Provided by: ngspice_26-1build1_amd64 
NAME
sconvert - convert spice formats
SYNOPSIS
sconvert fromtype fromfile totype tofile
sconvert fromtype totype
sconvert
DESCRIPTION
Sconvert translates spice output files among three formats: the old binary format, a new binary format,
and a new ascii format. The formats are specified by the fromtype and totype arguments: `o' for the old
format, `b' for the new binary format, and `a' for the new ascii format. Fromtype specifies the format
to be read, and totype specifies the format to be written. If fromfile and tofile are given, then they
are used as the input and output, otherwise standard input and output are used. (Note that this second
option is only available on UNIX systems - on VMS and other systems you must supply the filenames.) If
no arguments are given, the parameters are prompted for.
Binary format is the preferred format for general use, as it is the most economical in terms of space and
speed of access, and ascii is provided to make it easy to modify data files and transfer them between
machines with different floating-point formats. The old format is provided only for backward
compatibility. The three formats are as follows:
Old:
What Size in Bytes
title 80
date 8
time 8
numoutputs 2
the integer 4 2
variable names --
char[numoutputs][8] numoutputs * 8
types of output numoutputs * 2
node index numoutputs * 2
plot title numoutputs * 24
the actual data numpoints * numoutputs * 8
Ascii:
Title: Title Card String
Date: Date
[ Plotname: Plot Name
Flags: complex or real
No. Variables: numoutputs
No. Points: numpoints
Command: nutmeg command
Variables: 0 varname1 typename1
1 varname2 typename2
etc...
Values:
0 n n n n ...
1 n n n n ...
And so forth...
] repeated one or more times
If one of the flags is complex, the points look like r,i where r and i are floating point (in %e format).
Otherwise they are in %e format. Only one of real and complex should appear.
The lines are guaranteed to be less than 80 columns wide (unless the plot title or variable names are
very long), so this format is safe to mail between systems like CMS.
Any number of Command: lines may appear between the No. Points: and the Variables: lines, and whenever
the plot is loaded into nutmeg they will be executed.
Binary:
Title Card (a NULL terminated string)
Date, Time (a NULL terminated string)
[
Plot title (a NULL terminated string)
Number of variables (an int)
Number of data points (an int)
flags (a short)
variable header struct (repeated numoutputs times)
variable name (a NULL terminated string)
variable type (an int)
set of outputs (repeated numpoints times)
] repeated one or more times.
A set of outputs is a vector of doubles of length numoutputs, or a vector of real-imaginary pairs of
doubles if the data is complex.
SEE ALSO
nutmeg(1), spice(1), writedata(3)
AUTHOR
Wayne Christopher (faustus@cad.berkeley.edu)
BUGS
If variable names and the title and plotname strings have trailing blanks in them they will be stripped
off when the file is read, if it is in ascii format.
If a plot title begins with "Title:" nutmeg will be fooled into thinking that this is an ascii format
file. Sconvert always requires the type to be specified, however.