Starbase Data Table File Format

DESCRIPTION

starbase describes an ASCII file format used to store relational data base tables with a few magic characters deliniating columns and tables. When the tab table file format is combined with the starbase filter programs described here and the I/O library, a convenient data base with editable ASCII files is the result.

The tab character delimits columns in a row.
The newline character delimits rows in a table.
The linefeed character delimits tables in a file.

A table contains three parts.

An optional keyword/ value header.
Column definition/ width lines.
Data columns.

The optional keyword/ value portion of the header consists of any number of free text line containing comments and keyword/ value lines. If a table contains an optional keyword/ value portion the first line of the header names the table. This name may be used with the tablex program to extract and process this table by name.

A keyword value line consists of

	keyword [tab] value

A keyword may contain may have an array of values and is written

	keyword [tab] value [tab] value ...

Header lines which contain no tabs or whose initial keyword portions are not valid keyword identifiers are comments. Header values are accessed by name in column expressions passed to the <@table programs.

Example

This is a file produced by the WCSTools imstar image cataloging program.

Starbase Data Table File Format

DESCRIPTION

Example

See Also