Finding MIME Types?

[Kale]

Anybody know whats the best way to find a MIME type for a given file with regard to email? I know the MIME type for a *.jpg file is 'image/jpeg' but how would any email app find these out? Is there a WinAPI command to access whats locally stored?

[traumatic]

Hmm... I don't understand the 'locally stored' bit of your question.
MIME-Types aren't a matter of APIs or OS-Installations.
They're defined in RFCs. RFC 2046 might be the right one for you.

Just have a search with your favourite searchengine using "mime + types" and I bet you'll find what you're looking for.

And don't trust in things people from Redmond might tell you!

[Kale]

I understand about the RFC docs, i've already been through a few 8O

I just wondered if there was something like a locally stored 'extension map file' within windows. something like this: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Softwa ... n-map.html i could parse to match extensions with MIME types. Where does Outlook Express, etc... find these type out from?

[traumatic]

Where does Outlook Express, etc... find these type out from?

I (only) guess it's defined. Did you try some extraordinary types?
Does Outlook really identify them or is there a "application/octet-stream" in the header?

[tinman]

If you go to the View menu in a Windows Explorer window, then Options, then file types and click on a type, you get a content type. So I think it would be stored somewhere, rather than every application having it's own table of things.

Running redegit then searching for "image/png" gives me a list of mime types stored in the registry.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\image/png

In there it also lists the extension. I'm guessing there is also a reverse method (extension to MIME type).

[Kale]

Yeah, thanks guys its all in the 'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT' folder, look for the extension in there then open the node and look for 'content type'. Some don't have registered mime types so i guess i could use a generic one for them.

[tinman]

could use a generic one for them. ;)

As traumatic mentioned "application/octet-stream" is a general binary 8-bits-per-symbol MIME type. Which is always better than defaulting to "text/plain" and having your browser trying to save binary files either with an extension (IE) or corrupting the data (NS4.7).

Gagh!

;)

[Kale]

This seems to work

Code: Select all

Procedure.s GetMIMEType(Extension.s)
    Extension = "." + Extension
    hKey.l = 0
    KeyValue.s = Space(255)
    datasize.l = 255
    If RegOpenKeyEx_(#HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, Extension, 0, #KEY_READ, @hKey)
        KeyValue = "application/octet-stream"
    Else
        If RegQueryValueEx_(hKey, "Content Type", 0, 0, @KeyValue, @datasize)
            KeyValue = "application/octet-stream"
        Else
            KeyValue = Left(KeyValue, datasize-1)
        EndIf
        RegCloseKey_(hKey)
    EndIf
    ProcedureReturn KeyValue
EndProcedure

key.s=GetMIMEType("gif")
MessageRequester("ReadLocalKey",key,0)