Thus, there are three different file formats that do similar things: keep Pantry foods. You might be wondering which one you should use.
Each file format has advantages and disadvantages. The Pantry native file is the fastest one for Pantry to work with, but it cannot be edited with a text editor. The Foods XML file is plain-text, but Pantry takes some time to open it and to write changes to it because it is XML. The Foods Text file is also plain-text, and very easy to edit, but it does not hold all the data needed for a food and so it must rely on source files.
I find it best to use a Foods Text file for my
diaries. It is remarkably easy to edit, which makes it
easy to fix mistakes. It's also easiest to reorder foods
in a Foods Text file; then I can easily sort the reports
using the --sort o
option. It's also
possible to assign the order trait to foods in other
files using the --c-order
option, but
that is more cumbersome.
For files that will contain many foods, such as a
master
file, I use a Pantry native
file because it is the speediest. Of course, when adding
entirely new foods with new nutrient information, my
only choice is to use a Foods XML file.[17] I otherwise avoid Foods XML files because
XML is a bit cumbersome to edit.
I also keep a quick
file for easy access to the foods I use often. I keep
this in a Pantry native file, but if your
quick
file is relatively short
(under a couple of hundred foods, say) there's no reason
not to use a Foods Text file for this (except for the
fact that you'll have to make sure it stays harmonized
with the source file--that is, you have to ensure that
the foods that the Foods Text file looks up in the
source file remain in the source file.)[18]
[17] I have considered making a way to add entirely new foods using the Pantry command-line interface, but I don't see how much of a benefit this would be.
[18] Here is as good a place as any to point out
that there is yet another Pantry file format:
the Foods Zip file. This is what I use to import
the SR data from the Zip file that USDA
provides. If you are curious, you can download
the full ASCII version and run something like
pantry --add master
sr19.zip
to make your very own
master
file. I can't
guarantee that this will work with any releases
subsequent to SR 19, and it takes lots of RAM
too (about 200 MB, maybe.)