Just Solve the File Format Problem - User contributions [en]

ANSI Art

2026-02-13T20:33:49Z

Zzo38: Doorway mode

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Graphics
|extensions={{ext|ans}}, others
}}
'''ANSI Art''' is a variant on [[ASCII Art]] which uses [[ANSI escape code|ANSI escape sequences]] in addition to ASCII characters in order to do things like changing colors. It also uses characters from the [[MS-DOS encodings|IBM PC code page]] which aren't part of ASCII, allowing a wider range of characters including various graphical symbols and box-drawing characters. This sort of art was popular on bulletin board systems in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and in other communities through the early 2000s. It is still being made in small quantities today.

== Disambiguation ==
The term "ANSI Art" sometimes refers to the file format (text with ANSI control sequences), and sometimes to the artwork itself. In the latter sense, "ANSI Art" graphics might be stored in a file format other than ANSI Art format, such as [[BIN (Binary Text)|BIN]] or [[iCEDraw]].

== Format details ==
As far as we know, there is no formal specification of ANSI Art format. It has many variants and extensions, and there is usually no easy way to tell what variant you are dealing with.

In general, it consists of plain text interspersed with [[ANSI escape code|ANSI escape sequences]]. There may be [[SAUCE]] data at the end of the file. The text is usually (at least for English language artwork) encoded in [[CP437]]. The characters in the PC BIOS font at code points 1 through 31 are allowed, with some exceptions that are treated as [[C0 controls]] instead: 9 (tab), 10 (LF), 13 (CR), 26 (end of data), 27 (ESC). In the DOS world the behavior implemented in ansi.sys became the de facto standard. This includes some oddities, such as that clear screen also moves the cursor to the upper left corner (most implementations leaves the cursor in place). This is probably also the reason that code points below 32 are considered valid, since they are typed that way in DOS with ansi.sys loaded.

Older ANSI Art files sometimes begin with a "preamble" consisting of Email/Usenet headers, or other plain text metadata or comments. The preamble will be immediately erased by the ANSI codes, so it is invisible when the file is viewed in a normal way.

A few programs implement "doorway mode" which allows all character codes 0 to 31 to be displayed, although I think most programs that are not terminal emulators do not implement this mode (MegaZeux and cbgconv are two programs that do implement doorway mode).

== Specifications and references ==
For information about the escape codes used in ANSI Art files, see [[ANSI escape code#Specifications]]. Only documents with information specific to ANSI Art are listed here.

* [https://github.com/bbsninja/piece/blob/master/docs/format/ansi.txt piece: docs/format/ansi.txt]
* [http://picoe.ca/2014/03/07/24-bit-ansi/ 24-bit Ansi]
* [http://snisurset.net/code/abydos/ansi.html abydos information about ANSI graphics]

== Software ==
* [https://www.ansilove.org/ Ansilove]: Open-source tools to convert ANSI art and similar formats to [[PNG]] images
* [https://sourceforge.net/projects/acidview6-win32/ ACiD View]: ANSI art (and other format) viewer for Windows
* [[FFmpeg]]
* [http://picoe.ca/products/pablodraw/ PabloDraw]
* [http://www.andyh.org/moebius/ Moebius]
* [https://github.com/tehmaze/piece piece]
* [[Wikipedia:TheDraw|TheDraw (Wikipedia)]]
* [[MegaZeux]]
* See also GitHub repository zzo38/superzz0 files misc/cbgconv.c and misc/cbgconv.doc

== Sample files ==
* https://16colo.rs/
* [https://github.com/sixteencolors/sixteencolors-archive Sixteen Colors Archive at GitHub]
* [http://artscene.textfiles.com/ansi/ TEXTFILES: The ANSI Art Collection]
* http://cd.textfiles.com/darkdomain/artpacks/
* [http://bbs.ninja/ BBS Ninja]
* [https://artpacks.org/ Artpacks.org]
* {{DexvertSamples|image/ans}}
* {{HTTPS|:|/|/|archive.org/download/pain_cave_bbs_compilation/pain_cave_bbs.zip/pain_cave_bbs%2FBbsback%2F8%2FCNDRAW1.ZIP|CNDRAW1.ZIP}} → PAINCAVE.ANS
* {{HTTPS|:|/|/|archive.org/download/pain_cave_bbs_compilation/pain_cave_bbs.zip|The Pain Cave BBS File Section}}, contains some *.ANS files

== See also ==
* [[ANSI escape code]]
* [[ANSIMation]]
* [[AN2]]
* [[ArtWorx Data Format]]
* [[BIN (Binary Text)]]
* [[ComAnsi]]
* [[iCEDraw]]
* [[SAUCE]]
* [[sMAUG ANSI Executable]]
* [[TheDraw font]]
* [[TheDraw Save File]]
* [[XBIN]]

== Links ==
* [[Wikipedia:ANSI art|ANSI art (Wikipedia)]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNs1GChGDk Sixteen Colors: Video about ANSI art]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zpUb3mUExA Blocktronics ACiD Trip (2013)] (video of really huge ANSI art)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl9yejh92tc BBS: The Documentary Part 5 - Artscene] (video)
* [http://breakintochat.com/blog/2013/09/20/birthday-screens-using-gif-ansi-converters/ Birthday screens using GIF -> ANSI converters]

[[Category:Bulletin board systems]]
[[Category:File formats with too many extensions]]

ArtWorx Data Format

2026-02-13T20:21:16Z

Zzo38: cbgconv (it says ask for account but I have a account already)

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Graphics
|extensions={{ext|adf}}
|released=1996
}}
'''ArtWorx Data Format''' ('''ADF''') is a character graphics format associated with the ArtWorx [[ANSI Art]] editor. Its features are similar to those of [[XBIN]], except that it is not compressed.

The primary developer of ArtWorx was a person known as "HOOPTiE", or "HOOPTiE of Sector Logic". Other credits include "DREADLoC Design Crew", "Lord Cracker", "Black Knight", "Nivenh", "Stone The Crow", "Aphelion", "Neurotic", and "Misfit".

According to the change log, ADF support was new in ArtWorx v0.85 (1996-02).

== Identification ==
Moderately good identification of an ADF file from its contents is possible, but difficult.

The first byte of the file is the version number, and <code>0x01</code> seems to be the only possible version number.

The next 192 bytes are a palette. Each palette byte should have a value between 0x00 and 0x3f.

The next 4096 bytes are a font. Sometimes this is a standard VGA font that can be clearly identified. Sometimes it is partly or fully customized.

The remainder of the file should consist of a whole number of 80-character (160-byte) lines. So, the file size should be at least 4449, and should equal 129 (mod 160). But rare exceptions exist.

Some files end with a [[SAUCE]] record, in which case the effective file size needs to be read from one of the SAUCE fields. Unfortunately, ADF is not a format known to the SAUCE standard, so a SAUCE record is not good enough to identify ADF, and can even be misleading.

== Specifications ==
* [https://github.com/tehmaze/piece/blob/master/docs/format/artworx.txt ArtWorx Specification]
* {{CdTextfiles|darkdomain/programs/dos/editors/artx091a.zip|artx091a.zip}} → ADFVIEW.PAS (source code with comments)

== Software ==
* ArtWorx (with ADF support):
** v0.90 Rev. B (?): {{DiscMasterLink|browse/12423/equalizer-bbs-collection_2004.zip/equalizer-bbs-collection/ANSI-STUFF/ARTX090C.ZIP|ARTX090C.ZIP}}
** v0.91 Rev. A (?): {{CdTextfiles|darkdomain/programs/dos/editors/artx091a.zip|artx091a.zip}} (source code: {{CdTextfiles|darkdomain/programs/code/artx091a-s.zip|artx091a-s.zip}})
* ArtWorx (without ADF support, for reference):
** v0.50: {{CdTextfiles|thegreatunsorted/bbs_apps_and_stuff/ansi_graphics/aw050b.zip|aw050b.zip}}
** v0.65: {{DiscMasterLink|browse/43355/archives_thebbs_org.zip/ANSI%20Utilities/aw065b.zip|aw065b.zip}}
** v0.75 Rev. D (?): {{DiscMasterLink|browse/43355/archives_thebbs_org.zip/ANSI%20Utilities/awp075e.zip|awp075e.zip}}
* [https://www.ansilove.org/ Ansilove]
* [http://artscene.textfiles.com/viewers/dos/adfview.zip Quick ADF Viewer] (MS-DOS)
* [[FFmpeg]]
* {{Deark}}
* misc/cbgconv.c and misc/cbgconv.doc in GitHub repository named zzo38/superzz0

== Sample files ==
* {{CdTextfiles|darkdomain/programs/dos/editors/artx091a.zip|artx091a.zip}} → ARTX-LGO.ADF
* {{DexvertSamples|image/artworx}}

Elements of File Formats

2025-11-11T23:25:17Z

Zzo38: +OID

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|thiscat=Elements of File Formats
|image=Parts.jpg
}}
This section is for
* Common formats that make up only a small part of a file
* Ancillary knowledge that may be needed to help decode file formats

== Integers ==
* [[Binary-coded decimal]]
* [[Ones' complement]]
* [[Two's complement]]
* [[Variable-length quantity]]

See also [[:Category:Integer data types]].

