Export a Database as a Geosoft XYZ File

Use the Database > Export > Geosoft XYZ menu option (EXPORT GX) to export data from a Geosoft database to an ASCII XYZ file.

The option is also available with the Airborne Quality Control extension under the Airborne QC > Generate Flight Path Plan menu.

Export XYZ Data

  1. Display the channels to be exported in the spreadsheet window in the order that you would like them to appear in the output XYZ file.

  2. Set the channel widths and number of decimals as desired.

  3. On the Database menu, click Export and then click Geosoft XYZ. The Export Geosoft XYZ dialog opens.

  4. Specify an output XYZ data file name and an Export template.

  5. If you do not have an export template or if you want to customize the existing one (e.g., view the channels to be exported, add or remove channels, etc.), select the Template button.
    The Export XYZ Template wizard will be displayed. Specify a new template/ customize the existing one and select your XYZ export parameters. Click OK to return to the Export Geosoft XYZ dialog.

  6. When ready to export, click OK. The system saves the XYZ data in the specified output file.

Export Geosoft XYZ dialog options

XYZ data file

Export file name.

Script Parameter: EXPORT.FILE

Export template

Export template file name (.o0 assumed)

Script Parameter: EXPORT.TEMPLATE

[Template]

The Export XYZ Template dialog uses a wizard to determine which channels of the database to export, and to control export parameter settings (eg. To include (or not include) dummies).

Application Notes

The export format is based on a text file called an export template. By default the system creates a default template (DEFAULT.o0) based on the channels currently displayed in the Spreadsheet window. You can then export data or modify the template file to your specifications. If you export data from several different types of databases, you may want to have custom templates with unique names.

The widths, formats and number of decimals of columns in the exported data are set using the displayed Field width settings for the individual channels, unless you uncheck the "Use Displayed Format" box on the Export XYZ Template dialog. This means that if numeric values in the database are displayed with a double asterisk "**", they will be exported the same way. String values are displayed truncated in the database if the width is smaller than their length, and will also be replaced in the database with a "**" character, instead of being truncated to the column width. In both cases a warning is registered to you, but the export will complete.

In order to display the full value, ensure that the value can be seen in the database, or ensure that the "Use Displayed Format" box is unchecked, and manually edit the template file to use the "correct" settings.

  • If you uncheck the "Use displayed format" box, the output format is determined from the existing values in the specified output template. If the template file is new, it is created using the current channel display settings, so this button has no immediate, noticeable affect. It will only have an effect if the template file already exists and was created when the channel display values were different from those currently in use, in which case the starting values will not be overwritten. Instead, the original template values will be retained. The export has no way of determining the "correct" number of decimal places for export.

    • Export to XYZ when the database contains both Lines and Groups:

    The results, when exporting a Geosoft database that contains both Lines and Groups to an XYZ file, depends on the current Line/Group selection and the setup of the export Template file.

    One of the key differences between "Lines" and "Groups" is the associated channels. While all the channels in a database are accessible inside a regular Line, a Group can restrict the available, displayable channels to a smaller subset, excluding those not relevant to the Group's data.

    Since an XYZ file has only one set of column headers at the top of the file, when we export we need to ensure that the selected data shares the same set of channels, otherwise some channels might be empty, or may not appear in the output file.

    For a Geosoft database with both Lines and Groups, the following existing behaviours are expected. Note that, "current" means the visible/currently viewed line:

    • If both Lines and Groups exist in the database and a Line is current and selected, when you export to XYZ, all of the selected Line(s) will be exported.
    • If both Lines and Groups exist in the database and a Line is current and NOT selected, when you export to XYZ, all of the remaining selected line(s) will be exported. (Note that, if there is only 1 line and it is deselected, then the selected Groups will be exported.)
    • If both Lines and Groups exist in the database and a Group is current and selected, when you export to XYZ, all of the selected Group(s) will be exported.
    • If both Lines and Groups exist in the database and a Group is current and NOT selected, when you export to XYZ, all of the remaining selected Group(s) will be exported.

    See Also: