READ_OLD... Reading "Old" (Pre-D3PLOT 9.0) Binary .bin Groups Files

READ_OLD... Reading "old" (pre D3PLOT 9.0) binary .bin groups files

For backwards compatibility the ability to read older .bin binary groups files has been preserved, however D3PLOT can no longer write these files.

These files contained up to 30 groups which, in pre-D3PLOT 9.0 versions, were hard-wired as labels 1 to 30. When read back in the following rules are applied:

Matching of internal and external data

• The same rules that are used for ascii groups are applied to binary ones.
• Items in the .bin file, but not in the model, are ignored.
• Items in the model, but not in the .bin file, are not grouped.

Group labelling

• Each group in the .bin file is stored as the first free group id for this model.
• Therefore assigned group ids will depend on what has been created &/or read in previously.
• You are informed about the label assigned to each group as it is read in.

The use of "old style" binary (.bin) groups files is deprecated

Binary groups files can be written by earlier versions of D3PLOT, and also by PRIMER. However their use is discouraged, and the much more compact and easily edited ascii groups files are recommended instead. This is because:

• Ascii groups files tend to be much more compact.
• They are easily created and modified by humans using a normal text editor.
• They can be read by PRIMER as part of a keyword deck (the special *GROUP keyword after *END)
• They can be read by T/HIS.
• And as ASCII format files there are no issues of binary compatibility across different machines.