STAR File Format and Dictionaries

The Self-defining Text Archive and Retrieval (STAR) file format addresses primarily the problem of the inflexibility of the PDB file format, its fixed sets of allowable fields, and their strong dependence on order, To overcome the problems described, both the data. structure and the actual data items within a STAR file arc self-defined, which means that they are preceeded by corresponding names (labels) which identify and describe the data. The data may be of any type and there is no predefined order of the data. STAR files, in contrast to PDB files, are easy to read and write manually. The whole syntax of STAR files is very simple and is defined by only a few rules  

A STAR file contain. lines of. Standard vi.siblc ASOf characters. 

Each flic is a sequence of data blocks containing individual data items. Data blocks represent logical grouping of data that arc related in some way, 

Each data item is preceded by a corresponding data name - the label that identifies the data. A data name is a. string that starts with the undei score character 

There is a special keyword - loop - which enables repetition of data. This keyword is used mainly when there are several data items with the same type of content (e.g.. description of the atoms within a molecule). 

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