Checkcif Service

CHECKCIF

This utility checks the file syntax, to make sure you haven't forgotten a quote mark, put an incorrect number of data values in a loop, or otherwise transgressed the simple formatting rules. If it finds any mistakes, it tells you what they are (with a full description of the nature of each error on its first occurrence). It tries to notify you of all the mistakes you've made (unlike previous checking software, which just told you about the first), but examine its output carefully - a single syntax error might spark off a cascade of error reports, just because, say, a single semicolon was missing.

If the CIF is syntactically sound, some additional checks are then carried out on the structure it reports. These are a subset of the numeric checks carried out in Chester when a paper is submitted; this set will be expanded as more types of checking are fully automated. At present, you will be told if your paper is lacking any of the requirements stipulated by the Commission on Journals; some physical quantities will be calculated and compared with values in your file; and the MISSYM algorithm will check for the possible presence of higher space-group symmetry.

The results of all these checks will be mailed to you in a single summary report.