INTRODUCTION

The MineSight Data ASCII Reformat Tool (MSDART) is a stand alone utility program that
can be used to reformat any ASCII data file. It can also directly access 3DBM data for
reformatting and transferring 3DBM data to/from another 3DBM or to/from ASCII.
NOTE: When accessing model data, MSDART works only with 3D block models (3DBM, File 15). It does not work with
Gridded Seam Models (GSM, File 15) or Gridded Surface Files (GSF, File 13).

MSDART is enabled for sub-blocked 3DBM files. It can be used to convert from an ASCII
file to a sub-block 3DBM file, and vice versa (convert from a sub-block 3DBM file to an
ASCII file).
The MSDART interface consists of a dialog with six tab dialogs and two dropdown desktop
menus.

Click on one of the tabs in the image above, and the help for that topic will be displayed.

The six tab pages are designed to be filled out in sequence from left to right.

The working setup file path is displayed in the title bar when files are loaded or saved.
[new] is displayed when the setup is cleared.

SETUP

Use Load... to use a previously save setup.

Use Save As... to save a setup to ASCII. When known, the setup file is the default file in
the Setup Load and Save As... dialogs.

Use Quit to exit the program.

HELP
Use MSDART Help... to display this help documentation for MSDART. You can also press
the F1 function key to bring up this Help documentation from any dialog.
Click on About... to display the program version information.

Installing MSDART
The MSDART installation places the files necessary to run MSDART in the directory
specified by the %MEDEXE% environment variable (usually, \MineSight).

STARTING MSDART
MSDART can be started from a Desktop shortcut or from Windows Explorer, by double-
clicking on the executable. By default MSDART opens on the Files tab page dialog.
Running MSDARTCMD from the Command Line
MSDARTCMD command line syntax options are:

Use the arguments -h, or -v, to display the help for the program options, as shown above.
To use a template file, use the -t option followed by the name of the template file. The
MSDART template file is the Saved Setup file, which contains the parameters to use for
conversion (see also the Files and Output pages).

The -if file and -of file options: If the input and output file names are different from what
is listed in the template file, then you must indicate both input and output filenames. If
the specified input file does not exist, then no output file will be created.

FILES
The Files panel is where the input (Source File) and output (Destination File) files must be
specified. Input and output is from/to either an ASCII data file or a model file (File 15). To
access a model file, you must select its Project Control File (PCF). Once a valid PCF has
been selected, the "Model file:" dropdown list will be activated. It contains a list of the
model files within the selected PCF. Pick the model file from the dropdown list that you
want to use.
The path and filenames can either be typed directly into the input fields or use the Browse
button to locate the files using the file chooser. By default, the file chooser window filters
on comma separated value (CSV) file types, but this can be easily changed by choosing a
different file type from the dropdown menu.

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.
LOAD SETUP
If the program has been run before, and the input parameters were saved to a Setup file
[see Output], click on Setup | Load... to use previously saved parameters.
Note: If you use a pre-existing Setup and the input (source) file has been changed, the
settings on the other tab pages will be cleared.
If MSDART has been run previously and you choose an input file with a different filename
than was last used, a Warning message will be displayed to let you know that the current
setup may not be compatible with the new source file.

Error Loading Input Source File

If the file you choose for the input source file does not exist, a warning message will be
displayed when you click on another tab page dialog. Check that the input file exists in the
directory specified.

NOTE: The input data source file is limited to 1048576 characters per line.
INPUT
The Input dialog is where information about the input source file is specified. Depending
on what you specified as the input source file over on the Files tab, the Input dialog will be
different depending on whether the input is from a model file or from an ASCII file.

Input from a Model File

The model's block limits are shown. By default, the entire model will be output. Use the
slider bars to change the limits to be output, or type in values. The minimum cannot be
less than one, and the maximum cannot be greater than the maximum number of blocks
that exist in a column, row or bench.
Filter and defaults
This section lists the model items as read from the input model file. Toggle those items
you want to include in the output file. By default all items are selected. Click on "Clear
all" to unselect all of the model items. Click on "Select all" to reselect all of the model
items.

You can optionally enter default values to output when an item is undefined. There is no
restriction on the value you use for the Default. Click on "Use defaults" to reset the
Default values to their undefined values and to select all of the model items.

Coordinates and size

This section is available only if an ASCII file is specified as an output file on the Files panel.
In addition to outputting the selected model items, you can also output:

Block (i, j, k) - this option will output the integer block number in column, row, bench (i, j,
k) values).

Model (X center, Y center, Z center) - this option outputs the Easting, Northing, and
Elevation coordinates at the block center in model coordinates. If the model is not
rotated, the coordinates will be the same as the project coordinates.

Project (Easting, Northing, Elevation) - this option outputs the Easting, Northing, and
Elevation coordinates at the block center in project coordinates. If the model is not
rotated, the coordinates will be the same as the model coordinates.

Block size - toggle this option ON to include the block size (dx, dy, dz) in the output file.
This option is unavailable if the input file is a sub-blocked model.

Hide empty benches - If there are benches where all of model items on a bench have an
undefined value, that bench will not be included in the output.
Input from an ASCII file
The input panel displayed when the input is an ASCII file These include options to select a
delimiter and some display options such as the number of lines to be skipped when read
in, define the field definition line and the number of lines to be previewed. The ‘Original
file’ field displays the original input file and is used for reference.

Model limits

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.
Processing Options
Skip # lines - this is the number of lines to skip when the data is read in.

Field Definition Line - specify the line in the ASCII input file that has the column
definitions; this is typically the header line.

Delimiter
Specify the column delimiter used in the input file; comma, space, other, or fixed column.
For 'Other', you must also identify the character used as the column separator. For 'Fixed
Column', please specify the column indices, as shown on the dialog. When MSDART is
executed, 'Comma' is the default delimiter.

Preview Options
In the Display Options section of the dialog (in the upper right), specify the number of
lines to skip over when the input file is read in, the location of the Field Definition Line in
the input file, and how many lines to display in the File Preview section. By default, the
Preview # lines is set to 100. The information in the Field Definition Line will be used later
on in the Translation dialog.

Toggle ON the Ruler check box to show column number across the top of the Original File
viewer.

Toggle ON the Line Numbers check box to show line numbers in the Original File view
section.

After the Display Options section has been filled out, click on the Preview Fields button to
populate the "File Preview" section in the lower part of the Input dialog.

Click on the Find Limits button to read the entire input file and report the Min value, Max
value, and the maximum number of digits (to the right side of the decimal). Zeros are
counted, i.e. a value of 3.000 will return with a precision of 3. When the "Find Limits"
button is pressed, the button wording is changed to "Cancel" and a progress indicator
appears in the button; click on the button to stop (or cancel) the progress. After the file
has been read completely, the button wording will return to "Find Limits" and three
additional rows will appear in the File Preview section. For the particular column of data,
Min Value is the lowest numeric value and Max Value is the highest numeric value.
Precision is the highest decimal count. If there are no values in the column, the precision
(Decimals) will be blank. If there is a Alpha value in the column, the precision (Decimals)
will be "Alpha". Note: Scientific notation precision count is after it is converted to numeric
notation. IE: 3.0e-3 would be 0.0030 and Precision of 4. The help button will describe the
added rows when they are present in the File Preview section.

The File Preview section will be reset (Min Value, Max Value and Decimals file stats will be
removed) when a different Delimiter (comma, space, other) is selected, "Skip # lines" is
changed, or the "Field Definition Line" is changed in the Display Options section.

Original File view

The original input file as specified on the Load Options page is displayed in this section and
is useful as a reference.

File Preview
This section is not populated until the Preview Fields button has been selected.

Field Name displays the data from the Field Definition Line as specified in the "Processing
Options" section. Field names are editable. These names are used on all of the other tab
page dialogs, and changes to the Field Names are reflected in the field name dropdown
lists on the other tab page dialogs. If you enter a blank value for the field name, the value
from the file (or generated) will be used. When using delimiters that allow for blanks, you
can set a default value in the "Default Value" row for those columns that have blank
values.

Note: On the calculation Options page, pre-existing equations that have a dependency on
the column name that you are changing will result in a syntax error. Editing the effected
equation (by double clicking) and changing the column name will resolve this issue.
The # Translations and subsequent data lines are read-only and are grayed-out.

Help for Input Options

For information and help with the File Preview section, click on and the Input Options
Help dialog will be displayed.

Initially, this help dialog will only display the notes about Field Name and Default Value.
Click on the "Find Limits" button to include the Min Value, Max Value and Decimals
information on this dialog (as shown).

Translation
Data manipulation can be done on this page. Field Name consists of all the columns that
are chosen for output. There are two help icons near each of the ‘Translations’ and
‘Substitution list’ panels.
Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.

