list=ffx{3};
        if nargin<2 ty=0; end
        if nargin<3 sub=0; end
        if ty<0 ty=list(1,1); end
        if ischar(sub)
            lsub=length(sub);
            proglist=ffx{4};
            
            for itt=size(proglist,1):-1:2
                if list(itt,1)==ty & length(proglist{itt,1})>=lsub
                    if strcmpi(sub,proglist{itt,1}(1:lsub))
                        it=itt;
                    end
                end
            end
            if (isempty(it))
                if any(mode=='c') & isempty(xfid)      % try to create item if we haven't tried before
                    xfid=-1;
                    if nargin>=7
                        xname=xpath;
                        xfid=fopen(xname);
                    end
                    if xfid<0
                        if any('/\'==xpath(end))        % would be better to use fullfile()
                            xname=[xpath sub EXESUF];
                        else
                            xname=[xpath '/' sub EXESUF];
                        end
                        xfid=fopen(xname);
                    end
                    if xfid<0
                        error(sprintf('Cannot find executable program %s',sub)); 
                    else
                        fclose(xfid);
                        fclose(fid); % close this file
                        doscom=['cmd /c "' xname '" ' ffx{1}];
                        %fprintf(1,'Executing: %s\n',doscom);
                        if dos(doscom) % run the program
                            error(sprintf('Error running DOS command: %s',doscom));
                        end
                        ff=ffx{1};          % force reread of header information
                    end
                else
                    error(sprintf('Cannot find item %d.%s in file: %s',ty,sub,ff)); 
                end
            end
        else % numeric subitem specification
            if sub>0
                it = find(list(:,1)==ty & list(:,2)==sub);
            elseif sub==0
                it = min(find(list(:,1)==ty));
            else
                it = max(find(list(:,1)==ty));
            end  
            if (isempty(it))
                error(sprintf('Cannot find item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,ff)); 
            end
        end
    end % loop up to two times while (isempty(it))
    lit=list(it,:);
    if ffx{2}(3)~=it
        ffx{2}(3)=it;
        ffx{2}(4)=0;
    end
    
    % read the selected item with the correct byte order
    
    if lit(5)~=ffx{2}(2)
        fclose(fid);
        fid=fopen(ffx{1},'rb',char('b'+(lit(5)~=0)*('l'-'b')));
        ffx{2}(1:2)=[fid lit(5)];
        if fid == -1 error(sprintf('Can''t open %s for input',ff)); end
    end
    fseek(fid,lit(4),'bof');
    
    
    y=[];
    fs=0;
    if ~lit(1)                              % read main header
        mb=fread(fid,512,'uchar').';
        if nargout>2
            mc=[1 4; 9 28; 29 32; 37 56; 57 76; 77 96; 97 116; 117 136; 137 296; 297 304; 305 312; 313 332; 333 412];
            hd=cell(14,1);
            hd{1}=[pow2(1,8*([2 3 0 1]+(mb(512)==0)*[1 -1 1 -1]))*[mb(5:8); mb(33:36)].' mb(512)];
            hd{1}(1)=hd{1}(1)/86400+719529;  % convert date format
            for i=1:13
                hd{i+1}=char(zerotrim(mb(mc(i,1):mc(i,2))));
            end
        end
    else
        
        % read the item header
        
        hd=cell(4,1);
        hdr=zeros(1,14);
        
        [str,n]=fread(fid,256,'uchar');
        if (n<256) error(sprintf('Error reading item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); end
        hd{2}=char(zerotrim(str'));
        
        [str,n]=fread(fid,128,'uchar');
        if (n<128) error(sprintf('Error reading item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); end
        hd{3}=char(zerotrim(str'));
        
        hdr(1:8)=fread(fid,8,'long');
        hdr(9)=fread(fid,1,'double');
        if hdr(9) fs=1/hdr(9); end
        hdr(10)=fread(fid,1,'long');
        hdr(11)=fread(fid,1,'double');
        
        [str,n]=fread(fid,20,'uchar');
        if (n<20) error(sprintf('Error reading item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); end
        hd{4}=char(zerotrim(str'));
        
        [hdr(12:14),n]=fread(fid,3,'long');
        if (n<3) error(sprintf('Error reading item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); end
        fseek(fid,44,'cof');
        hd{1}=hdr;
        hd{1}(1)=hd{1}(1)/86400+719529;  % convert date format
        
        % now read the actual data
        
        if nargin<6 nskip=ffx{2}(4);
        elseif nskip<0 nskip=ffx{2}(4);
        end
        
        ksamples=hdr(7)-nskip;
        if nargin>4
            if nmax>=0
                ksamples=min(nmax,ksamples);
            end
        end
        
        if ksamples>0
            ffx{2}(4)=nskip+ksamples;
            fsz=hdr(6);
            if(hdr(10)==1)		% data present
                if(hdr(4)>=0)		% non-structured
                    ds=hdr(5);
                    if(hdr(4)>0)
                        if(ds==4) fmt='float';
                        elseif (ds==8) fmt='double';
                        else error('error in sfs file'); end
                    else
                        if(ds==1 & all(mode~='i')) fmt='uchar';
                        elseif(ds<=2) fmt='short'; fsz=ceil(fsz*ds/2);
                        elseif(ds==4) fmt='long';
                        else error('error in sfs file'); end
                    end
                    fseek(fid,lit(4)+512+nskip*fsz*ds,'bof');
                    nd=fsz*ksamples;
                    [y,n]=fread(fid,nd,fmt); 
                    if (n<nd) error(sprintf('Error reading item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); end
                    y = reshape(y,fsz,ksamples)';
                else
                    if (hdr(2)==5)
                        y = cell(ksamples,3);
                        for ifr=1:nskip
                            lf=fread(fid,1,'uchar');
                            fseek(fid,lf,'cof');
                        end
                        
                        for ifr=1:ksamples
                            lf=fread(fid,1,'uchar');
                            tdat=fread(fid,2,'long');
                            y(ifr,:)={tdat(1) tdat(2) char(fread(fid,lf-9,'uchar').')};
                            lf=fread(fid,1,'uchar');
                        end
                    else
                        error(sprintf('Cannot convert item %d.%d in file: %s',ty,sub,file)); 
                    end
                end
            end
        end
    end
    if all(mode~='f') fclose(fid); ffx{2}(1)=-1; end
end