== Floating point numbers ==
* [[Bfloat16]] (BF16) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bfloat16_floating-point_format]
* [[DEC64]]
* [[IEEE floating point]]
* [[Posit]]
* [[Unum]]

See also [[:Category:Floating point data types]].

== Time formats ==
Refer to [[Date and time formats]].

== Identifiers ==
* [[CLSID]]
* [[Domain name]]
** [[Top-level domain]]
* [[Filename]]
** [[Filename extension]]
* [[FourCC]]
* [[GUID]]
* [[IANA character set name]]
* [[IETF language tag]]
* [[ISO 3166-1 country code]]
* [[Macintosh type/creator code]]
* [[Magic]]
* [[OID]]
* [[RISC OS filetype]]
* [[ULID]]
* [[UUID]]
* [[Windows Language Code Identifier]]

== Graphics ==
* [[Color format]]
* [[Palettes]]

== Other ==
* [[ANSI escape code]]
* [[Base2]]
* [[Bit]]
* [[Bit order]]
* [[Byte]]
* [[Emacs file variable]]
* [[Endianness]] (little-endian, big-endian)
* [[File]]
* [[Polyglot]]
* [[Shebang]]

== See also ==
* [[Character encoding]]
* [[Compression]]
* [[Data type]]
* [[Date and time formats]]
* [[Digital Rights Management]]
* [[Encryption]]
* [[Error codes and messages]]
* [[Error detection and correction]]
* [[Naming and numbering systems]]
* [[Text-based data]]

[[Category:Information]]

OID

2025-11-11T23:24:12Z

Zzo38: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Elements of File Formats }} Category:Naming and numbering systems A object identifier (also called a OID) is a kind of hierarc..."

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Elements of File Formats
}}
[[Category:Naming and numbering systems]]

A object identifier (also called a OID) is a kind of hierarchical unique identifiers for many things, which is usable with [[ASN.1]].

== Decimal format ==
The decimal format consists if a sequence of natural numbers, normally written with dots in between. There must be at least two numbers, and the first number must be not greater than 2, and if the first number is less than 2 then the second number must be not greater than 39 (although the second number can be greater than 39 if the first number is 2). There is no limit of how big each number can be or how many numbers are allowed in the sequence.

The first number indicates if it is ITU or ISO, where 0 means ITU, 1 means ISO, and 2 means both.

== Binary format ==
The binary format is a nonempty sequence of bytes, such that: the last byte must have the high bit clear, the first byte cannot be 0x80, and any 0x80 cannot be immediately preceded by a byte with the high bit clear. This can also be written as a regular expression: <code>/^(([\x81-\xFF][\x80-\xFF]*)?[\x00-\x7F])+$/</code>

To convert from the decimal format to the binary format, you must first combine the first two numbers into one number by multiplying the first number by forty and adding the second number, and then convert them to big-endian base 128, with the high bit set of each byte of a number other than the last byte.

Talk:Naming and numbering systems

2025-11-11T23:10:57Z

Zzo38: Created page with "I think that there should be a division of which ones are used for identifying file formats (e.g. MIME types, Uniform Type Identifier, ULFI, etc)."

I think that there should be a division of which ones are used for identifying file formats (e.g. MIME types, Uniform Type Identifier, ULFI, etc).

ANSI Art

2025-09-17T19:20:26Z

Zzo38: Add MegaZeux and cbgconv

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Graphics
|extensions={{ext|ans}}, others
}}
'''ANSI Art''' is a variant on [[ASCII Art]] which uses [[ANSI escape code|ANSI escape sequences]] in addition to ASCII characters in order to do things like changing colors. It also uses characters from the [[MS-DOS encodings|IBM PC code page]] which aren't part of ASCII, allowing a wider range of characters including various graphical symbols and box-drawing characters. This sort of art was popular on bulletin board systems in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and in other communities through the early 2000s. It is still being made in small quantities today.

== Disambiguation ==
The term "ANSI Art" sometimes refers to the file format (text with ANSI control sequences), and sometimes to the artwork itself. In the latter sense, "ANSI Art" graphics might be stored in a file format other than ANSI Art format, such as [[BIN (Binary Text)|BIN]] or [[iCEDraw]].

== Format details ==
As far as we know, there is no formal specification of ANSI Art format. It has many variants and extensions, and there is usually no easy way to tell what variant you are dealing with.

In general, it consists of plain text interspersed with [[ANSI escape code|ANSI escape sequences]]. There may be [[SAUCE]] data at the end of the file. The text is usually (at least for English language artwork) encoded in [[CP437]]. The characters in the PC BIOS font at code points 1 through 31 are allowed, with some exceptions that are treated as [[C0 controls]] instead: 9 (tab), 10 (LF), 13 (CR), 26 (end of data), 27 (ESC). In the DOS world the behavior implemented in ansi.sys became the de facto standard. This includes some oddities, such as that clear screen also moves the cursor to the upper left corner (most implementations leaves the cursor in place). This is probably also the reason that code points below 32 are considered valid, since they are typed that way in DOS with ansi.sys loaded.

Older ANSI Art files sometimes begin with a "preamble" consisting of Email/Usenet headers, or other plain text metadata or comments. The preamble will be immediately erased by the ANSI codes, so it is invisible when the file is viewed in a normal way.

== Specifications and references ==
For information about the escape codes used in ANSI Art files, see [[ANSI escape code#Specifications]]. Only documents with information specific to ANSI Art are listed here.

* [https://github.com/bbsninja/piece/blob/master/docs/format/ansi.txt piece: docs/format/ansi.txt]
* [http://picoe.ca/2014/03/07/24-bit-ansi/ 24-bit Ansi]
* [http://snisurset.net/code/abydos/ansi.html abydos information about ANSI graphics]

== Software ==
* [https://www.ansilove.org/ Ansilove]: Open-source tools to convert ANSI art and similar formats to [[PNG]] images
* [https://sourceforge.net/projects/acidview6-win32/ ACiD View]: ANSI art (and other format) viewer for Windows
* [[FFmpeg]]
* [http://picoe.ca/products/pablodraw/ PabloDraw]
* [http://www.andyh.org/moebius/ Moebius]
* [https://github.com/tehmaze/piece piece]
* [[Wikipedia:TheDraw|TheDraw (Wikipedia)]]
* [[MegaZeux]]
* See also GitHub repository zzo38/superzz0 files misc/cbgconv.c and misc/cbgconv.doc

== Sample files ==
* https://16colo.rs/
* [https://github.com/sixteencolors/sixteencolors-archive Sixteen Colors Archive at GitHub]
* [http://artscene.textfiles.com/ansi/ TEXTFILES: The ANSI Art Collection]
* http://cd.textfiles.com/darkdomain/artpacks/
* [http://bbs.ninja/ BBS Ninja]
* [https://artpacks.org/ Artpacks.org]
* {{DexvertSamples|image/ans}}
* {{HTTPS|:|/|/|archive.org/download/pain_cave_bbs_compilation/pain_cave_bbs.zip/pain_cave_bbs%2FBbsback%2F8%2FCNDRAW1.ZIP|CNDRAW1.ZIP}} → PAINCAVE.ANS
* {{HTTPS|:|/|/|archive.org/download/pain_cave_bbs_compilation/pain_cave_bbs.zip|The Pain Cave BBS File Section}}, contains some *.ANS files

== See also ==
* [[ANSI escape code]]
* [[ANSIMation]]
* [[AN2]]
* [[ArtWorx Data Format]]
* [[BIN (Binary Text)]]
* [[ComAnsi]]
* [[iCEDraw]]
* [[SAUCE]]
* [[sMAUG ANSI Executable]]
* [[TheDraw font]]
* [[TheDraw Save File]]
* [[XBIN]]

== Links ==
* [[Wikipedia:ANSI art|ANSI art (Wikipedia)]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNs1GChGDk Sixteen Colors: Video about ANSI art]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zpUb3mUExA Blocktronics ACiD Trip (2013)] (video of really huge ANSI art)
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl9yejh92tc BBS: The Documentary Part 5 - Artscene] (video)
* [http://breakintochat.com/blog/2013/09/20/birthday-screens-using-gif-ansi-converters/ Birthday screens using GIF -> ANSI converters]

[[Category:Bulletin board systems]]
[[Category:File formats with too many extensions]]

SoundFX Macs Opera

2025-09-01T20:25:11Z

Zzo38: Information about another music format with ".cmf" extension

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Audio and Music
|extensions={{ext|cmf}}
}}

== Description ==

This is a music format used by some computer games such as Dimo's Quest.

