# Use paraview to read .dat file

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [August 12, 2023, 5:23am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689 "2023-08-12T05:23:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![gggood](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gggood](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/gggood)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2023, 5:23am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689/1 "2023-08-12T05:23:41Z")

</div>

Hello,all!

I have a .dat file. I try to plot them with Paraview. But maybe it doesn’t read the file successfully and it doesn’t have a result plot. Another point, it dosen’t show me any errors.

 ![image](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/2X/3/3081777b3f0f07b3d8c7cf0f3697a8788e1b17d1.png)

Rewards,  
Celina.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/nicolas.vuaille/32/5873_2.png) [@nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/nicolas.vuaille)
#### Post date: [August 14, 2023, 9:25am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689/2 "2023-08-14T09:25:41Z")

</div>

Can you look at the `Information` panel and see if there is some data loaded ? If something was loaded you should see data type and number of elements (at least)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![gggood](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gggood](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/gggood)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2023, 8:09am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689/3 "2023-08-26T08:09:36Z")

</div>

![image](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/default/original/2X/b/bab926a5793a99fa0d42973d778d14f9bc1ad106.png)  
It just looks like this, There is nothing here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/nicolas.vuaille/32/5873_2.png) [@nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/nicolas.vuaille)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2023, 9:36am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/use-paraview-to-read-dat-file/12689/4 "2023-08-31T09:36:18Z")

</div>

That is the `Properties` panel not, the `Information` one. The Information panel is open by default in ParaView. See the `View` menu otherwise.