Perform operations on GEF files

GEF manipulation allows you to perform simple operations on GEF files. Some of these tasks do change the contents of a GEF file. When saving data you should prevent overwriting your original data. Basically this tool allows you:

1. To check the validity of a GEF file, detect possible errors
2. To translate a GEF file into its ASCII or binary version
3. To export a GEF file to a DIF file. Such a file can be easily imported into a spreadsheet
4. Delete columns in a GEF file
5. Delete scans in a GEF file

Installation

The first step for installation is to obtain the program. It can be downloaded by pressing the right mouse key on 'download'. Installation is straight forward.

• Wait untill you have received your (free) key via e-mail
• Navigate to the directory where you have saved the downloaded file.
• Unzip the file you have downloaded. Paste the key in the password window. See left figure. You are free to choose a location you like.
• Run the program gefmani.exe once. A filedialog will pop up, where to save the file. See right figure. 
• GEFmanipulation.exe is now ready for use.

Optionally you can create a shortcut on your desktop. If you are not familiar with this technique, ask your administrator how to do it, or let him do it.

Usage

Run the program from the command line or double click the shortcut on your desktop. A window will pop up:

Button "Stop" will stop the program immediately, without perfoming any action. Button "What is this?" is a rudimentary help. Below several possibilites of the program are explained. Not all may be of your interests or needs.

A) Checking the validity of a GEF file

• Load a file, by pressing "Name input file" in the group "File".
• A file dialog will popup, which allows you to browse for the file you want to check.
• Click on one of the radio buttons in the group "Test".
  • If you want to check the validity of a general GEF file, push the "GEF" radio button
  • If you want to check whether the file complies with the rules for a CPT file, according to GEF-CPT-Report, click radio button "CPT"
  • If you want to check whether the file complies with the rules for a BORE file, according to GEF-BORE-Report, click radio button "Boren"
• Click on "Effectuate" in the "File" group.
• A window will popup, "Errors in the GEF", which lists the errors, if any.

B) Conversion of GEF files from binary to ASCII

Usually GEF files are written in the ASCII flavour. For short files this is most obvious choice. However, when dealing with large amounts of data, considerable time is lost by the conversion of ASCII data into binary numbers which your PC understands. Therefore measurements involving a lot of data, are stored as binary GEF files. Binary files can not be read by the human eye, nor is it approriate to edit a file in this state: data will be damaged. So GEFmanipulation allows you to convert files from binary to ASCII and vise versa.

• Load a file, by pressing "Name input file".
• A file dialog will popup, which allows you to browse for the file you want to check.
• Click on the ASCII radio button in the group "Output"
• To choose the name of an output file, click "Name output file" in the group "File".
• A file dialog will popup allowing you to choose the name and subdirectory of the file you want to save.  NOTE: never use the same name for your output file as the name of your your input file.
• Click on "Effectuate" in the "File" group.

The procedure to convert an ASCII flavoured GEF file into a binary GEF file is similar: choose the Binary radio button in the group "Output".

C) Conversion of a GEF file into a DIF file

DIF is an abreviation of Data Interchange Format. It is a very simple yet organised version of a table, which can be imported into a spreadsheet, without the need to define the correct separators, columns etc.

• Load a file, by pressing "Name input file".
• A file dialog will popup, which allows you to browse for the file you want to check.
• Click on the "columns only" radio button in the group "Output". This will provide you with the data only of the GEF file. A simple header providing the physical context of the data is added.
• To choose the name of an output file, click "Name output file" in the group "File".
• A file dialog will popup allowing you to choose the name and subdirectory of the file you want to save. NOTE: never use the same name for your output file as the name of your your input file.
• Click on "Effectuate" in the "File" group.

If you are interested in the entire contents of the file, choose the radio button "Header included" in stead of "Columns only".

D) Delete columns or scans

A GEF file is organised into columns and scans. A column is usually related to a transducer which determines the actual value of a quantity, e.g. the pore pressure. A scan is related to a particular moment in time, location (depth) or any other quantity, which can be easily controlled during an experiment, e.g. the load on a sample. Deleting one or more columns of deleting scans reduces the size of your file, however information is irreversibly lost. Deleting must be done in a controlled way. The button "Delete columns/scans" provides a method which keeps the integrity of the GEF file uncompomised.

• Load a file, by pressing "Name input file" in the group "File".
• A file dialog will popup, which allows you to browse for the file you want to check.
• Choose the type of output you need, in group "Output". E.g. press radio button Binary.
• Press the button "Delete columns/scans" in the group "Output".
• A window will popup, see figure below. Choose the columns you want to delete (if any) in the listbox "Columns to delete".  If you don't want to to delete columns, don't click this listbox.
• If you want to delete scans, mark the checkbox "Delete as below" in the group "Delete scans". If it is not checked, no scans will be deleted.
• Fill in the edit boxes "First scan" and "Last scan" with the range of scans you want to delete.
• Close this window by OK, if you are sure to delete these columns or scans. By pressing Cancel, nothing will be lost.
• Choose the name of the resulting file, by pressing button "Name output file" in the group "File". NOTE: never use the same name for your output file as the name of your your input file.
• Press button "Effectuate" in the group "File".

In the figure above column 5 is deleted, e.g. because its readings are irratic, the transducer seems to be faulty. No scans are to be deleted.

Remarks

• Using the mouse and the Shift key allows you to select adjacent columns.
• Using the mouse with the Control key allows you to select several non-adjacent columns to delete.
• For deleting scans, a more user friendly tool is available, click  Zoom and Save