Opening an HLF File

The HLF file type is primarily associated with HydraCAD.

HLF	File extension: HLF
	File type:	specialized database file

What is an HLF file?

HLF files mostly belong to HydraCAD. This file comes in two forms. The main type is a HydraCAD List File that uses the JetDB format to store hydraulic calculation data. It holds lists and values needed for hydraulic design.
Some files with the HLF extension use an XML structure. In these cases the file serves as a license file or a log file, for example as a Hitachi Log File in systems like Hitachi Content Platform.
Key details compiled by FilExt.com include:

Hydraulic Data: Stores data for hydraulic calculations.

Internal Format: Uses JetDB in the primary version, or XML in the alternate form.

Usage: Employed in specialized design software or system license management.

Related Systems: Linked with Standard Jet DB and SprinkCAD for the hydraulic version, and Hitachi systems for the XML version.

FilExt.com tip: To open such files, use the dedicated software that supports either the JetDB format or XML. A text editor might reveal XML tags if the file is a license file.

How to open an HLF file

You need a suitable software like HydraCAD to open an HLF file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your HLF file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a HLF file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online HLF Text Viewer

Choose your .hlf file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

✈

Read our privacy guarantee in Filext’s terms and privacy policy

Please allow ads on our site

This helps us keep our servers running. Then re-upload your file to view it.

Click here to see how to disable the ad blocker for filext.com

HLF file format:

Every file has a defined file format, i.e. how the data is arranged in the file. The file format can be determined based on the file extension and the signature (the first few characters of a file). If the file extension does not match the file format, double-clicking on the file will cause an error upon opening. Knowledge is power - this also applies when dealing with unknown or faulty files. Below is our analysis of the HLF files:

As a file extension, HLF isn't very common and is used by different programs with different formats. However, the following two file formats are common:

• 30% of all HLF files are using the well-known JetDB file format to store the data. The JetDB is a database format often used by Microsoft Access and Visual Basic programs. JET is short for Joint Engine Technology. They consist of illegible, cryptic characters. A typical file size is 360 KB. The file type was created 10 years ago, but is still used today. The keywords Standard Jet DB are typical for these files. The file name 1.hlf is typical for these files. These files are often associated with floor, list, area, bldg, system and zone.
• 6% of all HLF files store the data in the XML file format. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple text-based format for representing structured information: documents, webpages, data, configuration, books, transactions, invoices, and much more. XML defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. These files are plain text, which means they can be viewed with any text editor such as Windows Editor, Nano for Linux, and TextEdit for macOS. The files are 380 bytes to 14 KB in size, with a median of 970 bytes. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>, <licenseList>, <licenseStore> and encryptedData.

All the rest of the HLF files (64%) have different formats, the following 6 formats can be found: Far Manager Help, ZIP and nCN. Often described as hwsd or major. If you want to find out which format your HLF file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .hlf file to analyze".