You can create a post map, specifying specific symbols for each point in the data file. You will need columns for X and Y to indicate the location of the symbol and a third column as a symbol column in the data file. The symbol column can include the symbol font and the symbol index separated by a colon (:), only the symbol index, or it can be left blank. The symbol index is the number displayed in the symbol palette and the Properties window Symbol field when a symbol is selected.

Include the symbol set and symbol number in a column in the data file to use those specific symbols for the posted data points. 

After adding a symbol column to the data file, create a post map with specific symbols:

1. Click Home | New Map | Post | Post.
2. Select the data file and click Open.
3. Select the Post layer in the Contents window, and in the Properties window, click the General tab.
4. Verify that the X coordinates and Y coordinates columns are specified correctly.
5. Click the Symbol tab.
6. Set the Symbol column to the column containing the symbol information. The symbols update to the correct symbol.
   1. If the data contains symbol set and symbol index information, that exact symbol is used.
   2. If the data contains only the symbol index information, then the point uses that symbol number from the Symbol set specified in the Properties window.
   3. If no symbol set or symbol index is specified in the data, then the point uses the Symbol set and Symbol specified in the Properties window.

Note: In Surfer 13 and older, if using any symbol set other than Default Symbols (including GSI Default Symbols), then you must use the ASCII/Unicode code rather than the symbol index. The ASCII/Unicode code is the symbol index plus 32. For example, to specify symbol 74 in the GSI Oil and Gas symbol set, you would need to enter 106 in the data file (74+32=106). To indicate symbol 98 in the GSI Default Symbols symbol set, you would need to enter 130 (98+32=130). You can also look up Unicode values for symbols with the Windows Character Map. In Surfer 14 and later versions you do not need to do this addition, you can just use the symbol index from the symbol palette.

Updated September 1, 2020