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YODA data format
Introduction
The YODA data format will be an extension of Hendrik's "make_plot" format, i.e. a flat file with column delimited data. We want to store enough (meta)data for titles, data series names, etc., but also to retain human read/write-ability. This last point (as well as some shortcomings in the data that can be stored) means that we are not enamoured with the AIDA XML-based data format.
General properties
- Columns of data are delimited in all cases by an arbitrary number of consecutive whitespace characters. This is to avoid any dependence on distinctions between invisible characters (see Makefile and Python syntax for examples of the sort of mess that can cause).
- Each data object is wrapped with type-specific BEGIN...END lines, to trigger the processing of the contained data in the correct way.
- The hash sign (
#) is to be interpreted as a comment character in the manner of Python. Need some way to declare that a comment is actually a header? - An arbitrary number of headers may be present on each object. We recommend that these headers are escaped by a prefix
#character, for compatibility with gnuplot - For compatibility with gnuplot, the first 6 ??? data columns of records must be compatible with the gnuplot "plot with xyerrors" format, namely: x, y, xlow, xhigh, ylow, yhigh
HISTOGRAM
The Histogram type is special: it is not a YODA type, but the data format will define it for backwards compatibility with Hendrik's make_plot data files. It should be pre-deprecated.
DETAILS