== Identification ==

Files start with four ASCII characters "<code>A.H.</code>", and a game that uses it may include a file called <code>FXDRIVER.EXE</code>.

=== Playback ===
* AdPlug / AdPlay

Creative Music Format

2025-09-01T20:15:56Z

Zzo38: Identification

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Audio and Music
|extensions={{ext|cmf}}
}}

== Description ==

The Creative Music Format (CMF) was designed by Creative Labs for use with their Sound Blaster range of sound cards. It is structurally related to [[MIDI]], but allows custom instruments to be stored in the file itself.

== Identification ==

Files start with four ASCII characters "<code>CTMF</code>".

== Information ==

* [ftp://ftp.modland.com/pub/documents/format_documentation/Creative%20Music%20File%20(.cmf).txt Creative Labs File Formats (SBI/CMF/IBK)] ([http://www.textfiles.com/programming/FORMATS/cmf.txt Same file at textfiles.com])
* [ftp://ftp.modland.com/pub/documents/format_documentation/Creative%20Music%20File%20v1.10%20(.cmf).txt Creative Music File v1.10] ([http://www.textfiles.com/programming/FORMATS/cmf_form.txt Same file at textfiles.com, with newsgroup header from 1994])
* [http://www.shikadi.net/moddingwiki/CMF_Format ModdingWiki - CMF Format]

== Software ==

=== Conversion ===

* [http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/cmf2mid/ cmf2mid] (CMF to [[MIDI]])

=== Playback ===
* [http://adplug.github.io/ AdPlug / AdPlay]
* [http://www.shikadi.net/utils/xmms.html xmms-adlib] (source only)

== Sample files ==
* http://cd.textfiles.com/vgaspectrum/sound/ → cmf*/
* {{DexvertSamples|music/cmf}}

Category talk:File formats with extension .bnk

2025-05-24T01:43:15Z

Zzo38: Created page with "The DOS program "Sound Club" has its own .bnk format. The ROL.BNK file seems to be the AdLib instrument bank format, but there is also another file called SCLUB.BNK which is a..."

The DOS program "Sound Club" has its own .bnk format. The ROL.BNK file seems to be the AdLib instrument bank format, but there is also another file called SCLUB.BNK which is a different format (and I think contains wave sounds). I did not figure out the format but might do later; alternatively if anyone else has information they can add it. --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 01:43, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

Uxn program file

2024-07-16T04:41:54Z

Zzo38: Better explanation of the first byte of a uxn program file.

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Executables
|extensions={{ext|rom}}
}}

Uxn is a simple virtual machine. A Uxn program file is loaded into the virtual machine's memory starting at address 0x0100, and then execution starts at address 0x0100.

== Identification ==
A uxn program can potentially have any sequence of bytes, since any sequence is valid (there are no errors in uxn). However, it is most likely to have the first byte being 0x40, 0x60, 0x80, 0xA0, 0xC0, or 0xE0; others are not very useful as the first byte (if it is 0x00 then the program won't do anything, and anything else will read data from the stack (will will be meaningless data if nothing has been pushed to the stack already)).

A uxn file with metadata will have {{magic|A0 xx xx 80 06 37}} as the first six bytes, where the second and third bytes are a big-endian 16-bit address of the metadata (where the beginning of the file is address 0x0100).

== Links ==
* https://wiki.xxiivv.com/site/uxn.html

Shift-JIS

2024-02-12T21:24:53Z

Zzo38:

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Character encoding
|subcat2=JIS
|wikidata={{wikidata|Q286345}}
|charset=Shift_JIS
|charsetaliases=MS_Kanji, csShiftJIS
|mibenum=17
|cfstringencoding=2561
}}
'''Shift-JIS''' (Shift Japanese Industrial Standards) is an encoding primarily for Japanese characters, though Russian is also supported. It is based on [[JIS X 0201]] and [[JIS X 0208]], with both one and two byte characters, using all 8 bits of the bytes with some parts of the character encodings shifted from their original positions in order to avoid conflicts. The 7-bit portion of the one-byte characters is mostly the same as [[ASCII]], but with a yen sign added in place of the backslash.

== Links ==
* [http://www.kreativekorp.com/charset/encoding/ShiftJIS/ Code chart]
* [[Wikipedia:Shift JIS|Wikipedia article]]

[[Category:Cyrillic]]

User:Zzo38

2024-02-10T22:54:58Z

Zzo38:

I agree post all file public domain.

==Articles to be written (by myself or anyone else who has information)==
* [[Hero Hearts]] (and [[MESH:Hero]])
* [[Pokemon Showdown]]/PokePaste
* [[TempleOS]]
* [[TRON]]
** [[MicroScript]] (programming language)
** [[TRON disk format]]
* [[ASN.1]]

2023-08-07T06:08:37Z

Zzo38: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |extensions={{ext|bs}} }} Bikeshed is a spec preprocessor, for converting the Bikeshed format (which has some features of Markdown and ..."

2023-04-15T22:18:29Z

Zzo38:

TRON code

2023-04-15T21:05:15Z

Zzo38: Baronh alphabets

Just Solve the File Format Problem:Community portal

2023-01-05T21:13:08Z

Zzo38: Please do not make TLS mandatory. However, optional TLS is a good idea.

: ''please add your signature by typing <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> if you add or reply

== Open issues ==

Below is a list of "issues" which would ordinarily be in a ticketing system of some kind, but are here on the Wiki instead, because that's how we roll. As things are resolved, they will be moved to the Discussion page. If there's an appeal or an issue, the conversation can continue there - this page will be for open issues.

Use of case in URLS / links. I went through all the electronic format types pages, and tried to normalise all the pages where I could (there was a mix of link structures - I've tried to get them all (apart from animation - I've been at it all day!) so they are [[file extension]] - [[file type name]].
I notice that we have a mix of upper and lower case file extension through out. This means we may have 2 links which should point to the same URL (e.g. [[mix]] and [[MIX]]) is this a known issue with the current layout? --[[User:JaygattusoNLNZ|JaygattusoNLNZ]] ([[User talk:JaygattusoNLNZ|talk]]) 01:32, 20 November 2012 (UTC)
:Since you're linking both the extension and the name, does that mean that there are supposed to be separate articles for each? I don't know if there's really a need for "mainspace" articles by extension, since there are already categories for that purpose; you can browse them through [[:Category:File formats by extension]]. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 02:12, 20 November 2012 (UTC)
::I just copied the most common model that I found on the formats pages. The problem is, if you don't homogenize the method, the linking/crosslinking doesn't work properly. All instances of .doc (for example) should point to the same resource page / disambiguation page. If someone has linked to only format in one place (e.g. [[MS Word]] (.doc)), and someone else the extension (MS Word - [[doc]]), we can't makes sure they point to the same place. The problem occurs because format names and extensions are used interchangeably. You raise an interesting question about the relationship between the ext and the format name. I would argue they are not equal (1:1), nor (1:many) / (many:1) so it makes sense to protect both aspects as definable things - the extension because that's whats most commonly searched for and referred to by users and 'format name' because its more accurate. How is the [[:Category:File formats by extension]] populated? --[[User:JaygattusoNLNZ|JaygattusoNLNZ]] ([[User talk:JaygattusoNLNZ|talk]]) 18:31, 20 November 2012 (UTC)
:::The categories are inserted when you use the ext template in the infobox. My preference is to have articles by actual format name and use multiple navigation aids (menus, cats, etc.) to get to them. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 01:38, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

== Article naming convention ==

As mentioned above, there's some dispute over whether to name articles after the full name of a format or its file extension. If using full names, you then get into issues of whether to use the full technical name or a shorter thing that's more popularly used, and in some cases that's even the same as the extension (GIF, for instance). And you also get into tricky issues of capitalization: all-caps like an acronym, all-lowercase like filenames are often done (though this is OS-dependent; some, like MS-DOS, use all-uppercase), or mixed case (proper names capitalized)? And then there's the disambiguation issue of how to name articles on different things that have the same name, which happens sometimes even with long official names, but even more often with short acronyms and file extensions. But there's also yet another issue of which things get separate articles and which are combined, like formats that have had many different versions, etc.

