Formats - Revision history

Jlderidder at 14:19, 12 May 2010

2010-05-12T14:19:50Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 14:19, 12 May 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
	==Format Support at University of Alabama Libraries Digital Services==		==Format Support at University of Alabama Libraries Digital Services==

-	All following information applies only to content for which we can legally provide open access ~~(see [[Access Permissions]]~~, and for which we have digital management rights (see the [[Digital Services Permission Agreement]]).	+	All following information applies only to content for which we can legally provide open access, and for which we have digital management rights (see the [[Digital Services Permission Agreement]]).

	We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to make guarantees. Put simply, our policy for file formats is:		We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to make guarantees. Put simply, our policy for file formats is:

Jlderidder at 14:19, 12 May 2010

2010-05-12T14:19:25Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 14:19, 12 May 2010
Line 13:		Line 13:
	* supported: we fully support the format. With continued funding and support, we can offer Level I preservation.		* supported: we fully support the format. With continued funding and support, we can offer Level I preservation.
	* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support. Level II preservation support is available.		* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support. Level II preservation support is available.
-	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format~~; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown~~.	+	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format.

	(Levels of preservation support are described in [[Preservation]].)		(Levels of preservation support are described in [[Preservation]].)
Line 25:		Line 25:
	'''What to do if your format isn't recognized'''		'''What to do if your format isn't recognized'''

-	Consider digitizing your content in one of the supported formats. We understand that there are always more formats to consider, and we would appreciate your help in identifying and studying the suitability of support for formats you care about. ~~If we can't identify a format, we will record it as "unknown," aka "application/octet-stream," but we~~ will try to keep the percentage of supported format materials as high as possible.	+	Consider digitizing your content in one of the supported formats. We understand that there are always more formats to consider, and we would appreciate your help in identifying and studying the suitability of support for formats you care about. We will try to keep the percentage of supported format materials as high as possible.

