Re: [femm] File format using XML?

[David Meeker <dmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Barry Hansen wrote:

> Hello, I'm a hobbyest using FEMM to study mechanical forces in certain
> types of solenoids. First, let me say THANK YOU for providing such a
> great magnetic analysis package!
>

I'm glad that the program is useful to you.

>
> Since I'm exploring the force profiles of various geometries, I'm
> running lots of simulations. Each one varies slightly from each other.
>

Well, people have been asking for some sort of scripting language that would
make this sort of thing easier. This sort of thing isn't a trivial
modification, so I haven't had the time to get around to it yet.

>
> I was just curious if you would consider using XML for a file format?
> It would seem to be a convenient vehicle for transporting data among
> various programs. Not a big deal, but enquiring minds want To know!
> <g>
>
> Thanks again,
> Barry Hansen
> Seattle, WA

Well, I've changed file formats from the 2.1 to the 3.0 versions. The
inspiration for this was really the structure of DXF files rather than XML,
but I suppose that it philosophically shares some of the same objectives as
XML. Internally, the 3.0 version of the program actually looks for keys
that it understands and parses the values inside the keys, as opposed to
reading some fixed, rigid data structure like in 2.1. The new data
structure allows me to add in new features without making newer files
totally unreadable by older version, and without losing backward
compatibility. If there really was a strong reason to, I could probably
support this functionality in a format that adhered to the XML standards.

Dave.


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