docs: def _readFile(self, fname, sldir):
          '''
          Private method that reads in the data file and organizes it
          within this object.
  
          '''
          if sldir.endswith('/'):
              fname = str(sldir)+str(fname)
          else:
              fname = str(sldir)+'/'+str(fname)
          f=open(fname,'r')
  
          # read header line
          line=f.readline()
          cols  = []
          ispec = 0
          for i in range(1,len(line.split('|'))):
              col = line.split('|')[i].strip()
              if '-' in col:
                  ispec += 1
                  col   = col.split('-')[1]
              cols.append(col)
              col_num={}
          col_tot = len(cols)
  
          print('number of species: ', str(ispec))
          print('number of cols: ', str(col_tot))
  
  
          col_num={}
          for a,b in zip(cols,list(range(col_tot))):
              col_num[a]=b
  
          # read remainder of the file
          lines=f.readlines()
          data=[]
          for i in range(len(lines)):
              v=lines[i].split()
              vv=array(v,dtype='float')
              data.append(vv)
          ilines=i
          print("There are "+str(ilines)+" time steps found.")
          return data,col_num,cols,col_tot,ilines