How To Create An Ascii File

Creating ASCII Input Files

FARSITE requires data inputs for weather, winds, and a number of other files. All of these files are ASCII format text files. This means that you can edit, create, and view them in any text editor. ASCII files are built or edited in two basic ways; with a text editor or with the FARSITE Custom Editors. Building these files through the various methods is described below. You will probably find that it is easier to use the custom editors in FARSITE .

Using a Text Editor

Using a generic text editing application such as Notepad, WordPad , a spreadsheet, or the FARSITE Editor to build a text file of the correct format. Click on the following links for specific information on each type of file. The first four are required in every FARSITE simulation, the other are optional, depending on the FARSITE features you may want to use.

Weather (.WTR)
Wind (.WND)
Adjustment Factors (.ADJ)
Initial Fuel Moistures (.FMS)
Custom Fuel Models (.CFM)
Burn Period (.BPD)
Coarse Woody Profiles (.CWD)
Fuel Model Conversions (.CNV)

Using the Custom Editors

Clicking the button next to each file type in the "Project Inputs" dialog box brings up the Custom Editor for that file type.

If a file of that type is already loaded the Custom Editor displays the existing file for editing as shown above.
If no file of that type is currently loaded, click the New File button to load a generic file that you can begin editing.
Or click the Load File button to load an existing file of that type for editing.

The Custom Editors allow direct editing by selecting text, using the backspace key, and typing text just like a word processor or text editor.

Or you can use the Add and Set buttons to modify a block of lines selected in the edit window.

The Add button adds the value displayed in the slider box to all the values in the currently selected lines.
The Set button replaces the values in the currently selected lines with the value displayed in the slider box.

Finally save the changes with the Save File button, select the same file name to replace, or type a new name to keep the original. FARSITE will automatically attach the proper file extension.

You can use the changes you make to files changed with the custom editors without saving the file. Clicking the Apply & Exit button in the "Custom Editor" dialog box uses the file edits in the current simulation but does not save them. Thus when the simulation with the edits is terminated all the changes are lost.

Generating Wind & Weather Files in Fire Family Plus

Wind (.WND) and Weather (.WTR) Files can be generated from hourly WIMS data in FireFamily Plus . From the menu bar in FireFamily Plus go to the Weather > Hourly Data Analysis > FarSite Exports command.