Fip header

Also see basic fip header description About the Fip Header and the far more detailed [[Training Data File Structure]].

The Fip Header is a means of carrying metadata around with a file. It is placed at the top of a file and is delimited by a ~ (tilde sign) followed by a NewLine.

~
SN:the_name_of_this_file 
DU:where_should_it_go 
SC:what_is_its_source_character_set 
DC:and_its_destination_character_Set
~
Here is some data - it can be text such as a traditional wire file or an xml file, or binary data such as a picture, movie or music data.

As the file is moved through the system the Header is modified, and fields are added to it, but the data remains untouched unless there are explicit directions to modify the data. Thus the system can be happily used for routing and moving binary data such as jpegs, compressed files, movie files and music.

There are some header fields that are reserved for use by Fip Programmes. These are defined here.