diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
index 0e84e81..a7fd363 100644
--- a/.gitattributes
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -394,6 +394,7 @@ src/Fortran/TestUnderscoreC.c -text
 src/Makefile.am -text
 src/h5core/Makefile.am -text
 src/h5core/h5_attribs.c -text
+src/h5core/h5_attribs_private.h -text
 src/h5core/h5_core_private.h -text
 src/h5core/h5_errorhandling.c -text
 src/h5core/h5_errorhandling_private.h -text
diff --git a/src/h5core/h5_attribs.c b/src/h5core/h5_attribs.c
index 7150ffb..55b3e4b 100644
--- a/src/h5core/h5_attribs.c
+++ b/src/h5core/h5_attribs.c
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #include "h5_core_private.h"
 
 static h5_err_t
-_get_hdf5_obj_id(
+get_hdf5_obj_id(
 	h5_file_t *const f,
 	const char mode,
 	hid_t *id
@@ -14,6 +14,39 @@ _get_hdf5_obj_id(
 	return H5_SUCCESS;
 }
 
+h5_err_t
+h5priv_read_attrib (
+	h5_file_t* const f,		/*!< handle to open file */
+	const hid_t id,			/*!< HDF5 object ID */
+	const char* attrib_name,	/*!< name of HDF5 attribute to read */
+	const hid_t attrib_type,	/*!< HDF5 type of attribute */
+	void* const attrib_value	/*!< OUT: attribute value */
+	) {
+	hid_t attrib_id;
+	hid_t type_id;
+	hid_t space_id;
+	TRY( attrib_id = h5priv_open_hdf5_attribute (f, id, attrib_name) );
+	TRY( type_id = h5priv_get_hdf5_attribute_type (f, attrib_id) );
+
+        hid_t h5type_id;
+        TRY( h5type_id = h5_normalize_h5_type(f, type_id) );
+	if ( h5type_id != attrib_type )
+		return h5_error (
+			f,
+			H5_ERR_HDF5,
+			"Attribute '%s' has type '%s' but was requested as '%s'.",
+			attrib_name,
+			h5priv_get_base_type_name(f, h5type_id),
+			h5priv_get_base_type_name(f, attrib_type) );
+
+	TRY( space_id = h5priv_get_hdf5_attribute_dataspace (f, attrib_id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_read_hdf5_attribute (f, attrib_id, type_id, attrib_value) );
+	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_dataspace(f, space_id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_type(f, type_id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_attribute (f, attrib_id) );
+	return H5_SUCCESS;
+}
+
 /*!
   \ingroup h5_core_attrib
 
@@ -31,66 +64,28 @@ h5_read_attrib (
 	const hid_t attrib_type,	/*!< HDF5 type of attribute */
 	void* const attrib_value	/*!< OUT: attribute value */
 	) {
-
 	if (mode != H5_ATTRIB_FILE) CHECK_TIMEGROUP( f );
 
-	hid_t attrib_id;
-	hid_t space_id;
-	hid_t type_id;
-
 	hid_t id;
-	TRY( _get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
-
-	TRY( attrib_id = h5priv_open_hdf5_attribute (f, id, attrib_name) );
-	TRY( type_id = h5priv_get_hdf5_attribute_type (f, attrib_id) );
-
-        hid_t h5type_id;
-        TRY( h5type_id = h5_normalize_h5_type(f, type_id) );
-	if ( h5type_id != attrib_type )
-		return h5_error (
-			f,
-			H5_ERR_HDF5,
-			"Attribute '%s' has type '%s' but was requested as '%s'.",
-			attrib_name,
-			h5priv_get_base_type_name(f, h5type_id),
-			h5priv_get_base_type_name(f, attrib_type) );
-
-	TRY( space_id = h5priv_get_hdf5_attribute_dataspace (f, attrib_id) );
-	TRY( h5priv_read_hdf5_attribute (f, attrib_id, type_id, attrib_value) );
-	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_dataspace(f, space_id) );
-	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_type(f, type_id) );
-	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_attribute (f, attrib_id) );
+	TRY( get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_read_attrib (f, id, attrib_name, attrib_type, attrib_value) );
 
 	return H5_SUCCESS;
 }
 
-/*!
-  \ingroup h5_core_attrib
-
-  Write attribute to HDF5 object.
-
-  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code.
-*/
 h5_err_t
-h5_write_attrib (
+h5priv_write_attrib (
 	h5_file_t* const f,		/*!< handle to open file */
-	const char mode,		/*!< FILE or STEP flag */
+	const hid_t id,			/*!< HDF5 object ID */
 	const char* attrib_name,	/*!< name of HDF5 attribute to write */
 	const hid_t attrib_type,	/*!< HDF5 type of attribute */
 	const void* attrib_value,	/*!< value of attribute */
 	const hsize_t attrib_nelem	/*!< number of elements (dimension) */
 	) {
 
-	if (mode != H5_ATTRIB_FILE) CHECK_TIMEGROUP( f );
-	CHECK_WRITABLE_MODE( f );
-
 	hid_t space_id;
 	hid_t attrib_id;
         hid_t type_id;
-
-	hid_t id;
-	TRY( _get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
-
 	if ( attrib_type == H5T_NATIVE_CHAR ) {
 		TRY( type_id = h5priv_create_hdf5_string_type(f,
 			    				attrib_nelem) );
@@ -123,30 +118,42 @@ h5_write_attrib (
 /*!
   \ingroup h5_core_attrib
 
-  Get information about an attribute of a HDF5 object.
+  Write attribute to HDF5 object.
 
