File Type Definitions

[anakirob]

How do I add/edit file type definitions in Linux? Surely it's possible, Linux must store this information somewhere! We're not Windows users who rely on three letter suffixes to identify everything now are we?

What I want to do is to check a file for a specific header string and then correctly identify that file in the file manager, and of course then open the corresponding application when double clicked. Where in the Linux Mint file system is this file type information located?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

[rickNS]

Linux knows what type a file is with, or without any extension. It will also (in most cases) know which software to use to open a file with, or without any extension.

What I want to do is to check a file for a specific header string and then correctly identify that file in the file manager

You can get that information in the file manager by right clicking, then selecting "Properties".
If you use the icon view mode, the icon itself will tell you the type in many cases.

You can get that information in terminal by using the file command, file /path/to/file_name

Code: Select all

file ~/Documents/bike-trick-rider
/home/rick/Documents/bike-trick-rider: ASCII text

"How do I add/edit file type definitions in Linux? Surely it's possible,"
Maybe, but I don't know where.

[deck_luck]

Alternately, you can associate a file with an application by right clicking the file and select "open with" and "open with Other Application" options. After selecting the appropriate application, you can select the "Use as default for this kind of file" check box.

It is surprising the file command would not recognize a file type unless it is totally custom code with a custom magic identity. Does the file command determine the appropriate file type?

[anakirob]

It is surprising the file command would not recognize a file type unless it is totally custom code with a custom magic identity. Does the file command determine the appropriate file type?

Yes, the file command does correctly identify the files. However the file browser does not

[deck_luck]

...
Yes, the file command does correctly identify the files. However the file browser does not

Are you able to associate a file to an application using the previous file browser right click instructions. If not, which file browser are you using, and what is the file type?

Sorry, RichNS I guess we were both replying to original post at the same time. I was slow about committing (dang typos) mine.

[anakirob]

Are you able to associate a file to an application using the previous file browser right click instructions. If not, which file browser are you using, and what is the file type?

I am using the default file browser that comes with MATE, sorry I'm not sure of the exact name.

The files which are giving me the most grief are AHX music modules, which use a THX prefix by default when created in the AHX tracker program on an Amiga. No I am not able to associate an application with them unless I change the prefix to a suffix. The file browser is obviously identifying these files by the filename suffix and not the header.

But also the IFF suffix is used for both ILBM images and 8SVX samples and the default file browser identifies them both as IFF images.

The file command can correctly identify all of these files and more, but the file browser cannot

[deck_luck]

I use XFCE with Thunar, and I do not have access to a MATE machine. You might get a quicker response moving the thread to the MATE Section of the forum. If you do no know how to move the thread ask one of the moderators.