hmmconvert
Quick Start
- Command:
hmmconvert [-options] <hmmfile> - Local executable:
/home/vimalinx/miniforge3/envs/bio/bin/hmmconvert - Full reference: See
references/help.mdfor--helpfailure behavior andhmmconvert -houtput
When To Use This Tool
- Use
hmmconvertwhen downstream tools or archival constraints require a different HMMER profile-file format than the one you currently have. - It is useful for converting between current HMMER3 ASCII, HMMER3 binary, legacy HMMER2 ASCII, or older named HMMER3 text revisions such as
3/athrough3/f. - Reach for it when comparing historical model files, shrinking storage with binary output, or preparing data for older compatibility experiments.
Common Patterns
# Rewrite a profile file in the current HMMER3 ASCII format
hmmconvert profiles.hmm > profiles.3f.hmm
# Convert to HMMER3 binary format
hmmconvert -b profiles.hmm > profiles.h3m
# Convert to legacy HMMER2-style ASCII for comparison work
hmmconvert -2 profiles.hmm > profiles.hmmer2
# Read from stdin and pin an older HMMER3 text revision explicitly
cat profiles.hmm | hmmconvert --outfmt 3/b - > profiles.3b.hmm
Recommended Workflow
- Decide what exact target format the next consumer needs before converting anything.
- Preserve the original profile file so you can diff or fall back after conversion.
- Run
hmmconvertand redirect stdout to an explicitly named output file. - Validate the converted file with
hmmstat,hmmfetch, or the downstream HMMER tool you actually care about.
Guardrails
-hworks;--helpand--versionare rejected by the local executable.- Output goes to stdout, so forgetting redirection will dump the converted profile into the terminal session.
- Input
hmmfilemay be-to read from stdin. -2produces an approximate backward-compatible HMMER2 ASCII form, not a perfect round-trip of every HMMER3 feature.--outfmtapplies only to named HMMER3 ASCII revisions, not binary or HMMER2 output.