Med-PC® File Reader

#pragma rtGlobals=1     // Use modern global access method.
#pragma IgorVersion = 5
#pragma version = 2.3
 
// This function reads a text data file created by MedPC software (Med Associates) into a data folder 
// called MedPC. Previous loaded data will be erased from this folder. If more than one experiment is
// stored in the file, all of them will be read and the necessary data labels consecutively. 
// MedPC names variables and arrays with a single letter. This reader will store the variables  in 
// global variables, the arrays into waves. 
//
// The "#" in the following description denotes the consecutive number for each experiment in the file. 
// The experiments are counted according to their appearance in the data file.
//
// Strings:
//          MPC_fullFileName:           absolute file name (with full path to file)
//          MPC_fileName:               just the file name without the path
//          MPC_#_header:           all the contents above the data section
//
// Variables:
//          MPC_#_$:                    $ is the letter name of the variable in the data file
//
// Waves:
//          MPC_#_$:                    $ is the letter name of the array stored in the wave,
//                                      all array data is stored in the wave.
 
 
// ***************************************************
// **********         C O N S T A N T    N A M E S      
// ***************************************************
Strconstant ksMPC_dataFolderName = "MedPC"
 
Strconstant W_LINEEND = "\r"            // windows line end
Strconstant U_LINEEND = "\n"            // unix line end
 
// Create a menu item for the file reader
Menu "Macros"
    "Open MedPC file...", MedPCFileReader("", "")
End
 
 
 
// Actual file reader
Function MedPCFileReader(path, fileName)
    String path, fileName
    
    String mpcDF = ksMPC_dataFolderName  // name of the new data folder to store the loaded data
    String cDF = GetDataFolder(1)       // remember which data folder you are in
 
    if (DataFolderExists(mpcDF))    
        SetDataFolder mpcDF         // the data folder already exists, so switch to it
        KillStrings /A/Z                // delete the previous variables and waves to have a clean load.
        KillVariables /A/Z
        KillWaves /A/Z
    else
        NewDataFolder /S $mpcDF     // create a new data folder and switch to it.
    endif
    
    SVAR MPC_fullFileName
    SVAR MPC_fileName
    
    if (!SVAR_Exists(MPC_fullFileName))
        String /G MPC_fullFileName = ""
    endif
    if (!SVAR_Exists(MPC_fileName))
        String /G MPC_fileName = ""
    endif
    
    Variable refNum, counter = 0
    String dataPath
    
    PathInfo /S $path
            // use a dialog for the user to choose a file to open and create a reference number
    if (strlen(fileName) == 0)
        if (!V_flag)
            Open /D /R /M="Choose a file" /T="????" refNum
        else
            Open /D /R /M="Choose a file" /T="????" /P=$path refNum
        endif
        if (strlen(S_fileName) == 0)
                // file doesn't exist, so nothing more to do; stop here
            SetDataFolder cDF
            return 0
        endif
    
        MPC_fullFileName = S_fileName   // remember the full file name 
            // now extract just the file name without the path
        MPC_fileName = StringFromList(ItemsInList(MPC_fullFileName, ":") - 1, MPC_fullFileName, ":")
            // now extract just the path to the file, without the filename
        dataPath = RemoveListItem(ItemsInList(MPC_fullFileName, ":") - 1, MPC_fullFileName, ":")
            // create a new path so consecutive file loads all point to the last loaded file
        NewPath /O/Q mpc_lastDataPath, dataPath
            // now open the file with the above created reference number
        Open /R refNum as MPC_fullFileName
    else
        if (!V_flag)
            print "** path " + path + " does not exist. STOPPED!"
            return 0
        endif
        Open /R /P=$path refNum as fileName
        MPC_fullFileName = S_fileName
        MPC_fileName = StringFromList(ItemsInList(MPC_fullFileName, ":") - 1, MPC_fullFileName, ":")        
    endif
    
    if (refNum == 0)
            // something went wrong and the file can not be opened; stop here and print error message
        print "** ERROR: Can not open file."
        MPC_fileName = "wrong file"
        return 0
    endif
    
    Variable headerFlag = 1         // true (1) if currently in header section, false (0) when in data section
    Variable experimentNum = 0  // experiment number, when more than 1 in the file.
    Variable hasComment = 0
    
