);
 
-h5_int64_t
+h5_err_t
 h5_check_filehandle (
 	h5_file_t * const f
 	);
 
-h5_int64_t
+h5_err_t
 h5_close_file (
 	h5_file_t * const f
 	);
 
-h5_int64_t
+h5_err_t
+h5_flush_step (
+	h5_file_t * const f
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+h5_flush_file (
+	h5_file_t * const f
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
 h5_set_stepname_fmt (
 	h5_file_t * const f,
 	const char *name,
diff --git a/src/include/h5core/h5_types.h b/src/include/h5core/h5_types.h
index 23a0fc7..00e73ed 100644
--- a/src/include/h5core/h5_types.h
+++ b/src/include/h5core/h5_types.h
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ extern "C" {
 #define H5_VFD_MPIPOSIX         0x10
 #define H5_VFD_INDEPENDENT      0x20
 
+#define H5_O_FLUSHSTEP		0x40
+
 #define H5_ID_T			H5T_NATIVE_INT64
 #define H5_FLOAT64_T		H5T_NATIVE_DOUBLE
 #define H5_FLOAT32_T		H5T_NATIVE_FLOAT