Currently you have things like [[CI]] and [[CT]], recently-created articles that represent two different file types within the data of one type of music tracker. The spec document they link to is the same one, which documents all the file types used in that tracker. Unless there's going to be really a lot to say about each of the specific file types, my own preference would be to have one article called [[CyberTracker]] that discusses all the formats used by the program in question, with subheaders within the article for the different file types, and all the extensions listed in the infobox (and hence in associated categories). If any other indices by extension are built up, they'd also have entries for both CI and CT. For instance, when I documented [[Softdisk Family Tree]], I covered all the various file formats in one article, though there are several versions and multiple files for each. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 13:39, 21 November 2012 (UTC)
: I realise I'm as guilty of this as anyone, having used both forms at some point (e.g. [[Surprise! Adlib Tracker v2.0]] and [[CI]]). Indeed, the two articles - [[CI]] and [[CT]] - you refer to were created by me. I guess in general I would favour using a descriptive page name rather than simply the file extension - that seems to be something that's being taken care of by infoboxes and categories.

:On the issue of what gets a separate page and what doesn't, I guess that just comes down to individual discretion. There will be instances where a format has undergone a number of minor revisions over time or has a number of minor variants (e.g. the variant forms of Chaos Music Composer's [[CMC]]) where it would make sense to keep them all to a single page, while a major revision would necessitate a multi-page approach (e.g. the shift with Capella from the binary [[CAP]] to the XML-based [[CapXML]] format).

:However, I'm not sure I agree with [[CI]] and [[CT]] having a single [[CyberTracker]] page. While both link to the same spec document and both are used by the same program, they are different formats serving different purposes. I think in general we should try and distinguish between program and file format - [[S3M]] doesn't belong on the [[ScreamTracker]] page, although each should link to the other. [[User:Halftheisland|Halftheisland]] ([[User talk:Halftheisland|talk]]) 14:04, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

:Since the purpose of the wiki is to document file formats, I think it's good that as many formats as possible are listed in the category pages and that you can browse these pages for format extensions. Sometimes it might be better to link multiple extension to the same article (e.g. a specific application), but not always. I think it is difficult to come up with a strict rule for this (but maybe recommendations and, even better, good examples). --[[User:PN|PN]] ([[User talk:PN|talk]]) 15:08, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

::It's a judgment call, certainly. It depends on how the files are typically encountered, distributed, used, etc., and how they're thought of by people who use them; if a bunch of file types related to a particular program are usually found together as part of a larger data set, they most likely belong together in one article (with subsections to describe the function of the particular files), but if they're distinct entities with their own particular treatment (like separate areas of file trading sites for enthusiasts) they should have separate articles, though more descriptive names like "CyberTracker instrument file" might be better than a cryptic and likely ambiguous CI. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 15:46, 21 November 2012 (UTC)
::And then, somebody has also used a robot to create pages in a separate namespace devoted to file extensions, like [[Ext:cin]]. That's yet another navigational system for getting to information by extension, though those pages oddly don't actually have direct links to the normal pages here about those file formats. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 15:56, 21 November 2012 (UTC)
::: Yes, that was me with Bender the bot. Still experimenting with it and working on creating a list of all pages in relation to extensions. [[User:Maurice.de.rooij|Maurice.de.rooij]] ([[User talk:Maurice.de.rooij|talk]]) 15:22, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
::What I'd like to avoid is the messy format somebody did to a few index pages like [[Compression]], where each line has separately hyperlinked format names and extensions (not always in a consistent order) where often one or the other is a redlink, or one redirects to the other, or one is just a disambiguation page, making a somewhat confusing hodgepodge. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 16:22, 21 November 2012 (UTC)
:::I've started rearranging the Compression page to be a little less messy. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 16:56, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

== So now what? ==
The official month of this project is now over... what are the plans for the site now? It's made a good start at documenting file formats, but has a good long way to go yet. (A project like this can never possibly be "finished", since there are always more file formats coming out of the woodwork, both new ones that are introduced, and old ones that are discovered.) [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 05:10, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
: This is an awesome project and I will stay committed to it. Of course this first month is just a start. Let's roll people! [[User:Maurice.de.rooij|Maurice.de.rooij]] ([[User talk:Maurice.de.rooij|talk]]) 23:22, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

== Anybody else still around? ==
Everybody else seems to have vanished around the middle of December... I'm the only one editing here lately. I hate to put more effort into improving a ghost town... anyone else even reading this? [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 23:16, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

: I will be editing more once I get back to work - still don't have a home internet connection and working from the local library computers / girlfriend's netbook over public wi-fi is a pain. It would be nice to see more contributions from others - you can see how much work is left to do on the music section alone, and I've really only been creating stub entries for most things. [[User:Halftheisland|Halftheisland]] ([[User talk:Halftheisland|talk]]) 13:51, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

:Well, I still stop by on occasion, and I've vowed to use the site as my first stop when I come across a file format I don't recognize, but I never made any substantial additions, so I'm not sure if that gives you any useful information. (My edits were mostly technical or editorial.) [[User:Gphemsley|GPHemsley]] ([[User talk:Gphemsley|talk]]) 00:18, 13 January 2013 (UTC)

:I'll be editing from time-to-time. Currently a bit snowed under with other work, but planning to do more later in the year. Would also like to review the InfoBox(es) at some point, to ensure the information on this site can be reliably linked up to other information sources. [[User:AndyJackson|AndyJackson]] ([[User talk:AndyJackson|talk]]) 12:10, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

:I'm here. Like Andy, my workload is quite high, but I'll be popping in and out. --[[User:Rhetoric X|Rhetoric X]] ([[User talk:Rhetoric X|talk]]) 12:31, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

:Hi there! I sometimes add a word here or there. I must say this Wiki is pretty good now. Popular formats are nicely described and niche formats are just niche formats so it's sometimes hard to add anything about them. I think that maybe it would be helpful to start adding images to posts. An image explaining format details or a screenshot of an image editor may be a nice addition. What about algorithms in pseudo-code? --[[User:Tekkno|Tekkno]] ([[User talk:Tekkno|talk]]) 0:28, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

::A description of file formats and pseudo-codes would be helpful (although you do not necessarily need a picture). --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 05:19, 5 May 2019 (UTC)

== Spam ==

I see the spammers have found the site, as I worried would happen; I run a wiki myself ([http://mpedia.dan.info/ MPedia], about things related to Mensa) and have to constantly play whack-a-mole with them; even adding such annoyances (for legitimate users) as a captcha and e-mail confirmation seem to only slightly slow the spammers down. I don't know the solution. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 12:59, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

:...but "learn-to-read-Korean-in-15-minutes" is a legitimate addition, going to a comic strip explaining the [[Hangul]] writing system, which is in fact a legitimate article here since "file formats" is interpreted expansively to include human written languages. That link ''sounds'' a bit spammy, but if it was from a spammer, it would go to some page selling a dodgy language-learning tool, not a free-to-read resource! (It can start to get tricky distinguishing spam from legitimate stuff when you've got such a wide range of topics here to begin with! Once there's a huge flood of spam to get rid of, there's some danger of legitimate users getting caught in the net too.) [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 13:03, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

::Yes, it's incumbent on me to make sure we can have people sign up, and be a part of it, without getting spammers. We'll keep exploring. At least bots can't take us on.... I think.... --[[User:Jason Scott|Jason Scott]] ([[User talk:Jason Scott|talk]]) 19:28, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

:::If you've got some tips about how to configure MediaWiki to have open signups but not get the flood of spambots, let me know; that would help me with my own wiki. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 12:56, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

== Orphaned / Blank Pages ==

I've been making an attempt to clear up some of the orphaned pages, but there are a few I'm not sure of - maybe Dan or someone could sort them out?