	'''Format Reference Table'''		'''Format Reference Table'''
Line 37:		Line 37:
	! Category		! Category
	! MIME type		! MIME type
		+	! Software for rendering
		+	! Software for derivative creation
		+	! Dependencies
	\|-		\|-
-	\|WAVE \|\| wav \|\| supported \|\| audio/x-wav	+	\|WAVE
		+	\|\| wav
		+	\|\| supported
		+	\|\| audio/x-wav
		+	\|\| [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity] [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
		+	\|\| [http://lame.sourceforge.net/ LAME]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|AIFF \|\| aiff, aif, aifc \|\| supported \|\| audio/x-aiff	+	\|AIFF
		+	\|\| aiff, aif, aifc
		+	\|\| supported
		+	\|\| audio/x-aiff
		+	\|\| [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity] [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
		+	\|\| [http://lame.sourceforge.net/ LAME]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|GIF \|\| gif \|\| supported\|\| image/gif	+	\|GIF \|\| gif \|\| supported\|\| image/gif \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp] \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|HTML \|\| html, htm \|\| supported\|\| text/html	+	\|HTML \|\| html, htm \|\| supported\|\| text/html \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim] \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|JPEG \|\| jpeg, jpg \|\| supported\|\| image/jpeg	+	\|JPEG \|\| jpeg, jpg \|\| supported\|\| image/jpeg \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp] \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|MARC \|\| marc, mrc \|\| supported \|\| application/marc	+	\|MARC
		+	\|\| marc, mrc
		+	\|\| supported
		+	\|\| application/marc
		+	\|\| [http://people.oregonstate.edu/~reeset/marcedit/html/index.php MarcEdit]
		+	\|\| [http://people.oregonstate.edu/~reeset/marcedit/html/index.php MarcEdit]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|PNG \|\| png \|\|supported \|\|image/png	+	\|PNG \|\| png \|\|supported \|\|image/png \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp] \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|Text \|\| txt \|\| supported\|\| text/plain	+	\|Text \|\| txt \|\| supported\|\| text/plain \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim] \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|TIFF \|\|tiff, tif \|\| supported \|\| image/tiff	+	\|TIFF \|\|tiff, tif \|\| supported \|\| image/tiff \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp] \|\| [http://www.gimp.org/downloads/ Gimp]
	\|-		\|-
-	\|XML \|\|xml \|\|supported \|\|text/xml	+	\|XML \|\|xml \|\|supported \|\|text/xml \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim] \|\| [http://www.vim.org/ vim]
	\|-		\|-
		+	\|
		+	\|
		+	\|
	\|		\|
	\|		\|
Line 64:		Line 85:
	\|-		\|-
	\| JPEG 2000 \|\| jp2 \|\| known \|\| image/jp2		\| JPEG 2000 \|\| jp2 \|\| known \|\| image/jp2
		+	\|\|
		+	\|\|
		+	\|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| FLAC \|\| flac \|\| known \|\| audio/flac		\| FLAC \|\| flac \|\| known \|\| audio/flac
		+	\|\| [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity] [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
		+	\|\|
		+	\|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\| Adobe PDF		\| Adobe PDF
Line 71:		Line 98:
	\| known		\| known
	\| application/pdf		\| application/pdf
		+	\|\| [http://projects.gnome.org/evince/ Evince]
		+	\|\| [http://projects.gnome.org/evince/ Evince]
		+	\|\| [http://poppler.freedesktop.org/ Poppler] [http://www.foolabs.com/xpdf/ XPDF]
	\|-		\|-
	\|Postscript\|\| ps, eps, ai\|\| known \|\| application/postscript		\|Postscript\|\| ps, eps, ai\|\| known \|\| application/postscript
		+	\|\| [http://projects.gnome.org/evince/ Evince]
		+	\|\| [http://projects.gnome.org/evince/ Evince]
		+	\|\| [http://libspectre.freedesktop.org/wiki/ libspectre]
	\|-		\|-
	\|Rich Text Format \|\| rtf \|\|known \|\|text/richtext		\|Rich Text Format \|\| rtf \|\|known \|\|text/richtext
-	\|-	+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
-	\|~~audio~~/~~basic\|\| au, snd \|\| known \|\| audio~~/~~basic~~	+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| BMP \|\| bmp\|\| known \|\| image~~/~~x-ms-bmp~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\|FMP3 \|\| fm \|\| known \|\| application~~/~~x-filemaker~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| LateX \|\| latex \|\| known~~\|\| ~~application~~/~~x-latex~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| Mathematica \|\| ma \|\| known \|\| application~~/~~mathematica~~	+
	\|-		\|-
	\| Microsoft Excel \|\| xls \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-excel		\| Microsoft Excel \|\| xls \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-excel
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
	\|-		\|-
	\| Microsoft Powerpoint \|\| ppt,pps, pptx \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-powerpoint		\| Microsoft Powerpoint \|\| ppt,pps, pptx \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
-	\|-	+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
-	~~\| Microsoft Project \|\|mpp, mpx, mpd \|\| known~~\|\| ~~application~~/~~vnd~~.~~ms-project~~	+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
-	\|-	+
-	\| ~~Microsoft Visio \|\| vsd \|\|known \|\|application~~/~~vnd~~.~~visio~~	+
	\|-		\|-
	\| Microsoft Word \|\| doc, docx \|\| known \|\| application/msword		\| Microsoft Word \|\| doc, docx \|\| known \|\| application/msword
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
	\|-		\|-
	\| MPEG \|\| mpeg, mpg, mpe \|\| known \|\| video/mpeg		\| MPEG \|\| mpeg, mpg, mpe \|\| known \|\| video/mpeg
		+	\|\|[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
		+	\|\|[http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
	\|-		\|-
	\| MPEG Audio \|\| mpa, abs, mpeg \|\| known \|\| audio/x-mpeg		\| MPEG Audio \|\| mpa, abs, mpeg \|\| known \|\| audio/x-mpeg
		+	\|\| [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity] [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
		+	\|\| [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ Audacity] [http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ VLC]
	\|-		\|-
-	\| OpenOffice text \|\| odt \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text	+	\| OpenOffice text \|\| odt \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
	\|-		\|-
	\| OpenOffice presentation \|\| odp \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation		\| OpenOffice presentation \|\| odp \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
		+	\|\| [http://www.openoffice.org/product/ OpenOffice]
	\|-		\|-
-	~~\| Photo CD \|\|pcd \|\|known \|\|image/x-photo-cd~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| Photoshop \|\|psd, pdd \|\|known \|\|application/x-photoshop~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| RealAudio \|\| ra, ram \|\| known \|\| audio/x-pn-realaudio~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| SGML \|\| sgm, sgml \|\| known \|\| application/sgml~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\|TeX \|\| tex \|\| known \|\| application/x-tex~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\| TeXdvi \|\| dvi \|\| known \|\| application/x-dvi~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\|Video Quicktime \|\| mov, qt \|\| known \|\| video/quicktime~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\|WordPerfect \|\| wpd \|\| known \|\| application/wordperfect~~	+
-	\|-	+
-	\|	+
-	\|	+
-	\|	+
-	\|	+
-	\|-	+
-	~~\|Unknown \|\| (anything not listed) \|\| unsupported \|\| application/octet-stream~~	+
	\|}		\|}

