MICROMINE 10 User Guide

Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents
What's new in this release of MICROMINE?...................................................................................1

Security.................................................................................................................................1

Generating a remote dongle update request............................................................................1

General.................................................................................................................................1

Vizex.....................................................................................................................................2

3D display limits..................................................................................................................2

Loading multiple outline files.................................................................................................2

View tools..............................................................................................................................2

Elevation/Section Control......................................................................................................2

Measure..............................................................................................................................2

Query.................................................................................................................................2

String edit tools......................................................................................................................3

Select.................................................................................................................................3

Snapping............................................................................................................................3

Between..............................................................................................................................3

Follow.................................................................................................................................3

Insert Intersection Point........................................................................................................3

Extend String......................................................................................................................3

Close String........................................................................................................................4

Curve Properties..................................................................................................................4

String Gradient....................................................................................................................4

Bearing and Distance............................................................................................................4

Edit string functions................................................................................................................4

Insert Points........................................................................................................................4

Condition String Segments....................................................................................................4

Condition String Angles.........................................................................................................4

File Import.............................................................................................................................4

Extract Unique.......................................................................................................................5

ODBC Import and ODBC Link...................................................................................................5

Transform Grid.......................................................................................................................5

Drillhole Databases.................................................................................................................5

Subblocking...........................................................................................................................5

Create blank block model......................................................................................................5

i
 Table Of
Subblocking with Assign........................................................................................................5

Block Model Display................................................................................................................6

Mining | Underground - menu options.......................................................................................6

Centreline, Stope and Panel Design........................................................................................6

Generate Solids...................................................................................................................6

Generate Solid Volumes........................................................................................................6

Ring Design.........................................................................................................................6

Sections and Openings..........................................................................................................6

Mining | Opencut - menu options..............................................................................................6

Pit Design...........................................................................................................................6

Stockpile Design..................................................................................................................6

Blast Pattern Design.............................................................................................................7

Blast Volumes......................................................................................................................7

Interactive Grade Control Setup.............................................................................................7

Mine Design tools....................................................................................................................7

Project to Elevation..............................................................................................................7

Gradient Control..................................................................................................................7

Insert Intersection Point........................................................................................................7

Polygon Boolean..................................................................................................................7

Generate Sidewalls...............................................................................................................8

Extrude String.....................................................................................................................8

Blast Displacement...............................................................................................................8

3D Viewer..............................................................................................................................8

User defined lighting............................................................................................................8

Wireframing...........................................................................................................................8

Edit Strings.........................................................................................................................8

Edit Triangles......................................................................................................................8

Build Wireframes..................................................................................................................8

Triangulation Methods..........................................................................................................8

Split Strings........................................................................................................................9

File types................................................................................................................................10

Field types...........................................................................................................................11

Editor files.........................................................................................................................14

Fields Validate.........................................................................................................................15

Replace...................................................................................................................................16

ii
 Table Of Contents
Incrementing and replicating data..............................................................................................17

Skip records............................................................................................................................17

Skip records during Copy from..................................................................................................18

Calculate.................................................................................................................................19

Update....................................................................................................................................20

Generate.................................................................................................................................21

Average..................................................................................................................................22

Split.......................................................................................................................................23

Join........................................................................................................................................24

Extracting unique values from a field.........................................................................................25

Case sensitive....................................................................................................................25

Sort output........................................................................................................................25

Numeric............................................................................................................................25

Sorting fields in the File Editor...................................................................................................26

Functions on the File menu.......................................................................................................27

Modify file structure..................................................................................................................28

File Sort..................................................................................................................................29

File Utilities.............................................................................................................................30

File Conversions.......................................................................................................................31

Importing data........................................................................................................................32

Importing data in the File Editor................................................................................................33

Importing text files...................................................................................................................34

ODBC Import...........................................................................................................................35

Importing data from Microsoft Access using ODBC.......................................................................37

Overview.............................................................................................................................37

The Process..........................................................................................................................37

Importing dBase files................................................................................................................39

Importing DXF files..................................................................................................................39

Import old DTM........................................................................................................................40

Import wireframes...................................................................................................................41

Input types........................................................................................................................41

Combining wireframes.........................................................................................................41

Import Block Model..................................................................................................................42

To import a block model file.................................................................................................42

Importing GIS files...................................................................................................................43

iii
 Table Of
Import attributes................................................................................................................43

Importing MAPGIS files.............................................................................................................44

MapGIS file........................................................................................................................44

Output..............................................................................................................................44

Importing DEM (China Standard) files.........................................................................................45

File path............................................................................................................................45

Sampling factor..................................................................................................................45

Output..............................................................................................................................45

Exporting data.........................................................................................................................46

Exporting data in the File Editor.................................................................................................47

Numeric Fields...................................................................................................................47

Options.............................................................................................................................47

Exporting text files...................................................................................................................48

ODBC Export...........................................................................................................................49

Exporting dBase files................................................................................................................50

Exporting DXF files...................................................................................................................51

Exporting coordinate files..........................................................................................................52

Exporting wireframes................................................................................................................53

Merging files............................................................................................................................54

Merging files from the File menu.............................................................................................54

Merging files in the File Editor................................................................................................54

Merging MICROMINE files..........................................................................................................55

Merge text files from the File menu............................................................................................56

Merging laboratory data............................................................................................................58

Comma and column delimited files.............................................................................................59

Column delimited..................................................................................................................59

The parts of a column delimited lab file.................................................................................59

Comma delimited..................................................................................................................59

Merging methods.....................................................................................................................60

Matching sample IDs................................................................................................................60

Defining the location of assayed element names and data.............................................................61

Posting Row, Start Column and Column Width values...................................................................62

Processing laboratory codes in the source file..............................................................................63

Replacing codes in the lab file.................................................................................................63

Managing samples below the detection limit.............................................................................63

iv
 Table Of Contents
To replace the identifier with another, in the Replace Lab Codes dialog box...............................63

To replace a below detection code with a detection limit value.................................................63

Writing merge values to fields in the target file............................................................................64

Using an unmerged file.............................................................................................................64

ODBC.....................................................................................................................................65

ODBC linking versus importing..................................................................................................66

Using linked tables.............................................................................................................66

ODBC Link...............................................................................................................................67

Overview...........................................................................................................................67

ODBC Import...........................................................................................................................69

ODBC Export...........................................................................................................................71

Linking to a Microsoft Access Database.......................................................................................72

Overview...........................................................................................................................72

Using filters.............................................................................................................................74

Filters on the File Menu............................................................................................................75

Creating a Filter....................................................................................................................75

Subset filtered records...........................................................................................................75

Deleting filtered records.........................................................................................................75

Filters in dialog boxes...............................................................................................................76

Editing and saving filters........................................................................................................76

Selecting a filter....................................................................................................................76

Attaching a filter in the File Editor...........................................................................................77

Attaching the Default Filter in the File Editor............................................................................77

Detaching a filter in the File Editor..........................................................................................77

Creating and editing filters........................................................................................................78

The Use Filtered Records switch................................................................................................79

Using logical operators with filters..............................................................................................80

Using the AND function..........................................................................................................80

Using the OR function............................................................................................................80

Using Equations.......................................................................................................................82

File Editor...............................................................................................................................83

Opening the File Editor..........................................................................................................83

Creating a new file.............................................................................................................83

Opening an existing file.......................................................................................................83

Closing the File Editor.........................................................................................................84

v
 Table Of
The Edit File toolbar.................................................................................................................85

Validating fields in the File Editor...............................................................................................88

Creating a check file for validation........................................................................................88

To validate a field in the File Editor, do the following..............................................................88

Hiding fields in the File Editor....................................................................................................89

Unhiding fields in the File Editor................................................................................................89

Ordering fields.........................................................................................................................89

Freezing fields in the File Editor.................................................................................................90

To unfreeze fields...............................................................................................................90

Colour-coding fields in the File Editor.........................................................................................91

Attach Colour Set...............................................................................................................91

Detach Colour Set..............................................................................................................91

Edit Colour Set...................................................................................................................91

Sorting fields in the File Editor...................................................................................................92

Merging MICROMINE files in the File Editor..................................................................................93

Merging text files in the File Editor.............................................................................................94

Creating a new file...................................................................................................................95

Creating a new file using a template..........................................................................................96

Modifying a file's structure........................................................................................................97

Formatting numeric fields..........................................................................................................98

Entering repetitive data............................................................................................................98

Save.......................................................................................................................................99

Save As..................................................................................................................................99

Opening a file........................................................................................................................100

Cut.......................................................................................................................................101

To cut one or more records, or a block of cells.....................................................................101

Copy.....................................................................................................................................102

Paste....................................................................................................................................102

Inserting records....................................................................................................................102

Undoing changes in a field or record.........................................................................................103

Deleting records.....................................................................................................................103

Going to records....................................................................................................................103

Importing data in the File Editor..............................................................................................104

Exporting data in the File Editor...............................................................................................105

Numeric Fields.................................................................................................................105

vi
 Table Of Contents
Options...........................................................................................................................105

Incrementing field contents.....................................................................................................106

Sorting fields in the File Editor.................................................................................................107

Replicating field contents.........................................................................................................108

Calculating field values in the File Editor...................................................................................109

Available Functions...........................................................................................................109

Overwrite Data option.............................................................................................................111

Setting the increment values...................................................................................................111

Processing multiple fields using Execute....................................................................................112

Execute commands...........................................................................................................112

Running multiple file processes using Execute | One/Many.........................................................113

Creating and attaching lookup tables........................................................................................114

Overview............................................................................................................................114

Creating lookup tables.........................................................................................................115

Creating and attaching.........................................................................................................115

Compiling a lookup table.........................................................................................................116

Enable validation..............................................................................................................116

Case sensitive..................................................................................................................116

Accept empty cells............................................................................................................116

Sort menu items...............................................................................................................116

Attaching and detaching lookup tables......................................................................................117

Defining the contents of a lookup table.....................................................................................118

The structure of a lookup table..........................................................................................118

This example uses common definitions................................................................................118

This example uses individual definitions..............................................................................118

Lookup table options..............................................................................................................120

Validate lookup fields........................................................................................................120

Smart sub-menus.............................................................................................................120

Beep when validation fails.................................................................................................120

Validate each keystroke.....................................................................................................120

Only first level compulsory................................................................................................120

Default field widths...........................................................................................................120

Validation actions................................................................................................................120

Valid input compulsory......................................................................................................120

Flag (prefix) with..............................................................................................................120

vii
 Table Of
Flag (replace) with............................................................................................................120

Finding values in fields............................................................................................................121

Using Find Next to repeat the Find........................................................................................121

Replacing values in fields........................................................................................................122

Deleting field contents............................................................................................................123

Preview before printing...........................................................................................................124

Printing a file.........................................................................................................................124

Page setup............................................................................................................................124

Page setup options..............................................................................................................124

Margins...........................................................................................................................124

Page header....................................................................................................................124

Field header\Field names...................................................................................................124

Record numbers...............................................................................................................124

Left justify characters.......................................................................................................124

Right justify numerics.......................................................................................................125

Bold field names...............................................................................................................125

Record numbers...............................................................................................................125

From/To record #.............................................................................................................125

Field overflow...................................................................................................................125

Setting up the printer.............................................................................................................126

Projects................................................................................................................................127

Using project templates..........................................................................................................127

Opening a project...................................................................................................................128

Creating a new project............................................................................................................128

Deleting a project...................................................................................................................129

Detaching a project.............................................................................................................129

Moving a project....................................................................................................................130

Renaming a project................................................................................................................130

Attaching a project.................................................................................................................131

Project names, paths and titles................................................................................................131

Project name...................................................................................................................131

Project path.....................................................................................................................131

Project title......................................................................................................................131

Sharing projects over a network..............................................................................................131

Vizex and the 3D Viewer.........................................................................................................132

viii
 Table Of Contents
Using the form sets pane.....................................................................................................132

Opening the Form Sets pane.............................................................................................132

Displaying the Form sets pane and the Object Manager together...........................................132

Auto-hide........................................................................................................................133

Loading form sets...............................................................................................................133

Loading data into the 3D Viewer........................................................................................134

Loading saved views in the 3D Viewer.................................................................................134

Loading data into Vizex.....................................................................................................134

Loading saved views in Vizex.............................................................................................134

Managing display objects........................................................................................................135

Displaying the Object Manager and the Form Sets pane together...........................................135

Auto-hide........................................................................................................................136

Opening and closing the Display pane.................................................................................136

Changing the drawing order...............................................................................................136

Hiding a display object......................................................................................................136

Displaying a hidden object.................................................................................................137

Removing a display object.................................................................................................137

Object Properties..............................................................................................................137

Selecting Objects..............................................................................................................137

Unselecting objects...........................................................................................................137

The View toolbar....................................................................................................................138

The Visual Explorer (Vizex)......................................................................................................141

To open Vizex..................................................................................................................141

Editing strings and outlines......................................................................................................142

The Edit Strings toolbar..........................................................................................................143

Radius.............................................................................................................................144

Angle..............................................................................................................................145

Direction.........................................................................................................................145

Gradient and Gradient Units...............................................................................................145

Edit......................................................................................................................................146

Select.............................................................................................................................146

Extend String...................................................................................................................146

Insert Point......................................................................................................................146

Move Point.......................................................................................................................147

Move String.....................................................................................................................147

ix
 Table Of
Copy String.....................................................................................................................147

Snapping mode................................................................................................................147

Follow String....................................................................................................................147

Delete Point.....................................................................................................................147

Delete String or Segment..................................................................................................148

Reverse String.................................................................................................................148

Join String.......................................................................................................................148

Close String.....................................................................................................................148

Edit Properties..................................................................................................................148

Creating a display in Vizex......................................................................................................149

Load a Saved View...........................................................................................................149

Load a Saved Form Set.....................................................................................................149

Create a New Form Set.....................................................................................................149

Setting display limits..............................................................................................................151

Orthogonal.........................................................................................................................151

View Type........................................................................................................................151

Limits..............................................................................................................................151

Clip to Window.................................................................................................................151

Transform..........................................................................................................................152

Calculations.....................................................................................................................152

Section............................................................................................................................152

Window Towards and Away................................................................................................153

3D.....................................................................................................................................153

Calculations.....................................................................................................................153

Projection........................................................................................................................153

Orientation......................................................................................................................154

Window Towards and Away................................................................................................154

Forms.............................................................................................................................155

Apply..............................................................................................................................155

Loading and displaying drillholes..............................................................................................156

Defining drillhole trace coordinates...........................................................................................157

Coordinates........................................................................................................................157

Trace Display...................................................................................................................157

Hole Name.........................................................................................................................157

Hole Depth.........................................................................................................................157

x
 Table Of Contents
Collar.................................................................................................................................158

Depth/Offsection.................................................................................................................158

Using drillhole databases.........................................................................................................160

Downhole Data.................................................................................................................160

Trench Data.....................................................................................................................160

Advantages of drillhole databases.......................................................................................160

To select a drillhole database.............................................................................................161

To create a new drillhole database.....................................................................................161

Including hatching in the drillhole display..................................................................................162

Hatch Coordinates...............................................................................................................162

Hatch Display.....................................................................................................................162

Displaying events down the drillhole.........................................................................................163

To display events along a drillhole trace..............................................................................163

Controlling the event label display......................................................................................163

Colour coding drillhole events.............................................................................................164

Controlling the symbol display for each event......................................................................164

Including graphs in the drillhole display....................................................................................165

Graph Coordinates...............................................................................................................165

Graph Display.....................................................................................................................165

Positioning the graph........................................................................................................165

Setting up the scalebar.....................................................................................................165

Displaying a header..........................................................................................................166

Including values in the drillhole display.....................................................................................167

Value Coordinates...............................................................................................................167

Value Display......................................................................................................................167

Defining how the labels will be displayed.............................................................................167

Extended label features.....................................................................................................167

Displaying a header..........................................................................................................167

Defining how the ticks will be displayed..............................................................................168

Extended tick features......................................................................................................168

Loading and displaying GIS features.........................................................................................169

GIS File..............................................................................................................................169

3D Orientation.................................................................................................................169

Feature Display Settings....................................................................................................169

Line...................................................................................................................................169

xi
 Table Of
Point..................................................................................................................................170

Polygon..............................................................................................................................171

Loading and displaying points..................................................................................................172

Load Points......................................................................................................................172

Symbols..........................................................................................................................172

Scaling............................................................................................................................172

Pie Chart.........................................................................................................................172

Loading strings......................................................................................................................174

String File........................................................................................................................174

Line Options....................................................................................................................174

Loading and displaying outlines................................................................................................175

Loading a grid file in Vizex......................................................................................................176

Colour coding the grid display............................................................................................176

Loading a block model............................................................................................................177

OBM File..........................................................................................................................177

Type...............................................................................................................................177

Filter...............................................................................................................................177

Easting, Northing and RL fields..........................................................................................177

Thickness and Block Size Factor fields.................................................................................177

Use Hatch field.................................................................................................................177

Hatch field.......................................................................................................................177

Hatch Set........................................................................................................................177

Draw Style......................................................................................................................178

Hatch Colour Coding.........................................................................................................178

Display block centres........................................................................................................178

Display labels...................................................................................................................178

Loading a wireframe...............................................................................................................179

Wireframes......................................................................................................................179

DTMs..............................................................................................................................179

Wireframe Type................................................................................................................179

Wireframe Name..............................................................................................................179

Draw Style......................................................................................................................179

Colour Coding..................................................................................................................179

Loading a profile display in Vizex.............................................................................................180

Loading and displaying images in Vizex.....................................................................................180

xii
 Table Of Contents
Grid Settings.........................................................................................................................181

Spacing...........................................................................................................................181

Grid type.........................................................................................................................181

Line type.........................................................................................................................181

Colour.............................................................................................................................182

Top/Right labels...............................................................................................................182

Bottom/Left labels............................................................................................................182

Vertical text.....................................................................................................................182

Label annotation...............................................................................................................182

Digitiser support....................................................................................................................183

Vizex options.........................................................................................................................184

General..............................................................................................................................184

Auto Load Last View.........................................................................................................184

Background Colour...........................................................................................................184

Clipping.............................................................................................................................184

Plan view and Section view................................................................................................184

String Editing......................................................................................................................184

Prompt to edit properties on adding a new string.................................................................184

Expansion Distance...........................................................................................................184

Weeding Tolerance...........................................................................................................184

Digitiser.............................................................................................................................184

End Feature.....................................................................................................................184

Undo...............................................................................................................................185

Toggle Snapping...............................................................................................................185

The 3D Viewer.......................................................................................................................186

The Decoration...................................................................................................................186

The Status bar....................................................................................................................186

The Menus and Toolbar........................................................................................................187

The World..........................................................................................................................187

Using lighting.........................................................................................................................187

Viewer modes........................................................................................................................188

The Decoration......................................................................................................................189

Using the Colour Editor...........................................................................................................190

 With the colour wheel.................................................................................................190

 With the colour sliders................................................................................................190

xiii
 Table Of
In the scene whose colour you want to use.........................................................................190

In the scene where you want to apply the background colour................................................191

Changing the colour of a display object....................................................................................192

Changing the drawing style of objects......................................................................................193

To set the drawing and move style for objects.....................................................................193

Available drawing and move styles.....................................................................................193

Loading, saving, and restoring 3D data.....................................................................................195

File menu options................................................................................................................195

New................................................................................................................................195

Open...............................................................................................................................195

Close..............................................................................................................................195

Close All..........................................................................................................................195

Save...............................................................................................................................195

Save As...........................................................................................................................196

Loading a search ellipsoid.......................................................................................................197

Input form set..................................................................................................................197

Block Definitions...............................................................................................................197

Colour Coding..................................................................................................................197

Transparency...................................................................................................................197

Ellipsoid Location..............................................................................................................197

Manipulating objects in the 3D display......................................................................................198

To visually select an object................................................................................................198

To de-select a specific object.............................................................................................198

To de-select all selected objects.........................................................................................198

To hide an object..............................................................................................................198

To show a hidden object....................................................................................................199

To remove an object.........................................................................................................199

To refresh an object..........................................................................................................199

 Using the Home button...............................................................................................200

 Using the View All button............................................................................................200

 Manually, using the thumbwheels and zoom slider.........................................................200

 Using the View menu..................................................................................................200

3D Viewer environment settings...............................................................................................201

Background colour............................................................................................................201

Draw style.......................................................................................................................201

xiv
 Table Of Contents
Move style.......................................................................................................................201

Automatically refresh source files.......................................................................................201

Show decoration...............................................................................................................201

Selection colour................................................................................................................201

Construction colour...........................................................................................................201

Tie-line colour..................................................................................................................201

First point........................................................................................................................201

Mid points........................................................................................................................201

Last point........................................................................................................................201

Highlighted segment points................................................................................................202

Normal arrow colour.........................................................................................................202

3D lighting............................................................................................................................203

Adding a light source to the scene......................................................................................203

Adjusting the position and intensity of a light source............................................................203

Location XY plane.............................................................................................................203

Location Z axis.................................................................................................................204

Intensity..........................................................................................................................204

Direction.........................................................................................................................205

Remove All Lights.............................................................................................................205

Show Light Icons..............................................................................................................205

Hide Light Icons...............................................................................................................205

Lights ON/ Lights OFF.......................................................................................................205

Stereo Preferences.................................................................................................................207

Stereo Modes......................................................................................................................207

Stereo Adjustment..............................................................................................................207

Generating printed output in the 3D Viewer...............................................................................208

Troubleshooting the 3D display................................................................................................210

Loading a wireframe...............................................................................................................212

To load a wireframe..........................................................................................................212

To drape an image onto a wireframe..................................................................................212

Georeferencing the image..................................................................................................213

To modify the display properties of a wireframe that's already been loaded............................214

Using clipping to view wireframe slices.....................................................................................215

Overview............................................................................................................................215

The Process........................................................................................................................215

xv
 Table Of
Using cameras.......................................................................................................................217

To start spinning the camera.............................................................................................217

To stop spinning the camera..............................................................................................217

 Viewing an object in plan view.....................................................................................217

 Viewing an object from a cardinal direction...................................................................217

Saving and restoring camera settings.......................................................................................219

To save a viewpoint.............................................................................................................219

To restore a viewpoint.........................................................................................................219

Spinning............................................................................................................................219

Panning..............................................................................................................................219

Dolly in and out..................................................................................................................219

Creating a flight path..............................................................................................................220

ADD / INSERT..................................................................................................................220

FIRST / LAST...................................................................................................................220

BACK / FORWARD.............................................................................................................220

DELETE...........................................................................................................................220

MODIFY...........................................................................................................................220

PLAY / STOP....................................................................................................................221

Displaying Images..................................................................................................................222

Georeferencing an image.........................................................................................................224

Georeferencing interactively.................................................................................................224

