SatXmlEditor program for editing the Satellites.xml file

Update 8/31/2023 to version 1.1.8

• Added use of windows clipboard, only for transponders.
• Added multiselect option, only for transponders.
• Added option to display documentation from the program menu.
• Fixed detection of disabled transponder. The word "transponder" can already be used in the comment.
• Fixing other minor bugs.

As a fan of satellite reception, I occasionally need to edit the Satellites.xml file. This file contains the parameters of all satellites and their transponders, which are to be automatically tuned by the receiver. Maybe it's a bit old-fashioned in this day and age of BlindScan. But even so, it is sometimes advantageous to explain to the stupid machine what and how to do it.

First I asked other enthusiasts in the industry how they edit this file. And in most cases I got the answer that manually in a text editor. That seems too laborious and risky to me. After all, this file has its rules given by the xml format, which can be easily violated if you are a little careless. I wanted to use a program that would monitor the correct integrity of the file for me. And to my surprise, I didn't find any effective tool on the net. So I decided to try to write such a program. And SatXmlEditor was born.

Fig. 1 - Appearance of the program after launch

After starting the program, we have the option to immediately start writing the data of the satellites and subsequently also of the transponders for a completely new Satellites.xml file. Information about text encoding can be seen on the bottom line of the program. If we want to start working in a different encoding, we modify the corresponding value in the SatXmlEditor.ini file before starting the program. Transponder items cannot be acquired until at least one satellite item has been acquired.

Another option is to open an existing Satellites.xml file from your computer's disk, or download it directly from your Enigma satellite receiver. In both cases, the program copies the data to its database and does not continue to work with the source file. The program finds out how the text is encoded in the source file (UTF-8, iso-8859-1, ...) and writes this information on the bottom line of the program. At the same time, it saves it in the SatXmlEditor.ini file and uses it the next time the program is started.

Fig. 2 – Satellite page

The names, positions and flags of individual satellites are edited on the satellites page. Any comments about the satellite can be entered in the "Comment" column. These comments are always saved in the Satellites.xml file as a comment at the end of the line after the satellite header. We select any item in the table and then work with it using the menu on the bottom bar. By selecting F5 or F9, a window opens where the necessary changes can be made. Until we close the window by selecting F2 or Esc, other functions of the program are blocked. This is a security protection so that it is necessary to always transparently complete the editing in progress. Multiselect is not enabled in the satellite table. This means that you can only work with one item at a time.

Fig. 3 – Transponders page

Transponders work in the same way. All transponders of the selected satellite are displayed in the table. Their editing is possible using the menu on the bottom bar of the window. Since version 1.1.8, multiselect is enabled for transponders. This means that several items can be selected at the same time in the usual way in windows. Use is intended for deleting or copying items. Editing must be done one sentence at a time.

The SatXmlEditor program is capable of one non-standard function. Individual transponders can be switched on and off. This is the data in the first column of the table. A tick means that the transponder is active and is stored in the Satellites.xml file in the normal way. If the item is unchecked, the entire transponder will be saved in the Satellites.xml file as a comment. This means that the satellite receiver ignores it, but the data is still stored in the file. And by simply checking this box, the transponder can be activated again. It is also possible to save a separate comment for each transponder. The text of the comment is written in the last column of the transponder table.

Fig. 4 – Windows clipboard

From version 1.1.8, the windows clipboard can be used when editing transponders. Selected items can be copied to the clipboard and then inserted between the transponders of any satellite. Copying and pasting transponders to the same satellite will create duplicates that the program does not solve. Everything is left to the discretion of the user. The data in the clipboard is in text format. It is therefore possible to copy transponders from other files opened in a normal text editor via the clipboard.

Fig. 5 – An introductory comment page

A separate comment can be written at the beginning of the Satellites.xml file. The "Data – Introductory Comment" menu is intended for its editing in the program. The comment can be of any length and content. The satellite receiver ignores it.

Fig. 6 – A page listing the settings

The value of the satellite position cannot be changed arbitrarily. This data is also written in the settings. That's why I added the option to view its contents. For now, this is just for informational purposes. I have not dared to edit or update this file. However, the text in the window can be copied and further processed in any text editor. For easier orientation, the lines related to the input tuner settings are colored blue.

The edited data can be saved to a file on the computer disk or uploaded directly to the satellite receiver. In the second case, the receiver automatically restarts after recording (init 6). For sure. The need to permanently save changes to a file on disk or in a satellite receiver is indicated by the red color of the text on the bottom line. Save changes checks the program before opening a new file, before downloading a file from the receiver, or before shutting down the program. In these cases, you will be asked if you want to save the current changed data to a file. If we do not save the changes made at this time, they will be irretrievably lost.

The program is translated into four languages - English, Czech, German and Russian. Information about the current language is stored in the SatXmlEditor.ini file. After starting the program, the last used language is automatically selected. The program also includes manuals in the respective languages. These can of course be viewed with any program intended for pdf files. However, the menu "Info - documentation" is also available in the program menu, which displays the relevant file without the need for an external browser. You will find a slightly more detailed description in the manual than on this website.

If you have something to say about the program, use the comments below the article, or write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Notice:

When saving to a file or when sending to the receiver, the program sorts the order of the satellites according to the "Position" value. The program will sort the Transponders according to the "Frequency" and "Polarization" value. The original order of satellites and transponders will not be preserved.

Program Limitations:

• Only one comment can be placed after the <sat > item. Others will be lost.
• Only one comment can be placed after the <transponder > item. Others will be lost.
• Comments between the end of satellite </sat> and the beginning of the next satellite <sat > are not loaded by the program and will be lost. This means that the Satellites.xml file cannot be split into separate sections using comments.

You can download the entire program in the Files for download section. If you have stimulating comments about the program, I will try to incorporate them into the next version.

Known bugs that will be fixed in the new version:

• If the first transponder is turned off after the <sat> entry, the program mistakenly considers it a satellite comment.

Change log:

Version 1.1.8

• Added use of windows clipboard, only for transponders.
• Added multiselect option, only for transponders.
• Added option to display documentation from the program menu.
• Fixed detection of disabled transponder. The word "transponder" can already be used in the comment.
• Fix other minor bugs.

Version 1.0.7

• Detection of text encoding in the loaded Satellites.xml file (UTF-8, iso-8859-1, ...). The detected coding is written on the bottom line of the program. Saving in the same text encoding.
• Added Comment item to the Satellites table.
• When loading the xml, the current satellite is displayed on the bottom line. So when there is an error loading the xml, you can see for which satellite the error occurred.
• Added translations of new texts to the Languages.xml file.

Version 1.0.0

First published version.