File Format
Keywords: Software
This page provides an overview of file formats that are used to store (and exchange) Go games.
Table of contents |
Major file formats
- SGF
- The Smart Game Format, (originally the Smart Go Format?) is the most popular file format on the internet for games and problems.
- GO, SF, Ishi
- This is the self-proclaimed Standard Format; it was used by some programs for years.
- Text diagrams
- Used on Usenet to express games in newsgroups that disallow attachments, text characters formatted into a board are commonly used in discussions. Sensei's Library diagrams seem to be based on this practice. Many diagram editors can import these diagrams, and see also WinMGTToSLFConverter
- UGF, UGI, UGZ
- This format is mostly used in Asia, sometimes compressed and called 'UGZ'
Some other formats
- Jago XML
- PGN
Portable Game Notation (or in
text), a file format for chess games.
TimBrent: itsyourturn.com uses PGN for its Go games
(not to be confused withPortable Network Graphics)
XGF - An XML Game Format
- This is a detailed draft proposal for moving SGF from its list format into an XML-based format. The spec warns people not to implement the format yet, though. XGF 0.1 is dated April 7, 2002, though, so it seems that the proposal gained too little developer support to be used.
Still to investigate
- BDX
% *[GO|IshiFormat] I believe that *.GO files are Ishi format. -- TimHunt ([RueLue]: yes and was used by some programs for years. See above under "Major file formats")