Handling large images............................................................................................................225

If the image is of a small size (less than 30 megabytes uncompressed).................................225

If the image is of a moderate size (between 30 MB and 500 MB uncompressed).....................225

If the image file is of a large size (greater than 500 MB uncompressed).................................225

Raster image files..................................................................................................................226

Simple Display.......................................................................................................................227

The Process........................................................................................................................227

Quick Contours display...........................................................................................................228

Overview............................................................................................................................228

The Process........................................................................................................................228

Quick Contours Setup.............................................................................................................229

Gridding method...............................................................................................................229

Max number of points (Inverse distance only)......................................................................229

Cell density......................................................................................................................229

xvi
 Table Of Contents
The following values for cell density will usually give acceptable results..................................229

Cell height and width........................................................................................................230

Search radius...................................................................................................................230

Troubleshooting Quick Contours...............................................................................................231

Drillhole fundamentals............................................................................................................232

The drillhole database..........................................................................................................232

How trace coordinates are obtained....................................................................................232

Collar file...............................................................................................................................233

Interval file............................................................................................................................234

Sample intervals in interval files...............................................................................................236

Compositing in interval files.....................................................................................................237

Survey file.............................................................................................................................237

Specifying dip in drillholes.......................................................................................................238

Specifying drillhole azimuths....................................................................................................238

Applying an azimuth correction................................................................................................239

Apply to first azimuth..........................................................................................................239

Using drillhole databases.........................................................................................................240

Downhole Data.................................................................................................................240

Trench Data.....................................................................................................................240

Advantages of drillhole databases.......................................................................................240

To select a drillhole database.............................................................................................240

To create a new drillhole database.....................................................................................241

Drillhole database properties...................................................................................................242

To define the properties of a drillhole database containing downhole data...............................242

To define the properties of a drillhole database containing trench data...................................243

Filtering drillhole databases.....................................................................................................244

To select an existing filter....................................................................................................244

To setup a new filter:..........................................................................................................244

Filter Conditions...............................................................................................................244

Wildcards........................................................................................................................244

Combine Lines.................................................................................................................244

Equation..........................................................................................................................244

Reverse Filter...................................................................................................................244

Forms.............................................................................................................................244

Deleting drillhole databases.....................................................................................................245

xvii
 Table Of
Refreshing drillhole databases..................................................................................................245

Update all drillhole database files........................................................................................245

Drillhole validation.................................................................................................................246

What Validate checks for.........................................................................................................246

Validate checks for...........................................................................................................246

Validating drillhole data...........................................................................................................247

Validation options...................................................................................................................247

Generating downhole coordinates.............................................................................................248

Overview............................................................................................................................248

The Process........................................................................................................................248

Generating line coordinates.....................................................................................................249

Overview.........................................................................................................................249

Prerequisites....................................................................................................................249

File type 1: Sample Points.................................................................................................249

File type 2: Trench End Points............................................................................................250

The Process........................................................................................................................250

Generating Trench Coordinates................................................................................................251

Overview.........................................................................................................................251

Validation........................................................................................................................251

Offsets............................................................................................................................251

Adjustments....................................................................................................................251

The Process........................................................................................................................251

Generating a drillhole trace.....................................................................................................253

Overview............................................................................................................................253

The Process........................................................................................................................253

Creating a Minesight file..........................................................................................................254

Overview............................................................................................................................254

The Process........................................................................................................................254

Other features....................................................................................................................254

Importing Minesight data........................................................................................................255

Overview............................................................................................................................255

The Process........................................................................................................................255

Creating a drillhole display in Quick Section...............................................................................257

Overview............................................................................................................................257

The Process........................................................................................................................257

xviii
 Table Of Contents
Creating a drillhole display in Quick Log....................................................................................258

Overview............................................................................................................................258

The Process........................................................................................................................258

Setting up the intersection calculation.................................................................................258

Using a drillhole list file.....................................................................................................258

Strings..................................................................................................................................260

The String file.....................................................................................................................260

Editing strings........................................................................................................................262

Overview.........................................................................................................................262

The Process.....................................................................................................................262

Running the function.........................................................................................................262

Setting up the display limits....................................................................................................263

Displaying values at points along strings...................................................................................263

Displaying symbols at points along strings.................................................................................264

Adding strings........................................................................................................................264

Breaking a String...................................................................................................................265

Closing a string......................................................................................................................265

Deleting a string or part or point..............................................................................................266

Delete point.....................................................................................................................266

Delete partial...................................................................................................................266

Delete string....................................................................................................................266

Editing a point or string..........................................................................................................267

Edit point.........................................................................................................................267

Edit string........................................................................................................................267

Insert points in a string...........................................................................................................268

Insert automatically..........................................................................................................268

Insert with mouse.............................................................................................................268

Joining strings.......................................................................................................................268

String calculations..................................................................................................................269

Area................................................................................................................................269

Bearing...........................................................................................................................269

Length............................................................................................................................269

Perimeter........................................................................................................................269

Moving a point or string..........................................................................................................270

Move a point with the mouse.............................................................................................270

xix
 Table Of
Move a string with the mouse............................................................................................270

Querying a point....................................................................................................................270

Other string editing functions..................................................................................................271

Highlight a string..............................................................................................................271

Unhighlight strings............................................................................................................271

Show the start of a string..................................................................................................271

Show the end of a string...................................................................................................271

Reversing a string..................................................................................................................272

Extending a string..................................................................................................................272

Copying a string.....................................................................................................................273

By bearing and distance....................................................................................................273

By differential height.........................................................................................................273

With the mouse................................................................................................................273

By level...........................................................................................................................273

Saving the string file after edits...............................................................................................274

Saving new or edited strings..............................................................................................274

Using Save As to create a new string file.............................................................................274

Saving the highlighted strings only.....................................................................................274

String weeding.......................................................................................................................275

Overview.........................................................................................................................275

The Process.....................................................................................................................275

String clipping........................................................................................................................276

Overview.........................................................................................................................276

Simple method.................................................................................................................276

Doughnut method.............................................................................................................276

The Process.....................................................................................................................276

String smoothing....................................................................................................................277

Data thinning by matching points.............................................................................................278

Undoing the function.........................................................................................................278

Digitising points and strings....................................................................................................279

The Process.....................................................................................................................279

Graphics Options.................................................................................................................280

Numeric (N).....................................................................................................................280

Mode (M).........................................................................................................................280

Increment (I)...................................................................................................................280

xx
 Table Of Contents
Text (T)...........................................................................................................................280

Undo (U).........................................................................................................................280

Setup Digitiser (F8)..........................................................................................................281

Colour (C)........................................................................................................................281

Flag (F)...........................................................................................................................281

Begin (B).........................................................................................................................281

End (E)...........................................................................................................................281

Prompt (P).......................................................................................................................281

Digitising profiles...................................................................................................................282

Overview.........................................................................................................................282

The Process.....................................................................................................................282

Graphics Options..............................................................................................................283

New line (N)....................................................................................................................283

Undo (U).........................................................................................................................283

Colour (C)........................................................................................................................283

Setup Digitiser (F8)..........................................................................................................283

Assigning digitiser buttons......................................................................................................285

Digitising profiles.................................................................................................................285

New Line.........................................................................................................................285

Undo...............................................................................................................................285

Digitising points and strings..................................................................................................285

Numeric mode..................................................................................................................285

Change flag value.............................................................................................................285

Close string.....................................................................................................................285

Undo...............................................................................................................................285

Streaming mode...............................................................................................................285

Outlines................................................................................................................................286

Typical applications.............................................................................................................286

Outlines files..........................................................................................................................287

Outline file naming............................................................................................................287

File structure....................................................................................................................287

Grid transformations...............................................................................................................290

Overview............................................................................................................................290

What about GPS?..............................................................................................................290

Grid transformation functions.............................................................................................291

xxi
 Table Of
Choosing a transformation method...........................................................................................292

Keyboard conversions.......................................................................................................292

File conversions................................................................................................................292

Geographic grid transformations..............................................................................................293

Transforming coordinates between geographic and plane grids....................................................293

Plane grid transformations......................................................................................................294

Transforming coordinates between plane grids...........................................................................294

Datum transformation.............................................................................................................295

Overview............................................................................................................................295

Using the Datum transformations.......................................................................................295

The Process........................................................................................................................295

Additional information.......................................................................................................296

The different angle units.........................................................................................................296

Latitude and Longitude conventions..........................................................................................296

Understanding UTM options.....................................................................................................297

UTM zones............................................................................................................................298

Understanding the Transverse Mercator options.........................................................................299

Central scale factor...........................................................................................................299

Central meridian...............................................................................................................299

Latitude origin..................................................................................................................299

Grid units........................................................................................................................299

False Easting...................................................................................................................299

False Northing..................................................................................................................299

South African Lo coordinates................................................................................................300

Flip X-coordinates and Flip Y-coordinates.............................................................................300

Choosing the right spheroid.....................................................................................................301

Defining a spheroid.................................................................................................................302

Spheroid units..................................................................................................................302

Major semi axis................................................................................................................302

Flattening(1/?).................................................................................................................302

Delta X, Y and Z...............................................................................................................302

Geoid-Spheroid separation (N)...........................................................................................302

Country/Datum/Spheroid........................................................................................................303

Compass traverse..................................................................................................................305

Overview.........................................................................................................................305

xxii
 Table Of Contents
The Process.....................................................................................................................305

Traverse fields.......................................................................................................................307

Calculations with a station file..................................................................................................308

Calculations without a station file.............................................................................................309

Using a station file..................................................................................................................310

Assign Outlines......................................................................................................................311

The Process.....................................................................................................................312

Statistics...............................................................................................................................313

Displaying the range of your data............................................................................................313

Distribution statistics..............................................................................................................314

Overview.........................................................................................................................314

When to apply distribution statistics......................................................................................314

The Process.....................................................................................................................314

Graph Options..................................................................................................................315

Analysis Options...............................................................................................................315

Choosing the type of graph.....................................................................................................315

Setting the display mode.........................................................................................................315

Setting up the graph limits......................................................................................................316

Further display options...........................................................................................................316

Setting up the analysis parameters...........................................................................................317

Model colour....................................................................................................................317

Show populations.............................................................................................................317

Population N colour...........................................................................................................317

3 P Ln output field............................................................................................................317

Write values < minimum...................................................................................................317

Write values > maximum..................................................................................................317

Querying the graph................................................................................................................318

Displaying information about the graph.....................................................................................318

Using the tools on the Model menu..........................................................................................318

Using the 3 Parameter calculation............................................................................................319

Additive Constant.............................................................................................................319

Decomposing data sets...........................................................................................................320

Overview.........................................................................................................................320

The Process.....................................................................................................................320

Creating colour sets using decomposition..................................................................................322

xxii
 Table Of
Calculating descriptive statistics for your data............................................................................323

Calculating Normal/Log Normal statistics...................................................................................323

Calculating Median/Mode statistics...........................................................................................323

Tools....................................................................................................................................324

GPS input..............................................................................................................................324

Overview.........................................................................................................................324

The Process.....................................................................................................................324

Creating a GPS output file.......................................................................................................325

Receiving GPS data................................................................................................................325

Setting up the trigger.............................................................................................................325

Obtaining observations: GPS or user-triggered..........................................................................326

When Trigger = MICROMINE..............................................................................................326

When Trigger = GPS RECEIVER..........................................................................................326

Entering GPS fields.................................................................................................................327

Record field......................................................................................................................327

Longitude field.................................................................................................................327

Latitude field....................................................................................................................327

Elevation field..................................................................................................................327

Date field........................................................................................................................327

Time field........................................................................................................................327

Setting up the prompt fields....................................................................................................327

GPS data formats...................................................................................................................328

RS-232/RS-422 connection.....................................................................................................329

Instrument download..............................................................................................................330

Overview.........................................................................................................................330

The Process.....................................................................................................................330

Header fields.........................................................................................................................331

Header Fields Processing...................................................................................................331

Data fields.............................................................................................................................332

Overview.........................................................................................................................332

Data fields processing.......................................................................................................332

Setup the key definitions...................................................................................................332

Setup up the field definitions.............................................................................................332

Instrument Download: example 1.............................................................................................334

Header Field Setup...........................................................................................................334

xxiv
 Table Of Contents
Data Fields Setup.............................................................................................................335

Instrument Download: Example 2............................................................................................337

How to use ASCII Download....................................................................................................339

Coding with colours, hatches and symbols.................................................................................340

The application of colour, hatch and symbol sets..................................................................340

Installing a True Type font.................................................................................................341

Numeric sets.........................................................................................................................342

Text sets...............................................................................................................................342

Overview.........................................................................................................................342

Creating text sets.............................................................................................................342

Selecting the field that will control colour, hatch or symbol application.........................................343

Navigating to the colour, hatch and symbol set dialogs...............................................................344

Colour sets and the default colour setting..................................................................................344

Saving colour combinations in palettes.....................................................................................344

Selecting colour palettes...................................................................................................344

Saving colour palettes.......................................................................................................344

Hatching using hatch sets.......................................................................................................345

Plotting and printing issues to do with hatches.....................................................................345

Hatch sets and the default hatch setting...................................................................................346

Symbols and symbol sets........................................................................................................346

Saving combinations of symbols in palettes...............................................................................347

Creating a palette of symbols.............................................................................................347

Inserting a symbol............................................................................................................347

Deleting a symbol.............................................................................................................347

Moving a symbol..............................................................................................................347

Mapping existing symbols to True Type symbols........................................................................348

Mapping custom symbols sets to True Type symbols............................................................348

Numeric colour/hatch/symbol sets............................................................................................349

Allocating a Colour/Hatch/Symbol to a Range............................................................................350

Allocating a colour to a range...............................................................................................350

Allocating a hatch to a range................................................................................................350

Allocating a symbol to a range..............................................................................................350

Using Assign to identify and select text codes............................................................................351

Using Calculate to calculate ranges...........................................................................................351

Border values........................................................................................................................352

xxv
 Table Of
Changing labels.....................................................................................................................352

Changing the label order from ascending to descending.............................................................352

Inserting and deleting ranges..................................................................................................353

Setting the number of decimal points used to specify a range.....................................................353

How to use the colour ramping................................................................................................354

Colour allocation: Range versus spectrum.................................................................................354

Text sets...............................................................................................................................355

Overview.........................................................................................................................355

Creating text sets.............................................................................................................355

Using Assign to identify and select text codes............................................................................356

Auto grouping text codes........................................................................................................356

How auto labelling works with text codes..................................................................................357

Using Wildcards with Text Sets................................................................................................357

Using Macros.........................................................................................................................358

Toolbox...........................................................................................................................358

Using Macro functions.............................................................................................................359

Macro functions..................................................................................................................359

Run Batch - RUN..............................................................................................................359

Copy file - FCOPY.............................................................................................................359

Delete file - FDELETE........................................................................................................359

Rename File - FRENAME....................................................................................................359

Delete Data - DELDATA.....................................................................................................359

Modify Structure - MODIFY................................................................................................359

File Report - REPORT........................................................................................................359

Select Printer - PRINTER....................................................................................................359

Substitution Table - MACSUB.............................................................................................359

Call Macro - CALLMAC.......................................................................................................359

Steps in running a macro........................................................................................................360

Setting up dialogs..................................................................................................................360

Run Macro.............................................................................................................................361

Toolbox...........................................................................................................................361

Creating a Macro File..............................................................................................................362

Start by creating a new file................................................................................................362

To create a new macro file with the default file structure do the following:.............................362

To create a new macro based on an existing file follow these steps........................................362

xxvi
 Table Of Contents
You can also use an existing macro file to enter your instructions..........................................362

To open an existing macro file from the File menu follow these steps.....................................362

How to interrupt processing.....................................................................................................363

Editing a macro......................................................................................................................363

Saved dialogs...................................................................................................................363

Special commands............................................................................................................363

Entering instructions...............................................................................................................364

The macro file structure..........................................................................................................365

The fields in a macro file.........................................................................................................366

Following is a list of the commands that use fields in a non standard way..................................366

FUNCTION: Abort processing of the macro................................................................................366

FUNCTION: Sound the computer audio tone..............................................................................366

FUNCTION: Draw contours......................................................................................................366

FUNCTION: Plot a file.............................................................................................................367

FUNCTION: Traverse adjustment.............................................................................................367

FUNCTION: Polygonal Section models.......................................................................................367

Entering parameters during execution.......................................................................................367

How to handle incomplete dialogs............................................................................................368

For example.....................................................................................................................368

To continue processing......................................................................................................368

To stop processing altogether.............................................................................................368

To stop processing:..........................................................................................................368

Using replaceable parameters..................................................................................................369

Pass parameters...............................................................................................................369

Substitution parameters....................................................................................................369

Options.................................................................................................................................370

System environment settings...................................................................................................371

Saving parameters in forms.....................................................................................................372

The hierarchy of saved parameters.....................................................................................372

Defining global, local, and personal form sets............................................................................373

Defining personal form sets...............................................................................................373

Selecting a global form set................................................................................................373

Creating a global form set.................................................................................................373

Personal form sets.................................................................................................................374

Forms environment settings....................................................................................................375

xxv
 Table Of
Accessing forms.....................................................................................................................375

Using the forms tools........................................................................................................375

Saving a form set..................................................................................................................376

If you have already opened a form set, edited it, and then want to save the changes.............376

Form set properties................................................................................................................377

Set characteristics............................................................................................................377

Author.............................................................................................................................377

Files................................................................................................................................377

Embedded sets.................................................................................................................377

Specifying the name of the form set author.........................................................................378

Opening a form......................................................................................................................378

Renaming a form set..............................................................................................................379

Deleting form sets..................................................................................................................379

Save a form set with a new number.........................................................................................379

Exporting form sets................................................................................................................380

Exporting form sets..........................................................................................................380

Exporting layout sets from the Plot Editor...........................................................................380

Importing form sets................................................................................................................380

System parameters................................................................................................................381

Forms and macros..................................................................................................................381

Setting up the digitiser............................................................................................................382

Using the digitiser..................................................................................................................383

Determining the digitiser output format....................................................................................384

Setting up the digitiser environment.........................................................................................385

Setting up display limits..........................................................................................................385

Correlating the digitiser and display grids..................................................................................385

Digitiser environment settings.................................................................................................386

Colours and Fonts environment settings....................................................................................387

3D Viewer environment settings...............................................................................................388

Background colour............................................................................................................388

Draw style.......................................................................................................................388

Move style.......................................................................................................................388

Automatically refresh source files.......................................................................................388

Selection colour................................................................................................................388

Construction colour...........................................................................................................388

xxvi
 Table Of Contents
Tie-line colour..................................................................................................................388

First point........................................................................................................................388

Mid points........................................................................................................................388

Last point........................................................................................................................388

Highlighted segment points................................................................................................388

Normal arrow colour.........................................................................................................388

Symbol Options......................................................................................................................389

Form Field colours..................................................................................................................390

Compulsory prompt..........................................................................................................390

Table prompt...................................................................................................................390

Group title.......................................................................................................................390

File type..........................................................................................................................390

List box...........................................................................................................................390

Zoom Box colour....................................................................................................................390

Grid line and grid annotation colour.........................................................................................391

Line colour.......................................................................................................................391

Font colour......................................................................................................................391

Text background..............................................................................................................391

Font information.................................................................................................................391

Font................................................................................................................................391

Font style........................................................................................................................391

Font size.........................................................................................................................391

Changing the font..................................................................................................................391

To change the font...........................................................................................................391

To set the style................................................................................................................391

To select a size (in points).................................................................................................391

Display text font....................................................................................................................392

Text background..............................................................................................................392

Index....................................................................................................................................393

xxi
 MICROMINE 10 - What's

What's new in this release of MICROMINE?

This topic provides a brief outline of the new features available in MICROMINE 10.

Security

The use of Crypkey software licensing has been discontinued. The MICROMINE application is now
protected by a hardware device called a dongle. Two types of dongle are used by the application:

 Hardlock. The Hardlock or NetHasp dongle will be gradually phased out and replaced by
the Marx dongle.

 Marx. The Marx dongle has been introduced with version 10. Unlike Hardlock dongles,
which must be returned to a Micromine office for reprogramming, Marx dongles can be
updated remotely using an activation file.

In addition to a dongle, a licence file is also needed to run the application. Since this file is
unique for each MICROMINE licence, it must be generated by Micromine and is not included
on the MICROMINE installation CD.

If you have not been provided with a licence file, please contact Micromine Sales/Support at
regkey@micromine.com.au. You will need to provide your MICROMINE licence ID.

Generating a remote dongle update request

Use the Dongle Remote Update tab of the Licence Manager dialog to request a remote
update of your Marx dongle. This may be necessary when you have purchased additional
modules, the software has been upgraded, or you need to update your licence following an
annual maintenance expiry.

General

The Visual Explorer (Vizex) is now opened by default whenever you start MICROMINE. The
MICROMINE user interface has been enhanced and provides the following new design features:

The menus and toolbars have been reorganised to allow easier interaction with other
functions while working with both Vizex and the 3D Viewer.

New toolbars are available when editing display objects such as strings, outlines,
wireframes, and opencut or underground mine designs.

Depending on your working environment, you can turn the display of toolbars on and off by
selecting an option from the View | Toolbars menu. Alternatively, right-click in an empty
portion of the application menu bar to display the toolbar selection list.

Functions such as the File Editor and the Plot Editor have their own new-look toolbars.

For backward compatibility, existing display functions incorporate the old-style toolbar.

Application toolbars can be customised using the Add Remove Buttons now provided on
each toolbar and new toolbars can be created.

Toolbars can be repositioned so that they are docked along the left, right, bottom, or top of
a display window, or 'floating' (positioned over the display in its own window).

The Form Sets pane (View | Form Sets) can now be used to load data in both Vizex and the
3D Viewer.

The Object Manager (View | Object Manager) can now be used to manage the display of
objects in both Vizex and the 3D Viewer.

In Vizex and the 3D Viewer, the Object Manager and the Form Sets pane can be docked in
the same way as toolbars. In addition, an Auto-Hide icon is provided when these windows

1
 MICROMINE 10 - What’s

are docked to the left, right, top, or bottom of the display window. Click the Auto-Hide icon
to maximize the work area and automatically hide these windows when they are not in use.

Vizex

Clipping functionality has been enhanced and the drawing speed has been optimised for
viewing sections in 3D.

Drillhole values are now displayed orthogonal to the trace.

The functionality provided on the Vizex toolbars has been extended to include new string
editing tools for use in open cut and underground mine design. Enhanced string editing
tools are listed in the following section. Tools which are more specific to open pit or
underground mine design, are described as part of the Mining module.

Points can now be displayed as pie segments. The size, colour, and fill of each segment are
controlled by field values. Up to eight segments can be displayed for each point. Point pie
chart symbols are typically used to display geochemical plots or block model values.