   \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code.
 */
 h5_err_t
-h5_get_attrib_info (
-	h5_file_t* const f,			/*!< handle to open file */
-	const char mode,			/*!< FILE or STEP flag */
-	const h5_size_t attrib_idx,		/*!< index of attribute */
-	char* attrib_name,			/*!< OUT: name of attribute */
-	const h5_size_t len_attrib_name,	/*!< buffer length */
-	h5_int64_t* attrib_type,		/*!< OUT: H5 type of attribute */
-	h5_size_t* attrib_nelem			/*!< OUT: number of elements */
+h5_write_attrib (
+	h5_file_t* const f,		/*!< handle to open file */
+	const char mode,		/*!< FILE or STEP flag */
+	const char* attrib_name,	/*!< name of HDF5 attribute to write */
+	const hid_t attrib_type,	/*!< HDF5 type of attribute */
+	const void* attrib_value,	/*!< value of attribute */
+	const hsize_t attrib_nelem	/*!< number of elements (dimension) */
 	) {
-
 	if (mode != H5_ATTRIB_FILE) CHECK_TIMEGROUP( f );
+	CHECK_WRITABLE_MODE( f );
 
+	hid_t id;
+	TRY( get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_write_attrib (f, id, attrib_name, attrib_type,
+				  attrib_value, attrib_nelem) );
+	return H5_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+h5_err_t
+h5priv_get_attrib_info (
+	h5_file_t* const f,		/*!< handle to open file */
+	const hid_t id,			/*!< HDF5 object ID */
+	const h5_size_t attrib_idx,	/*!< index of attribute */
+	char* attrib_name,		/*!< OUT: name of attribute */
+	const h5_size_t len_attrib_name,/*!< buffer length */
+	h5_int64_t* attrib_type,	/*!< OUT: H5 type of attribute */
+	h5_size_t* attrib_nelem		/*!< OUT: number of elements */
+	) {
 	hid_t attrib_id;
 	hid_t mytype;
 	hid_t space_id;
-
-	hid_t id;
-	TRY( _get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
-
 	TRY( attrib_id = h5priv_open_hdf5_attribute_idx (
 		      f,
 		      id,
@@ -171,7 +178,32 @@ h5_get_attrib_info (
 		TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_type(f, mytype) );
 	}
 	TRY( h5priv_close_hdf5_attribute (f, attrib_id) );
+	return H5_SUCCESS;
+}
 
+/*!
+  \ingroup h5_core_attrib
+
+  Get information about an attribute of a HDF5 object.
+
+  \return \c H5_SUCCESS or error code.
+*/
+h5_err_t
+h5_get_attrib_info (
+	h5_file_t* const f,			/*!< handle to open file */
+	const char mode,			/*!< FILE or STEP flag */
+	const h5_size_t attrib_idx,		/*!< index of attribute */
+	char* attrib_name,			/*!< OUT: name of attribute */
+	const h5_size_t len_attrib_name,	/*!< buffer length */
+	h5_int64_t* attrib_type,		/*!< OUT: H5 type of attribute */
+	h5_size_t* attrib_nelem			/*!< OUT: number of elements */
+	) {
+	if (mode != H5_ATTRIB_FILE) CHECK_TIMEGROUP( f );
+
+	hid_t id;
+	TRY( get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
+	TRY( h5priv_get_attrib_info (f, id, attrib_idx, attrib_name, len_attrib_name,
+				     attrib_type, attrib_nelem) );
 	return H5_SUCCESS;
 }
 
@@ -189,7 +221,7 @@ h5_get_num_attribs (
 	) {
 	if (mode != H5_ATTRIB_FILE) CHECK_TIMEGROUP( f );
 	hid_t id;
-	TRY( _get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
+	TRY( get_hdf5_obj_id(f, mode, &id) );
 	return h5priv_get_num_hdf5_attribute (f, id);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/h5core/h5_attribs_private.h b/src/h5core/h5_attribs_private.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ac597e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/h5core/h5_attribs_private.h
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+#ifndef __H5_ATTRIBS_PRIVATE_H
+#define __H5_ATTRIBS_PRIVATE_H
+
+h5_err_t
+h5priv_read_attrib (
+	h5_file_t* const f,
+	const hid_t id,
+	const char* attrib_name,
+	const hid_t attrib_type,
+	void* const attrib_value
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+h5priv_write_attrib (
+	h5_file_t* const f,
+	const hid_t id,
+	const char* attrib_name,
+	const hid_t attrib_type,
+	const void* attrib_value,
+	const hsize_t attrib_nelem
+	);
+
+h5_err_t
+h5priv_get_attrib_info (
+	h5_file_t* const f,
+	const hid_t id,
+	const h5_size_t attrib_idx,
+	char* attrib_name,
+	const h5_size_t len_attrib_name,
+	h5_int64_t* attrib_type,
+	h5_size_t* attrib_nelem
+	);
+#endif