ASCII Reader 3.3

Features:

- ASCII Reader is an Extension to import table-like text data as dBASE tables into ArcView. The data can be separated by tokens, multiple spaces or exact width. Multiple tables can be imported as one single dBASE table or as multiple dBASE tables.
- Since version 2.6 ASCII reader also supports import of netCDF-files (a data format used for meteorological data) in CDL notation.

System requirements:

- ArcView 3.x

Installation:

- Just copy asciireader.avx to your $AVEXT-directory (something like c:\esri\arcview\av_gis30\ext32)
- Activate ASCII Reader in the Extension dialog (-->Program -->Extensions) and open a new view.
- ASCII Reader adds a new Menu to your View menu bar (no buttons, tools etc., just a menu called "ASCII Reader").

New in latest versions:

- 2.0: Fixed several import bugs (missing first line; problems with file names containing the same character string as the file extension; error caused when importing tables with different number of fields)
- 2.1: Missing first line in tables without header (fixed); File name error when directory was named equally to the file extension (fixed)
- 2.2: Field width can be more than 14 (has been limited in previous versions)
- 2.3: Better error handling with inconsistent tables.
- 2.4: Allows user-defined output file names; asks before overwriting existing tables; maintains data precisions
- 2.5: Merge multiple tables failed in version 2.4 (fixed). Implemented import of netCDF ASCII data (*.cdf) now.
- 2.6: netCDF (*.cdl)-module created multiple fields with identical names when importing multiple tables without merging (fixed); First field name (e.g. "time") was lost when importing netCDF-data.
- 2.7: Until version 2.6 the ASCII Reader couldn't process import data with varying number of fields. Now the user is asked whether he/she wants to continue.
- 2.8: Unwanted fields can be skipped now.
- 2.9: Fixed a bug in netCDF-module
- 2.91:Import continues even when fields are missing
- 2.92:Fixed a bug in ASCII import (null values in last column)
- 2.93:Fixed a bug in netCDF import (UNIX linefeeds)
- 2.94:Fixed a bug in netCDF import (differing number of rows)
- 2.99:Corrected allocation of lat/lon coordinates in netCDF import
- 3.0: Extended netCDF support now (max. three dimensions)
- 3.1: Fixed two bugs in netCDF import: Supports variables of type "double" and field names > 10 letters now
- 3.2: Parameters for field width and precision can be defined now
- 3.3: Fixed some bugs caused by empty fields in tables

Limitatons and bugs:

- If the import process comes to a table with less fields than the first one, the import process stops. You can get around this problem if You start the import again using the table that produced the error occurred as the first table.
- netCDF module does only support two dimensions yet and no offset calculation. You find a description of the netCDF format here:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf/guide_4.html
- You can't just enter a TAB as separator string. If You have TAB-separated data, try either importing them separated by Spaces or by exact width.
- Field width and precision can only be defined globally, not for each field separately
Please report bugs to
weigel-at-ecogis.de
Thanks

Examples for the use of ASCII Reader:

- Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary (FBNMS), American Samoa: Import of netCDF data

Copyright:

Portions of this work include intellectual property of Johannes Weigel and are used herein with permission.
Copyright (C) 2002-2008 Johannes Weigel.
All rights reserved.

Hannover, Aug. 12, 2008
Johannes Weigel