Jlderidder at 18:58, 24 March 2010

2010-03-24T18:58:10Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 18:58, 24 March 2010
Line 64:		Line 64:
	\|-		\|-
	\| JPEG 2000 \|\| jp2 \|\| known \|\| image/jp2		\| JPEG 2000 \|\| jp2 \|\| known \|\| image/jp2
		+	\|-
		+	\| FLAC \|\| flac \|\| known \|\| audio/flac
	\|-		\|-
	\| Adobe PDF		\| Adobe PDF
Line 86:		Line 88:
	\| Microsoft Excel \|\| xls \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-excel		\| Microsoft Excel \|\| xls \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-excel
	\|-		\|-
-	\| Microsoft Powerpoint \|\| ppt \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-powerpoint	+	\| Microsoft Powerpoint \|\| ppt,pps, pptx \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
	\|-		\|-
	\| Microsoft Project \|\|mpp, mpx, mpd \|\| known\|\| application/vnd.ms-project		\| Microsoft Project \|\|mpp, mpx, mpd \|\| known\|\| application/vnd.ms-project
Line 92:		Line 94:
	\| Microsoft Visio \|\| vsd \|\|known \|\|application/vnd.visio		\| Microsoft Visio \|\| vsd \|\|known \|\|application/vnd.visio
	\|-		\|-
-	\| Microsoft Word \|\| doc \|\| known \|\| application/msword	+	\| Microsoft Word \|\| doc, docx \|\| known \|\| application/msword
	\|-		\|-
	\| MPEG \|\| mpeg, mpg, mpe \|\| known \|\| video/mpeg		\| MPEG \|\| mpeg, mpg, mpe \|\| known \|\| video/mpeg
	\|-		\|-
	\| MPEG Audio \|\| mpa, abs, mpeg \|\| known \|\| audio/x-mpeg		\| MPEG Audio \|\| mpa, abs, mpeg \|\| known \|\| audio/x-mpeg
		+	\|-
		+	\| OpenOffice text \|\| odt \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
		+	\|-
		+	\| OpenOffice presentation \|\| odp \|\| known \|\| application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation
	\|-		\|-
	\| Photo CD \|\|pcd \|\|known \|\|image/x-photo-cd		\| Photo CD \|\|pcd \|\|known \|\|image/x-photo-cd
Line 112:		Line 118:
	\|Video Quicktime \|\| mov, qt \|\| known \|\| video/quicktime		\|Video Quicktime \|\| mov, qt \|\| known \|\| video/quicktime
	\|-		\|-
-	\|WordPerfect \|\| wpd \|\| known \|\| application/~~wordperfect5.1~~	+	\|WordPerfect \|\| wpd \|\| known \|\| application/wordperfect
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|

