you can access a free online tool that will convert FHX files into XML files
http://danube.innovativeglobal.com/FHXEXPUtils/fhxutils.aspx
I see a few problems with this post.
#1. An online FHX parser could potentially release sensitive information about control configuration to an unknown third party.
#2. The poster joined the community 32 minutes ago and immediately posted this without any other information about their identity or affiliation.
I would be careful about clicking this link until additional information can be provided about the source. My apologies to the poster if I seem overly cautious.
The DeltaV command line executables FHXtoXML.exe and XMLtoFHX.exe in conjunction with utf16toutf8.exe and utf8toutf16.exe (to convert fhx to utf 8 before parsing to xml and back to utf 16 after rebuilding to fhx) can also be used to get xml out of fhx. There are file size limitations on these executables, though.
In reply to Youssef.El-Bahtimy:
About the concern that this may be spam: I have tested the tool and it a gave a valid xml file.
Youssef, how to use fhxtoxml.exe? Could you give me an example of the syntax? For me, it generated a 0 byte xml.
In reply to István Orbán:
Istvan, I'm sure the site works, but like I said, we don't know where the code goes. Amid growing news of potential international espionage of intellectual property, I would be cautious about submission of control system code to any unidentified third party.
(www.reuters.com/.../us-china-hacking-idUSBRE91I06120130219)
Here's how to convert DeltaV FHX to XML using Emeron's utilities:
1. On a DeltaV workstation/server Open command prompt
2. type: cd C:\deltav\bin
3. type: utf16toutf8 input.fhx output.fhx This will create at utf 8 formatted fhx file.
4. type: fhxtoxml <output.fhx >output.xml
input.fhx, output.fhx, and output.xml represent the full path to the source fhx file, the intermediate utf 8 fhx file, and the produced xml file, respectively. If there are spaces in the paths, you must encapsulate them in quotation marks. The utf 8 conversion should handle converting many potentially xml illegal characters, but occassionally some non-visible characters make it through. If you open the xml file in an internet browser, it will likely tell you which line an illegal character exists on.
There are limitations to the parser; really huge fhx's cause it to crash, and if a really large comment field exists in the fhx it also has issues (I can't remember details).
I was told that export to XML natively from DeltaV explorer might be possible in the near future; that would be great.
Just want to comment that the FHX to XML converter is intended for recipe management. It was not designed or intended to be a database conversion tool, and is not tested for all DeltaV constructs. If it works, great. But if there are issues outside of the batch recipe usage, you'll have to address them yourself, say be dividing the FHX into smaller subsets of the database.
Andre Dicaire
In reply to Andre Dicaire:
Andre, that was the statement the GSC told me as well. Any idea when export to XML will be a regular part of the application? It would solve a lot of problems for me!