Instruction manual

SECTION 5. STG MODULE: SMS - STORAGE MODULE SOFTWARE
PC208W, Version 3.0, Instruction Manual 5-9
5.5.1 FILE FORMAT
Before you attempt to “get” (collect) any data
you should ensure that you are using the file
format required.
ASCII with Array IDs
This format is ASCII with Array Identifiers, and
is the most “readable” when printed. Each data
value is preceded by an identifier indicating its
position in the array. This format requires the
most disk space on the computer, and can be
difficult to use in some data analysis packages.
This format is also ambiguous for arrays of 100
or more data values. It is therefore not
recommended for purposes other than printing.
NOTE: If the data was stored from the
datalogger in ASCII format, you should use
the “As Stored” format to collect data from
the module (see below). Storing data
directly in ASCII format is inefficient in
terms of use of the module memory, as
printable ASCII requires five storage
locations in the module (10 bytes) as
compared to one (2 bytes) for binary data.
Comma Separated
This format has array elements separated by
commas. No element identifiers are included
and all leading zeros and trailing zeros after the
decimal point are removed. Each array is
terminated with a carriage return and line feed.
Comma separated format is comparatively
compact, can be read when printed, and can be
imported into most data analysis packages
(e.g., if you use a .CSV file extension, Excel will
auto-import the file).
As Stored
When this option is used the software does not
perform any decoding on the data in the card or
module. Data are read out of the module and
written to disk “as it is” (8-bit data).
If data has been stored from a datalogger in a
binary format, this option writes the data to disk
in the same format. This is the most compact
format for data storage on disk, but the data
needs to be decoded before it can be read.
SPLIT (see Section 3) can be used to decode
the data. If you wish to decode data with your
own software, refer to the appropriate
datalogger Operator’s Manual.
5.5.2 FILE NAMING OPTIONS
Data files can be collected either individually or
collectively. The File Naming Options box gives
you control over how the extracted files are
collected and named.
Filename
Data files will normally be stored under a
filename with the .DAT extension. When first
using SMS, the button in the FILE NAMING
OPTION screen will show the name
DATA000.DAT. This name can be changed to
any other name of your choice. By clicking on
the button, a standard Windows Filename box
appears that will allow you to type in the name
you want.
Auto Name Control
You may choose to Auto Increment the
filename, to Append the data to a current file or
to manually choose a New Name for each file
saved.
Auto Increment Name
When the software is first used, the program
will always select a default filename and use
automatic file incrementing. This means that the
filename will initially be DATA000.DAT. Unless
you change the default, further files will be
saved in the sequence DATA001.DAT ...
DATA999.DAT. This means that whenever you
store new data files to disk, the name will
automatically increment by adding one to the
number at the end of the name.
If you are collecting multiple files (as in the Get
All command), the filename will be incremented
automatically as each file is collected. The
program will scan the disk for files with the
same base filename. If a file is found with a
higher numeric suffix than the one you enter,
the program will ask for confirmation to avoid
the possibility of existing files being overwritten.
You may change the “base” filename by clicking
on the Filename button, but the last three
letters of the eight possible characters will
automatically be converted to digits if you have
chosen auto incrementing.