Preset file format reference

Presets are stored in a JSON file named presets.json. See Create CSV presets for where to place the file.

Top-level structure

{
  "presets": [
    { ... },
    { ... }
  ]
}

The file contains a single presets array. Each object in the array is one preset.

Preset fields

Field	Required	Type	Description
`name`	Yes	String	Display name shown in the preset dropdown
`fieldseparator`	Yes	String	Character separating columns. Use `\t` for tab
`decimalseparator`	Yes	String	Character for decimal point
`keyword`	No	String	If the opened filename contains this string (case-insensitive), this preset is selected automatically
`thousandseparator`	No	String	Grouping character for large numbers
`commentsequence`	No	String	Lines beginning with this string are skipped
`column`	No	Integer (1-based)	Column index of the timestamp. Default: `1`
`labelrow`	No	Integer (1-based)	Row containing column headers. Use `-1` for files with no header. Default: `1`
`datarow`	No	Integer (1-based)	First row of data. Default: `1`
`timeinmilliseconds`	No	Boolean	Default `true`. Set to `false` to convert timestamps from seconds to milliseconds on load

Example

{
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "Default (BE)",
      "keyword": "-be",
      "fieldseparator": ";",
      "decimalseparator": ",",
      "thousandseparator": " ",
      "commentsequence": "//",
      "column": 1,
      "labelrow": 1,
      "datarow": 2
    },
    {
      "name": "Seconds timestamps",
      "fieldseparator": ";",
      "decimalseparator": ",",
      "thousandseparator": " ",
      "commentsequence": "//",
      "column": 1,
      "labelrow": 1,
      "datarow": 2,
      "timeinmilliseconds": false
    }
  ]
}

Notes

If a valid preset file is found, it replaces the built-in presets entirely.
Only one file is used: the first valid file found in the search order (user Documents folder, then executable folder).

Backward compatibility — XML format

ModbusScope still loads the older presets.xml format. If you have an existing presets.xml, it continues to work without any changes. The format is detected automatically.

The search order is: presets.json (preferred) → presets.xml in the Documents folder, then the same pair in the executable folder. If you create a new presets.json, it takes priority over any presets.xml in the same location.

See also