Question 1

Can I edit my .hex data file to add some explanatory notes to the header?

Accepted Answer

Some text editing programs modify the file in ways that are not visible to the user (such as adding or removing carriage returns and line feeds), but that corrupt the format and prevent further processing by Seasoft. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you first convert the data to a .cnv file (using SBE Data Processing’s Data Conversion module), and then use other SBE Data Processing modules to edit the .cnv file as desired.

However, if you still want to edit the raw data, this procedure provides details on one way to edit a .hex data file with a text editor while retaining the required format. If the editing is not performed using this technique, Seasoft may reject the data file and give you an error message.

Make a back-up copy of your .hex data file before you begin.
Run WordPad.
In the File menu, select Open. The Open dialog box appears. For Files of type, select All Documents (*.*). Browse to the desired .hex data file and click Open.
Edit the file as desired, inserting any new header lines after the System Upload Time line. Note that all header lines must begin with an asterisk (*), and *END* indicates the end of the header. An example is shown below, with the added lines in bold:

* Sea-Bird SBE 21 Data File:
* FileName = C:\Odis\SAT2-ODIS\oct14-19\oc15_99.hex
* Software Version Seasave Win32 v1.10
* Temperature SN = 2366
* Conductivity SN = 2366
* System UpLoad Time = Oct 15 1999 10:57:19
* Testing adding header lines
* Must start with an asterisk
* Can be placed anywhere between System Upload Time and END of header
* NMEA Latitude = 30 59.70 N
* NMEA Longitude = 081 37.93 W
* NMEA UTC (Time) = Oct 15 1999 10:57:19
* Store Lat/Lon Data = Append to Every Scan and Append to .NAV File When is Pressed
** Ship: Sea-Bird
** Cruise: Sea-Bird Header Test
** Station:
** Latitude:
** Longitude:
*END*

In the File menu, select Save (not Save As). The following message may display:
You are about to save the document in a Text-Only format, which will remove all formatting. Are you sure you want to do this?
Ignore the message and click Yes.
In the File menu, select Exit.

Question 2

Can I edit my .hex data file to add some explanatory notes to the header?

Accepted Answer

Some text editing programs modify the file in ways that are not visible to the user (such as adding or removing carriage returns and line feeds), but that corrupt the format and prevent further processing by Seasoft. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you first convert the data to a .cnv file (using SBE Data Processing’s Data Conversion module), and then use other SBE Data Processing modules to edit the .cnv file as desired.

However, if you still want to edit the raw data, this procedure provides details on one way to edit a .hex data file with a text editor while retaining the required format. If the editing is not performed using this technique, Seasoft may reject the data file and give you an error message.

Make a back-up copy of your .hex data file before you begin.
Run WordPad.
In the File menu, select Open. The Open dialog box appears. For Files of type, select All Documents (*.*). Browse to the desired .hex data file and click Open.
Edit the file as desired, inserting any new header lines after the System Upload Time line. Note that all header lines must begin with an asterisk (*), and *END* indicates the end of the header. An example is shown below, with the added lines in bold:

* Sea-Bird SBE 21 Data File:
* FileName = C:\Odis\SAT2-ODIS\oct14-19\oc15_99.hex
* Software Version Seasave Win32 v1.10
* Temperature SN = 2366
* Conductivity SN = 2366
* System UpLoad Time = Oct 15 1999 10:57:19
* Testing adding header lines
* Must start with an asterisk
* Can be placed anywhere between System Upload Time and END of header
* NMEA Latitude = 30 59.70 N
* NMEA Longitude = 081 37.93 W
* NMEA UTC (Time) = Oct 15 1999 10:57:19
* Store Lat/Lon Data = Append to Every Scan and Append to .NAV File When is Pressed
** Ship: Sea-Bird
** Cruise: Sea-Bird Header Test
** Station:
** Latitude:
** Longitude:
*END*

In the File menu, select Save (not Save As). The following message may display:
You are about to save the document in a Text-Only format, which will remove all formatting. Are you sure you want to do this?
Ignore the message and click Yes.
In the File menu, select Exit.