Section 2.3.3.1. Details of the magic number

The magic number identifier is ###CBF: VERSION. This must always be present so that a program can easily identify a CBF by simply inputting the first 15 characters. [The space is a blank (ASCII 32) and not a tab. All identifier characters must be upper case.] The first hash means that this line within the CIF is a comment line. Three hashes mean that this is a line describing the binary file layout for CBF. (All CBF internal identifiers start with three hashes, and all others must immediately follow a `line separator'.) No white space may precede the first hash sign. Following the file identifier is the version number of the file; e.g. the full line might appear as ###CBF: VERSION 1.0. The version number must be separated from the file identifier characters by white space, e.g. a blank (ASCII 32). The version number is defined as a major version number and minor version number separated by a decimal point. A change in the major version may mean that a program for the previous version cannot input the new version as some major change has occurred to CBF. A change in the minor version may also mean incompatibility if the CBF has been written using some new feature. For example, a new form of linearity scaling may be specified; this would be considered a minor version change. A file with the new feature would not be readable by a program supporting only an older version of the format.