Extract text from HART configuration files (HCF)
To convert HCF configuration files to another format, you need FieldCare or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Device Configuration File" file type, you need software like FieldCare or a similar tool.
An .HCF file is an XML-based configuration document primarily used to store parameter settings for industrial field devices that communicate via the HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer) protocol. These files contain critical network topology data, sensor ranges, and calibration setups for industrial transmitters and actuators.
Engineers typically manage .HCF files using specialized asset management software like Endress+Hauser FieldCare or other FDT (Field Device Tool) frame applications designed by the HART Communication Foundation.
The primary disadvantage of the .HCF format is its strict dependency on bulky, often expensive industrial software. Sharing device configurations with IT departments, external auditors, or technicians who do not have these specific FDT frames installed is frustrating. While the underlying structure is standard XML, the proprietary schemas make the raw code difficult to decipher without proper formatting.
To bridge the gap between industrial OT (Operational Technology) and standard IT systems, conversion is the most practical workaround. For database integration or parsing, convert .HCF to clean XML or JSON. To share human-readable calibration parameters and reports, convert to PDF or CSV. Keep in mind that converting to these generic formats extracts the data for viewing but removes the ability to flash the settings back into physical hardware.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HCF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XCF, HEIC, CURVES, SVB, NPV2, CF, AF, CCF and LCM files.
If you want to convert HCF file to CF, AF, CCF, LCM, INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML or YML, you can use FieldCare or similar software from the "Industrial Device Configuration" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to HCF, try FieldCare or another comparable tool in the "Industrial Device Configuration" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our HCF converter.