Jlderidder: /* Format Support */

2009-05-25T17:49:13Z

Format Support

←Older revision		Revision as of 17:49, 25 May 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	==Format Support==	+	==Format Support at University of Alabama Libraries Digital Services==
-		+
		+	All following information applies only to content for which we can legally provide open access (see [[Access Permissions]], and for which we have digital management rights (see the [[Digital Services Permission Agreement]]).
		+
	We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to make guarantees. Put simply, our policy for file formats is:		We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to make guarantees. Put simply, our policy for file formats is:

-	* ~~Content within our collections for which we have digital management rights~~ and ~~for which accessibility rights are open~~, will be retrievable.	+	* While the file can be rendered using University of Alabama Libraries approved and current hardware and software, it will be made retrievable.
-	* We will recognize as many files' formats as possible.	+	* We will recognize as many files' formats as possible.
-	* We will support as many known file formats as possible.	+	* We will support as many known file formats as possible.

	Incoming born-digital content is assigned one of the following categories:		Incoming born-digital content is assigned one of the following categories:

-	* supported: we fully support the format. With continued funding and support, we can offer Level I preservation.	+	* supported: we fully support the format. With continued funding and support, we can offer Level I preservation.
-	* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support. Level II preservation support is available.	+	* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support. Level II preservation support is available.
-	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown.	+	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown.
		+
		+	(Levels of preservation support are described in [[Preservation]].)

	By "support" we mean "make usable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need." For supported formats, we might choose to bulk-transform files from a current format version to a future one, for instance. But we can't predict which services will be necessary down the road, so we'll continually monitor formats and techniques to ensure we can accommodate needs as they arise.		By "support" we mean "make usable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need." For supported formats, we might choose to bulk-transform files from a current format version to a future one, for instance. But we can't predict which services will be necessary down the road, so we'll continually monitor formats and techniques to ensure we can accommodate needs as they arise.
Line 20:		Line 24:

	'''What to do if your format isn't recognized'''		'''What to do if your format isn't recognized'''
-	We understand that there are always more formats to consider, and we would appreciate your help in identifying and studying the suitability of support for formats you care about. If we can't identify a format, we will record it as "unknown," aka "application/octet-stream," but we would like to keep the percentage of supported format materials as high as possible.

-	~~'''Format Reference Collection'''~~	+	Consider digitizing your content in one of the supported formats. We understand that there are always more formats to consider, and we would appreciate your help in identifying and studying the suitability of support for formats you care about. If we can't identify a format, we will record it as "unknown," aka "application/octet-stream," but we will try to keep the percentage of supported format materials as high as possible.
-	In the ~~table below, MIME type is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type identifier~~. ~~Description is what most people use as the name for the format. Extensions~~ are ~~typical file name extensions (the part after the dot~~, ~~e.g.~~ the ~~extension~~ for ~~"index~~.~~html~~" is "~~html~~"~~). These are not case~~-~~sensitive~~, ~~so either "sample.XML" or "sample.xml~~" will ~~be recognized~~ as ~~XML~~. ~~Level is our support for each format:~~	+
		+	'''Format Reference Table'''

-	* supported: we fully support the ~~format~~	+	In the table below, MIME type is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type identifier. Description is what most people use as the name for the format. Extensions are typical file name extensions (the part after the dot, e.g. the extension for "index.html" is "html"). These are not case-sensitive, so either "sample.XML" or "sample.xml" will be recognized as XML.
-	* known: we can recognize the format, ~~but cannot guarantee full support~~	+
-	* unknown: we cannot recognize a format; these will be listed a "~~application/octet~~-~~stream~~," ~~aka Unknown~~	+

