Import ASCII File
The Import menu allows the user to import an ASCII file of standard compositions. This ASCII import file is usually named STANDARD.DAT and is primarily intended for users who wish to import ASCII standard composition data files into Probe for EPMA. Please contact Probe Software if your standard composition database is in another format and would like it imported into a Probe for EPMA standard database.
Several example import files are supplied :
DHZ.DAT silicate analyses (Deer, Howie and Zussman)
ORE.DAT sulfide analyses (Dana's Mineralogy)
SRM.DAT SRM analyses (NIST standard reference alloys and glasses)
The DHZ.DAT is a database of all the analyses in the student edition of "Rock Forming Minerals" by Deer, Howie and Zussman (1st Edition). The DHZ database also includes the Harvard oxygen mineral standards (entered as standards #2761-2773) which are available from Carl Francis at the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. The ORE.DAT file is sulfide minerals from Dana's Mineralogy entered in ideal formulas. The SRM.DAT is a database of SRM (standard reference materials) alloys and glasses from the NIST SRM catalog.
The import process can be repeated as often as desired to import additional standards into the Probe for EPMA standard database. Note that the program will abort the import process if a standard number already exists in the database.
Since almost any source can generate a suitable standard composition import file, a sample of a standard composition import file is shown here with a short explanation for each field:
2003 "Hortonolite, p. 4"
""
-1 9
"si" "ti" "al" "fe" "mn" "mg" "ca" "h " "o "
1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
2 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 0
15.912 .258 .482 32.402 .527 12.254 .579 .010 36.688
2004 "Fayalite, Pantelleria, p. 4"
""
-1 8
"si" "ti" "al" "fe" "mn" "mg" "ca" "o "
1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 3 1 1 1 1 0
14.285 .432 .048 47.339 2.656 2.093 .808 32.650
Two standard compositions are shown in the example above. The fields may be comma, tab or space delimited.
The first line contains the standard number (must be unique and range from 1 - 32768), and the standard name in double quotes (generally site specific standard numbers should use values under 2000 to avoid conflicts with the supplied NIST SRM, DHZ and Dana ORE sample databases). The second line contains the standard description field in double quotes. It may be empty. The third line contains the DisplayAsOxide (0 = do not display as oxide composition, non-zero = display as oxide composition) flag and the number of elements in the standard composition. The fourth line contains the element symbols in double quotes for each element in the standard composition. The fifth and sixth lines contain the number of cations followed by the number of oxygens for each element (required even for elements not displayed as oxides). The seventh line contains the composition in elemental weight percent for each element in the standard composition.
Note that all elements must be specified, even oxygen for silicate standards (even if the DisplayAsOxide flag is true).