Hinds Instruments Exicor Gen5, User Manual, Page: 68 / 98

Chapter 4: Software Interface
58 Exicor GEN5 User Manual
Saving a File
To save changes to a file, simply select
File
Æ
Save
. When you select
File
Æ
Save
As
from the Exicor menu bar, a window pops up that is similar to other standard file
save windows. Use this Save dialog box as you would any Windows Save dialog
box.
The
Directory History
field remembers which folders you have saved files to so you
can save files in the same folders later.
The Exicor software ensures that your data is stored even if your operating system
becomes unstable. This feature is particularly important for large scans that may
take several hours. Because of this, you do not normally need to take any action to
save your data file. Your file has already been saved under the name of your sample
ID in the current data folder.
CAUTION
Be careful not to overwrite other samples with the same name
that you want to keep. This is one reason we recommend
assigning a unique sample ID to each sample, or moving your
sample later to a safe folder.
File Formats
Exicor software can save in 2 different formats. Both formats are readable by text
readers and are easily imported into Microsoft Excel. Only the .DAT format is
readable by Exicor.
.DAT Format
By default, Exicor saves data in the .DAT format. This format is readable by Exicor
and text readers such as Windows Notepad. The file contains
•
header data: the scan and instrument settings
•
measurement data: the data points are listed in the order they were collected
during the scan.
.DMT Format
This file format contains:
•
header data: the scan and instrument settings
•
measurement data: the data points are listed in 2 separate grids. One grid
contains the retardation magnitude data. The other grid contains the fast axis
angle data. The data in each grid is sorted by X,Y position.