On 03/15/10 14:05, Richard Travers wrote: > In article <[email protected]>, > jonathon <[email protected]> wrote: <snip> >> This is used for: >> * TeX/BibTex files; >> * e-Sword Bible resources; >> * Pocket e-Sword Bible resources; >> * At least five other mutually incompatible programs; > >> Take the extension ".wks". >> This is used by: >> * MSWorks; >> * XLisp WorkSpace; >> * Tandy Deskmate; >> * Lotus 123; > >> Or maybe you prefer to explain how to differentiate between the ten >> (or more) mutually incompatible file formats that use ".doc" as the >> file extension. > > But there has to b e a system - whether it is a code incorporated in the > file name, or a code incorporated in the file (there has to be some code or > pattern or there is NO way of identifying the file).
Really there is no good way to automate file-type detection when so many files share the same extension. The best way is to encourage best practices for end users (such as saving documents in folders specifically for those applications). Software cannot (and probably shouldn't try to) take at least this burden off the end user. It gets difficult when you start sharing files amongst a growing group of users, but it's a good beginning at the very least. > Your above examples say nothing about the method used to identify the file, > only about the way it has been implemented. At least under Windows, the method is a registry entry tying the extension to the last application to register that as one of it's extensions (I imagine KDE does something similar, I never dug too deep into KDE to find out for myself though). Under the various *Nix's I do not believe there is an OS level method of automatic file type detection (for example, vim will warn you that you're trying to open a binary and then open it anyway, along with just about any other file you toss at it, I've even "opened" archived files and viewed their contents with some degree of success). -- Yours In Christ, PIT Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want. Original content copyright under the OWL http://owl.apotheon.org Please do not CC me. If I'm posting to a list it is because I am subscribed.
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