Introduction to MIME Types

A Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) type identifies the format of a file. The MIME type enables applications to read the file. Applications such as web browsers and email applications use the MIME type to handle files of different types. For example, an email application can use the MIME type to detect what type of file is attached to an email.

The file manager uses MIME types to identify the type of a file. The file manager needs to know the MIME type of a file to perform the following tasks:

• Open the file in an appropriate application.

• Display a string that describes the type of file.

• Display an appropriate icon to represent the file.

• Display a list of other applications that can open the file.

If you add a new application to the desktop, you must ensure that other applications can recognize the files associated with the application. You must ensure that if the new application requires a new MIME type, that the new application installs the new MIME type.

This chapter describes the MIME database, and how applications are associated with MIME types. This chapter also describes the steps that you must follow to add a new application to the desktop.