INPUT FILES FORMAT

The DekoPro Input files are used for the definition of every calculation done by the applications. In the same way, they are used to save these definitions that are created form the visual interface.

IMPORTANT:
The information shown here refers to a previous version of the first public one, wich is now under development. For this reason the format here described are shown only for descriptive purposes of the information that these files may contain and not as a use reference of the format.
The new version under development uses another kind of files based in the format UDCF (Universal Dive Computer Format) which is an XML based format. The fact of being XML files gives new posibilites that will alter the files format and its organization, though its functionality will remain almost the same.
The UDCF format is also under development of a new version (v2.0). This new version will be the version used by DekoPro (I collaborate in its definition with the fathers of the format: Steffen Reith and Kai Schröeder).

In order to make the file generation a simple task, these will be ASCII files (being valids DOS and Unix text files concerning to carriage return characters).

Blank lines or those wich begin with the ‘#’ character (comment line) will be ignored during file processing.

Within this files, the information will be grouped in sections, as in a classical “ini” file.

One line with a section name bracketed with the characters ‘[‘ and ‘]’ marks the begin of a section. The section ends with the beginning of a new section or the end of file.

The section contents will be a list with the section specific parameters. Like in the ini files, every parameter will appear in one line in the following way:

Parameter = value

In some sections, like in the profile nodes related section, a group of parameters repetead one or more times, define the section contents.

In this case, the section is multiple entry section, and every line (an entry) within it is formed a the list of the values for the paramaters that define the section.

With the intention to simplify the use of these special sections, every element of the parameter list (one or more) will appear without the parameter name, dislike the simple entry case, and will be comma-sepparated.

So, a line (entry) in the case of these sections will be formed in the following way:

Value_parameter_1 , Value_parameter_1 , ...

Depending on the type of calculation we want to do, will have a group of related input files:

• Dive Simulation
• Decompression tables generation
• Dive planification

The definition of these files will be the relation of the required sections for the related calculation type.

Sections

Section parameters definition

Section TITLE

It has only one parameter Title that ,obviously, it's the dive title.

Section FORMAT

Includes the following parameters:

• Language. The posibles values are “English”, ”Castellano” and “Catalan”.
• UnitSys. The posibles values are “Metric” and “British”.

Section DIVER

It has only one parameter RespVolume that indicates the normal gas consumption (given as volume during one minute) at surface level.

Section GASTOXICITY

Includes the following parameters:

• MinPO2. Minimum oxygen partial pressure, below wich, breathing gas is considered as hipoxic.
• MaxPO2. Maximum oxygen partial pressure, over wich, breathing gas is considered as hiperoxic.
• END. The "Equivalent Narcosis Depth" or E.N.D. is the depth at wich air is considered as a narcotic mix and allows to calculate if a mix must be considered narcotic comparing the nitrogen partial pressure of the mix at depth and the given nitrogen partial pressure (impicitly) by this parameter.

Section PARMS

Includes the following parameters:

• LastDecoDepth. Last decompression stop depth.
• UnitDecoTime Decompression time unit. Every deco stop time will be a multiple of this time.
• Higradf. High gradient factor (safety factor).
• Logradf. Low gradient factor (safety factor).
• Stepsize. Depth difference between two consecutive deco stops.
• Rate. Ascent rate (negative value because is ascent).

Section ALTITUDE

Includes the following parameters:

• DiveAltitude. Dive altitude.
• SaturatedAlt. Altitude at which diver is saturated before begin the ascent to dive altitude.
• TimeToAltitude. Time spent by the diver to arrive to dive altitude.
• TimeAtAltitude. Time spent by the diver at dive altitude before the beginning of the dive.
• AfterDiveAlt. Altitude to wich diver has to arrive after the dive. When its value is different to 0, this parameter is used to calculate the time to wait at dive altitude before begin the ascent to this altitude.

Section MIXES

It's composed of multiple entries, one for every mix (open circuit) used during dive.

Every entry is formed only with the name of the mix. The mix characteristics (composition) are defined inside the name by the means of using an specific mixes notation. This notation is very easy an versatile, but the use of this notation is required.

Section REBREATHERS

It's composed of multiple entries, one for every closed or semiclosed circuit used during dive. This definitions is formed by the following parameters (in this order):

• Rebrether's name. Like in the mix case, the name of the rebrether define the type of circuit (closed/semiclosed) and the gases involved in the circuit.
• Characteristic Parameter, depends of the rebreather type:
  • Constant O2 partial pressure, supplied by closed circuit systems.
  • Gas Volume per minute, supplied by semiclosed circuit systems.
• Minimum methabolic consumption (given as a volume at atmospherical pressure).
• Maximum methabolic consumption (given as a volume at atmospherical pressure).

Section DECOMIXES

It's composed of multiple entries, one for every mix switch during ascent. This mix sitches are defined with the following parameters (in this order):

• Depth where the switch will be produced.
• New breathing gas. Can be the name of a normal mix (open circuit) or a rebreather.

Section PROFILE

It's composed of multiple entries, one for every node that define the dive profile (without ascent).This profile nodes are defined with the following parameters (in this order):

• Node depth.
• Time spent to arrive at this depth from the previous node.
• Mix breathed from the previous node.

The first node (depth 0, time 0) doesn't have to be introduced because it's redundant (Allways has these values and the previous mix it's allways air). The last node it's the ascent previous node.

Section TABLE

Includes the following parameters:

• Startdepth. Minimum Depth entry in the table.
• Finaldepth. Maximum Depth entry in the table.
• Maxtime. Maximum time of dive duration.
• Stepsize. Depth interval between depth entries.
• Steptime. Depth interval between bottom times entries.

Section PLAN

Includes the following parameters:

• Depth. Maximum Depth.
• Time. Bottom time (doesn't include the time spent in descent to the maximum depth).
• DescRate. Descent Rate.
• OnlyNitrox. Boolean value (TRUE or FALSE) that indicates that the calculated mixes must be exclusively “Nitrox”(EAN mixes).

Dive simulation file definition

The necessary sections for the definition of a dive simulation file are the following:

• TITLE
• FORMAT
• DIVER
• GASTOXICITY
• PARMS
• ALTITUDE
• MIXES
• REBREATHERS
• DECOMIXES
• PROFILE

Decompression tables file definition

The necessary sections for the definition of decompression tables generation file are almost the same that those required in dive simulation. The only exception is to susbstitute the PROFILE section with TABLE section where de table generation parameters will be specified.

So, all the needed sections are:

• TITLE
• FORMAT
• DIVER
• GASTOXICITY
• PARMS
• ALTITUDE
• MIXES
• REBREATHERS
• DECOMIXES
• PROFILE

Dive planification file definition

The necessary sections for the definition of a dive planification are almost the same that the needed in the previous cases.

The differences int this case are the following:

• The last section is subtituted by the PLAN section. This section is where the planification parameters must be specified.
• The MIXES and REBREATHERS sections become optional.
• In the section DECOMIXES you can specify the keyword NONE in order to specify the mixes you want to be guessed by the program.

So, all the needed sections (including optional) are:

• TITLE
• FORMAT
• DIVER
• GASTOXICITY
• PARMS
• ALTITUDE
• MIXES
• REBREATHERS
• DECOMIXES
• PLAN