To manipulate the data, start by finding the field to be changed by clicking on the Field
Name dropdown arrow. The Field Name list is taken from the Field Definition Line (from
the previous tab page dialog), but is comprised of only those fields that were selected to
be output on the Input Options tab page.

Data Manipulation Types

Six types of manipulations are available on the Data Translation dialog.
Add - Adds or subtracts (if negative to the field by the value entered).
Constant
Multiply - Multiplies the field by the value entered.
Factor
Clamp Value - Clamps the values in the selected field to the specified range. Values
greater than the specified maximum are changed to the maximum
value, and values that are less than the minimum value are changed
to the minimum value.
 Replace - Replaces a particular value in a field with another value.
Range - Uses only the data where the selected item's values are within ("Range") or outside
("Omit") the minimum and maximum values specified.
Remove - If the data in a field contains “ ” (double quotes) or ' ' (single quotes), this option will
Quotes remove them.
Substitute - Substitutes different values for multiple values in a field.
List

Translations

First, select the field to be manipulated from the Field Name pulldown list. The field
information on this list is from the input file, as derived from the Field Definition Line
specified in the Display Options section on the Input Options page, and is also only those
Fields selected for output in the File Preview section.
Next, choose the Data Manipulation Type (Add Constant, etc), then enter values in the
input fields.

The substitutions listed on the Substitution List dropdown list are Saved substitutions
listed on the Manage Substitution List.

Once the type has been selected and the values to use for the change you want to make
have been entered, click on the Add button to place it in the Translation Table. Click on
the Remove button to delete selected items from the list.

The Translation Table is Order Dependent. This means that whatever translation is at the
top of the list will be done first. Use the Top-most, Up, Down, or Bottom-most arrow
buttons along the right side of the Translation Table to rearrange the translations to the
order you want them to be done.

When you manually type a substitution value for the "Substitution List" that does not
exist, an Error notice is displayed to let you know the name entered is invalid.

If a named substitution is deleted from the substitution list (in the "Manage Substitution
List"), and that substitution is already used in the Translation Table, it will be removed
from the Translation Table.

Help for the Data Translations Table

For more information about Translations and how to use this function, click on and the
Data Translation Help dialog will be displayed.

SUBSTITUTION LIST
The Substitution List section of the dialog is activated only after that manipulation type
has been selected. The Substitution List section consists of two sub-sections: the
Substitution List table in the upper portion in the dialog and the "Manage Substitution
List" section in the lower portion. The Substitution List table is where substitutions are
created and saved. The "Manage Substitution List" section is where the defined saved
substitutions are listed, and can be deleted.

Creating a Substitution
You can substitute different values for multiple values in a field as defined in the
"Substitution List" table section. Simply type in the values you want to substitute "From"
(the old values in the input file), and enter the values to substitute "To" (new values).

Click on "Preview Fields" button to view the parsed values for the selected "Field Name".
While parsing is taking place, the Preview Fields button will change to . Click on this
button to cancel parsing. On either completion or cancellation, the button will revert back
to "Preview Fields".
As in the Translations section discussed above, the Field Names listed in the pull down list
in the Substitution List table come from the input file, as derived from the "Field Definition
Line" specified on the Input Options page. Note that the "Field Name" pull down list
selection in the Substitution List is only used for previewing the fields.

Entries in the Substitution List table can be deleted by selecting individual values and
pressing 'Delete' on the keyboard. Delete rows by highlighting the gray row number along
the left side of the Substitution List followed by pressing 'Delete'. Delete columns by
highlighting either "From" or "To" (or both), followed by pressing 'Delete'. To delete
continuous values at once, highlight one then hold down the Shift key while clicking into
the last field. To select noncontinuous fields, hold the Control key down while selecting
various fields.

Change the row height or column widths by placing the cursor over the boundary
between rows or columns, then using the mouse drag the row or column to the desired
height or width.

Once you are satisfied with the Substitution, name the substitution and click on Save.

MANAGE SUBSTITUTION LIST

The List of Saved substitutions are listed in the Manager Substitution List portion of the
Data Translation Options dialog. You can delete Saved substitutions one at a time by
clicking on the Delete Selection button.

Help for the Substitutions List

For more information about Substitutions and how to use this function, click on and the
Substitutions List Help dialog will be displayed.
Once you are satisfied with the specified Data Translation Options, go to the Output
Options page.

