3.5.1. Project file

DS, DR and DV need to manage and store many settings to configure their data acquisition. processing and display environments. These settings fall into two categories:

  1. Global settings are values that are the same no matter what data acquisition or processing job is performed. Typical settings for this group include user interface preferences, printer configuration, etc. These are stored separately for each user in a “profile directory” under the user’s home folder.
  2. Project settings are values that are specific to a given data processing or acquisition job. These are grouped together into an DS project file. These project files have several sections, many of which can be individually exported to or imported from more “user friendly” file formats such as CSV. The DS project file sections include:
    • Data source: for specifying and configuring the input for the data processing.
    • Data processing: for specifying the options for each data channel such as names, units, scales, etc.
    • Modes and limits: for specifying mode frequencies and limits for overall time domain and spectral peak amplitudes.
    • Plot setup: for specifying the layout and contents of the plot areas of the DS user interface.
    • Data recording: includes data recording directories, data point header fields and data file templates.

Project settings are stored in APEX internal format project files. These have the “.dspro” extension.

The DS user interface uses the title bar of its main window to show the status of the currently active project. The text displayed here includes:

  • The name of the currently active project.
  • The status of the currently active project. i.e. whether it contains unsaved changes.
  • The name of the currently recorded data point (if any).
  • The name of the currently processed data file in playback mode (if any).

Although the DS project files are human readable text files, users are strongly discouraged from editing them manually. APEX, Inc. make no guarantees that the format of these files will stay identical between software revisions. The only thing guaranteed is that later versions will be able to “import” earlier versions’ project files.