=Binary Format=
''Binary serialization'' is used in files and network communication.
This document gives a specification how Datatypes and Datavalues are written in binary format. 

All numeric values are in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endianness Big Endian] order, aka Network byte order.

===Boolean===
Boolean is an <code>UINT8</code>, with one of the following values.

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Value'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>0</code>
|false
|-
|<code>1</code>
|true
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>2..255</code>
|''Invalid value''
|}

===Numbers===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Type'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|Byte
|Int8
|-
|Integer
|Int32
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|Long
|Int64
|-
|Float
|Float
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|Double
|Double
|}

===Optional===
There is a Boolean that describes whether there is an actual value.
If false no data follows, true the content ensues.

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>hasValue : Boolean</code>
|Tells whether there is a ''value''
|-
|''value''
|The actual value, available only if hasValue == true.
|}

===String===
String is a series of bytes encoded as [http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/io/DataInput.html#modified-utf-8 Modified-UTF-8]. 

{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>length : Length</code>
|Describes the number of bytes in the string using packed integer encoding (1-5 bytes).
|-
|''data''
|Modified-UTF-8 encoded String.  
|}

The length is encoded as UInt32 of 1 to 5 bytes. 
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Value'''
|'''Encoding'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
| <code>0x00000000..0x0000007F</code>
| ''value'' (1 byte)
|-
| <code>0x00000080..0x00003FFF</code>
| ''value & 0x3f | 0x80'', ''value>>6 & 0xff'' (2 bytes)
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
| <code>0x00004000..0x001FFFFF</code>
| ''value & 0x1f | 0xC0'', ''value>>5 & 0xff'', ''value>>13 & 0xff'' (3 bytes)
|-
| <code>0x02000000..0x0FFFFFFF</code>
| ''value & 0x1f | 0xE0'', ''value>>3 & 0xff'', ''value>>12 & 0xff'', ''value>>20 & 0xff'' (4 bytes)
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
| <code>0x10000000..0xFFFFFFFF</code>
| ''value & 0x07 | 0xF0'', ''value>>3 & 0xff'', ''value>>11 & 0xff'', ''value>>19 & 0xff'', ''value>>27 & 0xff'' (5 bytes)
|}



===Array===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>length : UInt32</code>
|Describes the number of elements as unsigned integer. This field is omited if the range is constant.
|-
|''&lt;elements&gt;''
|Array elements
|}

===Generic Record===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|''&lt;fields&gt;''
|Component fields in the order specified in datatype.
|}

===Referable Record===
Referable records are objects that are referenced else where in the datavalue. The way they are serialized is that, when a record is serialized the first time, a 0 is written and then the actual record value. The serializer object gives it a next id number and takes a note of it. Id is not written, it is implicit and only interpretable by reading the stream. When a refereable record the second time, or afterwards, only it's id number is written, not the whole content.
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>recordId : Integer</code>
|Identity that refers in this serialiation to this instance.
|-
|''&lt;fields&gt;''
|Component fields in the order specified in datatype.
|}

===Generic Union===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>tag : Byte, Short or Integer</code>
|Number that indicates that type in the UnionType's ''components'' array. Type depends on the number of cases.
|-
|''value''
|The value of the component type.
|}

===Variant===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>type : DataType</code>
|Describes the datatype of the following value.
|-
|''value''
|The value serialized according to the type
|}

===Map===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Field'''
|'''Description'''
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|<code>length : UInt32</code>
|Describes the number of entries in the map using integer encoding.
|-
|''&lt;entries&gt;''
|Map Entries
|- style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>key : K</code>
|The key serializes according to the Key type
|-
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>value : V</code>
|The value serialized according to the Value type
|}
Entries are written in ascending of the key (See [[typesystem.html#Comparison]])


=File types=
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"
|'''Extension'''
|'''Description'''
|- 
|<tt>.dbb</tt> ||Databoard Binary File. Concatenation of Datatype + value
|}