CALCULATION
Formulaic expressions and expression builders, for changing from Project to Model
coordinates and vice versa, on rotated models, are created on this dialog.

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.
Formulaic Expression
New Field is the name of the label to append to the end of the data line that will contain
the result of the calculation. This field will have a default precision of 6.

Default Value is the value used (alpha or numeric) for the result of the calculation when
there is an error such as syntax or divide by zero.

Available Fields contains a drop down list of the available variable names. These names
come from the header line of the input file or are generated when none is used. The
names of the variables cannot contain ( ) symbols in their names and will be substituted
with "_". If the variable names are repeated, then numbers will be appended to the
variable names (A1, A2, A3, etc).
Insert into Expression will add the selected variable name from the Available Fields drop
down list to the Expression. After inserting the variable to the Expression, the input cursor
will move to the end of the Expression for typing to continue in the Expression field.

The Expression is the user-entered formulaic expression so that columns that are specified
by the name in the header will be substituted per line basis to calculate a result to be
appended to the end of the line.

The Test Data section is where you can enter values for each of the variables to test them
using the current Expression.

Click on the Test button to use the Test Data table with the expression, and have the
result printed to the Test Result area (just above the Test and Save buttons). The result
will display unknown variable names or the missing (or unexpected) operators. If there is
an error in the expression, the error in the expression will be highlighted.

Click on the Save button to add the Expression the Calculated Fields list in the lower
portion of the dialog. The list will display the field name, the default value [in brackets] =
Expression.

Select, then double-click on the expression to edit an expression that have been saved.

The list will display: field name (default value) = expression. Expressions examples are: A +
B / C, (A + B) / C, (5 - B) / C, etc

Note: Use of the power operator is such that the equation "(-2)^4" is not the same as "-
2^4". The first equation shown is -2 to the power of 4, whereas the second equation is
the negative of 2 to the power of 4.

The results from the calculations will be appended to the data line in order of the list, top
down.
Use the Test All tests all of the expressions added to the Calculated Fields list. This button
is unavailable if there are no expressions on the list. If there are no problems, the
following notice is displayed.

Expression Builder
Rotate XY and Rotate 3-D
Use the Rotate XY or Rotate 3-D... buttons to rotate the data. Choosing either option will
create expressions based on user input that will be added to the Calculated Fields list.
Choose the Easting and Northing data to rotate from the Input Fields dropdown lists
(Note: the names on this list are taken from the "Field Names" on the Input Options
panel). Elevation is only available for 3D rotation. Then enter the New Output Field
names for the output file. If the new field names are already used in the calculation list,
they will be overwritten.
The default rotation is performed in the following order: subtract the "Origin of rotation",
then apply the "Rotation Angles" (first Bearing, then Dip, then Plunge) and then add the
"Output Origin (Model)". The rotation default can be used to convert project coordinates
to model coordinates. For a discussion about this topic click on: Model Rotation.

Toggle ON the Inverse rotation option to reverse the order of the "Rotation Angles":
negative Plunge, negative Dip, and then negative Bearing. This option is used to undo
rotation or to convert model coordinates to project coordinates.

Toggle ON the Reflect Elevation option to reverse the direction of the Z-coordinate. For
example, in a PCF the Z-elevation ranges from a minimum value to a maximum value (e.g.,
0 to 100). Use the Reflect Elevation option to reverse the direction (e.g. 0 to -100).

Use Import PCF option to import origin and rotation information from an existing PCF file.
An error message dialog will be displayed if the if the rotation information in the PCF does
not match the selected choice, as follows:
 The error message displayed if the
selected PCF is not rotated.

The error message displayed if the

Rotate 3D... option was selected
and the PCF has only a horizontal
rotation component.

The error message displayed if the

Rotate XY... option was selected
and the PCF has 3-D rotation.

MODEL TO IJK... AND IJK TO MODEL...

