[ProtocolName].personaility Files
[ProtocolName].personality contains information for decoders included with the protocol analyzer. For decoders that you write, appropriate information should be added to your own [MyProtocolName].personality file in the My Decoders directory. The part in brackets doesn't have to be the protocol name, but it's a useful way of keeping track of which personality file goes with which protocol. The personality files for the core product are located in directories named for each protocol under <installation path>\App Data\Decoders. Each protocol directory contains the decoders needed for that protocol, as well as a file called [protocol name].personality. We suggest you take a look at a personality file installed on your system while working through this chapter. Personality files can be read in any text editor. A sample personality file for the Fictitious Protocol, fp.personality, is located in the My Decoders directory of the installed product.
Personality files contain several sections. The Rules section defines rules for transitioning from one protocol layer to the next. The Predefined Stacks section lists predefined stacks that the user can select from the Predefined Stack selection box in the Protocol Stack Wizard. Port Assignments define which protocol to autotraverse to given a port number. The Filters section defines filters to appear in the Predefined Filters box in the Filters window.
Other sections you may see in the personality files included with the protocol analyzer are used for starting the software. If you are writing decoders for serial or Ethernet analyzers, you do not need to pay any attention to the extra sections. If you are writing decoders for industrial automation analyzers (these analyzers usually have a launcher where you can select which analyzer to use based on the protocol you want to decode), then see Appendix 2 on How to Insert Fictitious Protocol into a Fictitous Product for instructions on adding your protocol decoder name to the launcher.