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The Available Files List

Use the Available Files List to get information about the files that are currently open in ENVI and stored in memory. Also, use the Available Files List to open new files, close files, save memory items to disk, and edit ENVI headers.


Tip
Use the Available Files List on a regular basis to remove memory-only calculations from system memory.

To display a list of all the currently open image files, select Window  Available Files List.

Figure 3-2: Available Files List

Figure 3-2: Available Files List

Obtaining File Information

Use this procedure to view important information about each file. In the Available Files List, click on a filename.

ENVI displays information and parameters from the ENVI header file, including the full path and image name; the number of lines, samples, and bands (Dims); the file size; the interleave (BSQ, BIL, BIP); the data type (byte, integer, etc.); the file type; the byte order of the data (Host or Network); and whether or not the data is georeferenced and if any wavelengths are associated with the bands.

Options in the Available Files List

Use the Options menu to edit file headers (see Editing ENVI Headers for details).

  1. From within the Available Files List, click on the filename.

    2.  

  2. Select Options  Edit Header.

    3.  

  3. When the Header Info dialog appears, change parameters and click OK to save the changes.

Managing Files from the Available Files List

Use the File menu options to open new files, close files, add files to memory, delete memory items, delete files from disk, and save memory items to disk.

Figure 3-3: Available Files List File Menu Selections

Figure 3-3: Available Files List File Menu Selections

Opening New Files

  1. From within the Available Files List, select File  Open New File.

    2.  

  2. When the file selection dialog appears, select the file and click OK.
    • To select a group of files that are listed consecutively, click on the first file in the group, press and hold the Shift key, and click the last file in the group. Or, left-click and drag to select the desired group.

      •  

    • To select multiple files that are not listed consecutively, press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on each desired file.

ENVI opens the file and adds it to the Available Files List. The file information appears in the right side of the dialog.

Closing all Files

To close all files (including memory items, which are automatically deleted), select File  Close All Files from within the Available Files List.

Deleting Memory Items

To remove files that exist only in memory without closing open disk files select File  Delete All Memory Items from within the Available Files List.


Warning
Memory items removed in this fashion are not recoverable.

Storing Files in Memory

Image files can be stored as an in-memory item for faster processing of large images.


Note
This option is dependent on the amount of RAM available on your system.

  1. From the ENVI main menu bar, select Window  Available Files List.

    2.  

  2. In the Available Files List, click on a filename to select it. You can Shift-click to select multiple filenames inclusively, or Ctrl-click to select discontiguous filenames in the Available Files List.

    3.  

  3. Next, select File  Add Selected Files to Memory.

All selected image files, including their parameters, are added as in-memory items to the Available Bands List.

Saving Memory Files to Disk

  1. In the Available Files List, click on the item to save.

    2.  

  2. In the Available Files List, select File  Save Selected File to Disk.

    3.  

  3. When the Memory to File Storage dialog appears, enter an output filename and click OK.

Deleting Files from Disk

  1. In the Available Files List, click on the item to delete.

    2.  

  2. Select File  Delete Selected File from Disk. Because this is a permanent action, a warning message appears to verify that you want to permanently delete the file.

    3.  

  3. Click Yes to delete the file.

Closing Selected Files

  1. In the Available Files List, click on the item to close.

    2.  

  2. Select File  Close Selected File.

    3.  


    Note
    If a warning box appears, it means that one or more bands from the file are currently displayed in one of the active display group windows. Select Yes to close the file and to remove the associated bands from the display.

    If the file is a memory item, it is removed from memory and any associated displays are closed.

Closing the Available Files List

To close the Available Files List, select File  Cancel.

  ENVI Online Help (August 12, 2005)