Use "Model to IJK..." and "IJK to Model..." to convert from coordinate values to block (IJK
= column, row, bench values) and vice versa.
Use the "Model to IJK..." option if the source fields are in Easting (=Model X), Northing
(=Model Y), Elevation (=Model Z) coordinates. Choose the field names from the
dropdown lists and enter the model limits (in model coordinates). The model limits can be
imported from a PCF file using “Import PCF”. Enter field names for the IJK (column, row,
bench) destination fields. The IJK names (in new equations) will be added to the
Calculated Fields list. Note, equations cannot be created for source or destination fields
that are left blank.
Use the "IJK to Model..." option if the source fields are in IJK (Column, Row, Bench)
coordinates. As above, choose the field names from the dropdown lists and enter the
model limits. You can optionally import the model limits from a PCF using “Import PCF”.
Enter the field names for the Easting (= Model X), Northing (=Model Y) and Elevation
(=Model Z) fields. These names (in equations) will be added to the Calculated Fields list.
Equations cannot be created for source or destination fields that are left blank.
CALCULATED FIELDS
This section of the dialog displays a list of the Expressions (equations) that have been
saved from the Expression field. The Expressions are listed in order of first saved to last
saved.

To delete an expression from the list, click on the Remove button.

EXAMPLE
The example below showing the Formulaic Expression section of the Calculation Options
dialog. The example shown below, a 'New Field' called, "Tons" is calculated using block
dimensions and the tonnage factor in the equation. All of the 'Available Fields' in the
equation are from the input data. See also Expressions and Operations for the proper
syntax usage.
REBLOCKING
The Reblocking dialog is used to reblock data from another 3DBM (possibly sub-blocked)
with different dimensions and/or block sizes. Various model block parameters are
entered on this page. Reblocking does not work with GSM models, and is disabled when
output is to a sub-blocked file.

You must toggle ON the Enable reblocking tool option to activate the options on this
dialog.

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.
Enable reblocking tool
Toggle ON the Enable reblocking tool option to enable all the input fields in the dialog.
When reblocking is enabled, on the Output panel the "Sort" option is disabled and the "#
of lines" option is ignored.

Two Pass Loading - this option is enabled by default. This option will load the attributes
of the block when needed rather than storing the data into memory per bench. Disabling
this option will speed up the process when the elevation cell size, and the product of the
Easting and Northing cell size is small. This option is unavailable when using a model file
as the source.

Block Threshold - this is the smallest partial of the source block (from 0 to 1) to be
considered for calculations.

Input block dimensions

The block section is for the column names used for X Y Z and block sizes. These will
default to the first 6 columns of the data input file.

When reblocking and using a Model file as the source, the input block dimensions and
coordinate systems are handles automatically by MSDART. Just like reblocking from ASCII
input to ASCII output, the first 3 columns for the output are x,y,z centers. Size is omitted.

Output model limits

The model limits refers to the size of the model to be output, in model coordinates. The
output from reblocking is always in model coordinates with block centers in X Y Z. When a
model file is the output destination, the output model limits are disabled.

For ASCII output, the model limits can be imported from a PCF file using the Initialize from
an existing PCF... button. If you select PCF file that has variable benches defined, a
message beside the button will be displayed, "Using variable bench table" to indicate the
model has variable benches and the bench table will be used.
Block code
Enter the input data column names to be used for the block codes in reblocking. Choose
the column names that are available for use from the dropdown list. This list includes the
calculated names appended to the end of the data line. Add the selected field to the list
below using the add button . Use the Remove button to remove a column name from the
list.

The Code list is the majority code for the block based on the amount of output block
containing the source blocks. The partial of output block having this code will be output
after the code. Enter a Missing value for code items to be ignored in the majority code
calculation; the missing value entered should be input exactly as it appears in the source
file.

Prioritize codes...
To prioritize codes, in the case of an even split, select the item from the dropdown list of
"Available fields". Click on the add button to add a code field to the list. Click on the
delete button to remove the code field.

Note: Code fields (items) that have already

been chosen in the Reblocking panel will
automatically be displayed in the list of
available fields.

When you click on the Load codes button, the button changes to while the codes are
being read. When the codes have finished being loaded or when the process has been
stopped, they will be displayed in the Available codes list. Click on this button to
discontinue the process. If the process was stopped before completion, then whatever
codes were read up to that point will be displayed.

You can use the codes in the Available codes list to prioritize; select a code from the list
and move it to the Priority codes list using the move button . You can move multiple
codes to the Priority codes list at one time by pressing on the Ctrl or Shift key during
selection.
To rearrange the Priority codes, select the code and either use the up and down arrows to
move it one level at a time, use the move to top and move to bottom arrows, or drag the
selected code within the priority list.
To remove codes from the priority list select a code and click on the delete button, located
below the list, next to the Enter codes field.
Enter code - this option allows you to enter a code value that may not already be on the
list of Available codes. Enter the value, then click on the add button.
Click on the OK button to Prioritize the codes and Cancel to cancel the priority reordering
function.

