NI Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0 Readme

July 2021

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0.

You can find more release information on ni.com.

Overview

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

Legal Information

Overview

The Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 provides support for MDF3 files created from Bosch products, ETAS INCA, Vector CANape, and other Vector products. This DataPlugin supports files in the .mdf and .dat file extensions.

In the software you will find this DataPlugin under the name MDF3.

Note  There is another DataPlugin which supports MDF version 4 files.

Supported Features (Reading MDF3 Files)

  • Reads MDF3 files up to version 3.2.
  • Channels with data types int40/48/56 Bit
  • Channels with data types #7, #9 up to #16
    [unsigned integer, signed integer (two’s complement), IEEE 754 floating-point format FLOAT (4 bytes), IEEE 754 floating-point format DOUBLE (8 bytes)  with Big Endian (Motorola) or Little Endian (Intel) Byte order.]
  • Channels with length 0.
  • Additional MDF-Header properties: "Author" ("Operator name"), "Project" and "Division".
  • Ignores invalid block id's and continue loading.
  • Replaces "/" characters with "\" in channel names and group names. (The "/" character is defined as separator for addressing a channel with group- and channel name syntax.)
  • As of version 1.3.3.1 the root property "hd_start_time", representing the start time of the measurement, has been added. Previously the root property "datetime" was used.
  • Creates additional properties encoded in the "root.description" property separated by ":".
    (only if long channel names are used)
  • Creates additional custom properties encoded from <metadata key>.
    (only if long channel names are used)

Supported Features (Writing MDF3 Files)

  • Writes MDF3 files in versions 3.0 and 3.2.
    Writing behavior is controlled by the root property 'version'. Set this property value to "MDF 3.2" to write MDF 3.2 files.
  • By writing MDF3 files the first channel of a channel group will be treated as time channel.
  • All channels in a group must have the same channel length.
  • Only the following set of properties are written to MDF files, all other properties are ignored when writing MDF files:
    Root Level: description(string), author(string), datestring(string), timestring(string), Division(string), Project(string), Program(string), Subject(string)
    Group Level: description(string)
    Channel Level: name(string), description(string), unit_string(string), LongName(string)
  • Supports long channel names to support more than 32 characters.
  • Channel data are stored in Little Endian(Intel).
  • MDF3 format cannot save group names. So each MDF3 group is called "Group_N".

Not Supported Features

  • Text channels are ignored by writing MDF files.
  • Assignment channel 'Default Values' are ignored when writing MDF3 files. MDF3 is not able to store this information. Therefore MDF3 files transport only an empty string as assignment channel default value.

TDM-Mapping of the MDF3 DataPlugin

TDM Property MDF3 File DataType Description
Root.description HDBlock.Comment String
Root.author HDBlock.Author String  
Root.datetime HDBlock.Date + Time Time
Root.hd_start_time HDBlock.Date + Time Time For writing, this will overwrite Root.datetime.
Root.Program HDBlock.Program String
Root.Subject HDBlock.Subject String
Root.Project HDBlock.Project String
Root.Division HDBlock.Department String
Root.Version IDBlock.Version String
Root.SortStatus Whether all CGBlocks are sorted or not String Value: "sorted" or "unsorted".
Group.Name “Group_” + index String CGBlock doesn’t have name.only MDF4 with switch UniqueGroupName=true
Group.Description CGBlock.Comment String
Group.sortedgroup CGBlock.sorted or not String Value: "sorted" or "unsorted".
Group.si_tx_name -- String acquisition source name
Group.si_tx_path -- String acquisition source path
Group.si_md_comment -- String acquisition source comment
Channel.Name CNBlock.LongName String MDF-DP: Depending on DP switch;
CNBlock.ShortName as channel nameGet the substring before "\\" or "::".
Channel.Description CNBlock.SignalDescription String
Channel.Unit CCBlock.PhyUnit if exists String
Channel.LongName CNBlock.LongName String
Channel.ShortName CNBlock.ShortName String
Channel.OriginalDescription CNBlock.ShortName or
LongName depending on uri switch. 		String
Channel.Samples CGBlock.NumRecords Int
Channel.Frequency 1.0/CNBlock.SampleRate + “ Hz” String
Channel.cn_type -- String Value: "fixed length", "variable length", "master", "virtual master", "synchronization"
Channel.cn_sync_type -- String Value: "None", "Time", "Angle", "Distance", "Index"
Channel.cn_flags_discrete -- String Discrete value flag, "true" or "false"
Channel.si_tx_name -- String Channel source name
Channel.si_tx_path -- String Channel source path
Channel.si_md_comment -- String Channel source comment
Channel.NI_AssignmentDefinitions,
Channel.NI_AssignmentDefaultValue 		-- String
String 		String with the assignment definition.