	{\| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1"		{\| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1"
Line 33:		Line 35:
	! Description		! Description
	! Extensions		! Extensions
-	! ~~Level~~	+	! Category
	! MIME type		! MIME type
	\|-		\|-

Jlderidder: /* Format Support */

2009-05-25T17:20:19Z

Format Support

←Older revision		Revision as of 17:20, 25 May 2009
Line 9:		Line 9:
	Incoming born-digital content is assigned one of the following categories:		Incoming born-digital content is assigned one of the following categories:

-	* supported: we fully support the format	+	* supported: we fully support the format. With continued funding and support, we can offer Level I preservation.
-	* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support	+	* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support. Level II preservation support is available.
-	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown	+	* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown.

	By "support" we mean "make usable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need." For supported formats, we might choose to bulk-transform files from a current format version to a future one, for instance. But we can't predict which services will be necessary down the road, so we'll continually monitor formats and techniques to ensure we can accommodate needs as they arise.		By "support" we mean "make usable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need." For supported formats, we might choose to bulk-transform files from a current format version to a future one, for instance. But we can't predict which services will be necessary down the road, so we'll continually monitor formats and techniques to ensure we can accommodate needs as they arise.
Line 35:		Line 35:
	! Level		! Level
	! MIME type		! MIME type
-	\|-
-	\| Adobe PDF
-	\| pdf
-	\| supported
-	\| application/pdf
	\|-		\|-
	\|WAVE \|\| wav \|\| supported \|\| audio/x-wav		\|WAVE \|\| wav \|\| supported \|\| audio/x-wav
Line 54:		Line 49:
	\|-		\|-
	\|PNG \|\| png \|\|supported \|\|image/png		\|PNG \|\| png \|\|supported \|\|image/png
-	\|-
-	\|Postscript\|\| ps, eps, ai\|\| supported \|\| application/postscript
-	\|-
-	\|Rich Text Format \|\| rtf \|\|supported \|\|text/richtext
	\|-		\|-
	\|Text \|\| txt \|\| supported\|\| text/plain		\|Text \|\| txt \|\| supported\|\| text/plain
Line 69:		Line 60:
	\|		\|
	\|		\|
		+	\|-
		+	\| JPEG 2000 \|\| jp2 \|\| known \|\| image/jp2
		+	\|-
		+	\| Adobe PDF
		+	\| pdf
		+	\| known
		+	\| application/pdf
		+	\|-
		+	\|Postscript\|\| ps, eps, ai\|\| known \|\| application/postscript
		+	\|-
		+	\|Rich Text Format \|\| rtf \|\|known \|\|text/richtext
	\|-		\|-
	\|audio/basic\|\| au, snd \|\| known \|\| audio/basic		\|audio/basic\|\| au, snd \|\| known \|\| audio/basic
Line 107:		Line 109:
	\|-		\|-
	\|Video Quicktime \|\| mov, qt \|\| known \|\| video/quicktime		\|Video Quicktime \|\| mov, qt \|\| known \|\| video/quicktime
-	\|-
-	\|WAV \|\|wav \|\|known \|\| audio/x-wav
	\|-		\|-
	\|WordPerfect \|\| wpd \|\| known \|\| application/wordperfect5.1		\|WordPerfect \|\| wpd \|\| known \|\| application/wordperfect5.1

Jlderidder: New page: ==Format Support== We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to mak...

2009-05-25T17:02:02Z

New page: ==Format Support== We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to mak...

New page

==Format Support==

We wish to provide support for as many file formats as possible. As for specific formats, however, the proprietary nature of many file types makes it impossible to make guarantees. Put simply, our policy for file formats is:

* Content within our collections for which we have digital management rights and for which accessibility rights are open, will be retrievable.
* We will recognize as many files' formats as possible.
* We will support as many known file formats as possible.

