SYNOPSIS

newfile [file_name] [current_scan_number]

DESCRIPTION

The newfile macro is used to initialize a new data file or reopen an old data file. You might open a new data file for each new sample or each new experiment. There is no specific limit to the number of scans you can put in a data file, although for practical considerations, you may want to start a new file after you have accumulated one or two hundred scans or when the size of the data file makes it unwieldy.

If file_name doesn't contain the / character, and if there is a directory named data in the current directory, the file is opened in that directory. If you give null as a file name, /dev/null is used. Otherwise the file name or path name given by file_name is used.

The next scan written to the file will have scan number current_scan_number +1.

You can use newfile to reopen an existing data file. New scans will be placed at then end of the file. You can use command u grep #S file_name to find the last scan number in an existing file.

GLOBALS

DATAFILE

Global variable holding name of the current data file. Its value is written in the data file header preceded by #F.

SCAN_N

Global variable holding current scan number. Its value is written in the data file scan headers preceded by #S.

EPOCH

Constant variable holding the time at which the data file was opened. Its value is written in the data file header preceded by #E.

TITLE

Global variable written as a comment in the data file header. Its value is an arbitrary string set by the user.

EXAMPLE

newfile Au110.12