Using File Open

Selecting a data file using File → Open will open the file using the default iTool file reader for the type of file you select. The data will be added to the Data Manager and the iTool will automatically create the default visualization for the data contained in the file.

If the data in the file you select is binary or ASCII, you will be prompted to specify further information that will allow the binary or ASCII file readers to correctly import the data. For an explanation of the handling of various file types see the following sections:

For ASCII data see Importing ASCII Data

For binary data see Importing Binary Data

For ShapeFile data see Importing Shapefile Data

For data of an unrecognized format see Working with Unknown Data

Using IOPEN

The iOpen functionality allows you to access many different file types directly from the workbench rather than from the command line. When you open an image file this way, it immediately displays in an iImage window. In cases where data displays in an iTool, data is copied into the iTools Data Manager. (See About the Data Manager for more information.)

When you open other available data types, the data variables contained in that file are read into IDL's scope and are made available in the IDL Variables View. You define the variable names when you use this method. See IOPEN for more information.