Metaformats

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(Some of the stuff from "Metadata" really belongs in "Metaformats", I think.)
(Formats that implement other formats)
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A '''metaformat''' (or '''meta format''') is a generic low-level file format used as a basis for defining high-level file formats.
 
A '''metaformat''' (or '''meta format''') is a generic low-level file format used as a basis for defining high-level file formats.
  
Whether a format is a metaformat is ultimately a judgment call. There are no definitive answers to questions like: What is the difference between a ''container'' format and a metaformat? Or a [[serialization]] format and a metaformat? Is [[CSV]] a metaformat, or is it a database format? Should [[TIFF]] and [[PDF]] be considered to be metaformats, given all the subformats of them that have been defined?
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Whether a format is a metaformat is ultimately a judgment call. There are no definitive answers to questions like: What is the difference between a ''container'' format and a metaformat? Or a [[serialization]] format and a metaformat? Is [[CSV]] a metaformat, or is it a database or a spreadsheet format? Should [[TIFF]] and [[PDF]] be considered to be metaformats, given all the subformats of them that have been defined?
  
== Formats ==
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Another reasonable, but different, definition of ''metaformat'' is "a format that describes other formats". For those formats, see [[Schema formats]].
* [[DFDL]] (Data Format Description Language) - a file format for describing file formats (how meta can you get?)
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== Formats that implement other formats ==
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* [[Binary XML]]
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* [[Boxes/atoms format]]
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* [[EBML]]
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* [[Hamster archive]]
 
* [[IFF]]
 
* [[IFF]]
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* [[ISO Base Media File Format]]
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* [[JSON]]
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* [[Microsoft Compound File]]
 
* [[ODL (NASA Object Description Language)]]
 
* [[ODL (NASA Object Description Language)]]
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* [[Palm OS Database]]
 
* [[RIFF]]
 
* [[RIFF]]
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* [[RIFX]]
 
* [[SGML]]
 
* [[SGML]]
* [[XMDP]] (XHTML Meta Data Profiles)
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* [[Softdisk Publishing UDF files]]
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* [[SQLite]]
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* [[XCDL]] (part of XCL project)
 
* [[XML]]
 
* [[XML]]
* [[XML Schema Definition]]
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* [[ZIP]]
* [[XMP]] (Extensible Metadata Platform)
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== Other "formats about formats" ==
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* [[Format Policy Registry]] (FPR) - used by Archivematica to indicate how to handle file formats
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See also [[Schema formats]].
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==
 
* [http://www.w3.org/standards/webarch/metaformats W3C: Meta formats]
 
* [http://www.w3.org/standards/webarch/metaformats W3C: Meta formats]

Revision as of 23:57, 21 January 2020

File Format
Name Metaformats
Ontology

{{{caption}}}

A metaformat (or meta format) is a generic low-level file format used as a basis for defining high-level file formats.

Whether a format is a metaformat is ultimately a judgment call. There are no definitive answers to questions like: What is the difference between a container format and a metaformat? Or a serialization format and a metaformat? Is CSV a metaformat, or is it a database or a spreadsheet format? Should TIFF and PDF be considered to be metaformats, given all the subformats of them that have been defined?

Another reasonable, but different, definition of metaformat is "a format that describes other formats". For those formats, see Schema formats.

Formats that implement other formats

Other "formats about formats"

See also Schema formats.

Links

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