WEIGH BY TONNAGE (GRADE)

Use this option to calculate values based density and volume. Choose the column names
that are available for use from the dropdown list. This list includes the calculated names
appended to the end of the data line. Add the selected field to the list below using the
add button . Use the Remove button to remove a column name from the list.

The SG field is the data column name used for the density in the ton/tonnes calculations.
Choose from Specific Gravity (SG) or Tonnage Factor (TF) in the calculations for the Weigh
by Tonnage. The Default SG (or TF) value is used when the SG/TF Field value is less than
or equal to zero. Note: when the SG field is set to <NONE>, Weigh by Tonnage will behave
the same as Weigh by Volume.

WEIGH BY VOLUME (SG)

Use this option to calculate values based on volume. Choose the column names that are
available for use from the dropdown list. This list includes the calculated names appended
to the end of the data line. Add the selected field to the list below using the add button
. Use the Remove button to remove a column name from the list.
ACCUMULATE PROPORTIONALLY ($)
Use this option to add the values to the block divided by the partial of the source block.
Choose the column names that are available for use from the dropdown list. This list
includes the calculated names appended to the end of the data line. Add the selected
field to the list below using the add button . Use the Remove button to remove a
column name from the list.

Minimum: The minimum value fields are the smallest value that will be considered for
the calculation. Otherwise, values below the minimum value will become an undefined
value and will be ignored for the calculation. When the data line calculation is undefined
because all values are undefined, the output will be: (Minimum Value - 1).
In the resulting output file, from left to right, the X Y Z centers' data is listed first, followed
by the attribute list, and then the total block partial for the output block containing data
(as well as the undefined data listed in the source file) is appended to the end of the
output file.

OUTPUT
The Output dialog is where information about the output destination file is specified.
Depending on what you specified as the output destination file over on the Files tab, the
Output dialog will be different depending on whether output is to a model file or to an
ASCII file.

Output to a Model file

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic
Important Note: if the value being output exceeds the destination item's limits (minimum
or maximum), then the value for the item is set to undefined.

Coordinate System
This section is available only if the input is an ASCII file as specified on the Files panel.
Choose one of the following three options:

Block (i, j, k) - this option defines the ASCII input as having integer block numbers in
column, row, bench (i, j, k) values).

Model (X center, Y center, Z center) - this option defines the ASCII input as having the
Easting, Northing, and Elevation coordinates at the block center in model coordinates. If
the model is not rotated, the coordinates will be the same as the project coordinates.
Project (Easting, Northing, Elevation) - this option defines the ASCII input as having the
Easting, Northing, and Elevation coordinates at the block center in project coordinates. If
the model is not rotated, the coordinates will be the same as the model coordinates.

Coordinates
Choose the X, Y and Z data columns in the input ASCII file that will to the model file
output. Once the columns have been selected, they will be highlighted in gray in the
"Map columns to items" section below. Select the DX, DY and DZ data columns from the
input ASCII file that will be used to define the locations of the sub-blocks within a parent
block.

Map columns to items

Choose which columns of data should be output to items in the model file. By default, the
input data columns are matched to like item names in the model file. To map an input
column to a different model item, click on the model item and select another model item
from the dropdown list. Use the "Clear all" option to clear the model items to <NONE>.
To restore the model items to the default selection, click on the "Use defaults" option.

Output to an ASCII file

Note: Click on a section in the image below to display the help for that topic.
Delimiters
Select the Delimiters to use in the output file: Comma, Space, Other (user-specified), and
Fixed Column.

Use a Minimum Field Width to control the minimum column width, or spacing, in the
output file as well as the Preview. Specified values are used for every delimiter except
Fixed Column. This field must contain an integer value (minimum of 0).

When using the Fixed Column option, you should avoid overlapping values (i.e. 1-9, 8-20,
etc). MSDART will reformat accordingly by pushing the second duplicate value and all
remaining values to the right one or more spaces as necessary. MSDART uses the column
values as specified by the user. For example, if columns 3-9 (not 1-9) are specified, then
the first selected item will be output in columns 3-9, and columns 1-2 will be blank. It is
unnecessary to define the columns not included for the output.
Conversion Options
Use “-1” in the # of lines field to convert the entire file. Otherwise, specify the number of
lines from the file to convert. When Reblocking is enabled in the Reblocking Tool, the Sort
option is disabled and the # of lines option is ignored.