* [[Emulation]]
* [[FAQ:File Format]]
* [[File format extensions list]] (seems to be used for the "ext:" pages but hasn't been updated)
* [[Library]]
* [[Original Plan]]
* [[RAD Game Tools]] (should probably have the individual formats moved to appropriate sections)
* [[Statistica]] (clearly belongs in Scientific Data formats, but I'm not sure where)

I've also come across a few pages that should probably be deleted - either because they've been blanked at some point (I know I did this to a few pages) or because they contain data duplicated elsewhere.

* [[AA]]
* [[Compressed executable (.com)]]
* [[SAP]]
* [[Barnes & Noble Fixed-layout Format]]

[[User:Halftheisland|Halftheisland]] ([[User talk:Halftheisland|talk]]) 10:41, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

:OK, I deleted those last three; I'll look at the others. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 12:58, 22 January 2013 (UTC)
:I put Statistica under "Mathematics" in the science category. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 13:02, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi Dan, got another one for you - I merged the info from [[ODS files created by Microsoft Office 2007 SP2]] into the main [[OpenDocument Spreadsheet]] page. [[User:Halftheisland|Halftheisland]] ([[User talk:Halftheisland|talk]]) 13:59, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Added Barnes & Noble to the list (made a bit of a mess and forgot about the rename feature) [[User:Johanvanderknijff|Johanvanderknijff]] ([[User talk:Johanvanderknijff|talk]]) 19:05, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

== Permissions for user pages ==

Is there any way we can get permission to delete sub-pages of our own user pages? I've been using mine to draft articles bit by bit, rather than release half-finished articles into the wild, and it would be nice to be able to remove the drafts once complete [[User:Halftheisland|Halftheisland]] ([[User talk:Halftheisland|talk]]) 12:43, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

:I'm not sure, but as an admin I can delete anything you ask. It might also be possible to use the Move function to move it directly into the intended place. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 16:45, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

== cd.textfiles.com ==
All the files on http://cd.textfiles.com/ disappeared a few days ago, breaking about a million links on this wiki. Does anyone have any information about that? [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 18:48, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

:As I recall from Jason's Twitter feed, he had some server problems, with most of his sites going down at least temporary, and most of them eventually coming back up, but maybe that one had a harder crash. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 19:50, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

== Broken image in footer ==
The "Creative Commons 0" image at the bottom of every page (https://www.mediawiki.org/w/skins/common/images/cc-0.png) is broken. Can that be fixed? [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 00:06, 10 July 2015 (UTC)
:Still broken 5 years later... Is this place even maintained? [[User:GoodClover|GoodClover]] ([[User talk:GoodClover|talk]]) 23:23, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
::Ok so it appears it should probably be [https://licensebuttons.net/l/zero/1.0/88x31.png this image], it matches the 88x31px that the HTML claims the image would be if it was there. Who maintains this site so it can be fixed? [[User:GoodClover|GoodClover]] ([[User talk:GoodClover|talk]]) 00:01, 13 March 2021 (UTC)
:::I guess that would be Jason Scott. I'm an admin, but if I have any ability to edit that part of the site I have no idea how. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 01:31, 13 March 2021 (UTC)

== Wikipedia links ==
At least in my geographical area, Wikipedia has been redirecting "http:" links to "https:". So, all of the <nowiki>[[Wikipedia:...]]</nowiki> links in this wiki are getting redirected. Could/should we change these links to use "https:" directly?

The magic "RFC" links like RFC 822 could also use https:, though the http: links still work. [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 00:10, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

== Google Code ==
We still have around 50 articles that link to Google Code. My understanding is that the next phase of Google Code's shutdown process will happen on 2016-01-25 (two weeks from today). It would be good to update as many of these as possible before then.
* [http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Special%3ALinkSearch&target=http%3A%2F%2Fcode.google.com&namespace= links to http://code.google.com]
* [http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Special%3ALinkSearch&target=https%3A%2F%2Fcode.google.com&namespace= links to https://code.google.com]
[[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 21:05, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

== Cleanup of top-level categories ==
(Call for objections.) I want to do some cleanup of the [[:Category:Top Level Categories|top-level categories]], and make sure there's at least one category for virtually every article. (See [[Special:UncategorizedPages]].) My plans:
* A new "Meta" category, for articles about the File Formats Wiki (e.g. [[FAQ]], [[Original Plan]], [[Statement of Project]], [[Main Page]], ...).
* Rename the [[:Category:Geek humor|Geek humor]] category to "Humor"
* Remove the [[:Category:Computer facts|Computer facts]] category
* A new "Information" category, for relevant informative articles ([[Ontology]], [[Patents]], ...) that don't have a more suitable top-level category.
* Maybe someday: A category named "Devices", or "Hardware", or even "Things". Most computers and [[Networked devices]] just aren't formats, IMHO. (But I'm not going to delete the infobox from all the "Networked devices" articles. If we can't figure out a way to have infoboxes for nonformats, then I'll leave them be.)
[[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 15:56, 1 June 2017 (UTC)

[[Category:Meta]]

== Love It! ==
Hi there, kudos to all you guys who helped create this valuable resource. Wikipedia is such a snob when it comes to detailed technical documentation so this wiki is a lifesaver. I added a few things to:

* [[SWF#Software]]
* [[FLA#Software]]
* [[BSON#Libraries]]

Thanks again!

PS: Can the "thumbs up" icon be changed to something better? Do you want me to design a possible logo?

[[User:Hgupta|Hgupta]] ([[User talk:Hgupta|talk]]) 05:42, 17 August 2017 (UTC)

:Nice work! As for the thumb icon, you'd have to ask Jason Scott, the owner of this site (and the one who put the thumb up). [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 13:02, 17 August 2017 (UTC)

:I support the idea of changing the logo. [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 16:08, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

== What time is it? ==
I'm making this edit at 17:10 UTC, but the timestamp is: [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 17:25, 2 May 2018 (UTC)
:"Does anybody really know what time it is; does anybody really care?" -- Chicago
[posted at 01:20 UTC; let's see when it thinks it is] [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 01:36, 3 May 2018 (UTC)

== Type / Creator codes ==

Curious what everyone's thoughts are on collecting Type/Creator Codes for Macintosh formats. There seems to be a few attempts at doing this around the webs. Is there a way here to gather them all into one area of the wiki? --[[User:Thorsted|Thorsted]] ([[User talk:Thorsted|talk]]) 17:46, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

* [[Wikipedia:Type_code|Type Code : Wikipedia]]
* [[Wikipedia:Creator_code|Creator Code : Wikipedia]]
* [http://www.lacikam.co.il/tcdb/ TCDBx unmaintained]
* [https://vintageapple.org/macprogramming/pdf/The_Programmers_Apple_Mac_Sourcebook_1989.pdf The Programmers Apple Mac Sourcebook]
* [https://www.macdisk.com/macsigen.php Mac Signatures]

:Maybe do it similar to how file extensions are handled, as an item in the infobox that links to a category? [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 19:09, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

::An article for Mac type/creator codes has been on my to-do list for a while, so we could at least do that, and see if there's any interest in listing lots of codes there. Should it be one article, or two? FormatInfo already has a "type code" param that is supposed to be for the Mac code. Maybe we are supposed to make a "Type Code" template to go along with it, so we can do like "<nowiki>|type code={{Type Code|XXXX}}</nowiki>". [[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 21:07, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

:::If they were listed in a single article as opposed to a series of categories, I don't see what there would be for a template would do. In that case, the text on the left side of the infobox could link to the list page (although this might be ugly). (It would be convenient if there was something between the complexity of the MediaWiki category system and a list page, but I don't think anything like that exists in a plain Mediawiki installation.) [[User:Effect2|Effect2]] ([[User talk:Effect2|talk]]) 21:30, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

::Even if they went into the infobox, the category system could potentially be left out out, as is currently done with FOURCCs and MIMETypes (the latter links to an external database, but whether anything is there is based on luck more than anything else, as there are so many unregistered mimetypes). These can still be found with the wiki's search feature. [[User:Effect2|Effect2]] ([[User talk:Effect2|talk]]) 21:13, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

:::And there's also the Creator Code, as noted above; that refers to what program created the file, so there might be several associated with one file type code (and several file type codes associated with one creator). Perhaps there needs to be a section of the article listing all the code values associated with a given format and/or program (depending on what's covered by the article). [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 21:44, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

