41  File Formats

OPALX consumes statement-oriented .in files plus model-specific field maps and particle distributions. It produces statistics, particle, field, loss, and diagnostic data through several writer paths.

The audited formats currently documented are:

• OPALX field-map types and retained OPAL formats
• FROMFILE and EMITTEDFROMFILE distribution records
• DUMPEMFIELDS output

Other output and restart formats remain planned until each reader or writer has been traced in the current source. A legacy OPAL variant is not an OPALX compatibility guarantee.

Each completed format page will specify:

• File extension and text or binary encoding.
• Units, coordinate frame, and column ordering.
• Required and optional metadata.
• Parallel write behavior.
• Versioning and backward-compatibility policy.
• A minimal reader and writer example.