Depth and offsection values can now be displayed at a specified interval along (and at
either side of) the drillhole trace.

When displaying drillhole values along the trace, up to six values (from multiple fields) can
now be displayed.

Vizex font and line thickness settings are now honoured by the Plot Editor.

3D display limits

In Vizex, display limits can be defined (using the View | Viewpoint | Edit menu option) so
that 3D objects can be viewed from different positions and angles by rotating and moving the
camera, not by rotating and moving the objects, although that is what appears to happen.

When adjusting the limits of the 3D display, you can now specify whether to hold the camera
position (where you are looking from) and adjust the viewpoint (the focal point of the
camera as determined by its orientation), or whether to hold the viewpoint and adjust the
position of the camera.

A new Projection setting allows you to choose between a perspective or an orthogonal

camera in the 3D display. Camera position and orientation can also be set.

Loading multiple outline files

Multiple outline files can now be selected when loading outlines using the Display | Vizex |
Outlines menu option.

View tools

The following new or enhanced tools are available on the View toolbar when the Vizex display is
active:

Elevation/Section Control

The current Elevation/Section value is displayed in an editable input box, which provides an
easy way to set the start elevation of new strings, as well as providing visual feedback on the
current setting.

Measure

Click the Measure tool to measure the distance between two or more points digitised on
screen. Optionally, select the Snapping option from the drop-down menu, or press the Shift
key while measuring to enable snapping mode.

Query

2
 MICROMINE 10 - What's

Click the Query tool to use the cursor to identify a point, string, outline, or any object
selected in the display window. In the case of string and outline objects, perimeter length
and area are reported.

Perimeter/area calculations are performed by projecting the selected object in the plane of
the view. It is therefore important to choose the appropriate view orientation before querying
an object.

Depending on the object selected, some or all of the properties can be edited.

String edit tools

The following new tools are available on the Edit Strings toolbar when the Vizex display is active and
an editable object is selected:

Select

When editing strings and outlines, multiple objects can now be selected by defining a
selection rectangle.

Snapping

Click the Snapping button to toggle snapping mode on and off. Alternatively, you can toggle
snapping on and off using the S key. To temporarily turn off snapping mode, hold the SHIFT
key down as you digitise a point. Point, Line, and Grid snapping options can be selected.

Between

Use the Between tool to insert a point exactly half way between two specified points.
Between mode can be invoked during editing to create new strings or extend existing
strings, and when moving or inserting points.

During interpretation, the Between tool is often used to digitise a point which is halfway
between drillholes.

Follow

The Follow tool works differently to the snapping-related behaviour of the Follow String
function and provides a simple way of copying part of a string, or an entire string, for
example a wireframe profile.

When you select the Follow tool and then move the mouse over an open string, the mouse
snaps to the nearest vertex on that string (when Point snapping mode is current), or (if Line
snapping mode is current) a point on the string which is the shortest perpendicular distance
from the position of the mouse to the string. When you click the mouse, the string is
followed (automatically copied) from the highlighted vertex to the end of the string. If the
string is closed, then the entire string is copied.

To follow a portion of a string or segment, hold down the mouse button. As you drag the
mouse, the string is followed until you release the mouse button.

Once the string has been copied, Follow mode is no longer active. Click the Follow tool again
to repeat the process.

Insert Intersection Point

Note: The Follow tool uses the default (last-used) snapping mode. When using the Follow tool,
Point or Line snapping is applied irrespective of whether Snapping mode is turned on or not.
When you are
The Follow tooldigitising
does notawork
new ifstring and want
the default to insert
snapping modea point at the intersection of two
is Grid.
other strings, click the Insert Intersection Point tool to extend the current string by
snapping to the nearest string intersection.

Extend String

3
 MICROMINE 10 - What’s

Use the Extend String button to append points to one end of a string. If you select the
Extend String tool, points are appended to the last point on the string. Alternatively, right-
click on the end point you want to append to and select Extend from the right-click menu.

As you drag and move the appended point, a new string segment is displayed (rubber-
banded).

Close String

Use the Close String button to close a selected (open) string. The start and end point of the
string will be connected by a new segment.

Curve Properties

Click the Curve Properties button to extend the selected string by appending a curve to the
end point. Curve radius, angle, direction, and gradient parameters can be specified.

String Gradient

Click the String Gradient button to set the gradient (and gradient units) when digitising
strings in the display.

Bearing and Distance

Use the Bearing and Distance tool to specify a bearing (azimuth) and a distance for the
next segment when digitising a string. The distance is measured using either the horizontal
(projected onto the plan) distance, or the actual 3D distance (taking into account the
elevation). Specify a gradient value and the units to be applied to the gradient value.

Edit string functions

The following new functions are available when you are editing strings in the Vizex display:

Insert Points

Use the right-click Insert Points function to insert multiple points in a selected string or
segment. If no point spacing is specified, the number of points specified will be inserted at a
fixed (equidistant) interval along the string or segment.

When you specify a point spacing, this can be measured using either the horizontal
(projected onto the plan) distance, or the actual 3D distance (taking into account the
elevation).

Condition String Segments

Use the right-click Condition String Segments menu option, to set the minimum and
maximum separation between points.

Condition String Angles

Use the right-click Condition String Angles menu option, to specify a minim um angle
between segments value. This value is used to truncate strings where necessary in order to
eliminate very narrow angles. As a result, any wireframe generated from the string will be
smoother and less irregular in shape.

File Import

New import options have been added to the File menu. These are:

Import | GIS files, including point, line, and polygon data stored in a variety of third party
GIS formats. Formats that can be imported include ArcView® shapefiles, Microstation®
DGN files, and MapInfo® files in both TAB and MIF formats.

Import | MapGIS spatial data files containing line or point data. MapGIS is a GIS package
developed by the China University of Geosciences and is widely used in China.

4
 MICROMINE 10 - What's


Import DEM grid files. China Standard Transfer Format grid data (DEM) files are digital
cartographic/geographic grid data files produced by the China Geological Survey. The grid
data is stored from north to south and from west to east, as a text file.

Extract Unique

When using the File | Fields | Extract Unique function, additional key fields can now be
written to the output file, along with a count (of the number of occurrences) for each unique
value.

ODBC Import and ODBC Link

When using the File | Import | ODBC and File | Link | ODBC functions, table and query
names can now contain spaces.

Transform Grid

Support for the South African Lo coordinate system, also known as the Gauss Conform
Projection (an adaptation of the Transverse Mercator projection), has been added to the
Transverse Mercator options provided with the Survey | Transform Grids | Geographic
option.

Drillhole Databases

In MICROMINE 10, the use of drillhole databases is now the preferred option when processing and
displaying drillhole data.

New Dhole | Database menu options can be used to create, edit, delete, and refresh
drillhole databases.

One or more, or all, of the drillhole databases in the current project can also be refreshed
using the Tools | Macro Functions | Drillhole Database Refresh menu option.

Subblocking

In previous versions of MICROMINE, subblocking could only be performed by subdividing model cells
into virtual sub-blocks in order to calculate factors for each parent cell. Using the options provided
under the Modelling | Subblocking menu, existing block models can now be:

 validated, using the Validate Block Model option, to ensure that there are no overlapping
blocks and that no discrepancies exist between the block model (OBM) file and the block
definitions assigned to it. A check can also be made for missing compulsory field values or
invalid non-numeric values.

 sliced by different block definitions into a sub-blocked model so that the output model can
fit into new block definitions, using the Reblock Block Model option.

 added together irrespective of their sub-cell division, using the Add Two Block Models
option.

 optimised, using the Optimise Block Model option, in a way that sub-blocks are combined
into bigger blocks within parent cells.

 converted into a factored model, using the Regularise Block Model option. The process
creates a block model with regular block sizes.

Create blank block model


A blank block model can also be created using the Modelling | 3D Block Estimate | Blank
Block Model menu option.

As well as specifying block definitions and constants, the user can also specify block
constraints and sub-block those blocks that are wholly or partially inside one or more
wireframes, or above or below a DTM.

Subblocking with Assign

5
MICROMINE 10 - What’s

A new subblocking option is provided for the following Assign functions:


Modelling | Assign | Outlines (Core)

Strings | DTM | Assign (Exploration and Survey modules)

Modelling | Assign | Wireframes (Wireframing module)

If the target file in the assignment process is a block model file, you can decompose the
blocks into sub-blocks to improve the accuracy of the assignment process.

In the case of Assign Wireframes, subblocking can be applied to those blocks that are wholly
or partially inside one or more wireframes.

In the case of DTM Assign, subblocking can be applied to those blocks that lie above or below
the DTM.

Block Model Display

Using Modelling | 3D Block Estimate | Display, you can now display three values from
fields in the block model file as labels in each block.

Mining | Underground - menu options

Centreline, Stope and Panel Design

When the Mining module is installed, the string-editing tools in the Visual Explorer (Vizex)
are augmented by a comprehensive range of open pit and underground mine design tools.

Centreline, Stope, and Panel designs created in Vizex, can be accessed directly from the
Mining menu.

Generate Solids

A new Mining | Underground | Underground Solid option allows the user to generate an
underground solid from an existing (typically a drive or a tunnel) string file.

Generate Solid Volumes

A new Mining | Underground | Underground Solid Volume option allows the user to calculate
and report the volume of one or more underground solids (typically declines, shafts, and
adits). If the underground solids have an SG attribute, you can also use this function to
calculate tonnages for each solid.

Ring Design

A new Mining | Underground | Ring Design option provides for the interactive design,
editing and display of underground blast hole layouts, the design of stopes, and the reporting
of stope tonnage and grade. Designs suitable for any stoping method can be generated,
taking into account the characteristics of the orebody and the physical limitations of drill rigs.

Sections and Openings

The Mining | Underground | Sections and Openings function generates rectangular mine
openings in section, from string files of horizontal workings. The output is a string file in
which each string represents a mine opening, with definable spacing between openings.
Input files may describe floor or back surveys or both, and you can define tolerances within
which openings will be generated.

Mining | Opencut - menu options

Pit Design

A new Mining | Opencut | Pit Design menu option provides access to string editing and pit
design tools in Vizex.

Stockpile Design

6
 MICROMINE 10 - What's

A new Mining | Opencut | Stockpile Design menu option provides access to string editing
and pit design tools used in Vizex. Defaults are set to generate the walls of the stockpile up
and in (as opposed to up and out).

Blast Pattern Design

A new Mining | Opencut | Blasthole Setup menu option allows you to create a basic
rectangular blast pattern. Hole spacing and an extent rectangle can be defined. Holes may be
in a square or a diamond pattern, with a nominated azimuth and dip. They can also be
restricted to an outline or a string, to create a non-rectangular blast pattern.

To create a new blasthole design, select the Mining | Opencut | Blasthole Design | New
menu option. In this case, when you click OK a new file is created using the default fields set
for the form (or where no defaults exist, using the default fields for a new file set under
Options | Forms). The display is set to edit mode and the Blast Design toolbar is enabled.

Blast Volumes

A new Mining | Opencut | Blast Volumes menu option, allows the user to calculate a blast
pattern volume from a file containing string information.

Interactive Grade Control Setup

In Vizex, the calculation parameters and output options provided in the Grade Control Setup
dialog are similar to those provided by the Mining | Opencut | Old Grade Control
function. In this case, however, display limits, outlines, and other data sources used for
grade control can be set interactively in the display.

The options on the Mining | Opencut | Grade Control menu allow you to integrate
different data types and interactively evaluate volumes, tonnages and grades within existing
or new outlines. These options are also provided on the View | Toolbars | Grade Control
toolbar.

The Grade Add (+++), Grade Subtract (---), and Grade Exclude (xxx) tools can be used to
specify whether data (within one or more selected outlines) will be included or excluded from
the grade control calculation. If data is included, it can either be added to or subtracted from
the calculation.

Mine Design tools

Many of the opencut pit design tools have been relocated since they were first released in version
9.2. These tools can now be located on the Edit Strings toolbar or on the Mine Design toolbar. The
tools on these toolbars are enabled whenever the Vizex display is active and an editable object is
selected. Toolbars can be displayed (or hidden) by selecting them from the View | Toolbars menu.

When the Mining module is installed, a separate Mine Design toolbar is available for selection from
the View | Toolbars list. The following tools are provided:

Project to Elevation

Click the Project to Elevation tool to project an outline up or down based upon a specified
elevation. The base string of a pit, for example, might be projected onto a DTM of the
surface.

Gradient Control

Use the Gradient Control tool to interactively set the slope of the line when digitising a string.

Insert Intersection Point

When you are digitising a new string and want to insert a point at the intersection of two
other strings, click the Insert Intersection Point tool to extend the current string by
snapping to the nearest string intersection.

Polygon Boolean

7
 MICROMINE 10 - What’s

Use the Polygon Boolean options to combine two or more selected polygons. Union,
Intersection, and Difference options are provided. The boolean operation can be applied to
closed strings only, or to all strings in the display. The option of deleting original strings is
also given.

Generate Sidewalls

Use the Generate Sidewalls button to generate a polygon enclosing the area within a
specified distance of a selected string.

Extrude String

Use the Extrude String function to generate a wireframe from a series of strings that define
underground features such as drives. The wireframes will be drawn along the paths defined
by the strings.

Blast Displacement

Click the Blast Displacement button (on the Edit Strings toolbar) to create a visual
representation of an ore body prior to and after blasting. The information provided by the
Blast Displacement function can be used with drill pattern and shot orientation data to help
reduce dilution from mining by moving the ore block boundaries to match the blast throw.

3D Viewer

Use the View | 3D | Transparency Style menu options to specify the quality of rendering
for transparent objects in the 3D display.

New viewing modes, provided on the View | 3D | Viewing Modes menu, allow you to
change the camera position and alter the way that the scene is viewed.

Enhanced VRML export.

User defined lighting

Using the new View | 3D | Lights | Add Spotlight and View | 3D | Lights | Add
Pointlight menu options, user-defined light sources can be added to the 3D display. To
modify the position and intensity of a spotlight or pointlight, you can click on the light icon
with the select tool and manipulate them using a variety of dragger controls.

Using other options on the Edit menu, lights can be turned on and off, the display of light
icons can be turned on and off, and all lights can be removed from the display.

Wireframing

An extensive range of new wireframe editing tools are provided on the Wireframe Editor toolbar.
These include:

Edit Strings

Use the Edit Strings button to put the display into Edit Strings mode. Sometimes you will
also need to edit strings in the Wireframe Editor. A good example is when you need to close
off ore bodies by extending the shape of the wireframe mid-way between drillhole sections.

Edit Triangles

Use the Edit Triangles tool to edit the triangles in a wireframe individually. This gives you
the opportunity to delete individual triangles and reconstruct the surface.

Build Wireframes

Use the Build Wireframes tool to put the display into Build Wireframes mode. A number of
triangulation options are then enabled.

Triangulation Methods

8
 MICROMINE 10 - What's

Use the new Wireframe | Triangulation Method menu options, to choose between three
triangulation methods when building a wireframe in the 3D Viewer.

Split Strings

A new function on the Wireframe Editor toolbar (and via the right-click Mode | Split Strings
menu option) allows you to split a closed string into two strings. When the display is in Split
String mode, the mouse can be used to select two vertices that will be used to split the
string.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

File types
Many different file formats are used by the application, each with a different file extension. File
names follow Windows 95/NT/98/2000/XP rules and long file names can be used. However, if you
change the file extensions from those listed below, the program will not be able to locate them in
the project directory.

The different file types used by the MICROMINE application, are summarised below:

Extension File type

.BAK Backup files.

Whenever a Data File is opened, a copy of that file can be saved with an extension .BAK. This
backup file is not directly accessible via the application, but it can be renamed to have an extension
.DAT or .STR or .SVY etc.

As part of the environment settings for the File Editor, you can choose whether to create a backup
file whenever a data file is opened. This allows you to revert to the earlier version of a file.

.BDB Forms files.

Form sets that contain the saved parameters used in dialogs and forms are saved in .BDB (MS
Access database) Forms files. These files are located in each project folder.

System parameters for such things as paper sizes and environment settings, are stored in a Forms
file with a .SYS extension in the application folder.

.BD$ Forms undo files.

.BMP Bitmap files.

BMP (and DIB) files are known as "Device Independent Bitmap" files. An enhanced "DIB" file format
was released with Microsoft Windows. Windows BMP and DIB files may be saved using no
compression (RGB encoded) or using run length encoded compression (RLE encoded). Compression
may only be used on 4 and 8 bits-per-pixel images.

.DAT Data files (also with extensions, STR, SVY, SEC or STP).

A Micromine Data File is an equal record length ASCII file with a header describing the format of the
data records. Data files can contain any type of information since the file structure is defined by the
header section.

The above is an example of a simple data file. Each record is terminated with a CR/LF. The first
record is a title line of 40 characters.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

The second record indicates how many Variables (fields) there are in the file. The number is
allocated a length of 4 and is left justified. The maximum number of fields is 250.

For every variable there is now a descriptor record with the following definition:

DESCRIPTION LENGTH JUSTIFICATION COMMENTS

Name 10 Left Enter a short but meaningful

name.

Type 1 Left C or N (Character or Numeric) D(Date)

is recognised but treated as N

Width 3 Right 1 to 256

Precision 3 Right Enter the number of decimal

places. (The width includes the
decimal point and the number of
decimals).

0 to 9 (always 0 if Type=C)

The line after the header is where the actual data starts. Each record is terminated with a carriage
return and linefeed. The records are fixed length and match the format defined by the header.
Values are left justified and spaces are used to pad to the correct width

Field types

There are only two field types in a data file: Numeric (N) and Character (C). You can enter any
character into either, but only numeric fields can be used in calculations.

When a numeric field contains characters and it is used in a calculation, the following rules apply:

 If the values in the field contain a number with following characters, the characters will be
ignored. For example, 200B evaluates to 200.

 If the first part of the entry in a field is not part of a number or is blank, it evaluates to
zero. For example, DH001 will evaluate to zero.

Extra control over blank values and those with leading characters is provided by the options in the
numeric exceptions dialog box. These are especially useful when dealing with files returned from
assay labs since they often contain a mixture of character and numeric data in the fields they
contain.

Field values starting with a < (less than) sign are a special case. They are used to indicate values
less than the detection limit. You can control the way such values are handled in Numeric
Exceptions.

Files with the extension SEC and STP usually contain profile (cross section) information. There are
three fields. The first has a constant value for each profile. In STP files the profile numbering starts
at 1 and increments, in SEC files the values are related to specific sections (suffixed by N or E, for
North and East) and increment by a constant value. The last two fields are XY values defining the
profile. Each profile is sorted by increasing X values.

String information is stored in data files (any of the above extensions). Two fields are used to define
the "stringing". We usually refer to these as the String and Join fields. It is not necessary to use
both a String and a Join field - often just one of these is sufficient. Two points are part of the same
string if they satisfy the following criteria:

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

 They are consecutive records in the data file.

 If a String field is defined, the values in the String field are identical.

 If a Join field is defined, the values in the Join field are identical. However, if the Join value
contains a tilde (~) then the previous point is not part of the same string, but the next
point is. (has the effect of "breaking" a string).

.DAT Block Model files with extension .DAT.

Block Model files are simply data files (usually extension DAT) with one record per block. Each
record has the XYZ coordinates of the block centre and the XYZ dimensions of the block. The
coordinate fields can have any names but the dimension fields have the same name as the related
coordinate field with an underscore as a prefix (10 character names will lose the last character). So
the file structure might have field names:

EAST

_EAST

NORTH

_NORTH

RL

_RL

Additionally there will be a number of attribute fields, as defined by the user. Typically these might
include grades, SG, codes, index, factor, standard deviation, points etc.

.DXF Data Interchange files.

The DXF file format allows for the interchange of drawings between CAD applications (AutoCAD,
Microstation etc.) and other applications.

.ECW Compressed Image files.

To improve performance when displaying large image files, the application converts the image to a
compressed file format known as ECW. The ECW file format is widely used and supported by other
packages. Georeference information is stored internally as part of the compressed file. The file can
be previewed and plotted like any other image file. More information...

.FLY Flight Path files.

A flight path or fly-through sequence, created in the 3D Viewer, can be saved to a data file with a
.FLY extension. Flight Path files can be loaded and invoked in the 3D Viewer. They can also be saved
and invoked as video (.AVI) files. More information...

.GRD Grid files.

GRID files define a set of equally spaced grid nodes (in an XY plane) and each node has an
associated Z value. It is a binary file with a format defined below.

An initial header:

typedefstructgridFileHeader

double xNOfNodes; //numberofgridnodesinX&Ydirection

double yNOfNodes;

double xNodeDist; //distancebetweenthesenodes

double yNodeDist;

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

double xMin; //Xinputdatawindow

double xMax;

double yMin; //Yinputdatawindow

double yMax;

double zMin; //gridnodesMin,Max

double zMax;

char dummy[512]; //currentlynotused

}GRD_FILE_HDR;

After the header there are xNOfNodes * yNOfNodes values, each sizeof(double).

A node value of -100000000.0 indicates an empty node.

The first values in the file are for xMin, yMin to xMax, yMin.

The next "row" is xMin, yMin + yNodeDist to xMax, yMin + yNodeDist... etc

.LBN Compiled look-up tables.

.LDT Look-up table source files.

MDB Link files. A data file created by establishing a link to a Microsoft Access database table.

ODBC Link files. A data file created by establishing a link to an ODBC data source.

.OUT Outline files.

.PGL (HPGL) files.

A .PGL plot output file consists of a series of drawing commands in the Plotter Graphics Language
created by the Plot Editor. PGL was originally defined by Hewlett Packard (Hewlett-Packard Graphics
language). Most modern plotters recognize HPGL commands.

.PED Plot data sets.

Plot Data Sets define the lines of text that will be written in plot frames. For example, the text files
TITLE.PED, CLIENT.PED and NOTES.PED might contain text that define the plot title, the name and
address of a client, and notes about the mine area shown in the plot.

.PEL Plot file.

.PEP Most recently used plot parameters.

.PLS Plot layout forms.

.PRN Printer/plotter file.

.PRO Project file.

.RPT Report file.

.REP ASCII Report.

.SEC A .SEC file which defines the ground level, generated using Survey | Cross Sections |
Generate.

.STP A .STP file is a profile setup file created in Stacked Profiles | Setup.

.STR String file (See .DAT Data files).

.SVY Survey file (See .DAT Data files).

.SYS Form files (See .BDB Forms files).

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

.TDB Triangulation database files.

