Article ID: 050225sab
Last Reviewed: July 10, 2023
The information in this article applies to:
- Pronto for Windows all versions from 5.04 supporting SmartView import.
Symptoms
When importing multiple SmartView data files into a Project, Pronto places sessions from the same SmartView channel into different data streams.
Cause
The data is split into different data streams because of a different assumptions Pronto makes about the data while importing.
Problem Details
When Pronto imports SmartView data it tries to work out the maximum decimal places and data type appropriate for the data, using the following procedure.
First Pronto looks at the file header which (for example) in all sessions:
H02, 1.000000, 7.000000,5, 4, 4, CPM, Gamma
In this header the user has specified a display maximum and minimum of 7.0 and 1.0 respectively.
Then after Pronto has scanned the data it looks at the maximum and minimum values in the data which are as follows:
Session maximum minimum
02022005 211 134
02032005 20810 2
02042005 207 131
02042005 212 130
Pronto then works out the number of decimal places and data type for each session using the outer limits of either the session or the user entered maximum and minimum.
The number of decimal places and data type is worked out from which of these ranges fits the data:
Maximum Minimum Decimal Places Data type
0.29999 -0.29999 5 signed
0.59999 0 5 unsigned
2.9999 -2.9999 4 signed
5.9999 0 4 unsigned
29.999 -29.999 3 signed
59.999 0 3 unsigned
299.99 -299.99 2 signed
599.99 0 2 unsigned
2999.9 -2999.9 1 signed
5999.9 0 1 unsigned
Otherwise 0 signed
For sessions on 02, 04 and 05 of Feb, using the table above, Pronto will assume 2 decimal places and signed data.
For the session on 03 Feb again using the table above Pronto assumes 0 decimal places and signed data.
Because Pronto assumes a different number of decimal places for the session on 03 Feb, a new data stream is created for this session.
Resolution
If you edit the header in each of the files so that the user maximum and minimums match those seen in the data then Pronto will select the same decimal places and data type for all sessions.
for example change the header in each file from:
H02, 1.000000, 7.000000,5, 4, 4, CPM, Gamma
to
H02, 1.000000, 29000.00,5, 4, 4, CPM, Gamma
Then re-import the SmartView data into Pronto.
If you change the display settings in the SmartView, this will save you from having to edit any new files created. Alternatively use a global find and replace utility to automatically edit all the SmartView files before import.
References
None.