XML-formatted SDAT Display Instructions

Owned by John Medalen
Last updated: Aug 01, 2024 by John Medalen
3 min read

Information for viewing XML-formatted SDAT files

Quick Start Instructions 

The XML-formatted SDAT files have an extension of ".xsdat". To view the file as XML you need to open the file with your browser or an XML viewer/editor.   For convenience you should associate the .xsdat extension with this application so it will be used during subsequent viewing; see the "XML-formatted SDAT Display Instructions#Application File Association".

Note:The Style Sheet (sensor_data.xsl) must be at the same folder level as the .xsdat file.

Here are configuration and usage instructions for the most popular Web Browsers.

FireFox

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste security.fileuri.strict_origin_policy and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the security.fileuri.strict_origin_policy preference to switch the value from true to false

  • Drag-and-drop the .xsdat file in to FireFox.

IE7

  • Configure IE to display the .xsdat (one-time only).
    • Open IE -> Tools -> Internet Options.
    • Select the "Advanced" tab, and scroll down to the "Security" section.
    • Select "Allow active content to run in files on My Computer".
    • Select "OK", and then restart IE.
  • Drag-and-drop the .xsdat file in to IE.

Chrome

  • Is currently not supported.
  • Due to security concerns, Google Chrome blocks XML files from accessing local style sheets.

Safari

  • Rename the file extension from .xsdat file to .xml.
  • Right-click the .xsdat file and use "Open With" to select Safari.

Overview

In conjunction with the supplied XML "Style Sheet" and a Web Browser or 3rd-party XML viewer/editor, the viewing of SDAT files is greatly enhanced in the XML format.

XML-formatted DevWare SDAT files provide:

  • Improved readability of the file data.
  • Additional sensor data (data type, min/max values, volatile and confidential flags).
  • Easily expandable to include additional fields and data.

Note that DevWare still supports the original-format ".sdat" files, although support will eventually be removed.

Application Requirements

The .xsdat file can be viewed in any application that accepts XML-formatted files. The most common and easily available are Web Browsers; IE (Microsoft Internet Explorer), FireFox, Google Chrome, and Safari have all been verified to work with .xsdat files.

Refer to the instructions in "XML-formatted SDAT Display Instructions#Quick Start Instructions" for Web Browser configurations. Or if you prefer, you can obtain a 3rd-party XML viewer/editor; Aptina has verified the following free viewer/editor from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=72d6aa49-787d-4118-ba5f-4f30fe913628&displaylang=en

Application File Association

If preferred, you can associate an application to be used to open the .xsdat file. This is very handy in that when you double-click the .xsdat file, the associated application will be used.
This process will work for the FireFox and IE Web Browsers and 3rd-party XML viewer/editors, but will not work with Chrome and Safari because the .xsdat file would need to be renamed.
Here are the instructions to enable this feature.

  • Right-click any .xsdat file and select "Properties".
  • Select the "Change" button next to "Opens with:"
  • Select the application you want to be used to open the .xsdat file. If the application isn't found, use the "Browse…" button to add it to the list.
  • Select "OK" to close the "Opens With" dialog, and "OK" on the Properties dialog.

Display Information

The Style Sheet has been designed to display the SDAT information in a more readable format.
The "Chip Descriptor" section displays the part's basic configuration information.
The "Address Spaces" section displays the various register pages used by this sensor.
The "Register/Bitfield Definition" section displays the registers and associated bitfields, along with their related information.
Bitfields are indented from their parent registers.