ANote:
wireframe canuse
We now contain oneTriangulation
only the or more objects,
tableeach
with made up of a BLOB
an additional collection
field of triangles.
(called The object
Geometry)
may bestores
which closedwhat
shapes or to
used surfaces. The
be in the information
Points is stored
and Triangles in a Microsoft Access database that has
tables.
three tables. One has a list of points, each with a unique ID number and an X, Y and Z coordinate.
The second lists the triangles by using the point IDs of their vertices. Each triangle is assigned its
own unique ID. The third table records the attributes for each wire frame object. Again each object
has a unique ID and this value is referenced in the other two tables.

Although the above example shows the Point and Triangle IDs starting at 0, this is not a
requirement. It is necessary for each ID to be unique and for all Point IDs, referenced in the
Triangles table, to exist.

.XPM A Form set saved from Execute.

Editor files

Extension File type

@LAYOUT files. Store field translations, hidden fields, last used Execute saved set, column widths.

.LK A Lookup link file (stores absolute paths to lookup tables attached to a particular data file).

.LBN A Lookup table (a compiled LDT Lookup table source file).

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Fields Validate
With validate you can compare the data in selected fields of a file against permitted values that you
have set up in a check file.

When you run this function, data in the chosen fields is validated against the data in your check file.
A report is then generated with detailed information on the results of the validation. Your data in
both the input and check files remains unchanged.

You can also check numeric values against a minimum and maximum range.

Another example where you can use validation is to check the lithological names you have in a file.
You would then set up a check file with all allowable names, and use it to compare your entries
against that check.

To validate
Note: When the data in adrill
validating file, do data,
hole the following:
the Hole, From and To fields you specify are used to reference
errors in the report file. To check for logical sequence errors in your From and To values, use the
1. Select the File | Fields | Validate menu option.
Dhole | Validate option instead.
2. In the Input section, enter the name of the file to be validated. Define a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

3. To validate files with FROM and TO fields (e.g. Drill Holes), select DRILL HOLE from the
Data type list and enter the name of the hole field and the fields containing the From and
To measurements of the sample. If you want to validate any other type of data select
GENERAL.

4. Enter the name of the Check file that contains the permitted values against which you want
to compare your data.

5. Enter the name of the Report file where you want to store the results of the validation. The
report file will only contain details of the fields that do not pass the validation. If this file
does not yet exist it will be created.

6. In the table, type the name of the fields (from the input file) that need to be validated, the
minimum and maximum values they can contain and the name of the check fields (in the
check file) that contain the acceptable values. (The minimum and maximum fields may only
be entered for numeric values. You can also apply a check file to numeric fields but still
need to enter values in the minimum and maximum fields).

7. You can further restrict the validation by optionally selecting the Ignore Blanks or Case
Sensitive boxes.

8. Click OK.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Replace
Use this function to search for and replace specific data in one or more fields of a file.

When you execute the function, it will search the selected field for the strings you defined, and
replace them in the original files with the new strings.

You can search for numeric values or character strings and may optionally use wildcards and
relative operators.

Remember, when using wildcards with fields of type CHARACTER, all data (including numbers) will
be evaluated as character strings (and numbers come before characters in the program ordering).
For example, you can search a field for all values that start with a or b, by entering <=b*.

1. From the File menu select Fields | Replace or, if you are in Fields | Update, select
Replace and click the More button opposite.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Optionally define a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

3. In the column called Field name, type the name of the field that contains the data you want
to change.

4. In the column called Replace, type the string to search for, using wildcards if required.

5. In the column called With, type the new value to replace the existing string.

6. Click OK.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Incrementing and replicating data

The functions available via the Fields Increment dialog allow you to perform several replicating,
copying and blanking operations on one or more numeric or character fields, overwriting your
original data.

You can use Increment to automatically enter all data in the From and To fields of a drill hole
sample.

The following functions are available:

Function Description

Increment Writes an optional starting value to the first record and then applies a
fixed increment to subsequent records.

Replicate Fills all records of a field with a constant value.

Blank Replaces all cells of the selected field with blank.

Copy from Copies the value of the From Field to the next record of Field Name.

Skip records
By using Skip Records you can choose to bypass a specified number of records after each iteration
of the function. For example, when you set skip records to 2, the function will only affect the first,
fourth, seventh, etc records. The records that are skipped remain unchanged.

Skip records during increment

Assuming that before the operation the From field contains all zeroes, which you could easily have
entered with the Increment | blank function. You then perform the Increment function on the
Increment menu, using the parameters as shown. This will update every third record. Figure three
shows the file after the operation.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Skip records during Copy from

Assuming that the From field contains the values 1,3,5,7,9,etc and the destination all blanks. You
then execute the Copy from function with the parameters as shown. This will copy every third
record, after incrementing it by 5. Remember that the skipping of records is also affected by your
selection of the filter and overwrite options.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Calculate
This function allows you to perform a number of mathematical and trigonometric operations on all
records in a field.

You can perform up to ten calculations in one operation, and the results of each step can be used in
the next step, by storing the results in temporary fields. (If you want to use Forms with the
Calculate function, use the one under Tools | Calculate.)

 Using Calculate is the only way to make a straight copy of numerical data from one field to
another. To do so, just add zero to the field you want to copy, then write the result to the
destination field.

 You can use the Calculate functions for example to convert between Strike and Dip direction
values, cut assays to a defined value and total the values down a hole while consecutive
values of any variable remain unchanged.

To perform arithmetical operations on fields, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Fields | Calculate menu option, or, if you are in Fields | Update, select
Calculate and click the More button opposite.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Define a filter to selectively control which
records will be processed.

3. In the Input columns, type the values to be used in the operation (either a constant value,
the name of a field or a temporary field that was previously generated in the Result).

4. Select a function from the drop down list.

5. In the Result column type in the name of a field where the result of the operation is to be
stored. A temporary field is indicated by #0 to #9. The final result must be an existing field
in the file.

6. Select the Overwrite box if you want existing data in the Result field to be overwritten with
the new values.

7. Click the numeric exceptions button. This brings up a new dialog box where you can specify
how non-numeric values are handled.

8. Choose the format used for Latitude and Longitude values. Available options are:

DDD.MMSS for degrees minutes seconds.

DD.DDDD for decimal degrees.

DDDMM.MMMM for degrees and decimal minutes.

9. Choose the format for Date values.

10. Click OK.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Update
With this option you can combine the Replace, Increment and Calculate functions which are also
available separately under the File | Fields menu. When you run this function, the operations you
select are executed in the order they are specified in the dialog box.

For more information, refer to the descriptions for each individual function.

To use the update function, do the following:

1. Select the File | Fields | Update menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Define a filter to selectively control which
records will be processed.

3. Select the Overwrite data box if you want existing data in the Result field to be overwritten
with the new values.

4. Select the check box next to the functions you want to perform. The More button will be
enabled.

5. Click the More button and enter the required details in the new dialog box. Then click Close
to return to the update dialog box.

6. Click OK.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Generate
With the generate function you can assign a specific text string or a numeric value to ranges of
data. It can be used to group similar data into blocks for easier manipulation.

When you run this function, the values in a reference field are checked to see if they fall within the
certain range (for numeric fields), or if they are equal to a specific text string (for character fields).
For those that do, the value from the associated result attribute is copied to the Result field; others
get the value from the Default result field.

You can use Generate with symbols, to automatically assign symbol numbers based on the data in
your file.

For example, you can assign symbol number 10, in a separate field, to all records with a gold grade
of 0 - 2 grams. All those between 2 and 5 grams are given the value 25, etc. When you ensure that
the numbers you assign correspond to actual symbol numbers, you can then plot the grades using
symbols instead of the actual grades.

You can also use the Generate function if you want to generate some meaningful text from the
numbers in your file. You can enter text strings of up to 60 characters.

To use the generate function, do the following:

1. Select the File | Fields | Generate menu option.

2. From the Method list select the type of file to work with; either Parameters, colour set or
hatch set. Parameters works with any value while Colour set and Hatch set only work with
colour and hatch sets respectively.

3. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Optionally define a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

4. Enter the name of the field that is to be checked (the Reference field). For Colour and Hatch
sets the reference field is called Colour field or Hatch field respectively.

5. Enter the name of the field where the result is to be stored (the Result field).

6. Enter the value to be placed in the result for fields that do not pass the check (Default
result).

7. For Colour or Hatch set enter the number of a set in the Colour Set or Hatch Set field. For
the parameters method type in attributes for one or more fields to be checked:

 Type a value in the Result column of the table. This will be placed in the Result field of the
file for fields that contain the defined values.

 For numeric fields type in Minimum, Maximum or both.

 For character fields type in text, using wildcards if required.

8. Select the Overwrite data box if you want this function to overwrite existing data.

9. Click OK.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Average
With the Average function you can calculate a simple or weighted average of up to eight fields. You
can do the weighing using values in other fields or by using constants you specify.

You can use Averaging for instance when you have drill samples that were assayed to a different
accuracy.

For example, the initial assays of your gold samples could have been done roughly, to find the
approximate gold value. The samples of a promising area may then be submitted to a different
analytical technique. When you subsequently average all the assay results, you may want to attach
more weight to the ones that were analyzed more accurately.

To use the Average function, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Fields | Average menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Optionally define a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

3. Type in the name of an existing field where you want to store the result.

4. If you want existing data in the result field to be overwritten, select the Overwrite Data
box.

5. Type in all the fields you want to average with optional weights. Leaving the weight field
blank applies a weight of one

6. Click the Numeric Exceptions button. This brings up a new dialog box where you can specify
how non-numeric values should be handled.

7. Click OK.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Split
With this function you can split the data from a field into multiple parts, and place each component
in a new field of the same record.

When you run the split function, the selected components are copied to other fields, while the
source field remains unchanged.

You can use this on both numeric and text data. The point at which data is separated is determined
by a number of characters or by a delimiter in the source field. Virtually any combination of
characters can be used as a delimiter.

 This function is useful for splitting a drill hole sample identifier into its components. A drill
hole sample identifier such as 96DDH1170-4 could have been used to identify the year of
drilling, the drill hole identifier, from and to distances. This could be separated into four
fields containing 96, DDH117, 0 and 4 so that drill hole logs can be constructed.

 You can also use Split to copy alphanumeric data from one field to another. In that case,
enter only one field name for the destination field. Note that this is the only way to do a
straight copy of character type data. Numeric data can also be copied via the Calculate
function.

If you want to split fields, do the following:

1. Select the File | Fields | Split menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Optionally apply a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

3. In the Field to split prompt, type in the name of the field that you want to split.

4. In the group called Split fields, type in the names of the fields where you want the split
data to be stored.

5. Specify the position of the split by typing in a value in either the Length or Delimiter field.

6. Select the Overwrite box if required. When selected, the results will overwrite any existing
values in the destination fields.

7. Click OK.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Join
With the Join function you can combine the values of up to six fields into a single field. It is the
reverse of the Split operation. Numeric and character variables can be combined, spaces can be
removed and delimiters can be inserted between the component fields.

This can be useful for display purposes, where the resultant field is then treated as a single entity.

If you want to join several fields, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Fields | Join menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. Optionally select a filter to selectively
control which records will be processed.

3. Enter up to six fields that are to be joined together. You must enter at least two fields.

4. Enter the name of the field that is to contain the result. If it does not exist it will be
created, in which case you need to define its size (WIDTH), number of decimal places and
the type (character or numeric).

5. If you want to remove spaces from the source fields select Strip Spaces.

6. To include a delimiter between the fields select the delimiter box and enter the value of the
delimiter in the box that becomes highlighted.

7. If you want to overwrite any data that is already in the result field, select the Overwrite
data box.

8. Click OK.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Extracting unique values from a field

This function will find all unique values in a field and write them to an output file.

To use it:

1. Select the File | Fields | Extract Unique menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file containing the values in Input File.

3. In Extraction field, enter the name of the field you need to extract unique values from.

4. Optionally, select up to 2 key fields which will be written to the output file.

5. Enter a name for the output file. This file will be created when you run the function.

6. Click OK to run the function. Unique values will be written to the output file together with a
count (the number of occurrences) for each unique value.

Case sensitive

When you select Case sensitive, character case will be considered when uniqueness is tested. For
example, when you select this option Cnz and CNZ will be considered unique.

Sort output

Select Sort output when you need to sort the output in alphabetical order (numbers will precede
letters).

Numeric

Select Numeric (ignore leading characters) when you want to find the unique numeric component of
values with a character prefix.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Sorting fields in the File Editor

Use the Sort function to sort the contents of one or more fields into ascending or descending order.
Enter the field in the file on which the sort will be based. All the records in the file will be sorted
using this field when the function is run.

More than one field can be used in a sort. In this case, the contents of the file will be sorted on the
first field, then on the subsequent fields in the order they have been defined.

Sort will operate on the file in the active window.

To use the Sort function do the following:

1. Select Edit | Tools | Sort from the menu. The Simple Sort dialog will open.

2. Move the cursor to Field 1 and enter the field name.

3. Choose either ASCENDING or DESCENDING from the drop down list.

4. Continue entering field names and setting the sort order for each.

5. Click the OK button and the data file will be sorted. The new sort order will be permanently
displayed.

Note: Sorting the contents of a file will speed up many processes.

Alphanumeric strings are sorted from left to right.

Numeric values are placed before alphabetic strings.

Numbers are treated as a numeric value rather than a character string. In an ascending sort, 98AB
will be placed before 213B.

Upper case characters are placed before lower case.

Blank spaces will be sorted to the beginning of the file if sorting by Ascending order. They will be
placed at the end of the file if sorting by Descending order.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Functions on the File menu

Some File functions provided on the main menu, are also available on the Tools menu in the File
Editor, where they can be used with Forms.

However, functions like File | Sort, and the merge functions under File | Merge, can be used with
macros, which makes them easier to use with multiple files.

Function Description

Modify Changes the structure of a file.

Utilities Use these functions to perform File Maintenance and obtain File
Information.

Conversions Converts one file type to another.

Explore Current Project Select this option when you want to open the project folder in
Windows Explorer™.

Import Imports data from an external file.

Export Transforms a program file into a text file.

Merge Merges selected records from one file into another file.

Append Joins files with the same structure.

Sort Sorts records in ascending or descending order.

Filter Creates and manages filters.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Modify file structure

One of the strengths of this application is that file structure can be changed even when the file
contains data. The Modify Structure function allows you to change the structure of a file by adding
and deleting fields, or by changing their characteristics using full screen editing facilities.

When you run this function the structure of the file is displayed. You can then modify field
characteristics, delete fields and insert new fields at any location.

Modifying a file structure this way works the same way as the Modify on the File menu of the File
editor. The same editing facilities are available as in the Edit and Options menus in the File editor.

You can also use this function to justify text files that were imported in column delimited format.
Such files are written to the program as they existed, without left justification of the fields. And they
may contain more decimal places than are defined for the file in this program. You can use this
option to rewrite decimal places and left justify all fields.

To change the structure of a file, do the following:

1. Select the File | Modify menu option. A folder is displayed.

2. Select the name of the file whose structure you want to modify, and click OK. This opens
the Edit screen.

3. You can use all the functions in the editor in the normal way to insert or edit fields. The
existing file structure is summarised on the right side of the screen.

4. When you exit from editing the structure, you are asked to format numeric fields. Selecting
Yes will rewrite numeric fields with the number of decimal places you defined in the editor.
You will also have the option to left justify the values in all fields.

5. Click OK and the file structure will be modified.

Note: You can also modify the file structure (of most file types) by pressing F6 with the cursor over
the File name prompt.

If you want to modify the file structure via a macro, use the Modify Structure function on the
Tools | Macro Functions menu.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

File Sort
Use the File | Sort function to sort records using one or more fields as the keys, and store the
result in the same or a different file. You can sort records in any combination of ascending or
descending order.

To sort the records in a file, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Sort menu option.

2. In the File Sort dialog, enter (or double-click to select) the names of the source and output
files. If the output file does not exist it will be created.

3. Type in the fields to be used as sort keys and select the sort sequence (ascending or
descending).

4. Click OK.

Note: Given the sequential nature of string data, be careful when sorting strings. Make sure that
there is a field in the file that you can use to Unsort.

2
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

File Utilities
Use the File | Utilities function to manage your files and their contents. The utilities provided (via
the Mode drop-down list) fall into two broad categories: those used to perform File Maintenance,
and those used to obtain File Information.

The
Notefollowing utilities
that with some are provided:
functions (like Delete) you can use the standard Windows method (using the
Shift or Ctrl keys with the mouse) to tag several files and then apply Delete on all of the files at
 Copying files
 Deleting files

 Renaming files

 Fixing files

 Append File

 Displaying file information

 File View

 MinMax of File Contents

 Descriptive Statistics

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

File Conversions
The File Conversions function enables you to change your file from one type to another, for example
from a STRING file to an OUTLINE file. Some conversions merely involve copying files, such as
DATA to STRING, while others can have extra information assigned.

The fields that are copied depend on the types of files you are working with. For example, when
converting to SECTION type files, only three fields will be copied. Therefore data may not be
converted to and from some types.

Conversions from SECTION to OUTLINE type files are very useful in displaying topographic profiles
or pit outlines on drill cross sections and longitudinal sections.

SECTION to PROFILES conversions can be used to create three dimensional representations of

topographic profiles.

To convert a file from one type to another, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Conversions menu option.

2. Enter the name and type of the file to be converted and apply an optional a filter. The
source file will always remain unaltered.

3. Enter the name and type for the destination file. You can choose an existing file which will
then be overwritten, or create a new one.

4. Enter additional information as required. Appropriate fields and buttons will be enabled
depending on the type of conversion.

 In Model type in a polygonal model name, and for Geology/Design # type the file to be
converted.

 In Stacked profile type in a single character suffix for the profile name.

 Section to outline uses the section coordinate as the name for each outline to be created.
Make sure you include the numeric suffix as part of the name of the first outline file. This
suffix will be automatically incremented for other files.

 The two Field Names buttons bring up dialog boxes where you enter field names containing
coordinates, outline names and attributes.

5. Click OK to start the conversion process.

For more information about the different file types used by the application, refer to the File types
topic. Any file type that can be selected in the File Conversions dialog can be converted to any other
file type with the following exceptions:
1. You can convert FROM but cannot convert TO the following file types:

 MACRO
 MDB LINK
 ODBC LINK
 REPORT

2. Only a SECTION file can be converted to a PROFILES file.

3. Profile files can not be converted to file types GEOLOGY, DESIGN and OUTLINE.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing data
With the import function you can copy the contents of external files into a file in the program. You
would generally use it to import complete files. This function is similar to the simple import on the
File | Tools menu. However, it has several more options; it works with files that are not opened in
the file editor, and it can be used with macros.

You can import (or append) these types of files:

 Text

 DXF

 ODBC

 MDB

 Dbase

 Old DTMs

 Wireframes

 Block models

 MapGIS

 GIS

 DEM

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing data in the File Editor

Import allows you to import data from external files. Import is best used when the source data has
fields with widely varying widths or if you want to import more than ten fields of data at once.

More often, you will want to merge external data with matching data in a data file in the program.
For example, merging assay samples with field location. With Merge you do not have to import all
the fields in the source file nor are you committed to the field order in the source file.

To import:

1. Open or Create a file.

2. Select Edit | Tools | Import from the menu.

3. Enter the name and location of the file of interest in Import file path. If you double click
(F3), the Windows™ Select File dialog box will open. Use this to select an external file. Once
you have selected a file, you can right double click (F4) to view its contents. This is limited
to the specified file types.

4. Choose the File format from the drop down list.

5. If DELIMITED is selected, enter the ASCII value of the delimiter.

6. (Optional) If you intend to overwrite data in the current file (into which the data will be
imported) select Overwrite.

7. Click the OK button. A message box appears listing the name of the file being imported and
the name of the target file. Click the OK button if these are correct. If not, press ESC to
interrupt the processing.

If the importation proceeds successfully you will be informed when the process is completed. If an
error occurs the process will be interrupted and an appropriate error message displayed.

Note: When data is stored in exponential notation e.g. 0.12340000E3, import the number then
convert it back to normal notation i.e. 123.4 by multiplying it by 1 using Edit | Tools | Calculate.

If you import data from the same source often, use a Form to save the entries in the Import dialog
for later use.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing text files

Use this function if you want to import a text file into the program. A text file contains standard
ASCII characters. Fields can be in columns, or delimited by a space, tab or any user-defined
character (usually a comma).

When you run this function, the source file is appended to the end of the destination file, or it can
overwrite it.

To import a text file:

1. Select the File | Import | Text.

2. Type the full pathname of the source file or double-click and browse the system.

3. The first and last lines in a text file often contain labels and header information. If you want
to exclude this, type in the number of lines you want to ignore in Start of file and End of
file.

4. Determine how fields in the import file are delimited by pressing F4 with the cursor on the
Text file path. Then select a corresponding Text file format.

5. If a character ‘delimited’ file is used, type in the delimiter.

6. For a file that is not column delimited, the source and target fields can be put in a different
sequence by clicking the Delimited Fields button. The Delimited Fields dialog that appears
has two columns; the number refers to the field order in the source file, the Output column
refers to target file fields.

7. Enter the name and type of the output file.

8. Click OK. If the destination file already exists, you will have the option to overwrite it or to
append the imported data at the end.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC Import
To use the ODBC Import function, do the following:

1. Make sure you have defined the data source using the Administrative Tools | Data Sources
(ODBC) option under the Windows Control Panel.

2. The
Note: Select File | Import
procedure to install|aODBC fromand
new driver the link
main menu.
one or more data sources may be different
depending on the version of Windows you are running. For detailed instructions see your Microsoft
user3.guide.
Click the Select Data Source button.

4. Select the File Data Source or Machine Data Source tab.

5. Double-click on the name of the data source that contains the information you want to
import. You must install suitable ODBC drivers before the ODBC Import will work. Do this in
the Windows Control Panel.

6. Navigate to and select the database, file or spreadsheet you want to import and click OK.

7. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

8. Enter the name of the target file in the Import ODBC dialog box. The imported data will be
saved in this file. If the file exists, you will be asked if you want to overwrite it.

9. Specify how the target file will be structured. There are three options:

 Determine structure. If this option is selected, the function will read the
contents of the source table to determine the most appropriate width and format
for each field in the target file.

 Use database structure. If this option is selected, the function will base the
structure of the target file on the structure of the source table.

 Use current structure. If this option is selected, the function will use the current
structure of the target file. Note: This option will be disabled if the target file does
not exist (i.e. you are creating a new file).

 In the case of the Determine structure and Use database structure options, if
the target file exists (i.e. you are not creating a new file) a check is made to
ensure that all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the
target file which have the same Name, Width and Precision.

 In the case of the Use current structure option, a check is made to ensure
that all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target
file with the same Name.

 If all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target
file, you will be prompted whether to append or overwrite data to the file.

 If one or more fields cannot be mapped (the target file and the source table
are incompatible) you will be prompted to overwrite the target file. Click YES
to continue the import. Click NO to abort the import process.