DataPlugin Parameter

Parameter to control DataPlugin functionality: <SwitchLabel>value</SwitchLabel>
Please have a look into the help system of your application to find the usage of "DataPlugin Parameter" for loading and saving bulk data.

Switch Label Value Description
enumproperty true Enable assignment channels. (Default = false)
Note  This is the same default setting like MDF4
chunksize <int> Specify memory for a chunk in KB. (Default is determined by NumberToTake in DataPlugin API).
Note  Only used for reading!
uselongnames true Read MDF LongName as channel name and additional root properties. (Default = false)
  • Use the property LongName as channel names.
  • Reading additional root Properties from custom specific metadata key. The data is located at the end of the file section.  The key to notify about that properties are in the same header section like the UseLongNames.

Note  The DataPlugin will handle the property naming conventions to provide valid custom property names to the applications.
ignoretextdata string Do NOT laod any text channels. The value to ignore assignment properties is not implemented. (Default -- )
Only used for reading.
nativedatatype true Enable reading and writing native datatypes. (Default = false)
Note  This is the same default setting like MDF4.
  1. Read datatype to channel property "channel_data_type";
  2. Read offset/factor to channel property "cc_val_1"/"cc_val_2";
  3. Write channel values to datatype specified by "channel_data_type" or if the property doesn't exist, write native channel values;
  4. Unscale channel values with "cc_val_1"/"cc_val_2" if any when writing.

"channel_data_type" has one of the below enum values.

eByteDa = 1 /* tByteDa */
eI16Da = 2 /* tI16Da */
eI32Da = 3 /* tI32Da */
eI64Da = 4 /* tI64Da */
eR32Da = 5 /* tR32Da */
eR64Da = 6 /* tR64Da */
eTimeDa = 7  /* tTimeDa */
eStringDa = 8 /* tStringDa */
eU64Da = 11 /* tU64Da (unsigned I64) */
eU32Da = 12 /* tU32Da (unsigned I32) */
eU16Da = 13 /* tU16Da (unsigned I16) */
eI8Da = 14 /* tI8Da (signed Byte) */
Note  Reading and writing big integers I64/U64 may introduce precision issues.
Note  eTimeDa and eStringDa are not supported in writing.
hexforlongint true Enables reading of 64-bit long integers in HEX as a string.

Note  Only for LabVIEW api user: Please always use <filename readonly="yes"> tag for reading. Most plugins don't support 'append', but LabVIEW API allows 'append', so we are gradually adding the 'readonly' checking to those plugins. MDF3 is the one.

Supported Operating Systems

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016

Note  Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.

Note  Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.

For more information about the changes to our OS support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Application Software Support

Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 21.0 supports the application software that support DataPlugins, for example DIAdem, SystemLink and LabVIEW.

Installation Instructions

Installing a C++ DataPlugin in DIAdem

Download the Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 installer from ni.com/dataplugins. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.

Automating the Installation of NI Products

You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes.

If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.

For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

Bosch/Vector/Etas DataPlugin for MDF3 no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Legal Information

Copyright

© 2007–2021 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

NI respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.

End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices

You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:

  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights

If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.

IVI Foundation Copyright Notice

Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.

The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

Trademarks

Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Patents

For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.

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