Introduction

ASCII file formats are easy to read and edit using any text editor. GTDIO ASCII files are much larger than compressed DIO or DI binary files. Two distinct ASCII formats are available: Raw ASCII and ASCII with Commands. Both types use ASC extensions.

Raw ASCII contains only data and is not board dependent. An ASCII with Command file (Command ASCII) contains the same information as a DIO file, such as data, board settings and commands. As a result, the Command ASCII format is board dependent.

DIOEasy and the GTDIO Driver permit 2-way conversion of DIO and DI files to ASCII file types.

Both ASCII file types can contain either DIO (vector) or DI (result) data, depending on the source file. Vector programs can run either Command ASCII or DIO files.

Raw ASCII File Format Overview

Raw ASCII files contain only data. Because they are not board dependent, they can be used to exchange data between any test platforms that use ASCII.

Raw ASCII files save all vector and result data, but not command nor board configuration data. Unsaved data components are lost when the source (DIO or DI) file is converted. Therefore, when a Raw ASCII file is loaded, it cannot run a vector or configure domain boards. Command and configuration data must be added. Raw ASCII files that are read can then be saved as DIO or DI files with added command and configuration data.

Command ASCII File Format Overview

A Command ASCII file contains a header. It also contains channel, direction, label and command data. When a Command ASCII file is loaded, it configures the domain and runs just like a DIO vector file. A Command ASCII file can be freely converted back to native DIO and DI files when saved.

Converting Files to ASCII Format

There are two ways to convert a DIO or DI file to ASCII: use DIOEasy or use the GTDIO driver.

1.    The DIOEasy Method:

●     Open the file in DIOEasy.

●     In the file menu select ”Save As...”.

●     In the “Save as type” combo box convert as follows:

For Raw ASCII, select “ASCII Files”.

For Command ASCII, select “ASCII Files w/Command”.

2.    The GTDIO Method:

●     Call the “DioFileConvert” command with the conversion mode set to either Raw ASCII or ASCII with Commands. Details for this method are found in the book "Programmer's Reference User's Guide in the section – "Functions Reference".

Comparing Formats

Table A-1 (on the following page) compares RAW and Command type ASCII files side by side. The first column contains header (Hnn) data or line numbers. RAW displays in the second column, Command in the last column. Both file formats were derived from the same one-board domain vector source file. The source file was created using DIOEasy. It has a default size of 16,384 steps, but only steps 4 to 21 contain valid channel data. This table is discussed further in following topics.

Note: Header lines in Table A-1 (marked with an H in column 1) appear only in Command ASCII files. Line 0 is the first line in a Raw ASCII file.

Comparing Raw and Command ASCII Files for One Board