Note: Some data types, such as LongVarChar, Memo, Image and Binary data types, cannot be
converted to a format that is compatible with Micromine file formats. Click on the following link for a
list of compatible data types and default widths and precisions used during the import process.

3
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

10. To preview the results of the import, select Preview and enter the number or records you
want to see. Click Import and the Preview dialog will open. In this dialog you can see a
sample of the records in the table from which you are importing. You can also change
structure of the table that will be created.

11. To import all the fields in the table select the Select all check box. Otherwise select one or
more fields from the list. Use the Ctrl and Shift keys and the mouse pointer to select
multiple fields. Remember that field names can be up to 10 characters in length. Longer
names will be truncated during the import process.

12. You can append an SQL clause to allow filtering or ordering of the imported data. For
example, WHERE Hole_ID = 'DH4'.

13. Click Import to complete the process.

A message will appear when the import is complete.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing data from Microsoft Access using ODBC

Overview

This function lets you import data directly from a table in a Microsoft Access database. The
advantage this function has over the general ODBC functions is the data source requirements are
managed by the program.

The difference between this function and MDB Link is that data is actually transferred from the
external database to the program. Once it is in the program the data can be changed and saved.

The Process

1. Select File | Import | MDB from the main menu.

2. Click Select MDB file.

3. Navigate to and select the Access database you want to import (for example,
prospect1.mdb ) and click OK.

4. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

5. Enter the name of the target file. This is the file where the data will be imported into.

6. To import all the fields in the table select the Select all check box. Otherwise select one or
more fields from the list. Use the Ctrl and Shift keys and the mouse pointer to select
multiple fields. Remember that field names can be up to a maximum 10 characters in
length: longer names will be truncated during the import process.

7. Specify how the target file will be structured. There are three options:

Determine structure. If this option is selected, the function will read the
contents of the source table to determine the most appropriate width and format
for each field in the target file.

Use database structure. If this option is selected, the function will base the
structure of the target file on the structure of the source table.

Use current structure. If this option is selected, the function will use the current
structure of the target file. Note: This option will be disabled if the target file does
not exist (i.e. you are creating a new file).

In the case of the Determine structure and Use database structure options, if the
target file exists (i.e. you are not creating a new file) a check is made to ensure that
all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target file which
have the same Name, Width and Precision.

In the case of the Use current structure option, a check is made to ensure that all of
the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target file with the same
Name.

If all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target file, you
will be prompted whether to append or overwrite data to the file.

If one or more fields cannot be mapped (the target file and the source table are
incompatible) you will be prompted to overwrite the target file. Click YES to continue
the import. Click NO to abort the import process.

Note: Some data types, such as Memo, Image and Binary data types, cannot be converted to a
format that is compatible with Micromine file formats. Click on the following link for a list of
compatible data types and default widths and precisions used during the import process.

3
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

8. To preview the results of the import, select Preview and enter the number or records you
want to see. Click Import and the Preview dialog will open. In this dialog you can see a
sample of the records in the table from which you are importing. You can also change the
structure of the table that will be created by the application.

9. Click OK in the Preview dialog.

10. Click Import in the Import MDB dialog to complete the process.

When the import is complete a message will report the number of records that have been
successfully imported.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing dBase files

Use this function to import data from a dBase file into the program. It can import files in the
dBaseIII format.

To use this function select File | Export | dBase.

All fields in the dBase file will be imported. However, you can limit the number of records that will
be imported to a “block”. Do this by entering the number of the numbers of the first and last
records in the block.

The dBase file will generally have a dbf extension and can be in any location accessible to your
computer. Click the ellipsis button beside the Input Path response to open the Select File dialog.

You must enter a name for the output file. This will be created by the Import function.

Importing DXF files

Use this function to import data from a DXF file into the application. The DXF file format is used to
allow the interchange of drawings between CAD packages.

The application works with text and line data independently, so when you run this function, the
application will extract information from the DXF file and create separate files for them.

When you import the linework of the DXF file, you can exclude specific layers and objects. Circles
and arcs are imported as line segments. You must then define an angle increment (in degrees) for
the number of chords used to represent the arc.

To import a DXF file:

1. Select the File | Import | DXF.

2. Enter the name of the DXF file to be imported.

3. Type the layers to be imported (the default, identified by *, is all). Layer numbers are
separated by commas, for example 1,2,5.

4. Type in new X, Y and Z factors or use the defaults of 1.0. You can use these to compensate
for any exaggerated scales in the DXF file.

5. To import linework or text data select the appropriate check box. The More button opposite
will be enabled.

6. Click the More button and specify the output file and the destination fields. For Linework
select the objects you want to import.

7. Click OK.

Note: The application supports the AutoCad DXF standard. Other applications may create DXF files
that do not comply with this standard. You may not be able to import those files.

3
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Import old DTM

The file format used in DTM functions, has changed from earlier versions. DTMs are now stored in
the wireframe format used by Micromine applications. The methods used to create and contour the
DTMs are the same. Only the way the data is stored has changed. The switch to a wireframe
format, means that DTMs can be treated in exactly the same way as other wireframes.

Any existing DTMs with the old (*.tri) triangulation file format, will be converted automatically to
the new format. However, the Import | Old DTM menu option has been included just in case you
need to convert a DTM from the old format to the new.

Do the following:

1. Select File | Import | Old DTM from the main menu.

2. Enter the name of the old DTM file.

3. Enter the name and type of the DTM (wireframe) that will be created.

4. If necessary, specify metadata and attributes for the wireframe.

5. Click OK to run the function.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Import wireframes
Use the Import Wireframes function to import one of four types of file, from which a wireframe (and
its associated triangulation database file), can be constructed.

In addition to importing wireframe data, this function has other uses. For example, you might want
to reposition a wireframe by moving it 500m to the East, or apply a grid transformation to the
points in a wireframe. In such cases you can export the wireframe, process the exported file, and
then convert it back to a wireframe using File | Import Wireframes.

To import a wireframe:

1. Select File | Import | Wireframe from the main menu.

2. Choose the type of wireframe you want to import.

3. If you selected MICROMINE as the input file type, specify the names of the Triangles and
Points files. See "Input types" below.

4. If you selected DXF as the input file type, the Import to a single wireframe option is
enabled. This gives you the opportunity to merge two or more wireframes into a single
entity. See "Combining wireframes" below.

5. Enter a wireframe type (F3) and enter a name for the wireframe that will be created.

6. Click OK to run the function.

Input types

DXF The function is expecting a DXF file with a 3DFACE entity.

VULCAN When you set the input type to VULCAN, the function is
expecting a file with the extension *.00t.

ASCII To import ASCII data you need a file containing point

records containing X, Y and Z coordinates and triangle
records describing the triangles.

Micromine When you set the input type to MICROMINE, the function is
expecting two files. The first, a triangles file, must contain
records with identifiers for the three points in each triangle.
The second, a points file, contains the X, Y and Z
coordinates for each point. In each case you must define the
names of the fields in those files.

Combining wireframes

When you set the input type to DXF, the prompt, Import to a single wireframe, is enabled. This
gives you the opportunity to merge two or more wireframes into a single entity. A example of where
this feature can be used is when you have DTMs (wireframes) defining the upper and lower surface
of a seam saved as a wireframe set. If you export the wireframe set to a DXF file and then import
that DXF file with Import to a single wireframe selected, the two surfaces of the seam will be
contained in a single wireframe.

Later, in the Wireframing function, you can close the upper and lower surfaces of the seam. Using
the Validate function in Wireframing is a convenient way of doing this because it recognises and
selects open faces in a wireframe. Once the open surfaces of the wireframe are selected, you can
join them to form a closed surface.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Import Block Model

Import Block Model will import the following Block Model file formats:

MINEMAX This option has been replaced by the Mining | Pit Optimisation |
MineMax Planner / Scheduler to MM option.

DATAMINE When you set the input type to DATAMINE or GEMCOM, the function is
expecting a text-based block model file which was exported from
GEMCOM DATAMINE or GEMCOM. In both cases, the text file will usually have a
.TXT file extension.

SURPAC When you set the input type to SURPAC, the function is expecting a
text file with a .STR or a .OBS extension.

Note: Binary files cannot be imported using this function.

To import a block model file:

1. Select the Input File Type.

2. Enter the Text file path or click the ellipse button to Browse to the location of the input file.

3. Select the Output File Type.

4. Enter the output file name or double-click to select a file from the current project.

5. To begin the import process, click the Run button.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing GIS files

Select the File | Import | GIS menu option to import point, line, and point data stored in a variety
of third party GIS form ats.

The formats that can be imported include ArcView® shapefiles, Microstation® DGN files, and
MapInfo® files in both TAB and MIF formats.

Depending on the file format, one or more feature types (Points, Lines, or Polygons) as well as an
annotation layer, may be imported. ArcGIS (.SHP) Shapefiles, for example, contain data of a single
feature type, whereas Microstation Design (.DGN) files will typically comprise several (text, point,
line, and polygon) feature types.

These layers are identified in the output file via a mandatory LAYER field. You can use the Layer
field in subsequent file operations to filter data for a particular feature type.

Import attributes

Select this option to import attributes (i.e. descriptions and other metadata) as well as spatial (line,
point, or polygon) features. ArcGIS (.SHP) shapefiles, for example, store attributes in a separate
dBASE (.DBF) file. Other file formats, such as Microstation Design (.DGN) files, have an attribute
layer in the same file.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing MAPGIS files

Select the File | Import | MAPGIS | Lines or the File | Import | MAPGIS | Points menu option
to import data from a MAPGIS line (.WAL) or point (.WAT) file.

MapGIS file

Navigate to the location of the .WAT and .WAL file(s) you want to import.

Output

Specify an output file. The type of file you select should be compatible with the type of features
(points or lines) being imported.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing DEM (China Standard) files

Select the File | Import | DEM menu option to import a Digital Elevation Model (China Standard
Transfer Format) data file.

File path

Navigate to the location of the .DEM file(s) you want to import.

Sampling factor

DEM files are often large in size. To ease the import process, it may be necessary to specify a
sampling factor in order to extract a subsample of features while maintaining a regular grid pattern
of points.

A sampling factor of 5, for example, would mean that every fifth point in the input file is imported.
In the case of a 500 by 500 point grid, the resulting input file would be a 100 by 100 grid of points.

Output

Specify an output file. The type of file you select should be compatible with the type of features
being imported.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting data
The functions under File | Export allow you to export data to external files in several formats,
including exports to Text, AutoCAD DXF, and ODBC files, or as coordinates for a survey instrument.
See also Exporting data in the File Editor.

You can export these types of files:

 Text

 DXF

 ODBC

 Survey coordinate files

 dBase

 Wireframes

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting data in the File Editor

Select the Edit | Tools | Export menu option to export a data file for use in another application.
See also Exporting data.

In the Export to Text File dialog, do the following:

1. Browse to the location of the file you want to export.

Numeric Fields

2. Enter the character that will be used to replace non-numeric field values.

3. Enter the character that will be used to replace blank field values.

4. If the COLUMN FORMAT text file format is selected, select the Left-justify option if you want
numeric fields to be left-justified in the output file.

Options

5. Choose the format of the output text file from the drop down list. The following formats are
supported:

COLUMN FORMAT - ASCII data organised into columns.

DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited using some ASCII character.

TAB DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by TABs.

SPACE DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by spaces.

COMMA DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by commas.

6. Delimiters
Note: If the DELIMITED
are ASCIItext file format
characters usedisto
selected,
separateenter the ASCII
one data character
field from to be
the next. used asisa
A comma
separator
often used between adjacent field values.
as a delimiter.
7. If you have chosen a delimited (TAB, SPACE, COMMA , or ASCII character) text file format,
enter the character to appear before and after each character field value. The double quote
(") is most commonly used.

8. If you have chosen a delimited (TAB, SPACE, COMMA , or ASCII character) text file format,
enter the character to appear before and after each numeric field value.

9. Select the Write field names to first record option to write field names to the first line of the
output file. Field names will be enclosed in quotes and separated using the same delimiter
used to write data records to the output file.

10. Select the Export View option to export the fields in the order they are displayed in the
editor. Hidden fields will not be exported. Select the Export File option to export the fields
in the order they are defined by the file structure. Hidden fields will be included in the
export process.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting text files

Use this function to export data from the program to a text file in a variety of formats, including
text dump, comma delimited, tab delimited, space delimited, other delimiter and spreadsheet.

You can also write the field names from the file in the program to the text file, in which case they
will be enclosed in double quote.

To export data as a text file do the following:

1. Select the File | Export | Text menu option.

2. Enter the name for the source file and apply an optional filter.

3. Type the replacement for non-numeric or blank characters found in numeric fields. If left
blank the file is exported as it is in the source file.

4. If you want to left-justify numeric fields select the appropriate box (this only applies to a
file format of Other; the default is right-justified).

5. Type the full pathname for the output file.

6. Select one of the formats described above as the export file format for the destination file.

7. Where required, type the character to be used as the delimiter, and type in how character
and numeric values will be enclosed.

8. If you also want to copy the names of the fields to the text file, select the Write Field
Names box.

9. Click OK.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC Export
To use the Export ODBC function, do the following:

1. Make sure you have defined the data source using ODBC32 in the Windows Control Panel.

2. Select File | Export | ODBC from the main menu.

3. Enter the name of the file containing the source data.

4. Select the Select all check box to export all fields or select one or more fields from the list.
Use the Ctrl and Shift keys with the mouse to select which fields to export.

5. Select where the data will be exported to by selecting a data source. To do this, click the
Select Data Source button and double-click on the name of a data source in the list.

6. Navigate to and select the database, file or spreadsheet you want to export to and click OK.

7. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

8. Click Export to complete the process.

A message will appear when the export is complete.

4
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting dBase files

Use this function when you need to export a MICROMINE file in dBase format. You can write the file
to any folder accessible to your computer.

1. Select Files | Export | dBase from the main menu.

2. You must enter the names of the input and output files. The output file can be sent to any
accessible folder. Click the select file button to navigate to a suitable location, and then
select and existing file or enter the name of a new file.

3. You are not obliged to export all the fields in the file when you export it. You can control
which fields are exported by either inclusion or exclusion.

4. To exclude fields, set Output fields to EXCLUDE and then enter (F3) the names of the fields
that will not be exported in the table.

5. To include fields, set Output fields to INCLUDE and enter the names of the fields that will be
exported.

6. To export all fields, set Output fields to ALL.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting DXF files

Use this function if you want to convert Point and Line information from a file in the program to a
DXF file (DXF is an acronym for Drawing Exchange File).

When you run this function, your data will be exported to a file in DXF format. This enables you to
use plots in various CAD packages.

To export data in DXF format, follow these steps:

1. From the File menu select Export | DXF.

2. Click the arrow next to Data Type and select whether to export line work (strings) or points.

3. The Input group defines the file that will be exported. Enter the name of the file. If
required, define a filter to selectively control which records will be processed.

4. If you want to export 3D information, enter the names for the fields that contain the
Northings, Eastings and RL. When you want to export 2D information, the RL field is not
required. Instead you must type in a constant Z-value for the Z-plane parameter. The
Default value is 0.0.

5. Type the names of the fields containing Join and String information.

6. Type the value for the Wildcode. This must be a value occurring in the String field.

7. From the Symbol list select a symbol that is to be displayed at each point.

8. Enter the name of the field which will control colour coding and the colour set number. If
you do not apply colour coding to the data, it will be written in the default colour, which you
can select by double-clicking the box next to Default Colour.

9. If you want to define different layers in the DXF file according to the values in a specific
field, select the Layers check box and then type the name of a field, or double-click and
select from the list. If you want to put everything on a single layer, leave the Layers check
box blank and just enter the name for the layer.

10. To export text or attributes select the appropriate check box. Click the More button and
type the required information describing how the text will be exported or which attributes to
export.

11. Type the full path name for the output DXF file. You can double-click to browse.

12. Click OK.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting coordinate files

Use this function to export files in the special format required by survey instruments (The only
format currently supported is GEODIMETER).

To export data in the GEODIMETER format, do the following:

1. Select the File | Export | Coordinates menu option.

2. Enter the name of the source file and apply an optional filter.

3. Type in the fields containing Point, East, North and RL information.

4. Type the full path name of the output file.

5. Click OK.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting wireframes
Export Wireframes takes a wireframe or a wireframe set as input, and outputs a wireframe in DXF,
ASCII, Vulcan, MDB or Micromine format.

Do the following:

1. Select File | Export | Wireframe from the main menu.

2. If you want to export a number of wireframes at one time, select Set and then enter the
name of the set. To export an individual wireframe, enter the name of the wireframe type,
and then enter the name of the wireframe you want to work with.

Selecting wireframes by set and by type.

3. Choose the type of output file from the Type list.

4. If you selected MICROMINE as the output file type, specify the names of the (Triangles and
Points) files which will contain the wireframe triangle definitions. Each record represents a
triangle by listing the Point IDs (as defined in the Points file) for the three vertices.

5. Enter the number of decimal places that will be used for the point coordinates in the
wireframe in Precision.

6. If you selected DXF as the output file type and are exporting a wireframe set, select the
Export to single layer option to write all the wireframes in the set to the same layer in the
DXF file, effectively combining them into a single wireframe. By default, each wireframe is
written to a separate layer in the DXF output file.

7. Click OK to complete the process.

5
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging files
Merging files from the File menu

Using the Merge function you can transfer selected data from a MICROMINE data file, or an
ASCII text file into another file. When you run this function, the data from selected fields
will be copied from the source to the target file.

You can select records based on up to three matching keys (and you can further refine the
selection by applying a filter). Instead of transferring data between records with matching
keys, you can also specify a value that you want written into one or two fields, for those
records. This can be used to indicate the records that have been successfully merged or can
contain a date, a prospect number or some other piece of information. Alternatively, you
can append all source file data to the end of the target file.

This is typically used to merge data from an assay laboratory file into an existing file in the
program. In that case the sample numbers could be used as the key to match records
between the two files.

Input can come from either a text file (Merge text), from a comma-delimited or column-
delimited laboratory file (Merge Lab Data), or from another file in the program (Merge MM).

The Merge Text and Merge MM functions work like the options on the File | Tools menu in
the File Editor. However, if you want to use macros with it, you must use the one here.
Another difference is that in this merge, your choice to match key fields as numeric or
characters applies to all keys, while in the File Editor it applies to individual keys.

Merging files in the File Editor

Merge takes data from source Text or a MICROMINE Data File and writes it to fields in a
target file based on one or two matching key fields. Typically it is used for such tasks as
merging data from a laboratory assay file into an existing file. In such a case the sample
number would be used as the key.

Text (ASCII) files must be column delimited. The function will not work with comma or tab
delimited files. If the file containing the data you require for the merge is not column
delimited, import it into the program and use the File | Merge |Text function.

Whether you are merging a text file or a MICROMINE data file, the target file is always the
file open in the active window of the File Editor.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging MICROMINE files

This function is like Merge Text. It has the same options, except that the source is not a text file,
but any other file in the program..

1. Select the File | Merge | MM menu option.

2. In the Merge files dialog, enter the name and type of the source and target files, and define
a filter to selectively control which records will be processed.

3. You can either append source records to the target file or merge them into it. If you want to
append the records, select Append. If you want to merge them select Use Key Fields, and
then define the Key Fields and Merge Fields (note that your selection is reflected in the
change of the box on the right of the Target filename).

4. If you want to use keys, you must also select an option from the Match list to define how to
handle multiple occurrences of the same key.

5. Select the Flag merged records option to write a user defined value, to a field in the Target
file, for all records modified by the merge process. Click the More button, then fill out the
dialog box that opens.

6. If you want to copy all unmerged or duplicate records in a separate file, enter the file
names in the Output section.

7. Click OK.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merge text files from the File menu

Use this function to merge data from an external text file into a file in the program. In this function,
fields in the text file are identified by their start position and length. You can determine these by
opening the file using F4.

1. Select the File | Merge | Text menu option.

2. In the Merge Text Files dialog, enter the path of the source file. You can optionally ignore
records, which contain header information, not data. To open the source text file press F4
or right double-click with the cursor over the file name or the Start and Length field
prompts.

3. Enter the name of the target file, and define a filter to selectively control which records will
be processed.

4. If you only want to append the source data to the end of the target file, select Append
Data. If you want to merge source data into the target file select Use Key Fields (note that
your selection is reflected in the change of the box on the right of the Target filename). In
that case you also need to define the keys and merge fields by clicking the Key Fields and
Merge Fields buttons. You can then define the keys on which to base the merge, and the
fields to be merged. You must then also select if you want keys to be matched based on the
entire field (Character), or just the numeric part of the field (Numeric).

5. If you are merging data based on key fields, select an option from the Match list. If the
same key appears several times, specify whether to merge only the first occurrence, all of
them, or only if the identical keys are contiguous in the target file.

6. Select the Flag merged records option to write a user defined value, to a field in the Target
file, for all records modified by the merge process. Click the More button, then fill out the
dialog box that opens.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

7. If you want to keep a separate log of all unmerged or duplicate records, optionally enter the
names of files (in the section called Output), where you want to store those records.

8. Click OK.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging laboratory data

Use the Merge Lab Data function to simplify and automate the process of getting laboratory data
into the program. This function can:

 Merge or append data from lab files into files in the program.

 Automatically create a target file in the program with the contents of the lab file.

 Work with both comma delimited and column delimited files.

 Accommodate lab files with up to 130 fields. Assays marked as falling below the detection
limits can be replaced with a standard code or, if the detection limit is in the lab file, with
the detection limit.

 Replace laboratory codes with ones that are standard in your company.

 Note: Only the sample field is used as the matching key. This is the difference between this
and other merge functions.

To Merge Lab Data, do the following:

1. Select the File | Merge | Lab Data menu option.

2. Enter the path/name of the laboratory file. Left double-click to open the dialog box from
where you can navigate to the file containing the sample data.

3. Select Comma delimited or Column delimited according to the lab file type. If you need to
check its contents, right-click (F4) with the cursor in the Lab file path response.

4. Select the method you will use to merge the data. If you select Append, the program will
add the records from the lab file to the end of the target file. If you select Use Sample field,
the program will use matching sample numbers in the source and target files to control the
merge. If you select Create new target file, the function creates a file in the program with
the same fields.

5. If you have selected Use sample field as the merge method, define how the sample
numbers will be matched between the lab and target files.

6. Define where the function will find the Assayed element names and the Data values in the
lab file.

7. Enter the name of the target file. Specify the file type and the name of the sample field in
that file. Adjust the field mapping between the lab and target files.