::I like the idea of at least a uniform template for using codes within format descriptions. Since most of the files from the early macintosh days don't have an extension, unless they were cross platform and the Windows extension is used, then the only way to identify the file is from its Type/Creator code. I don't think Apple ever released the full registry, but some estimates are well over 50,000 entries.--[[User:Thorsted|Thorsted]] ([[User talk:Thorsted|talk]]) 03:24, 5 May 2019 (UTC)

== Reverse engineering formats ==
I am trying to reverse engineer some formats. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. My most recent attempt is:
* http://fileformats.archiveteam.org/wiki/DGI_(Digi-Pic)

Maybe we can do this together instead of everyone here focusing on different things? Also is there a better way to discuss things than writing here?
[[User:Tekkno|Tekkno]] ([[User talk:Tekkno|talk]]) 01:39, 9 May 2019 (UTC)

:You should set up a NNTP for reverse engineering file formats discussions (if there isn't already the appropriaate newsgroup). (I had done some of my own reverse engineering file formats too, but I have not set up a NNTP to discuss them. I do have a NNTP server, so you can suggest newsgroups there if wanted, I suppose) --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 21:26, 23 August 2021 (UTC)

== CAPTCHA ==

AT is no longer on EFnet: https://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Archiveteam:IRC#Special_ArchiveTeam_IRC_rules [[User:Arlo James Barnes|Arlo James Barnes]] ([[User talk:Arlo James Barnes|talk]]) 02:57, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

: This is a pretty serious problem. Are there any plans to fix it? -[[User:Jsummers|Jsummers]] ([[User talk:Jsummers|talk]]) 16:22, 12 November 2020 (UTC)

:: <del>Seems like it has been fixed, by removing the CAPTCHA altogether.</del> [2021-12-30 edit: I spoke too soon; still 'efnet'.] Let's all keep a keen eye out for spamdalism. [[User:Arlo James Barnes|Arlo James Barnes]] ([[User talk:Arlo James Barnes|talk]]) 03:33, 23 November 2020 (UTC)

== [[special:interwiki]] ==
don't see it at [[special:specialpages]]? [[User:Arlo James Barnes|Arlo James Barnes]] ([[User talk:Arlo James Barnes|talk]]) 02:57, 8 November 2020 (UTC)

== List of my idea what maybe should be added on ==
My idea of what things I think that probably should be added on (when someone has the information of it to add):
* TRON character encoding
* TRON Application Databus
* BANCStar
* C67 (music)
(I might add a few others later if I will remember some more later, too) --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 09:30, 31 July 2021 (UTC)

==Hello==
I’ve joined and made a few edits. Starting with the Linux page by modification of the attribution of Linux to iOS, which is BSD.
Mad a few tweaks to HLP by creating a page for the source file.
As a retro tech enthusiast I think I could help a bit on some of the older files. Especially tape and disk formats; then, and their modern emulation files. As well as format info.
You can take a look at the original writeup I did here [http://wiki.digital-digest.com/index.php?title=History_of_AV]. Thought it has errors and is considerably lacking many formats.

==SSL and SEO==
SSL has been a factor in web site indexing for a while https://security.googleblog.com/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal_6.html. Anecdotally I am seeing this more profoundly with personal websites. I wonder if Just Solved can be upgraded to HTTPS sometime in the near future. This should help SEO rankings which benefits us all as it attracts more users. It also protects us using the site too. [[User:Ross-spencer|Ross-spencer]] ([[User talk:Ross-spencer|talk]]) 07:34, 3 January 2023 (UTC)

:You'd have to ask Jason about this server-level stuff. [[User:Dan Tobias|Dan Tobias]] ([[User talk:Dan Tobias|talk]]) 16:16, 3 January 2023 (UTC)

:Please do not make TLS mandatory. However, optional TLS is a good idea. --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 21:13, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

==Mediawiki version==
What are the plans to upgrade this site? Wikimedia is currently at 1.38, Just Solved File Formats is 1.19 with it's dependencies MySQL and PHP somewhat far behind current standards too. [[User:Ross-spencer|Ross-spencer]] ([[User talk:Ross-spencer|talk]]) 07:34, 3 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:Fictional file formats

2022-12-27T22:34:29Z

Zzo38: Created page with "In some cases, fictional file formats that are described sufficiently within the story might later be implemented as real formats on a computer. (I have done this with a Morse..."

In some cases, fictional file formats that are described sufficiently within the story might later be implemented as real formats on a computer. (I have done this with a Morse-code-based picture format used in Murdoch Mysteries in one episode.) How should these be listed? --[[User:Zzo38|Zzo38]] ([[User talk:Zzo38|talk]]) 22:34, 27 December 2022 (UTC)

Quite OK Image Format

2022-12-16T22:46:14Z

Zzo38:

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Graphics
|extensions={{ext|qoi}}
|released=2021
}}
'''Quite OK Image Format''' ('''QOI''') is a raster image file format. It was developed by Dominic Szablewski.

Its compression scheme ([[run-length encoding|RLE]] with some bells and whistles) is designed to be faster and simpler than that of formats like [[PNG]], while having a file size that is only moderately larger.

== Identification ==
Files begin with ASCII "{{magic|qoif}}".

== Specifications ==
* [https://qoiformat.org/qoi-specification.pdf The Quite OK Image Format Specification]
* [https://github.com/phoboslab/qoi/blob/master/qoi.h qoi.h], "Data Format" section

== Software ==
* [https://github.com/phoboslab/qoi Reference software at GitHub]
* [[Farbfeld Utilities]] (qoiff; read-only)

== Links ==
* [https://qoiformat.org/ Website]
* [https://phoboslab.org/log/2021/11/qoi-fast-lossless-image-compression Announcement]

[[Category:Compression research]]

Farbfeld Utilities

2022-12-16T22:46:11Z

Zzo38: Quite OK Image Format

{|
|[[Software]]
| >
|[[Graphics software]]
| >
|[[Farbfeld Utilities]]
|}

'''Farbfeld Utilities''' is an public domain open source image processing toolkit, originally released in 2016. Its own native format is [[farbfeld]], although this is not the first program to use that format.

Most of the utilities are self-contained, although a few use other libraries, such as the PNG encoder and decoder uses LodePNG (which is included).

== External links ==/
* [http://zzo38computer.org/fossil/farbfeld.ui/ Farbfeld Utilities web site]

== Format cross-reference ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Read util.
! Write util.
! Description and remarks
! Refer to
|-
| avsff || ffavs || Stardent AVS X image || [[AVS X image]]
|-
| bitff || ffbit || Various raw bitwise indexed colour formats ||
|-
| bldff || || MegaPaint || [[MegaPaint BLD]]
|-
| bmpff || || Microsoft Windows bitmap || [[BMP]]
|-
| cgaff || || IBM PC CGA video memory dump ||
|-
| cutff || ffcut || Dr. Halo .CUT || [[Dr. Halo CUT]]
|-
| drcsff || || DEC VT320 font ||
|-
| faxff || fffax || Fax (both varieties of Group 3, and also Group 4) || [[CCITT Group 3]]/[[CCITT Group 4]]
|-
| fhmff || || Free Hero Mesh || [[Free Hero Mesh class resource file]]
|-
| fuunff || || Fuun RNA ||
|-
| gemicnff || || GEM icon file || 
|-
| gifff || || Graphics Interchange Format (no animation yet) || [[GIF]]
|-
| gleff || || AMI BIOS Energy Star logo format || [[GLE]]
|-
| grobff || || HP-48 graphics object (both binary and ASCII, but some files somehow don't work) || [[GROB]]
|-
| jefff || || Janome Embroidery Format ||
|-
| jpegff || ffjpeg || JPEG (extra compression options, but no 12-bits or arithmetic) || [[JPEG]]
|-
| kapff || || BSB/KAP nautical charts || [[BSB]]
|-
| macff || || MacPaint || [[MacPaint]]
|-
| makiff || || MAKI-chan (currently MKI format only) || [[MAKIchan Graphics]]
|-
| mbff || || Hero Mesh puzzle set ||
|-
| mcff || ffmc || Macrocell format (Golly) || [[Macrocell]]
|-
| || ffmiff || ImageMagick format || [[MIFF]]
|-
| morseff || ffmorse || Each dots/dashes of [[Morse code]] are pixels (also used once in Murdoch Mysteries) ||
|-
| mppff || ffmpp || Multi Palette Picture (Atari ST) || [[Multi Palette Picture]]
|-
| mrfff || ffmrf || Monochrome Recursive Format || [[MRF (Monochrome Recursive Format)]]
|-
| mzmff || ffmzm || MegaZeux layer-mode MZM || [[MZM]]
|-
| neoff || || NEOchrome (Atari ST) || [[NEOchrome]]
|-
| || ffnrrd || Nearly Raw Raster Data || [[NRRD]]
|-
| pbmff || ffpbm || Netpbm formats (1-6) || [[Netpbm formats]]
|-
| || ffpbm || Portable Arbitrary Map || [[Portable Arbitrary Map]]
|-
| pmartff || || Palette Master (Atari ST) || [[Palette Master]]
|-
| pngff || ffpng || Portable Network Graphics || [[PNG]]
|-
| pngff || || iPhone PNG || [[CgBI]]
|-
| psff || || PostScript || [[PostScript]]
|-
| psytcff || ffpsytc || Psycopathicteen Tile Compressor (an experimental format for Super Nintendo) ||
|-
| qoiff || || Quite OK Image Format || [[Quite OK Image Format]]
|-
| rfntff || || RawFont ||
|-
| rgbff || || Raw true colour formats || [[Raw bitmap]]
|-
| sinqlff || || Sinclair QL || [[Sinclair QL screen]]
|-
| || ffsixel || Sixel || [[Sixel]]
|-
| timaskff || fftimask || TeXnicard image mask || [[TeXnicard image mask]]
|-
| vecff || || DRAWX vector graphics || [[DRAWX Vector Graphics]]
|-
| xbmff || ffxbm || X bitmap image || [[XBM]]
|-
| xorlff || ffxorl || XORLINES-2 ||
|-
| xpmff || ffxpm || X pixmap image (can read and write all three formats) || [[XPM]]
|-
| xyzff || ffxyz || RPG Maker 2000/2003 .XYZ || [[XYZ (RPG Maker)]]
|-
| xzipff || ffxzip || Z-machine XZIP Picture Library || [[Z-machine XZIP Picture Library]]
|-
| zxff || || ZX Spectrum (including Timex format) || [[SCR (ZX Spectrum)]]
|-
| zztff || || ZZT world or save game file || [[ZZT]]
|}

