int vcf_close(bcf_t *bp);
// read the VCF/BCF header
bcf_hdr_t *vcf_hdr_read(bcf_t *bp);
+ // read the sequence dictionary from a separate file; required for VCF->BCF conversion
+ int vcf_dictread(bcf_t *bp, bcf_hdr_t *h, const char *fn);
// read a VCF/BCF record; return -1 on end-of-file and <-1 for errors
int vcf_read(bcf_t *bp, bcf_hdr_t *h, bcf1_t *b);
// write the VCF header