Normally a target file will be created in the office or field before (or soon after) the samples are
taken. The sample numbers and the coordinates where the samples were taken are recorded in this
file. Alternatively, you can select the Create new target file option to automatically generate a data
file with all the fields in the lab file. This is useful when you need to get the data into the program
for further processing.

8. Click OK to run the function.

You can also:

 Define how the function will deal with laboratory codes and when samples results are below
the detection limit.

 Overwrite values already in the target file.

 Define values and the field to which they will be written in the target file when the merge
for that record is successful.

 Specify a file where unmerged records will be written.

 Use Autofill to match the fields in the lab and target files.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Comma and column delimited files

Column delimited

Column delimited data fields are arranged in vertical columns with fixed widths. The width of each
column is specified in characters. In the case of laboratory sample files, samples for each element
are saved in separate columns. Because the columns have fixed widths, they can be defined by
entering the point where the column for a sample starts (in number of characters) and the width of
the column (also in number of characters).

The parts of a column delimited lab file:

Comma delimited

In comma delimited data files the comma (,) character is used to separate the fields of data.
Whenever the program finds a comma as it processes the lab file, it treats data to the left of the
comma as one field and that to the right as another.

5
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging methods
Three merging processes can be applied using Merge Lab Data. You can merge by:

 Appending - the contents of the lab file are appended to the end of an existing target file.

 Matching sample identifiers - this method is applied when you select Use sample field.

 Creating an entirely new target file as part of the process.

Matching sample IDs

As samples are taken in the field they are identified (numbered or labelled) and the location
recorded. The samples are then shipped to the laboratory for testing. At the same time, a data file
is created or imported from Field Marshal™. This will typically contain the sample identifiers and
location where each sample was collected.

Once the laboratory has completed testing, they will return a lab file containing records with sample
numbers and the associated assays.

Merge Lab Data can match the sample identifiers in the lab file to those in the data file. When a
match is found, the assays are written to the correct record in the data file.

Sample identifiers can be matched in two ways:

 Numeric match.

 Character match.

When you select Numeric match, the first numeric component of the sample numbers must match
before a record will be imported. That is, if a sample identifier in the lab file was AA100 and the
sample identifier in the data file was AB100, the assays would be merged into this record in the
data file.

When you select Character match, the entire identifier in the source file must match that in the
target file, before the records will be merged. That is, AA100 will not be matched to AB100.

In either case you must specify the point where the column containing the sample number is
located (in number of characters). The program automatically calculates the column width.
Generally it will be the first column in the lab file.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Defining the location of assayed element names and data

Merge Lab Data attempts to isolate each “column” of data in the lab file. To do this it requires a
minimum of information. That is:

For Assayed Element Names it requires Row and Start column numbers.

For Data it requires a Row number.

You must enter these values.

The function treats a space or spaces as the end of one column and the beginning of the next. Also,
a constant column width is assumed for both assayed element names and data. This is derived by
subtracting the column width found for the first assayed element name from the column width
found for the second assayed element name.

The significance of these rules is that if any of the assayed element names are made up of two
words, the function will need some help. That is, you will need to enter a column width.

The following illustration shows a fragment of a lab data file. It shows how to obtain the parameters
for the Assayed Element Names and the Data prompts. Because the assayed element names are
made up of two words, a column width is required.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Posting Row, Start Column and Column Width values

To make it easier to obtain values for parameters in the Sample number, Assayed Element Names
and Data groups, the built in text viewer has a Post data function.

To use the built in text viewer, you must select it in Records | Editor.

To use this feature, right-click with the cursor in one of the responses from which you require
values. For example, to find Row and Start column values for the assayed element names, right–
click with the cursor in the Start column prompt in the Assayed Element Names group.

Once the text viewer opens:

1. Highlight the text and spaces that make up a column on the correct row.

2. Click the Post data button in the toolbar of the text viewer.

The start column and column width values of the highlighted text will be posted in the correct
prompts.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Processing laboratory codes in the source file

Replacing codes in the lab file

Occasionally the lab file will contain identifiers (often text codes) which indicate some sort of assay
process or event. For example: Not Sampled (NS). The identifiers used to indicate these events
depend on the laboratory.

From your organization’s point of view, it is desirable to maintain a single set of identifiers. To assist
in this process Merge Lab Data includes a facility where you can map the identifiers used by a lab
to those used in your organization. When you run Merge Lab Data, the lab identifiers are
automatically replaced with those you define.

To map identifiers:

1. Select Replace lab codes and click the More button opposite.

2. Enter the lab identifiers in the Lab Code column of the table.

3. Enter the replacement identifiers in the Replace With column.

4. Click Close to return to the main form.

Managing samples below the detection limit

Samples that fall below the detection limit of the assay method present a special case. When this
occurs, the lab file will write an identifier in the field (e.g. BDL). There are two ways of dealing with
sample results that fall below the detection limit. You can:

 Replace the identifier indicating this condition with one preferred by your organization.

 You can write the detection limit, specified in the lab file for that assay, to the field.

To replace the identifier with another, in the Replace Lab Codes dialog box:

1. Select Replace lab code in the Below Detection group.

2. Select Write text.

3. Enter the code used by the lab to identify the sample result was below the detection limit.

4. Enter the replacement code in the Replace with prompt.

To replace a below detection code with a detection limit value:

The detection limit for an assay type is usually recorded in the column header for that field. When
the program finds a code indicating the sample result was below the detection limit it:

 Takes the below detection value from the column header.

 It prepends a “<” character.

 It then writes it in the field.

Do the following in the Replace Lab Codes dialog box:

1. Select Replace lab code in the Below Detection group.

2. Select Write <x.xx.

3. Enter the row number on which the detection limits are recorded.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Writing merge values to fields in the target file

You have the option of writing two values to the target file when a record is merged successfully.
Some people write the name of the laboratory and the date on which they merged the data. Others
use it to indicate that the record was successfully merged from a particular file.

To write merge values to the target file:

1. Select the field in the target file where the merge value will be written.

2. Enter the merge value.

Using an unmerged file

When you enter a file name in the unmerged file and run Merge Lab Data, any records from the Lab
file that are not successfully merged will be recorded in this file. It will also contain the header
information from the Lab file.

The program creates the file as part of the process.

To view the contents of the file, position the cursor in the unmerged file response and right-click.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC
ODBC is an interface that allows applications to access data in Database Management Systems
(DBMS) using Structured Query Language (SQL).

ODBC relies on you adding database drivers (ODBC drivers) to link the application to your choice of
DBMS. An ODBC driver is a dynamic link library (*.dll) that applications can use to interface with a
data source. Different database management systems (DBMS), like Oracle, can require different
drivers.

Once the correct drivers are installed, the process of connecting to an external DBMS is generally
straightforward. Most of the problems that people experience with ODBC are due to incorrect
installation of the ODBC drivers.

The following ODBC functions are provided:

 ODBC Import Import data from an external data source into the application.

 ODBC Export Export data from the application to an external data source.

 ODBC Link Link to an external data source using ODBC. The data is accessible to the
application. You can not edit the data or modify the table structure, however, you can
control which fields are imported and their names, types, length and precision. This is the
ideal approach when you want to ensure you will always be dealing with a current data set.

 MDB Import Import data directly from a Microsoft Access database using ODBC.

 MDB Link Link to a Microsoft Access table using ODBC. This function is the same as ODBC
Link with the exception that it is faster.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC linking versus importing

You can either import data from, or link to, a DBMS using ODBC.

When you import data from a DBMS, a connection is not maintained with the data source. If data is
changed at the source (the DBMS), the imported data set will not be updated by the application.

When you link to a DBMS using ODBC, the link can be easily maintained. If data is changed at the
source (the DBMS), you can quickly update the link to reflect those changes.

This is the advantage linking has over importing.

Using linked tables

To the user, linked tables appear exactly the same as any other table or data file displayed in the
application. The only differences are:

 When you want to open a linked table, the File Type must be set to ODBCLINK.

 The data is read-only. You cannot update the data within the application.

 F4 - Edit and F6 - Modify are not accessible in the menu that opens when you right click
with the cursor in a File response.

 You cannot use the FIX and APPEND options in the File Utilities.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC Link
Overview

Using ODBC link you can establish a link to a table in an external database. Once you have
established the link, the data in the corresponding data file will only be refreshed when you right-
click and select the Reload ODBC link option when you load the file into a form.

Alternatively, you can select the ODBC Link Update option under the Tools | Macro Functions
menu to run a macro to refresh some or all of the ODBC links you have established.

The files containing data from the linked source will work in the same way as any other project file,
with the exception that you cannot change their contents.

When you establish the link to a table in the external DBMS, you can:

 Specify how the linked file will be structured.

 Preview the table that will be linked and change the characteristics of the fields in the
target file.

 Control which fields will be included in the link.

The link is stored in the current project as a special type of file.

The most common application of ODBC Link is where data is contained in a central repository such
as a company DBMS.

To create an ODBC Link:

1. Select File | Link | ODBC from the main menu.

2. Click the Select Data Source button.

3. Select the data source by clicking on the File Data Source or Machine Data Source tabs and
then double-clicking on one of the specific data sources in the list.

4. For example, if the data is stored in a Paradox database, and you are using a machine data
source, double-click on the Paradox Files entry in the list of data source names.

5. Navigate to and select the database containing the table to which you will link. For
example, prospect1.db .

6. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

7. Enter the name of the linked file. This is the data file used to store and access the data.

8. Either select the Select all check box or hold the Ctrl key down and click on the fields you
want to include in the process.

9. Specify how the linked file will be structured. There are two options:

Determine structure. If this option is selected, the function will read the
contents of the source table to determine the most appropriate width and format
for each field in the linked file.

Use database structure. If this option is selected, the function will base the
structure of the linked file on the structure of the source table.

If the linked file exists (i.e. you are not creating a new file) a check is made to ensure
that all of the fields selected from the source table can be mapped to fields in the
linked file which have the same Name, Width and Precision.

6
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

If one or more fields cannot be mapped (the linked file and the source table are
incompatible) you will be prompted to overwrite the linked file using the structure of
the source table. Click YES to continue the link process. Click NO to abort the process.

10. Some
Note: To preview the results
data types, of Memo,
such as the link,Image
selectand
Preview
Binaryand enter
data thecannot
types, number of records to
be converted you
a want
to see.
format that Click Create
is compatible and
with the Preview
Micromine dialog will
file formats. open.
Click In this
on the dialoglink
following you
forcan see
a list of a sample of
the data
compatible records in the
types andtable to which
default widthsyou andare linking.used
precisions You can also
during change
the the structure of the
link process.
table that will be created.

11. Click OK in the Preview dialog and a message confirming the link has been established will
appear.

12. Click Create in the ODBC Link dialog to complete the process.

6
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC Import
To use the ODBC Import function, do the following:

1. Make sure you have defined the data source using the Administrative Tools | Data Sources
(ODBC) option under the Windows Control Panel.

2. The
Note: Select File | Import
procedure to install|aODBC fromand
new driver the link
main menu.
one or more data sources may be different
depending on the version of Windows you are running. For detailed instructions see your Microsoft
user3.guide.
Click the Select Data Source button.

4. Select the File Data Source or Machine Data Source tab.

5. Double-click on the name of the data source that contains the information you want to
import. You must install suitable ODBC drivers before the ODBC Import will work. Do this in
the Windows Control Panel.

6. Navigate to and select the database, file or spreadsheet you want to import and click OK.

7. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

8. Enter the name of the target file in the Import ODBC dialog box. The imported data will be
saved in this file. If the file exists, you will be asked if you want to overwrite it.

9. Specify how the target file will be structured. There are three options:

 Determine structure. If this option is selected, the function will read the
contents of the source table to determine the most appropriate width and format
for each field in the target file.

 Use database structure. If this option is selected, the function will base the
structure of the target file on the structure of the source table.

 Use current structure. If this option is selected, the function will use the current
structure of the target file. Note: This option will be disabled if the target file does
not exist (i.e. you are creating a new file).

 In the case of the Determine structure and Use database structure options, if
the target file exists (i.e. you are not creating a new file) a check is made to
ensure that all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the
target file which have the same Name, Width and Precision.

 In the case of the Use current structure option, a check is made to ensure
that all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target
file with the same Name.

 If all of the fields selected for import can be mapped to fields in the target
file, you will be prompted whether to append or overwrite data to the file.

 If one or more fields cannot be mapped (the target file and the source table
are incompatible) you will be prompted to overwrite the target file. Click YES
to continue the import. Click NO to abort the import process.

Note:10. Some
To preview the results
data types, of LongVarChar,
such as the import, select
Memo,Preview
Imageandandenter the
Binary number
data types,orcannot
recordsbeyou
converted want
to atoformat
see. Click
that Import and the
is compatible withPreview dialog
Micromine filewill open.Click
formats. In this
on dialog you canlink
the following see
fora a
list of compatible data types and default widths and precisions used during the import process.

6
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

sample of the records in the table from which you are importing. You can also change the
structure of the table that will be created.

11. To import all the fields in the table select the Select all check box. Otherwise select one or
more fields from the list. Use the Ctrl and Shift keys and the mouse pointer to select
multiple fields. Remember that field names can be up to 10 characters in length. Longer
names will be truncated during the import process.

12. You can append an SQL clause to allow filtering or ordering of the imported data. For
example, WHERE Hole_ID = 'DH4'.

13. Click Import to complete the process.

A message will appear when the import is complete.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

ODBC Export
To use the Export ODBC function, do the following:

1. Make sure you have defined the data source using ODBC32 in the Windows Control Panel.

2. Select File | Export | ODBC from the main menu.

3. Enter the name of the file containing the source data.

4. Select the Select all check box to export all fields or select one or more fields from the list.
Use the Ctrl and Shift keys with the mouse to select which fields to export.

5. Select where the data will be exported to by selecting a data source. To do this, click the
Select Data Source button and double-click on the name of a data source in the list.

6. Navigate to and select the database, file or spreadsheet you want to export to and click OK.

7. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

8. Click Export to complete the process.

A message will appear when the export is complete.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Linking to a Microsoft Access Database

Overview

Using MDB link you can establish a link to a table in an external MS Access database.

Once you have established the link, the data in the corresponding data file will only be refreshed
when you right-click and select the Reload MDB link option when you specify the file as an input in a
form.

Alternatively, select the MDB Link Update option under the Tools | Macro Functions menu to run
a macro to refresh some or all of the MDB links you have established.

A file containing data from a linked source will work in the same way as any other project file, with
the exception that you cannot change its contents.

When you establish the link to a table in the external MS Access Database you can:

 Specify how the linked file will be structured.

 Preview the table that will be linked and change the characteristics of the fields in the
target file.

 Control which fields will be included in the link.

The link is stored in the current project as a special type of file. The most common application of
MDB Link is where data is contained in a central repository such as a company DBMS.

To link to a Microsoft Access database:

1. Select File | Link | MDB from the main menu.

2. Click the Select Database button.

3. Navigate to and select the database containing the table to which you will link. For
example, prospect1.db .

4. In the Select Table dialog, select the table you want to link to, and then click OK. Use the
radio buttons to control which tables will appear. Choose: All tables, Compound, User or
Single.

5. Enter the name of the linked file. This is the file that will be used to store and access the
linked data.

6. Either select the Select all check box or hold the Ctrl key down and click on the fields you
want to include in the process.

7. Specify how the linked file will be structured. There are two options:

Determine structure. If this option is selected, the function will read the
contents of the source table to determine the most appropriate width and format
for each field in the linked file.

Use database structure. If this option is selected, the function will base the
structure of the linked file on the structure of the source table.

If the linked file exists (i.e. you are not creating a new file) a check is made to ensure
that all of the fields selected from the source table can be mapped to fields in the
linked file which have the same Name, Width and Precision.

If one or more fields cannot be mapped (the linked file and the source table are
incompatible) you will be prompted to overwrite the linked file using the structure of
the source table. Click YES to continue the link process. Click NO to abort the process.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Note: Some data types, such as Memo, Image and Binary data types, cannot be converted to a format
that is compatible with Micromine file formats. Click on the following link for a list of compatible data
types and default widths and precisions used during the link process.

10. To preview the results of the link, select Preview and enter the number of records you want
to see. Click Create and the Preview dialog will open. In this dialog you can see a sample of
the records in the table to which you are linking. You can also change the structure of the
table that will be created in the application.

11. Click OK in the Preview dialog and a message confirming the link has been established will
appear.

12. Click Create in the MDB Link dialog to complete the process.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Using filters
Filters enable you to quickly isolate data sets of interest. These can then be displayed, or used in
calculations, by other functions.

For example, you may wish to look at all the gold values greater than half a gram. In this case you
would set up a filter to look at the field containing gold grades (in the file) and only show those
records in which the value is greater than or equal to half a gram.

There are several ways of applying filters in the program.

 From any of the data processing and display function dialogs that contain a Filter check box
e.g. Drillhole Validation, Grid Transformation etc.

 By selecting an option from the Filter menu in the File Editor.

 By selecting an option from the File | Filter menu.

In the first case, you can either recall an existing filter or design a new one. When you design a
filter, you assign it a number between 1 and 999. To recall an existing filter you must select the
Filter check box and enter the filter number in the prompt adjacent to the Filter check box. If you
want to design a new filter or modify one that exists, right double-click (F4) with the cursor in the
Filter field and the Set Filter dialog will open.

In the second case, you design and attach filters while working in the File Editor. When a filter is
attached, the letter F will appear in the filter box on the status bar. All records, that do not pass the
filter conditions, will be shown in a different colour. By selecting Use Filtered Records in the Filter
menu, most tools and functions in the Editor will operate only on the filtered records.

In the last case, you can create a new filter using all of the facilities described for the first two
cases. However, you can also subset filtered records and save the records that pass the filter, in a
separate file. Another option allows you to delete records from a file that match a filter.

Note: You can also design more complex filters involving multiple fields. For example, you may wish
to show those gold grades greater than half a gramme in a particular rock type. In this case, set the
filter to show the gold grades greater than or equal to half a gramme and the rock type equal to
whatever the text string is that defines a particular rock type (e.g. Qtz).

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Filters on the File Menu

Items on the File | Filter menu provide options to create new filters, delete filtered records from a
file and generate a new file from an existing one based on a set of filter conditions.

Unlike the options mentioned earlier, these functions are available without having to open a file
first. They can also be used with macros.

Creating a Filter

Use the Filter Create function when you want to create or delete file filters. It works in the same
way and has the same options as the Edit Filter function in the File Editor. However, this function
can be used with a macro.

To define a filter using the create function, do the following:

1. Select the File | Filter | Create menu option. The filter dialog is displayed.

2. Enter the name of the file you want to work with. The last used file is automatically
displayed.

3. Enter other options as required.

Subset filtered records

The Subset function enables you to generate new files from selected records of an existing file. The
records from a source file are selected based on a predefined filter and then written to a new output
file. You can optionally create a second file containing all the records that do not pass the filter.

To use the Subset function, follow these steps:

1. Select the File | Filter | Subset menu option. The Filter Subset dialog box is displayed.

2. In the Input group enter the name of the file you want to subset. Enter the Filter Number
you want to apply. To see a list of available filters double-click, or to set up a new filter
right-click. Note that there is no filter check box; when you use the Subset function the use
of a filter is compulsory.

3. In the Output group type the name of the file that is to contain the records that pass the
filter. If the file exists it will be overwritten.

4. If you want a separate file containing the records that do not pass the filter, enter the file
name in the section called Exceptions. If this file exists it will be overwritten.

5. Click OK.

Deleting
Note: Be filtered records
sure to use a naming convention that indicates that a subset file has been created. Subset
files are work files and can be recreated. No data should be entered in them.
This function allows you to delete records that pass a predefined filter. This function immediately
deletes the selected records. If you want to view the records in the file, to ensure the filter takes
the correct ones, right-click with the cursor over the file name and then select edit.

To delete filtered records:

1. Select the File | Filter | Delete menu option.

2. Enter the name of the file.

3. Enter the number of the filter you want to apply.

4. Click OK. The records that match the filter are deleted from the original file.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Filters in dialog boxes

Throughout the program there are numerous instances where you will see a check box called Filter
with a response box to the right. This provides access to the filter function. Ticking the filter will
immediately activate the filter shown in the response box. If you enter a value of 0 (zero) in the
response box, the current setup of the filter form will be used.

Editing and saving filters

You can alter the default filter, or create and save a new filter by moving to the Filter response field
and right-clicking with the mouse or pressing F4. This opens the filter dialog box. You can then
specify the filter conditions you need.

When you exit the filter dialog box, after saving a filter, the number of the saved filter will be shown
in the response box. However, if you exit without having created a new filter, the prompt will
remain blank.

Selecting a filter

If you wish to use an existing filter you can move to the filter response box and double click the
mouse or press F3. A selection box will appear and you can select the filter from the list.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

The following options allow you to attach and detach filters in the File Editor:

Attaching a filter in the File Editor

The Attach Filter function allows you to select a previously saved filter and attach it to a file which is
open in the File Editor. Once you attach a filter, it remains attached to the file until you detach it.
This is important in all dialogs where you have to specify a filename.

If you want to see if the correct (or any) filter is attached, display the file data by right-clicking the
filename and then select Edit. When a filter is attached to a file in the File Editor, the letter F is
placed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen in the third box from the right. Those records
that do not pass the filter are shown in dark blue.

To attach a filter to the current file in the File Editor, do the following:

1. Select Filter | Attach Filter (or F3).

2. Highlight the filter you intend applying.

3. Click the Select button.

Attaching the Default Filter in the File Editor

Use the Attach Default Filter option to attach the Default Filter to the current file in the File Editor.

The Default Filter is the set of conditions that were last used (but not necessarily with the current
file).

The Default Filter is a global option, there is only one. Whenever you use or edit a filter, it becomes
the Default Filter. To see the current Default Filter, select the Filter | Edit Filter option. A dialog is
displayed which defines the current Default Filter.

A default filter is not saved, it is for use in the current session only. Attaching a default filter is very
seldom used. You should always check its conditions before you attach it.

Select the Filter | Attach Default Filter option (or SHIFT+F3) to attach the Default Filter to the
current file. An error message will appear if this filter refers to fields that do not exist in the current
file.

Detaching a filter in the File Editor

Select the Filter | Detach Filter menu option (or SHIFT+F4) to detach the current filter from the
file. Selecting this option will change any records which were coloured dark blue (did not pass the
filter) back to their normal colour.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Creating and editing filters

Filters are used to create subsets of your data. They are constructed by setting conditions that
control which data is used from a data set. Filters are used in conjunction with many functions in
the program.

You can access the Filter Editor dialog in the following ways:

 By selecting the Filter check box which is shown on many dialogs, and then right-clicking
(F4) with the cursor in the prompt field.

 By selecting Filter | Edit Filter from the File Editor menu. You can access the File Editor by
selecting Open from the File menu. You can also access the File Editor from many dialogs
by right-clicking with the cursor over the filename prompt and then selecting Edit.

