VCIF2: Extended CIF validation software

Abstract

Recent revisions to the CIF standard, the growing number of dictionaries and the critical role played by CIF in the IUCr publication process led the IUCr to fund a two-year project to upgrade portions of the existing CIF software base to support longer lines and more rigorous validation of CIFs against multiple layered dictionaries. A database-based approach to validation to ensure compliance with data-range and enumeration specifications, to ensure compliance with parent-child relationships, and to detect missing and duplicated tags is presented here. This approach to validation is being extended to support the handling of binary synchrotron imgCIF data. © International Union of Crystallography 2008.