[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Graphics]]

Uxn program file

2022-11-03T23:41:30Z

Zzo38: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Executables |extensions={{ext|rom}} }} Uxn is a simple virtual machine. A Uxn program file is loaded into the virtual machine's me..."

TRON

2022-08-05T23:51:37Z

Zzo38: Make the things related to TRON Project listed indented below the main list, to be clearly which ones are related.

'''TRON''' may refer to:
* [[TRON Project]], and the associated operating system kernel [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRON_project]
** [[TRON code]]
** [[TRON time]]
** [[TRON Application Databus]]
* TRON blockchain, and TRX/Tronix cryptocurrency [https://tron.network/]
* Tron - A DOS utility that decompresses [[executable compression]] formats
* Tron - A 1982 science fiction movie, and associated franchise

{{disambiguation}}

2021-12-17T03:42:08Z

Zzo38: also

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Miscellaneous File Formats
|extensions={{ext|tad}}
}}

This is the file format used in [[TRON]]. The file can contain text (with its own character encoding), graphics (both raster and vector graphics), and other things, including specification of page layout, and application specific data (with a 48-bit application ID number).

Most of the available information about this file format is Japanese, and the known files also are Japanese.

A TRON archive file usually has extension <code>.bpk</code>. (Should there be a separate article?) The known files of this type uses a FIG segment, a DFUSEN segment with application ID <code>8000.c003.8000</code>, and then a FIGEND segment. (The data of the DFUSEN segment of <code>.bpk</code> archive file seems to be compressed data, but I don't know what compression it uses.)

==Identification==
A small-endian TRON file will start by: {{magic|e0 ff 06 00 00 00 02 00 21 01}} (or at least the first two bytes will be). (This is a INFO segment; the first segment is always a INFO segment.)

After the INFO segment, usually the rest of the file will either be enclosed by a TEXT and TEXTEND segment or a FIG and FIGEND segment.

==Sample files==
* [http://www.tad-wg.jp/tad-ex/sst.tad File containing a diagram] ([http://www.tad-wg.jp/tad-ex/tad2png.png Render as PNG])

==See also==
* [[TRON code]]

TRON code

2021-12-11T07:41:04Z

Zzo38:

Character encoding

2021-12-11T07:30:05Z

Zzo38: +TRON code

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|thiscat=Character encoding
|image=Characters.png
}}
'''Character Encodings''' are methods of representing characters of text, usually as numeric values which can be stored on computers as bits and bytes, but sometimes in other things (e.g., [[Braille]] represents them as patterns of raised dots). Sometimes they're also referred to as "character sets", but purists will make a distinction in that, strictly speaking, a character set is merely a repertoire of characters, the list of characters supported by some system, protocol, or file format, without it necessarily having any inherent order or numbering system. A character encoding assigns specific values (in some coding system) to each character. However, the distinction can get vague and fuzzy; there are multiple levels of abstraction ([[Unicode]] includes a set of defined characters as well as assigned numeric code points for each, but leaves it to other more specific encodings such as [[UTF-8]] to define the specific bits/bytes that represent them in a file), and some protocols even use parameter names such as 'charset' to indicate which character ''encoding'' is in use, so the terminology can slip and slide even in "tech" uses. This section documents all the various sorts of character sets/encodings of any sort.

See [[Fonts]] for the renditions of character encodings as seen on screens and printouts. The appearance of a character is known as a "glyph", and a font consists of a set of glyphs mapped onto the more abstractly-defined characters as included in the character set that is part of a character encoding.