 By selecting File | Filter | Create from the File menu.

To setup a new filter:

1. Access the Filter Editor dialog box.

2. Note that the name of the current (or the last used) file is automatically written in the Filter
form. Enter another file name if required.

3. (Optional) To apply more than one condition, use Boolean operators. These define how the
Lines of Filter conditions are to be combined. If you use AND or OR, then the same Boolean
operator applies to all lines. To mix AND and OR operations select Equation, build the filter
conditions and then combine the lines in the Equations field (the conditions are referenced
by their line number). When using the Equation field, you enter the OR and AND commands
using the characters | (pipe) and & (ampersand).

4. (Optional) To limit the range of records on which the filter will operate, make entries in
From record/To record. When left blank, the filter is applied to all records.

5. For each of the required conditions, enter a Field on which the condition will operate, select
an operator from the drop down list and enter a value to be used in the operation.

6. If you want to treat fields as numeric values, select the Numeric box. In that case only the
numeric prefix of mixed alpha numeric strings is used. If you leave the prompt blank, then
any values are considered to be of type Character. When a numeric field is used, characters
that follow a number are ignored e.g. 200B evaluates to 200. And if the first part of an
entry in the field is not a number, e.g. DH001, or is blank, it evaluates to 0.

7. Sometimes it is easier to define a set of conditions for the records you do NOT want to use.
Selecting Reverse filter? Will include records NOT defined by the filter conditions.

8. Once you have defined the filter, save it using the Forms button. If you do not save the
filter in a Form, it will only remain available until it is overwritten by a new set of filter
conditions.

9. Click OK.

If the filter definition was accessed from the File Editor, the filter will automatically be applied to the
current file.

In a form, select the filter by left double-clicking (F3). Alternatively, clear the response field to apply
the default (currently defined) filter to the file.

Note: Wildcards can be used when defining values in filters.

Filter 0 is a special case. It uses the current conditions set in the Filter form. To apply filter 0, close
the Filter form and run whatever function (e.g. Grid Transformation) you are currently working in.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Tip: If you have entered the number of a suitable or partially suitable filter in the Filter prompt of a
form, you can edit its characteristics and save it with a new name.

The Use Filtered Records switch

When you select the Filter | Use Filtered Records menu option (Ctrl+F4), most of the functions in
the editor will only work with filtered records.

Note: This menu option will only be enabled when a filter has been attached to the current file.

The Use Filtered Records option affects the following options:

 Up and Down Arrow keys jump between filtered records only.

 Save As saves the filtered records to another file.

 Print prints the records that match the filter.

 Delete deletes the records that match the filter.

 Find and Replace options only work on the filtered records.

 Add, Replicate and Execute | Many only work on the filtered records.

 Skip Records only counts filtered records.

 Merge, Calculate, Validate and Descriptive Stats only work on the filtered records.

When the Use Filtered Records option is selected, a tick is placed next to the letter F in the status
bar at the bottom of the screen. You can turn off the Use Filtered Records option at any time by
selecting Filter | Use Filtered Records (or by pressing Ctrl+F4) again.

7
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Using logical operators with filters

Boolean and logic operators allow you to combine the conditions you define on separate lines into
complex statements. The Boolean operators you can use are AND and OR. You can also use them in
any combination, by using the EQUATION option.

If AND is selected, the filter would read Condition 1 AND Condition 2 AND Condition 3 etc.

If OR is selected the filter would read Condition 1 OR Condition 2 OR Condition 3 etc.

Using the AND function

The AND function is typically used with numeric ranges. Use it if you want to select the records that
pass all the conditions you defined; that is, a record is only selected if it passes each condition.

For example, suppose you have a field called AU containing gold values, and another field CU
containing copper values. If you only want to work with the samples where the value is 10 g/t or
higher for gold AND 10 ppm or higher for copper, fill in the conditions as follows:

AU >= 10

CU >= 10

Then check the AND box in the Combine Lines section to indicate that both conditions have to be
met.

Another example is if you want to use all the data in a range of 10,000 to 10,020 North, Condition 1
would be set to >10,000 North and Condition 2 would be set to <10,020 North. This will be read as
- data greater than 10,000 and data less than 10,020.

Using the OR function

The OR function is typically used with character type fields, for example, you want all the drill holes
with the prefix RC OR all the drill holes with the prefix BY to be included. Use the OR operator to
select the records that pass any of the conditions. If a record passes any single one, several or all
conditions, it will be selected.

For example, suppose you have a field called AU containing gold values, and another field CU
containing copper values. If you want to select those records where the value is above 10 g/t for
gold OR above 10 ppm for copper, fill in the conditions as follows:

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

AU > 10

CU > 10

Then check the OR box in the Combine Lines section to indicate that either (or both) conditions are
sufficient.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Using Equations
If you want to use both AND and OR operators in the same test, you must use an equation. If you
enter an equation the Combine switch is disabled.

For example, suppose you have a field called AU containing gold values, a field CU containing
copper values and a field called TO containing depths. To select those records that have values
above 10 (for either gold OR copper) AND that fall in the top 5 meters of the drillhole, fill in the
following conditions on the first three lines of the Filter Conditions section:

AU >= 10

CU >= 10

TO <= 5

Enter the following in the Equation field: (1|2)&3

Then check the Equation box.

The conditions entered in lines 1 to 3 are now combined according to the Equation.

Note that the numbers refer to the lines where you specified the conditions and the operator are:

| OR

& AND

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

File Editor
The File Editor is used to create and maintain data files. It includes many powerful features. In
addition to the editing facilities found in many databases, the File Editor includes a tool kit optimised
for geological and field data entry.

In the File Editor you can:

 Edit, verify and view files in display windows. Multiple files can be open simultaneously.

 Automate data entry.

 Copy, rename or append one or more files.

 Merge data from other files in the program or from ASCII files.

 Sort on multiple fields.

 Filter contents of data files.

 Import and Export data in a variety of formats.

 Perform global, partial and individual alterations on record fields.

 Calculations between fields.

 Colour code fields by assigning a colour set.

Opening the File Editor

The File Editor window is displayed whenever you create a new file, or open an existing file.

Creating a new file

If you are working with the application for the first time, or you are working in a new project, you
will need to create new files. Select File | New or click the File New button on the main toolbar to
create a new file.

Opening an existing file

To open an existing file, select File | Open or click the File Open button on the main toolbar.

The File Selection dialog will default to those files in the current project. If you wish, you can
navigate to the files in another project folder.

When you create a new file or open an existing file, a File Editor window is displayed. When the File
Editor is open, additional Edit, Filter, Format and Records submenus are provided on the main
menu.

When you open more than one file, each file occupies its own editor window with its own toolbar.
For more information about the options that can be applied to the File Editor window, refer to the
File Editor options topic. For more information about the options provided on the toolbar, refer to
the File Editor toolbar topic.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Closing the File Editor

To close an individual file, click the Close button at the top-right of the editor window, or select the
File | Close menu option.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

The Edit File toolbar

The following options are provided on the Edit File toolbar.

Note: The width of the application window and the selections you have made when customising
Click the Save button (or select File | Save) to save any changes you have
the toolbar, will determine what buttons are displayed.
made in the editor window. This button will be disabled unless changes have
been made to the file.

Click the Print Preview button to view (and optionally print) the contents of
the file displayed in the editor window.

Click the Cut button to cut the selected data to the Windows clipboard.

Click the Copy button to copy the selected data to the Windows clipboard.

Click the Paste button to paste data (which was placed in the windows
clipboard using Cut or Copy) into the selected field.

Click the Undo button (or Ctrl-Z) to undo the last edit. The Undo function
records the edits made in the editor window and will undo those edits in
reverse order.

Following an Undo, click the Redo button (or Ctrl-Y) to re-apply the last edit
performed in the editor window.

Click the Insert Records tool (Ctrl-I, or select the Records | Insert Records
menu option) to insert one or more blank records into the file. Records are
inserted above the currently selected record.

Click the Delete Records tool (Ctrl-D, or select the Records | Delete
Records menu option) to remove one or more records from a file.

Click the Find button to search the open file for the occurrence of a value in
the selected (highlighted) field. In the Find dialog, you can set the direction
of the search, limit the search to a block of selected records, and specify
whether or not a case-sensitive search is required.

Click the Find Next button to search for the next occurrence of a search
value previously defined using the Find tool.

Click the Filter button to attach a filter that will be applied to the selected
(highlighted) field.

8
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Click the Hide Fields tool (or select the Format | Hide Fields menu option)
to hide the currently selected (highlighted) column or field. Use the Hide
function to limit the display to those fields which are of interest. You can un-
hide hidden fields by selecting the Format | Unhide Fields menu option.

Use the Increment One and Increment Many tools (or select an option
from the Records | Increment menu) to increment field values in successive
records of a file. Add can operate on both numeric and alphanumeric
(character) fields.

Click the Define Increment button to define the increment value used by
the Increment One and Increment Many functions.

Use the Replicate One and Replicate Many tools (Or select an option from
the Records | Replicate menu) to copy the contents of a field to the same
field in successive records.

Click the Toggle Overwrite button (or select the Records | Overwrite
Data menu option) to choose whether or not to overwrite field contents
when using the Increment Many and Replicate Many tools.

If Overwrite mode is enabled, a tick will appear alongside the Records |

Overwrite Data menu option, and the Add and Replicate Many commands will
overwrite the existing contents of fields.

If Overwrite mode is not enabled, the Add Many and Replicate Many
commands will not change the values in subsequent fields.

Use the Im port tool (or select the Edit | Tools | Import menu option) to
import data from external files. File Import is best used when the source
data has fields with widely varying widths, or if you want to import more
than ten fields of data at once.

Use the Export tool (or select the Edit | Tools | Export menu option) to
export the open file as a delimited text file.

Click the Merge Menu button (or select an option on the Edit | Tools |
Merge menu) to merge data from a MICROMINE data file or a text file.

Use the Sort tool (or select the Edit | Tools | Sort menu option) to sort the
contents of one or more fields into ascending or descending order. Enter the
field in the file on which the sort will be based. All the records in the file will
be sorted using this field when the function is run.

More than one field can be used in a sort. In this case, the contents of the
file will be sorted on the first field, then on the subsequent fields in the order
they have been defined.

Click the Validate button (or select the Edit | Tools | Validate menu option)
to compare the values in a selected field against a list of permitted values
entered in a check file.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Click the Calculate button (or select the Edit | Tools | Calculate menu
option) to apply a calculation to the selected field. The result of the
calculation for each record will be stored in a new field in the file. The
application will automatically create the result field if it does not already
exist.

Click the Close button to close the File Editor window.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Validating fields in the File Editor

Once data has been collected and saved to a data file, the contents of each field can be validated.
The Tools | Validate function compares the values in selected fields against a list of permitted
values entered in a check file.

The check file must be created before this function can be run.

Creating a check file for validation

A check file contains the reference values to be used by the Validate function. It need only have one
field.

For example, if you are checking the geology codes of a file then the check file could contain a field
called Codes. Within this field would be all the correct geology codes such as Mbpxq, Uclylm, Fhebx,
etc. Wildcards cannot be used.

To validate
Note: Checkafiles
field in be
can the File Editor,
modified at anydo theThere
time. following:
is no limit to the length or number of fields nor
is it necessary for the field names in the check file to match those in the file. Also, the same field in
the 1. Position
check the
file can behighlight in theany
used to check fieldnumber
you want to validate
of fields in the at the top of the file in the active
file.
widow.

2. Select Edit | Tools | Validate and the Validate Values form will appear.

3. Enter the name of the check file and the name of the check field in that file.

4. If you have selected Mark error, enter the name of the Error field in the file.

5. Select whether you want the validation to ignore blanks and be case sensitive.

6. Click OK to run the function. Continue the same process, changing (if necessary) the Check
field each time you move the highlight to another field in the open file.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Hiding fields in the File Editor

Hide field allows you to hide the column (field) where the highlight is currently located. Use this to
simplify the data display so only the fields of interest appear. It also enables you to reduce the
width of the display so all fields of interest can be viewed without having to scroll to the left or right.

To hide fields, do the following:

1. Position the highlight in the field you wish to hide.

2. Select the Format | Hide Fields menu option or press Ctrl+Shift+H. The field will
disappear from view.

To display all fields:

 Select Format | Unhide Fields and click Unhide All. Alternatively, you can select the fields
you want to unhide.

Note: The number of hidden fields will appear in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. For
example, Fld:15/17(20) means the highlight is in field 15 of the 17 visible fields and there are 20
Unhiding
fields in the fields inis,the
file. That File
three Editor
fields are hidden.
To unhide individual fields:

1. Select Format | Unhide Fields.

2. Select which fields you want to display in the list that appears.

3. Click Close.

To unhide all fields:

1. Select Format | Unhide Fields.

2. Click Unhide All.

3. Click Close.

Ordering fields
Use Order fields to control the order in which fields (columns) will be displayed. Order fields does
not alter the order in which data is stored in the file, only how it is displayed.

To change the order in which fields are displayed:

1. Select Format | Order Fields.

2. Position the cursor over the field you want to appear first in the display and double-click.

3. Continue doing this to all the fields that you want to display in the order in which you want
to display them.

4. Click OK to return to the file window. Only the fields added to the New list will be displayed.

To return the fields to their original order, click the Reset button and then OK.

8
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Freezing fields in the File Editor

To lock the display of one or more fields in the File Editor window, do the following:

1. Select the Format | Freeze Fields menu option.

2. Enter the number of contiguous fields to freeze.

This is the number of fields displayed from left to right in the editor window.

When
Note:you freeze
If the a you
fields field,want
a copy of theare
to freeze field is displayed. As
non-contiguous, you
you scroll
must firsthorizontally
make themincontiguous
the editor
window, the frozen
by changing field remains
the display anchored
order in the at the left-hand
editor window using theside of the
Format editor window.
| Order Fields option..
To unfreeze fields:

Select the Format |Freeze Fields option again and change the Number of Fields value. To
unfreeze all fields set the value as zero.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Colour-coding fields in the File Editor

Use the Format | Colour Sets menu options to colour code the column (field values) where the
highlight is currently located.

Attach Colour Set

To assign an existing colour set to a column (field) in the file editor, do the following:

1. Click to highlight the column or field you wish to colour code.

2. Select the Format | Colour Sets | Attach menu option.

3. Select an existing colour set from the displayed selection list. The colour set is applied to
the column you selected.

Detach Colour Set

To remove a colour set which has previously been attached to a column in the File Editor, do the
following:

1. Click to highlight a colour coded field.

2. Select the Format | Colour Sets | Detach menu option.

Edit Colour Set

To edit a colour set which has previously been attached to a column in the editor, do the following:

1. Click to highlight a colour coded field.

2. Select Colour Sets | Edit from the popup menu. The Edit Colour Sets dialog will be
displayed.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Sorting fields in the File Editor

Use the Sort function to sort the contents of one or more fields into ascending or descending order.
Enter the field in the file on which the sort will be based. All the records in the file will be sorted
using this field when the function is run.

More than one field can be used in a sort. In this case, the contents of the file will be sorted on the
first field, then on the subsequent fields in the order they have been defined.

Sort will operate on the file in the active window.

To use the Sort function do the following:

1. Select Edit | Tools | Sort from the menu. The Simple Sort dialog will open.

2. Move the cursor to Field 1 and enter the field name.

3. Choose either ASCENDING or DESCENDING from the drop down list.

4. Continue entering field names and setting the sort order for each.

5. Click the OK button and the data file will be sorted. The new sort order will be permanently
displayed.

Note: Sorting the contents of a file will speed up many processes.

Alphanumeric strings are sorted from left to right.

Numeric values are placed before alphabetic strings.

Numbers are treated as a numeric value rather than a character string. In an ascending sort, 98AB
will be placed before 213B.

Upper case characters are placed before lower case.

Blank spaces will be sorted to the beginning of the file if sorting by Ascending order. They will be
placed at the end of the file if sorting by Descending order.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging MICROMINE files in the File Editor

Do the following:

1. Open a new or existing file as the target file.

2. Select the Edit | Tools | Merge | MM menu option.

3. Enter the source file name and type. If you double click (F3), the Windows™ Select File
dialog box will open. Use this to select an external file. Once you have selected a file, you
can right double click (F4) to view its contents.

4. Select Append data if all the information from the source file is to be written to new records
at the end of the target file. Now go to step 6.

5. Select Use key fields to enable data to be written to existing records in the target file when
the contents of keys, defined for both the source and target files, match. Enter the first key
field (in the source file) in Source and the name of the first Target key field (in the
destination file) and set whether they are NUMERIC or CHARACTER fields in Match.

6. Repeat the previous step for the second key field if necessary.

7. (Optional) Select Clear target field to delete existing data in the target field or select
Overwrite target field to overwrite existing data in the target field.

8. Select the Merge Fields button and define the column number (Start) and the length of the
source file fields to be merged. For each of the fields in the source file, select a
corresponding target field in the destination file.

9. Click the Merge button and the merge will proceed. Message boxes can appear requesting
confirmation to proceed depending on conditions set in the dialog box and the nature of the
source file. Answer Yes or No according to your requirements.

Merging MICROMINE files from the File menu

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Merging text files in the File Editor

With the Merge Text function you do not have to import all the fields in the source file, nor are you
committed to the field order of the source file. Merging is the preferred technique when importing
lab assay data, etc.

Do the following:

1. Open a new or existing file as the target file.

2. Select the Edit | Tools | Merge | Text menu option.

3. Enter the full path of the text file name, that is, the data source. If you double-click (F3),
the Windows™ Select File dialog box will open. Use this to select an external file. Once you
have selected a file, you can press F4 or right double-click (with the cursor over the file
name, Start field or Length prompts) to view its contents.

4. (Optional) If the data of interest is preceded by header information, enter the number of
lines to ignore.

5. Select Append data if all the information from the source file is to be written to new records
at the end of the target file. Now go to step 7.

6. Select Use key fields to enable data to be written to existing records in the target file when
the contents of keys, defined in both the source and target files, match. For the source file,
enter the column number of the first key field in Start and its Length in characters. Enter
the name of the first Target key field and choose either NUMERIC or CHARACTER in Match
(according to the data type).

7. Repeat the previous step for the second key field if it exists.

8. (Optional) Select Clear target field to delete existing data in the target field or select
Overwrite target field to overwrite data in the target field.

9. Click the Merge Fields button. Define the column number (Start) and length of other source
file fields to be merged. For each of the fields in the source file, select a corresponding
target field in the destination file.

10. Click the Merge button and the merge will proceed. Message boxes may appear requesting
confirmation to proceed depending on conditions set in the dialog box and the nature of the
source file. Answer Yes or No according to your requirements.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Creating a new file

Using File | New you can create a file with an entirely new structure or use the structure of an
existing file. Using the structure of an existing file as a template saves time and promotes
consistency both within a project and from project to project. When you use a file as a template, it is
also possible to copy the data in that file.

You also use File | New to create the files on which lookup tables are based (*.LDT files).

Do the following:

1. Select File | New.

2. In the New File dialog box, type in the name for the new file, choose a Type, and enter its
Title. If you choose LOOKUP Type (to create a lookup table) the Levels prompt will be
enabled. Define the number of nesting levels you require in the lookup table.

3. Clear the Use template check box.

4. Click the OK button and a window called Create (a structure) opens. The program checks if
a file with the same name already exists. If this is the case, it asks whether you wish to
overwrite it or not.

5. Type in the names and field parameters for each field (up to 250) in the new file.

6. Once each field has been specified, select Close.

7. Click the Yes button in the dialog box asking the question, ‘Create file FILENAME.EXT ?’.
The new file will be opened in the File Editor and you can begin entering data.

To abort the entire process click the No button.

Tip: Another method to achieve the same result is to copy a file, modify its structure, then
remove all records.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Creating a new file using a template

To promote consistency and to save time, you can create a file using an existing file structure as a
template. In Field Marshal this file structure can be obtained from the current working folder or
another folder. The template can be in the current project, another project, or from a path you
specify.

Do the following:

1. Select File | New.

2. In the New file dialog box, enter the name of the new file, select a Type, and then enter a
Title.

3. Select Use template. Click the Templates button and the Templates dialog box will appear.

4. Select the Current project option if you want to select a file from the current project as a
template. If Current project is not selected, you can select another project by double-
clicking in the Project response box below.

When you select a file (Step 5), the File Selection dialog will default to the current (or
selected) project folder.

5. Double-click in the File response box to select the file you want to use as a template.

6. Select Copy data if you want an identical copy of the template file, structure and data.

7. Close the Templates dialog box.

8. Click OK. The new file will be opened in the File Editor and you can begin entering data. The
program creates the new file using the template specified.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Modifying a file's structure

You can modify a file by altering the field names, types, widths or the number of decimal places.
You can also add or insert new fields, and delete existing fields.

To modify a file, do the following:

1. Select File | Modify from the main menu or from the Editor menu, and then select the file
to modify. If the file you want to modify is already open, you only need to select File |
Modify from the menu. If you are in a dialog and have selected a file, position the cursor in
the File response and right-click. Then select Modify (F6) from the menu.

2. In the table defining the file structure you can:

 Edit the name of the fields (FIELD_NAME), the field types (TYPE (C/N)), the field widths
(WIDTH), and the number of decimal places (DECIMALS).

 Insert and delete fields from the file. Select Edit | Insert or Edit | Delete from the menu.

The columns headed OLD_NAME, T, W and D are displayed for information and can control what, if
any, data will be written to the new field.

3. Select Close on the menu bar. The Modify File dialog box appears. Select Format numeric
fields and Left justify fields if required. Click the Yes button to accept your changes, No to
abort the entire operation, or Cancel if you want to make further modifications.

4. A progress indicator appears in the status bar of the window as the program performs the
modifications to the file.

Alternatively
Note: Whenyou youcan
addrevert to the
new fields back-up
using version
Modify, of the
no data willfile
be kept in thethe
lost from project
file. Iforyou
current working
delete a field
folder. A backup
that contains willthat
data, onlydata
be created if you
will be lost. havedoselected
If you Create backup
so inadvertently, on file
use Undo open? in
to return theOptions |
file to its
Editor.
earlier state. You can set the number of undo levels in Options | Editor.
The columns headed OLD_NAME, T, W and D are for information but can also control what, if any,
data will be written to the field. Indeed an alternative way to copy a column of data is to copy and
paste the field in the structure and then rename the "pasted" field. Because the OLD_NAME is that
of the original field, the data is written to the new field.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Formatting numeric fields

Select this check box to format all data in the numeric fields using the number of decimal places
specified for each field. When you select it, you can choose the formatting method from: Round off
or Truncate.