Use the No Headers toggle to output the file without header information. By default this
option is toggled OFF to put the header information in the output file.

Sorting
To sort data prior to output, click on the sort button, and the following dialog will be
displayed.

The Available Fields column lists the fields that have not been selected for use in sorting,
and the fields in the Sorted Fields list will be used to sort the data before output. Use the
right and left arrow buttons to move a selected field to or from the Available Fields or
Sorted Fields lists. The Sorted Fields list is order dependent; the first field is the primary
sort field, the second is the secondary sort field, etc. Use the Up and Down arrow buttons
to change the order of fields in the Sorted Fields lists.
Each field in the Sorted Fields list can be sorted numerically or alphabetically; click on the
field in the 'Type' column and select the desired type, Numeric or Alpha. The sort
direction can be changed in the 'Direction' column.

The Max Alpha length is the maximum number of characters allowed for use in an alpha
sort for each field. Warning: large maximum values, using many alpha fields in sorting
and/or sorting a large file may result in a sort error message. The sort file size limit is
limited by the computer's O/S.

Counter
Toggle ON the Counter option to append a field named COUNTER to the end of the output
fields. This field outputs a integer value that is incremented by one for every line in the
Destination File. The starting value is entered in the Start # text box. The COUNTER field
is only output to the destination file and cannot be used in sorting or any other options.

Output Fields
This section displays an unsorted preview of the output file. The number of lines
displayed includes a header line, unless the option to not use a header line is toggled ON.
If "-1" is the specified # of Lines, then only the first 100 lines will be displayed.

Toggle ON those columns to output. By default, all of the fields are initially selected for
output when the Test Preview button is activated. Un-toggle the "Select" toggle for those
columns of data you do not wish to output. You can also use the global "Select All Fields"
or "Unselect All Fields" buttons to toggle ON/OFF all fields.

You can Reorder the columns for output (e.g., put what was in column 1 in the source file
into a different column in the output file) and change the Number of Decimals. Reorder
the columns using drag and drop; highlight the item (or items) you want to reorder, then
drag the highlighted item(s) in the grid to a different position. Click on Test Preview to
preview the results. In the example shown below, the "Counter" column was moved to
the first data column.
A value of “-1” for the number of decimals will use the same precision as in the source file.

Note about the Number of Decimals and the Data Translation Options:

If the Number of Decimals is -1 and Add, Multiply, or Limit is used in the Data Translation
Options, the output decimals will always be 6. If Number of Decimals is > -1, then the
values specified will be used. The "New Field" on the Calculation Options page will output
6 decimal places by default.

Help for Output Options

For information and help with the Output Fields section, click on and the Output Options
Help dialog will be displayed.

Ruler
Toggle ON the Ruler to display a column ruler across the top of the Preview Window
section of the dialog. This toggle option is activated when you click on the Test Preview
button. If the input file is empty or unreadable, an error message will be displayed. In
that case, check the input file.

Test Preview
Click on the Test Preview button to preview the output in the Preview Window. The
Preview Window is in the lower portion of the dialog, just above the "Ruler" toggle, and
the "Test Preview", "Save Setup" and "Convert" buttons.

Multi-run
Click on this option to setup MSDART as a procedure for use in an MSCompass multi-run.

Save Setup
If you will be converting multiple files that have the same format and fields in the input
files, the same data translations, and the same output format, etc., click on Setup | Save
As... . This creates an ASCII parameter file in the current working directory which contains
all of the parameter information used in the current run. To use this setup again, click on
Setup | Load... . Saved setups can be used for loading, editing or as a template when
running the program in a multi-run.

Convert
When you are satisfied with the setup and selections, click on the "Convert" button and
MSDART will convert the data and create the output file, as specified on the Files panel.
Convert is disabled when attempting to convert from one sub-blocked model to another
sub-block model.
The Convert button will change to "Cancel" when the process begins. The conversion
progress is indicated by the message "Converting File" with the percent completed
displayed. Beware that very large files can take several minutes to convert. Upon
completion, the Cancel button will revert back to Convert.

If the name of the output file was not specified on the Files panel, an Error notice will be
displayed when the Convert button is selected.

On converting to model file output, the following error messages may occur:

If no items have been selected to map from the source file (Columns) to the model file
(Items), this error message will be displayed.
If you attempt to map the same item twice, this error message will be displayed.