DIF (Data Interchange Format) is a text file that is used to import/export between different spreadsheet programs such as Excel, StarCalc, dBase, and so on.
This type of format is stored with the extension ". dif"
The characteristics of these files are the following:
The format consist of a header followed by a data block. The header starts with a file with ASCII text format.
o string is any string, it is often the filename or another information.
o columns is the number of columns of a excel spreadsheet by means of name.
o rows indicates the number of rows of a excel spreadsheet by means of name.
The header ends with the following:
This header is followed by the cells and records of the spreadsheet with the information.
The structure of the data record has the following format:
where
data-type admits various types: SPECIAL, NUMERIC, and STRING,
represented by -1, 0 and 1 respectively.
o SPECIAL type
where BOT and EOD are strings without quotation marks. BOT represents the start of the table and EOD the end of data section.
o NUMERIC type
where value-indicator indicates the data type stored in data:
- TRUE:1.
- FALSE: 0.
- V: any numerical value.
- NA: missing value.
- ERROR: 0.
o STRING type
where string is any text characters.
One example of a valid DIF file is the following:
Month | Week | Vehicle | Quantity |
January | 1 | Auto | 105.000 |
January | 1 | Truck | 1.050 |
January | 1 | Bus | 1.575 |
January | 1 | Truck | 2.100 |
January | 1 | Motorbike | 583 |
The internal format of DIF file generated is the following:
TABLE
VECTORS -1,0 BOT 1,0 “Month” 1,0 “Wek” 1,0 “Vehicle” 1,0 “Cantity” -1,0 BOT 1,0 “January” 0,1 V 1,0
|
“Car” 0,105.000 V -1,0 BOT 1,0 “January” 0,1 V 1,0 “Truck” 0,1.050 V -1,0 BOT 1,0 “January” 0,1 “Bus” 0,1.575 V -1,0 BOT 1,0
|
“January” 0,1 “Truck” 0,2.100 V -1,0 BOT 1,0 “January” 0,1 V 1,0 “Motorbike” 0,583 V -1,0 EOD |