Sdtfile is a Python library to read SDT files produced by Becker & Hickl SPCM software. SDT files contain time correlated single photon counting instrumentation parameters and measurement data. Currently only the "Setup & Data", "DLL Data", and "FCS Data" formats are supported.

Becker & Hickl GmbH is a manufacturer of equipment for photon counting.

Author

Christoph Gohlke

License

BSD 3-Clause

Version

2023.9.28

Install the sdtfile package and all dependencies from the Python Package Index:

python -m pip install -U sdtfile

See Examples for using the programming interface.

Source code and support are available on GitHub.

This revision was tested with the following requirements and dependencies (other versions may work):

• CPython 3.9.13, 3.10.11, 3.11.5, 3.12rc
• Numpy 1.25.2

2023.9.28

• Update structs to SPCM v.9.66 (breaking).
• Shorten MEASURE_INFO struct to meas_desc_block_length.

2023.8.30

• Fix linting issues.
• Add py.typed marker.
• Drop support for Python 3.8 and numpy < 1.22 (NEP29).

2022.9.28

• Convert docstrings to Google style with Sphinx directives.

2022.2.2

• Add type hints.
• Drop support for Python 3.7 and numpy < 1.19 (NEP29).

2021.11.18

• Fix reading FLIM files created by Prairie View software (#5).

2021.3.21

• …

Refer to the CHANGES file for older revisions.

1. W Becker. The bh TCSPC Handbook. 9th Edition. Becker & Hickl GmbH 2021. pp 879.
2. SPC_data_file_structure.h header file. Part of the Becker & Hickl SPCM software installation.

Read image and metadata from a "SPC Setup & Data File":

>>> sdt = SdtFile('image.sdt') >>> sdt.header.revision 588 >>> sdt.info.id[1:-1] 'SPC Setup & Data File' >>> int(sdt.measure_info[0].scan_x[0]) 128 >>> len(sdt.data) 1 >>> sdt.data[0].shape (128, 128, 256) >>> sdt.times[0].shape (256,)

Read data and metadata from a "SPC Setup & Data File" with multiple data sets:

>>> sdt = SdtFile('fluorescein.sdt') >>> len(sdt.data) 4 >>> sdt.data[3].shape (1, 1024) >>> sdt.times[3].shape (1024,)

Read image data from a "SPC FCS Data File" as numpy array:

>>> sdt = SdtFile('fcs.sdt') >>> sdt.info.id[1:-1] 'SPC FCS Data File' >>> len(sdt.data) 1 >>> sdt.data[0].shape (512, 512, 256) >>> sdt.times[0].shape (256,)