    String varName = ""
    String theHeaderContent = ""
    String theLine = ""
    String theWaveList = ""
    String theComment = ""
    String theNote = ""
    
    do
        // process the file reading line by line
        FReadLine refNum, theLine
        if (strlen(theLine) == 0)
            // reached EOF (end of file) so stop loop
            break
        endif
        if ((cmpstr(theLine, W_LINEEND) == 0) || cmpstr(theLine, U_LINEEND) == 0)
            // three empty lines separate different experiments
            headerFlag = 1
            hasComment = 0
            theComment = ""
            theWaveList = ""
            counter += 1
            continue
        endif
        if (headerFlag)     // analyse header
            if (strsearch(theLine, "Start Date: ", 0) == 0)
                // each header starts with the Start Date, so increase the experiment number
                experimentNum += 1
            endif
            if (counter > 0 && strlen(theLine) > 2)
                theLine = ReplaceString(": ", theLine[0, strlen(theLine) - 2], "=")
                theHeaderContent += theLine + "\n"
            endif
            if (strsearch(theLine, "MSN=", 0) == 0)
                // MSN is the last line of the header, so finish it up.
                theHeaderContent= "file=" + MPC_fileName + "\n" + theHeaderContent
                headerFlag = 0
                varName = "MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_header"
                SVAR theHeader = $varName
                if (!SVAR_Exists(theHeader))
                    String /G $varName = theHeaderContent
                else
                    theHeader = theHeaderContent
                endif
                theHeaderContent = ""
            endif
        else                    // data section
            theLine = theLine[0, strlen(theLine) - 2]
            SVAR theHeader = $("MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_header")
            
            if (cmpstr(theLine[0,0], "\\") == 0)
                if (!SVAR_Exists(theHeader))
                    String /G $("MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_header")
                    SVAR theHeader = $("MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_header")
                endif
                theComment += theLine[1, strlen(theLine) - 1] + ", "
                hasComment = 1
            endif
            
            Variable listItems = ItemsInList(theLine, ":")
            if (listItems == 1 && strlen(StringFromList(0, theLine, ":")) == 1)
                // only single letter array variables should match this condition
                varName = "MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_" + theLine[0,0]              
                Make /N=0 /O $varName
                Wave curArray = $varName
                theWaveList = AddListItem(varName, theWaveList)
                if (SVAR_Exists(theHeader))
                    Note /K curArray, theHeader
                endif
            endif
            if (listItems == 2 && numtype(str2num(StringFromList(0, theLine, ":"))) == 0)
                    // first separate the row number from the data
                Variable firstIndex = str2num(StringFromList(0, theLine, ":"))
                    // now figure out how many data columns we have
                String theColumns = StringFromList(1, theLine, ":")
                    // replace every space with a ; then just move the non-empty list items into a new list
                theColumns = ReplaceString(" ", theColumns, ";")
                Variable index = 0
                String dataPoints = ""
                for (index = 0; index < ItemsInList(theColumns); index += 1)
                    String theData = StringFromList(index, theColumns)
                    if (cmpstr(theData, "") != 0)
                        dataPoints = AddListItem(theData, dataPoints, ";", ItemsInList(dataPoints))
                    endif
                endfor
                Variable numColumns = ItemsInList(dataPoints)
                for (index = 0; index < ItemsInList(dataPoints); index += 1)
                    curArray[numpnts(curArray)] = {str2num(StringFromList(index, dataPoints))}
                endfor
            endif
            if (listItems == 2 && numtype(str2num(StringFromList(0, theLine, ":"))) == 2)
                // is a variable, just stick it into a global
                varName = "MPC_" + num2str(experimentNum) + "_" + StringFromList(0, theLine, ":")
                NVAR theVar = $varName
                if (!NVAR_Exists(theVar))
                    Variable /G $varName = str2num(StringFromList(1, theLine, ":"))
                else
                    theVar = str2num(StringFromList(1, theLine, ":"))
                endif
            endif
        endif
        counter += 1
        Variable comments = 0
        if (hasComment)
            // in case we use keywords and the Igor default list separator ";", remove any spaces between them
            theComment = ReplaceString(" ; ", theComment, ";")
            theComment = ReplaceString("; ", theComment, ";")
            theComment = ReplaceString(" ;", theComment, ";")
            theComment = ReplaceString(": ", theComment, ":")
            theHeader += "comment=" + theComment + "\n"
            for (comments = 0; comments < ItemsInList(theWaveList); comments += 1)
                String theWaveName = StringFromList(comments, theWaveList)
                Note /K $theWaveName, theHeader
            endfor
        endif
    while(1)
    Close refNum
    SetDataFolder cDF
End