Mark Guzdial guzdial@cc.gatech.edu wrote:
I'm considering creating some kind of MediaType class that can be associated with file types and provide functionality for these various situations. I don't think it's enough to just do MIME, though MIME is
a
good subset or starting set. The problem is that we're also inventing
new
media types (like SqueakyPages), so I think we need a more flexible
system.
Comments? Is somebody doing something like this already?
Standardization here would be nice!
There are two databases along these lines that seem to make sense:
1. one mapping file extensions into a MIME-like type, ie "gif" --> "image/gif"
2. one mapping MIME-like types into functionality. For instance, how do you deal with a GIF file?
For the first, "MIMEDocument guessTypeFromName: aString" seems like a pretty good interface. It's central, it asks exactly the question that is needed, and it isn't tied to any particular application. It's lacking, however, a way for people to add new types by using a changeset.
For the second database, there is nothing in the image right now. However, it's also not so clear-cut exactly what this should do. Is it even possible to define "functionality" which would be usable by both the file lister and a web browser? How do you deal with ".cs" files, for instance?
Finally, one comment: MIME already does allow experimental types which start with "x-". In fact, audio/x-midi was in use for a long time before audio/midi became standardized. So it seems like we could use things like x-squeak/x-squeakpage and thus stay with MIME proper, if we want.
Lex