Incoming born-digital content is assigned one of the following categories:

* supported: we fully support the format
* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support
* unsupported: we cannot recognize the format; these will be listed as "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown

By "support" we mean "make usable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need." For supported formats, we might choose to bulk-transform files from a current format version to a future one, for instance. But we can't predict which services will be necessary down the road, so we'll continually monitor formats and techniques to ensure we can accommodate needs as they arise.

In the meantime, we can choose to "support" a format if we can gather enough documentation to capture how the format works. Proprietary formats for which these materials are not publicly available will be made available online until no longer renderable without emulation, using University of Alabama Libraries current hardware and software.
It is possible that for extremely popular but proprietary formats (such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint), future tools will enable the reformatting of this content into better-supported alternatives. If funding and tools become available prior to obsolesence of this content, we will make every effort to migrate the materials and continue support.
Even so, we cannot guarantee this level of service at this point, so we will still list these formats as "known," not "supported."

'''What to do if your format isn't recognized'''
We understand that there are always more formats to consider, and we would appreciate your help in identifying and studying the suitability of support for formats you care about. If we can't identify a format, we will record it as "unknown," aka "application/octet-stream," but we would like to keep the percentage of supported format materials as high as possible.

'''Format Reference Collection'''
In the table below, MIME type is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) type identifier. Description is what most people use as the name for the format. Extensions are typical file name extensions (the part after the dot, e.g. the extension for "index.html" is "html"). These are not case-sensitive, so either "sample.XML" or "sample.xml" will be recognized as XML. Level is our support for each format:

* supported: we fully support the format
* known: we can recognize the format, but cannot guarantee full support
* unknown: we cannot recognize a format; these will be listed a "application/octet-stream," aka Unknown

{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1"
|-
! Description
! Extensions
! Level
! MIME type
|-
| Adobe PDF
| pdf
| supported
| application/pdf
|-
|WAVE || wav || supported || audio/x-wav
|-
|AIFF || aiff, aif, aifc || supported || audio/x-aiff
|-
|GIF || gif || supported|| image/gif
|-
|HTML || html, htm || supported|| text/html
|-
|JPEG || jpeg, jpg || supported|| image/jpeg
|-
|MARC || marc, mrc || supported || application/marc
|-
|PNG || png ||supported ||image/png
|-
|Postscript|| ps, eps, ai|| supported || application/postscript
|-
|Rich Text Format || rtf ||supported ||text/richtext
|-
|Text || txt || supported|| text/plain
|-
|TIFF ||tiff, tif || supported || image/tiff
|-
|XML ||xml ||supported ||text/xml
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|audio/basic|| au, snd || known || audio/basic
|-
| BMP || bmp|| known || image/x-ms-bmp
|-
|FMP3 || fm || known || application/x-filemaker
|-
| LateX || latex || known|| application/x-latex
|-
| Mathematica || ma || known || application/mathematica
|-
| Microsoft Excel || xls || known || application/vnd.ms-excel
|-
| Microsoft Powerpoint || ppt || known || application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
|-
| Microsoft Project ||mpp, mpx, mpd || known|| application/vnd.ms-project
|-
| Microsoft Visio || vsd ||known ||application/vnd.visio
|-
| Microsoft Word || doc || known || application/msword
|-
| MPEG || mpeg, mpg, mpe || known || video/mpeg
|-
| MPEG Audio || mpa, abs, mpeg || known || audio/x-mpeg
|-
| Photo CD ||pcd ||known ||image/x-photo-cd
|-
| Photoshop ||psd, pdd ||known ||application/x-photoshop
|-
| RealAudio || ra, ram || known || audio/x-pn-realaudio
|-
| SGML || sgm, sgml || known || application/sgml
|-
|TeX || tex || known || application/x-tex
|-
| TeXdvi || dvi || known || application/x-dvi
|-
|Video Quicktime || mov, qt || known || video/quicktime
|-
|WAV ||wav ||known || audio/x-wav
|-
|WordPerfect || wpd || known || application/wordperfect5.1
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
|Unknown || (anything not listed) || unsupported || application/octet-stream
|}