== Specific character sets or encodings ==

* [[Adobe Standard Encoding]]
* [[Amstrad CP/M Plus character set]]
* [[ANSEL]]
** [[MARC-8]]
* [[APL code page]]
** [[CP293]] · [[CP907]]
* [[Apple II character set]]
* [[ARMSCII]]
* [[ASCII]]
* [[ATASCII]] (used by Atari computers)
* [[Baudot code]]
* [[Big5]]
** [[Windows Big5]]
* [[Braille]]
** [[BRF]]
** [[Nemeth Code]]
** [[Taylor Code]]
* [[CNS 11643]]
* [[Compucolor character set]]
* DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation)
** [[DEC Special Graphics Character Set]]
** [[PDP-1 alphanumeric codes]]
* [[EBCDIC]]
** [[CP001]] · [[CP037]] · [[CP037-2]] · [[CP256]] · [[CP285]] · [[CP293]] · [[CP423]] · [[CP424]] · [[CP500]] · [[CP875]] · [[CP1026]] · [[CP1047]] · [[CP1140]] · [[CP1146]] · [[CP1148]] · [[CP1155]] · [[CP4971]] · [[CP8616]] · [[CP9067]] · [[CP12712]] · [[EBCDIC 6-Bit]] · [[UTF-EBCDIC]]
* [[Flag semaphore]]
* [[GB 2312]]
* IBM: See EBCDIC, MS-DOS Encodings, and APL Code Page elsewhere in this list
* [[ISO 646]]
** [[ISO 646-CA]] · [[ISO 646-CA2]] · [[ISO 646-CH]] · [[ISO 646-CN]] · [[ISO 646-CU]] · [[ISO 646-DE]] · [[ISO 646-DK]] · [[ISO 646-ES]] · [[ISO 646-ES2]] · [[ISO 646-FI]] · [[ISO 646-FR]] · [[ISO 646-FR1]] · [[ISO 646-GB]] · [[ISO 646-HU]] · [[ISO 646-IE]] · [[ISO 646-IRV]] · [[ISO 646-IS]] · [[ISO 646-IT]] · [[ISO 646-JP]] · [[ISO 646-JP OCR-B]] · [[ISO 646-KR]] · [[ISO 646-MT]] · [[ISO 646-NL]] · [[ISO 646-NO]] · [[ISO 646-NO2]] · [[ISO 646-PL]] · [[ISO 646-PT]] · [[ISO 646-PT2]] · [[ISO 646-SE]] · [[ISO 646-SE2]] · [[ISO 646-US]] · [[ISO 646-TW]] · [[ISO 646-YU]]
* [[ISO 2022]]
** [[ISO 2022-CN]] · [[ISO 2022-CN-EXT]] · [[ISO 2022-JP]] · [[ISO 2022-JP-1]] · [[ISO 2022-JP-2]] · [[ISO 2022-JP-3]] · [[ISO 2022-JP-2004]] · [[ISO 2022-KR]]
* [[ISO 8859]]
** [[ISO 8859-1]] · [[ISO 8859-2]] · [[ISO 8859-3]] · [[ISO 8859-4]] · [[ISO 8859-5]] · [[ISO 8859-6]] · [[ISO 8859-7]] · [[ISO 8859-8]] · [[ISO 8859-9]] · [[ISO 8859-10]] · [[ISO 8859-11]] · [[ISO 8859-13]] · [[ISO 8859-14]] · [[ISO 8859-15]] · [[ISO 8859-16]]
* [[ISO-IR-165]]
* [[JIS]]
** [[JIS X 0201]]
** [[JIS X 0208]]
** [[JIS X 0212]]
** [[JIS X 0213]]
** [[Shift-JIS]]
* [[KS X 1001]]
* [[KOI7]]
* [[KOI8]]
** [[KOI8-CS]] (Czechoslovakia)
** [[KOI8-R]] (Russia)
** [[KOI8-U]] (Ukraine)
* [[Macintosh encodings]]
** [[MacCE]] · [[MacCyrillic]] · [[MacDingbats]] · [[MacGreek]] · [[MacGujarati]] · [[MacGurmukhi]] · [[MacIcelandic]] · [[MacRoman]] · [[MacRomanian]] · [[MacSymbol]] · [[MacThai]] · [[MacTurkish]]
* [[Mattel Aquarius character set]]
* [[Morse code]]
* [[MS-DOS encodings]] (IBM PC code pages)
** [[CP437]] · [[CP737]] · [[CP775]] · [[CP850]] · [[CP851]] · [[CP852]] · [[CP855]] · [[CP857]] · [[CP860]] · [[CP861]] · [[CP862]] · [[CP863]] · [[CP864]] · [[CP865]] · [[CP866]] · [[CP869]] · [[CP872]] · [[CP17248]]
* [[Palm OS character set]]
* [[PETSCII]] (or PET ASCII or CBM ASCII; used by Commodore computers)
* [[TRON code]]
* [[Unicode]]
** [[BOCU-1]]
** [[CESU-8]]
** [[GB18030]]
** [[Punycode]]
** [[SCSU]]
** [[UCS-2]]
** [[UTF-1]]
** [[UTF-7]]
** [[UTF-8]]
** [[UTF-9]]
** [[UTF-16]]
** [[UTF-18]]
** [[UTF-32]] (UCS-4)
** [[UTF-EBCDIC]]
** [[WTF-8]]
* [[VISCII]]
* [[Windows encodings]]
** [[Windows 1250]] · [[Windows 1251]] · [[Windows 1252]] · [[Windows 1253]] · [[Windows 1254]] · [[Windows 1255]] · [[Windows 1256]] · [[Windows 1257]] · [[Windows 1258]] · [[Windows Big5]] (Windows 950)
* [[YUSCII]]
* [[ZSCII]], used in Infocom games

== Format details ==
* [[Byte Order Mark]]
* [[C0 controls]] (ASCII control characters, 7 bit)
* [[C1 controls]] (extended control characters, 8 bit)

== Character encoding naming and numbering systems ==
* [[Code page identifier]]
* [[IANA character set name]]

== Character escape codes ==
(used to enter characters in various systems and formats)
* [[Alt codes]] (DOS/Windows)
* [[Backslash escapes]] (used in various programming and markup languages)
* [[HTML character references]] (entities and numeric values)
See also [[ANSI escape code]].

==Character memory storage types==
===C++===
* [[char (C++)]] at least 8 bits
* [[char16_t]] no less than 16 bits, no less than char
* [[char32_t]] no less than 32 bits, no less than char16_t
* [[wchar_t]] whatever the largest block of addressable memory happens to be on the system

====GLib library====
* [[gchar]] (8 bit, same as C char)
* [[guchar]] (8 bit, same as C unsigned char)
* [[gunichar]] Unicode character (32 bit)
* [[gunichar2]] (16 bit)

===Java Virtual Machine===
* [[char (Java)]] exactly 16 bits that represent [[UCS2]]
* [[java.lang.Character]] exactly 16 bits that represent [[UCS2]] wrapped in an object

===.Net framework===
* [[System.Char]] exactly 16 bits that represent [[UCS2]] (This is C#'s char)

===Pascal===
Traditionally, Pascal stored 8-bit characters (in system-specific character sets), and some implementations also had a 'string' type that was an array of characters with the zeroth element containing the number of characters in the string (maximum 255). Newer Pascal implementations have a variety of other types. [http://wiki.freepascal.org/Character_and_string_types]

===QuickBasic===
There is no single character datatype. (There's STRING that holds up to 32767 characters assumed to be 1 byte each).

====Scala====
Both char and scala.Char are wrappers around [[Java bytecode|JVM]]'s original types.

== Tools ==
* [http://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/ GNU libiconv]
* [https://apr.apache.org/ APR-iconv]
* [http://site.icu-project.org/ ICU]
* [https://github.com/pinard/Recode Recode]
* [http://www.kreativekorp.com/software/recode/ Kreative Recode: software to convert character encodings]
* [https://cryptii.com/pipes/binary-to-text Binary to text converter]
* [https://www.convertbinary.com/ Text to binary converter]

== Commentary and satire ==
* [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No Excuses!)] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Spolsky Joel Spolsky]
* [http://moriel.smarterthanthat.com/tips/the-language-double-take-dealing-with-bidirectional-text-or-wait-tahw/ The Language Double-Take: Dealing with Bidirectional Text (or: Wait, ?tahW)]
* [http://geoff.greer.fm/2012/08/12/character-encoding-bugs-are-%F0%9D%92%9Cwesome/ Character encoding bugs are 𝒜wesome!]
* [http://xkcd.com/1209/ xkcd: Encoding]
* [http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6872071/8-new-and-necessary-punctuation-marks 8 New Punctuation Marks We Desperately Need]
* [http://mentalfloss.com/article/50380/8-symbols-we-turned-words 8 Symbols We Turned Into Words]
* [https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/i-can-text-you-a-pile-of-poo-but-i-cant-write-my-name I Can Text You A Pile of Poo, But I Can’t Write My Name]

== Other external links ==
* [http://www.kreativekorp.com/charset/ Lots of character encoding charts]
* [http://www.transbay.net/~enf/ascii/ascii.pdf The Evolution of Character Codes, 1874–1968]
* [http://www.kreativekorp.com/charset/ Collection of character encodings]
* [https://www.iana.org/assignments/character-sets/character-sets.xhtml IANA official character set list]
* [https://www.itscj.ipsj.or.jp/itscj_english/iso-ir/ISO-IR.pdf International register of escape sequences]

== References ==
* Ken Lunde, ''CJKV Information Processing'', O'Reilly 2008, ISBN 978-0-596-51447-1 (has lots of information on encodings and Unicode in general, not only for CJKV locales)
* [http://archive.org/details/bitsavers_ibm3270GA2SetReferenceApr87_34686991 IBM 3270 character set reference (1987)]

TRON code

2021-12-11T07:29:27Z

Zzo38: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Character encoding }} This article describes the character encoding used in TRON. Unlike Unicode, it does not use the Han u..."

TRON Application Databus

2021-12-11T02:58:16Z

Zzo38: Sample files

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|extensions={{ext|tad}}
}}

This is the file format used in [[TRON]]. The file can contain text (with its own character encoding), graphics (both raster and vector graphics), and other things, including specification of page layout, and application specific data (with a 48-bit application ID number).

Most of the available information about this file format is Japanese, and the known files also are Japanese.

A TRON archive file usually has extension <code>.bpk</code>. (Should there be a separate article?) The known files of this type uses a FIG segment, a DFUSEN segment with application ID <code>8000.c003.8000</code>, and then a FIGEND segment. (The data of the DFUSEN segment of <code>.bpk</code> archive file seems to be compressed data, but I don't know what compression it uses.)

==Identification==
A small-endian TRON file will start by: {{magic|e0 ff 06 00 00 00 02 00 21 01}} (or at least the first two bytes will be). (This is a INFO segment; the first segment is always a INFO segment.)

After the INFO segment, usually the rest of the file will either be enclosed by a TEXT and TEXTEND segment or a FIG and FIGEND segment.

==Sample files==
* [http://www.tad-wg.jp/tad-ex/sst.tad File containing a diagram] ([http://www.tad-wg.jp/tad-ex/tad2png.png Render as PNG])