If you select Round off and the number of decimals is 2, values such as 3.14, 4.5, 13, 7.528 and
6.135 are formatted respectively as follows: 3.14, 4.50, 13.00, 7.53 and 6.14. The program rounds
up.

If you select Truncate and the number of decimals is 2, values such as 3.14, 4.5, 13, 7.528 and
6.135 are formatted respectively as follows: 3.14, 4.50, 13.00, 7.52 and 6.13.

Note: This means that you can enter values such as 13.00 by simply pressing 1 and 3 and than use
File
| Modify to format all the numeric fields as required.
Entering repetitive data
This presents some danger in that if the number of decimals specified in the structure is smaller than
When modifying a file structure you can change field names, type, width or decimals, adding or
deleting fields. You can also:

 Enter a constant value to a newly defined field.

 Increment the numeric component of a newly defined field in successive records.

These tasks are often performed at the same time other field modifications are made.

To enter a constant value (character or numeric) to a selected field in every record of a file, enter
the value in the START column opposite the selected field (and 0 for the increment). After
processing the modifications, the value appears in the selected field in all the records of the file.

To increment the value entered in the START column in successive records, enter the increment or
decrement (a negative value) in the INCREMENT column. Beginning with the value in the START
column, the increment is added to the first numeric characters found successively record by record.
For example if for a field called HOLE, DDH0001 is the value in the START column and 1 the value in
the INCREMENT, the HOLE field will contain DDH0001, DDH0002, DDH0003, etc after modification.

Note: Only integer values can be incremented in character fields. If decimals are required the field
type must be changed to numeric.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Save
Use this command to save the file currently open in the File Editor. If you have multiple files open,
only the current (uppermost) file will be saved.

The Save command is only enabled when you make changes to a file.

Save As
Use the Save As command to create a copy of a file with a different name.

Do the following:

1. Select File | Save As from the menu in the File Editor.

2. Enter the name of the new file without extension and select a Type in the Save File As
dialog box.

3. Click the Save file button. The new file is created in the current project and replaces the
current file in the file display window.

9
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Opening a file
To open a file:

1. Select File | Open from the menu or click the Open File button.

2. The current project (folder) will be displayed by default at the top of the Open File dialog.
Files belonging to the current project or folder will be displayed in the file list.

3. Click on the ellipsis button to navigate to another folder.

Note you can navigate to any folder, not just a project folder.

4. If necessary, use the Files of type list to control which files are displayed in the file list. The
various file types are differentiated by file extension. For example, DATA files have the
extension DAT.

Once you choose a file type, searches are limited to files with that extension. For example,
if you select DATA as the file type and you double click (or press F3) with the cursor in the
associated file prompt, only data files (*.DAT) appear.

If the focus is on the file list, you can start typing the file name and the lists will scroll to
the name with the closest match.

5. Select the file of interest and click the Open (OK) button. The file will be displayed.

Click Cancel to abort the operation.

Notes:

 The wildcard * is automatically entered in the File name response. This wildcard means any
file - so all files in the folder (project) will be displayed. You can also use the ? wildcard in
file names. For example, entering ASSAY??.DAT will display ASSAY01.DAT, ASSAY02.DAT,
ASSAY03.DAT, and so on.

 To open a file when you are in a dialog box, position the cursor in a File prompt and right-
click. Select View (F8) or Edit (F4) from the menu that appears.

 When you open a file in Field Marshal the working folder is displayed (the working folder is
set to be the last folder that you opened).

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Cut
Use the Cut command to remove the following to the Windows® clipboard:

 An entire record or a block of records

 A field or a block of fields from one or more records

From there it can be pasted to another location in the file or into another file.

To cut one or more records, or a block of cells:

1. Select the range of records or fields you want to cut.

To select an entire record, click the button containing the record number on its left. You can
also drag the cursor across all the fields in the record. In the first instance the entire record
will be deleted. In the second, only the fields will be deleted (the records remains but now
has blank values).

To select several records, drag the mouse up or down. Alternatively press Shift+Up arrow or
Shift+Down arrow.

To select a field, click the cursor in it.

To select fields in several records, click the cursor in the first field and with the mouse button
down, drag the cursor to the adjacent corner of the block of fields you want to remove.

2. Select Edit | Cut or press Ctrl+X. If you select one or more records the records will be
deleted from the data file. You will be given the opportunity to cancel the operation.

Tip: If
Note: you find you
Information have cut
in hidden records
fields in error
will not click the Undo button on the toolbar immediately. The
be copied.
records or fields will be returned to their original positions - as long as you have not moved the
highlight in the meantime.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Copy
Use the Copy command to copy a record or block of records and place it in the Windows®
Clipboard. From the clipboard the record or block of records can be pasted to another location in the
file or into another file.

To copy one or more records or fields in a record:

1. To select one record, click on the record number or on the first or last field, and then drag
the mouse to the left or the right. You can also press Shift+Up arrow or Shift+Down arrow
to select a block of fields in more than one record.

2. Select Edit | Copy or press Ctrl+C. A message will appear confirming the record(s) have
been copied to the clipboard.

Note: Information in hidden fields will not be copied.

Paste
Once records or blocks of fields (cells) are copied or cut to the clipboard, you can use the Paste
command to insert them elsewhere in the same file or in another file.

To paste records:

1. Always select the cell at the top left corner of the block of data to be replaced. Complete
records are inserted but blocks of data will overwrite existing information.

2. Select Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V to insert the fields or records.

Note: You can copy records or blocks of cells from other applications such as Excel and paste them
into the application.
Inserting records
Use the Insert command to insert one or more blank records into a file.

To insert records:

1. Position the highlight in the record that will follow the blank record. The highlight can be on
any field in that record.

2. Select Records | Insert Records or press Ctrl+I to open the Insert Record dialog box.

3. Enter the number of blank records to insert.

4. Click the OK button.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Undoing changes in a field or record

Use Edit | Undo, press Ctrl+Z or click the undo button on the toolbar to return the contents of
a field, block of fields or records to their previous state. Editing errors are easily recovered using
this command.

Note: You can set the number of undo levels in Options | Editor.

Deleting records
Use the Delete command to remove one or more records from a file.

To delete records:

1. Move the highlight onto the first (and possibly only) record you want to delete. The
highlight can be on any field in that record.

Drag the mouse or hold down the Shift key and click to select multiple (contiguous) records
for deletion.

2. Select Records | Delete Records or press Ctrl+D to open the Delete Record dialog box.

3. Enter the number of records to delete. The default is one.

4. Click the OK button. A warning will be displayed before records are deleted.

Going to records
Use the Goto command to move the highlight on a record in the file. This enables you to move
quickly through a file given that you know the record number of the destination.

To go to a record:

1. Select Edit | Goto.

2. Enter a line (record) number.

3. Click the OK button.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Importing data in the File Editor

Import allows you to import data from external files. Import is best used when the source data has
fields with widely varying widths or if you want to import more than ten fields of data at once.

More often, you will want to merge external data with matching data in a data file in the program.
For example, merging assay samples with field location. With Merge you do not have to import all
the fields in the source file nor are you committed to the field order in the source file.

To import:

1. Open or Create a file.

2. Select Edit | Tools | Import from the menu.

3. Enter the name and location of the file of interest in Import file path. If you double click
(F3), the Windows™ Select File dialog box will open. Use this to select an external file. Once
you have selected a file, you can right double click (F4) to view its contents. This is limited
to the specified file types.

4. Choose the File format from the drop down list.

5. If DELIMITED is selected, enter the ASCII value of the delimiter.

6. (Optional) If you intend to overwrite data in the current file (into which the data will be
imported) select Overwrite.

7. Click the OK button. A message box appears listing the name of the file being imported and
the name of the target file. Click the OK button if these are correct. If not, press ESC to
interrupt the processing.

If the importation proceeds successfully you will be informed when the process is completed. If an
error occurs the process will be interrupted and an appropriate error message displayed.

Note: When data is stored in exponential notation e.g. 0.12340000E3, import the number then
convert it back to normal notation i.e. 123.4 by multiplying it by 1 using Edit | Tools | Calculate.

If you import data from the same source often, use a Form to save the entries in the Import dialog
for later use.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Exporting data in the File Editor

Select the Edit | Tools | Export menu option to export a data file for use in another application.
See also Exporting data.

In the Export to Text File dialog, do the following:

1. Browse to the location of the file you want to export.

Numeric Fields

2. Enter the character that will be used to replace non-numeric field values.

3. Enter the character that will be used to replace blank field values.

4. If the COLUMN FORMAT text file format is selected, select the Left-justify option if you want
numeric fields to be left-justified in the output file.

Options

5. Choose the format of the output text file from the drop down list. The following formats are
supported:

COLUMN FORMAT - ASCII data organised into columns.

DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited using some ASCII character.

TAB DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by TABs.

SPACE DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by spaces.

COMMA DELIMITED - ASCII data delimited by commas.

6. Delimiters
Note: If the DELIMITED
are ASCIItext file format
characters usedisto
selected,
separateenter the ASCII
one data character
field from to be
the next. used asisa
A comma
separator
often used between adjacent field values.
as a delimiter.

7. If you have chosen a delimited (TAB, SPACE, COMMA , or ASCII character) text file format,
enter the character to appear before and after each character field value. The double quote
(") is most commonly used.

8. If you have chosen a delimited (TAB, SPACE, COMMA , or ASCII character) text file format,
enter the character to appear before and after each numeric field value.

9. Select the Write field names to first record option to write field names to the first line of the
output file. Field names will be enclosed in quotes and separated using the same delimiter
used to write data records to the output file.

10. Select the Export View option to export the fields in the order they are displayed in the
editor. Hidden fields will not be exported. Select the Export File option to export the fields
in the order they are defined by the file structure. Hidden fields will be included in the
export process.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Increm enting field contents

Use the Increment functions in the Records menu to increment field values in successive records of
a file. Increment can operate on both numeric and alphanumeric (character) fields.

For example, if the value in the highlighted NORTH field (in an open file) is 20230.328, selecting the
Increment | One command will move to the same field in the next record down and insert the value
20231.328.

When applied to a character field containing DH-123, the next field will be set to DH-124. That is,
the numeric part of the field is incremented and the alpha part is replicated.

To automatically write to multiple records in the same field, use the Increment | Many command.

Do the following:

1. Enter a value in a field of an open file. You can also increment existing values.

2. Select Records | Increment to enter the increment value (default is 1).

3. Select Records | Overwrite Data.

4. Select the Records | Increment | One or Records | Increment | Many. If you select
Increment | One, the increment will be added to the value in the same field in the next
record.

5. If you select Increment | Many, enter the number of increments you require in Number of
times to increment, then click OK.

The function will place values, each incremented by the specified amount, in the number of fields
specified. The operation will begin from the current field.

Note:

 You can limit the fields to which the replication will apply by selecting them.

 When Increment is applied to a field that has no numbers, the value in the first field will be
replicated.

 Only the first set of numbers will be incremented where the contents of the field comprise two
or more sets of numbers separated by characters.

 The All records from current position check box in the Increment Many dialog is useful when
you need to change many records.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Sorting fields in the File Editor

Use the Sort function to sort the contents of one or more fields into ascending or descending order.
Enter the field in the file on which the sort will be based. All the records in the file will be sorted
using this field when the function is run.

More than one field can be used in a sort. In this case, the contents of the file will be sorted on the
first field, then on the subsequent fields in the order they have been defined.

Sort will operate on the file in the active window.

To use the Sort function do the following:

1. Select Edit | Tools | Sort from the menu. The Simple Sort dialog will open.

2. Move the cursor to Field 1 and enter the field name.

3. Choose either ASCENDING or DESCENDING from the drop down list.

4. Continue entering field names and setting the sort order for each.

5. Click the OK button and the data file will be sorted. The new sort order will be permanently
displayed.

Note: Sorting the contents of a file will speed up many processes.

Alphanumeric strings are sorted from left to right.

Numeric values are placed before alphabetic strings.

Numbers are treated as a numeric value rather than a character string. In an ascending sort, 98AB
will be placed before 213B.

Upper case characters are placed before lower case.

Blank spaces will be sorted to the beginning of the file if sorting by Ascending order. They will be
placed at the end of the file if sorting by Descending order.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Replicating field contents

Use the Replicate functions to copy the contents of a field to the same field in successive records.

For example, if the value in a NORTH field of a record is 20230, selecting the Replicate | One
command will copy that value to the same field in the next record.

If you want to copy a value to many fields in the same column, use Replicate many.

Do the following:

1. Enter a value in a field in the file.

2. Select Records | Overwrite Data.

3. Select Records | Replicate | Many.

4. Enter the Number of times to replicate and click OK.

5. The program will place the same value in the number of fields specified.

Notes:

 If there are records existing in the file, select the All records from current position check box in
the Replicate fields dialog box to copy a value to all records in the file.

 You can limit the fields to which the replication will apply by selecting them.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Calculating field values in the File Editor

A broad range of functions are provided for field calculations. The result of the calculation for each
record are stored in a new field in the open file. The program will automatically create the result
field if it does not already exist.

To calculate, do the following:

1. Make sure you have a file open and have set up a field where the results of the calculations
will be entered. If you have more than one file open, the calculation will be performed on
the file in the active window.

2. Select the Edit | Tools | Calculate menu option.

3. Move the cursor to the first Input and either enter a constant, a numeric value or a field
name.

4. Move the cursor to the second Input on the same row and enter a constant, a numeric
value or a field name in the same way.

5. Move to Function and choose a function from the drop-down list (SEE BELOW).

6. (Optional) Continue on to the second, third, fourth and fifth rows of the calculation table,
repeating the above.

7. (Optional) Select numeric exceptions if required. Select the More button and make the
necessary entries.

8. (Optional) Choose the way in which Angular units will be returned from the drop down list.
Options are Degrees, Minutes and Seconds or Decimal Degrees.

9. Finally, click OK and the calculations will be performed. This may take some time depending
on the complexity of the calculation. A progress indicator will appear in the status bar at the
bottom of the page.

Available Functions:

In addition to the common math functions, special functions useful for the management of earth
science field data have been included. Special attention has been given to making global changes on
data in a file.

If you make incorrect entries in the calculator fields the program will prompt for an entry of the
right type.

The available functions are listed in alphabetical order below. Click on the underlined text for
details.

Absolute value

Accumulate

Add angle

Antilog base 10

Antilog base e

Arccosine

Arcsine

Arctangent

At change

1
MICROMINE Core – File & Field

At change increment

Average

Carry

Cosine

Cut highs to

Date -> Numeric

D.DDD -> DMS

Delta east

Delta north

Divide by

DMS -> D.DDD

Greater of

Lesser of

Log base 10

Log base e

Minus

Missing line

Multiply by

Numeric -> Date

Plus

Raise to power

Random

Round (decimals)

Round (significant)

Sine

Square

Square root

Subtract angle

Tangent

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Overwrite Data option

When the Records | Overwrite Data option is selected (a tick will appear beside the menu
option), the Increment Many and Replicate Many commands will overwrite the existing contents of
fields.

When the Records | Overwrite Data option is not selected, the Increment Many and Replicate
Many commands will not change the values in subsequent fields.

Setting the increment values

Use the Records | Increment = command to set the increment value used by the Records |
Increment | One and Records | Increment | Many functions.

Do the following:

1. Select the Increment command and the Increment Value dialog box will appear.

2. Enter an increment value in Increment current value by.

3. Click the OK button.

The default value is 1.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Processing multiple fields using Execute

The Execute Parameters function enables you to use the Add, Replicate, Blank and Copy From
commands on multiple fields at the same time. It also allows you to Hide and Show fields. The
configuration can be saved so that it can be re-used at a later date.

Do the following:

1. Select Records | Execute | Parameters to open the Execute Parameters form.

2. Highlight each of the entries in the entry in the Field status list and define an action by
clicking on the appropriate button (e.g. Copy). For further information on each of the
actions in the dialog box click on Related Topics.

3. Click the OK button.

4. Return to the Options menu and select Execute | One/Many.

5. If you have selected Execute | Many, enter the number of times the actions entered in the
Execute Parameters dialog will be performed.

Execute commands

Replicate When you run Execute, any fields set to replicate in the Execute
Parameters form will be will be set to be the same as the value in the
first record.

Blank When you run Execute, the fields set to BLANK in the Execute
Parameters form will be cleared.

Increm ent When you run Execute the fields set to INCREMENT in the Execute
Parameters form will be incremented by the value set in the Increment
Field Value dialog box. The increment will affect the numeric part of a
field.

Copy When you run Execute, the fields set to COPY in the Execute
Parameters form will be given the same value as that in the same field
in the preceding record. An increment can be specified at the same
time.

Ignore When you run Execute, no changes will be made to the fields set to
IGNORE in the Execute Parameters form.

Hide Any fields set to HIDE in the Execute Parameters form will not appear in
the file display window. Other Execute operations can be performed on
the hidden field.

Show Any fields set to SHOW in the Execute Parameters form, will be
displayed in the file display window.

For more information, refer to the 'Running multiple file processes using Execute | One/Many' topic.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Running multiple file processes using Execute | One/M any

Execute carries out the actions defined for each field in the Execute dialog box and updates the
records accordingly (if Records | Overwrite Data is selected). If records are selected, only they will
be updated, otherwise Execute updates a specified number of records, or all records from the
highlight to the end of the file.

Notes:

 When Overwrite data is not active, Execute only updates blank fields.

 If you select Execute | Many you will be prompted to enter the number of executions. In
the same dialog box you can also select All records from current position.

 Execute affects all fields except those marked as IGNORE in Execute.

 The entry in Skip Records will apply when you run Execute. You are not allowed to set a
negative skip value.

 If the current record is the last record in the file, new records will be appended.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Creating and attaching lookup tables

Overview

A lookup table is a data entry tool that enters codes into a field or validates data as you enter it
form the keyboard. Lookup tables are used to enter and validate codes describing lithology,
structural styles, grain size, rock colour and so on. To use a lookup table you attach it to the field
where you want to enter a set of codes.

In their final form lookup tables appear as menus when attached to a field in a file. The example
shows how a lookup table is displayed:

Lookup tables are a good way of ensuring consistent data is entered in a file. The same lookup table
can be used in many files and can be distributed to other computers. Potentially, you can create
lookup tables for an entire site. Doing so will ensure all codes entered in the field will be from the
same sets.

There are two main types of lookup table, those with codes that are common to all levels and those
that have individual codes for each level.

The files to which lookup tables are attached can be locked. This means that the lookup tables
cannot be detached and the structure of the file cannot be changed. By distributing locked files with
lookup tables attached, you can ensure that field data entry staff can only use the correct sets of
codes and cannot change file structures. Locked files can be password protected.

To create a lookup table you must create a lookup file. Lookup files have the type LOOKUP and are
given the file extension LDT (e.g. LITHOLOGY.LDT). Once you have entered codes and
corresponding descriptions in the lookup file, you must compile it into a lookup table. The lookup
table can then be attached to a field in a file and will be displayed as a menu with sub-menus.

To enter a code into a field you traverse the lookup table menu and sub-menus selecting a portion
of the final code at each level. As you move to each menu level the portion of the code it contains is
concatenated with that of the previous level. When you reach a sub-menu from which you cannot
open another, press Enter and the code will be entered in the field.

You can use many lookup tables in a single file and there is no restriction on the number of lookup
tables you can create.

Once you have attached a lookup table to a file, you can begin entering data immediately.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Depending on which options you select, the lookup table can also be used to validate entries when
you make them. If you only plan to enter codes using the lookup table menu, you cannot enter an
invalid code. If you combine keyboard and menu entry you should use validation.

Creating lookup tables

To create a new lookup table:

1. Select File | New from the menu.

2. Set Type to LOOKUP.

Select Define nesting levels and then enter the number of levels. This defines the levels in the
lookup hierarchy. If you select Use template, it is not necessary to enter the number of levels in the
hierarchy. The file structure is defined by the template file.

3. Make entries for the other parameters.

4. Click OK to continue.

Creating and
Note: When attaching
you use Define nesting levels, the field names are hard coded to Code n and Desc n
(where n is the nesting level). The width of the fields is defined in Options | Lookup Tables.
To create and attach a lookup table:

1. Define the contents of the lookup table using the editor.

2. Compile the lookup table.

3. Attach the lookup table to a field in a file.

4. Set the validation and file locking options.

Note: Do not delete the lookup table source files (*.LDT). You will often need to edit or extend
them. Also, you can only use a lookup table compiled with the same version of software. This is
important when you are creating a set of lookup tables and then distributing them to other

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Compiling a lookup table

Once you have entered the codes and descriptions in the lookup table, you must compile it for use
in the application. The compilation process converts the lookup table into a binary file with a special
index.

To compile the lookup table:

1. With the focus on the file containing the lookup table (and LDT file), select File | Compile
from the menu. A dialog containing validation options will appear.

2. If you want to create a validating lookup table, select Enable validation and the other
options you require. These are described below.

3. Click the Compile button to complete the process.

Enable validation

When you select this option, a lookup table capable of validating codes is created. The Validate
lookup fields in Options | Lookup Tables must be selected before the validation will be applied.
Non-validating lookup tables are much smaller than validating lookup tables particularly when the
lookup file has many options and uses common definitions.

Case sensitive

When you select this option the case of the letters you enter as codes will be checked. That is,
entering BAS is not the same as entering Bas or bas.

Accept empty cells

When you select this option the fields in the file into which you are entering codes can be left blank.
If you don’t select it, you must enter a code in each cell in a field.

Sort menu items

When you select this option, the items in the menus that display the lookup table are sorted
alphabetically. Otherwise they will appear in the same order as they occur in the lookup table.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Attaching and detaching lookup tables

One of the features of lookup tables is that they can be locked to a file. When a lookup table is
locked to a file it cannot be detached.

To attach a lookup table:

1. Position the cursor in the field to which the lookup table is attached.

2. Select Format | Lookup Tables | Attach from the menu.

To detach a lookup table:

1. Position the cursor in the field to which the lookup table is attached.

2. Select Format | Lookup Tables | Detach from the menu.

1
 MICROMINE Core – File & Field

Defining the contents of a lookup table

A pair of fields is required for each level in the lookup hierarchy. The first field in each pair must
contain the lookup codes and the second, the corresponding description. It is not compulsory to
enter a description, but the field must be present.

The fields in the lookup table can have any name or width. You can set default field widths for the
code and description fields in the Lookup Table Options dialog. The field order is important because it
reflects the menu structure that will be created. The first pair of fields will appear as the first level in
the menu, the next pair as the second level in the menu, and so on.

The structure of a lookup table

There are essentially two types of lookup table:

 Those that use common definitions.

 Those that use individual definitions.

This example uses common definitions

In this type of lookup table the codes in a subsequent level are accessible from all the codes in the
preceding level.

This example uses individual definitions