MIME类型就是设定某种扩展名的文件用一种应用程序来打开的方式类型,当该扩展名文件被访问的时候,浏览器会自动使用指定应用程序来打开。多用于指定一些客户端自定义的文件名,以及一些媒体文件打开方式。
MIME的英文全称是"Multipurpose Internet Email Extension" 多功能Internet 邮件扩充服务,它是一种多用途网际邮件扩充协议,在1992年最早应用于电子邮件系统,但后来也应用到浏览器。服务器会将它们发送的多媒体数据的类型告诉浏览器,而通知手段就是说明该多媒体数据的MIME类型,从而让浏览器知道接收到的信息哪些是MP3文件,哪些是Shockwave文件等等。服务器将 MIME标志符放入传送的数据中来告诉浏览器使用哪种插件读取相关文件。
MIME能够支持非ASCII字符、二进制格式附件等多种格式的邮件消息。这个标准被定义在; RFC 2045,; RFC 2046,; RFC 2047,; RFC 2048,; RFC 2049等RFC中。 由RFC 822转变而来的RFC 2822,规定电子邮件标准并不允许在邮件消息中使用7位ASCII字符集以外的字符。正因如此,一些非英语字符消息和二进制文件,图像,声音等非文字消息都不能在电子邮件中传输。MIME规定了用于表示各种各样的数据类型的符号化方法。
浏览器接收到文件后,会进入插件系统进行查找,查找出哪种插件可以识别读取接收到的文件。如果浏览器不清楚调用哪种插件系统,它可能会告诉用户缺少某插件,或者直接选择某现有插件来试图读取接收到的文件,后者可能会导致系统的崩溃。传输的信息中缺少MIME标识可能导致的情况很难估计,因为某些计算机系统可能不会出现什么故障,但某些计算机可能就会因此而崩溃。
下表是常见的MIME type:
Description of Data Content | Typical Filename Extensions | MIME type/subtype |
Text and Text-Related Types | ||
HTML text data (RFC 1866) | html htm | text/html |
Plain text: documents; program listings | txt c c++ pl cc h | text/plain |
Richtext (obsolete - replaced by text/enriched) | text/richtext | |
Structure enhanced text | (etx?) | text/x-setext |
Enriched text markup (RFC 1896) | text/enriched | |
Tab-separated values (tabular) | (tsv?) | text/tab-separated-values |
SGML documents (RFC 1874) | text/sgml | |
Speech synthesis data (MVP Solutions) | talk | text/x-speech |
Document Stylesheet Types | ||
Cascading Stylesheets | css | text/css |
DSSSL-online stylesheets | application/dsssl (proposed) | |
Image Types | ||
GIF | gif | image/gif |
X-Windows bitmap (b/w) | xbm | image/x-xbitmap |
X-Windows pixelmap (8-bit color) | xpm | image/x-xpixmap |
Portable Network Graphics | png | image/x-png |
Image Exchange Format (RFC 1314) | ief | image/ief |
JPEG | jpeg jpg jpe | image/jpeg |
TIFF | tiff tif | image/tiff |
RGB | rgb | image/rgb |
image/x-rgb | ||
Group III Fax (RFC 1494) | g3f | image/g3fax |
X Windowdump format | xwd | image/x-xwindowdump |
Macintosh PICT format | pict | image/x-pict |
PPM (UNIX PPM package) | ppm | image/x-portable-pixmap |
PGM (UNIX PPM package) | pgm | image/x-portable-graymap |
PBM (UNIX PPM package) | pbm | image/x-portable-bitmap |
PNM (UNIX PPM package) | pnm | image/x-portable-anymap |
Microsoft Windows bitmap | bmp | image/x-ms-bmp |
CMU raster | ras | image/x-cmu-raster |
Kodak Photo-CD | pcd | image/x-photo-cd |
Computer Graphics Metafile | cgm | image/cgm |
North Am. Presentation Layer Protocol | image/naplps | |
CALS Type 1 or 2 | mil cal | image/x-cals |
Fractal Image Format (Iterated Systems) | fif | image/fif |
QuickSilver active image (Micrografx) | dsf | image/x-mgx-dsf |
CMX vector image (Corel) | cmx | image/x-cmx |
Wavelet-compressed (Summus) | wi | image/wavelet |
AutoCad Drawing (SoftSource) | dwg | image/vnd.dwg |
image/x-dwg | ||
AutoCad DXF file (SoftSource) | dxf | image/vnd.dxf |
image/x-dxf | ||
Simple Vector Format (SoftSource) | svf | image/vnd.svf |
also vector/x-svf | ||
Audio/Voice/Music Related Types | ||
"basic"audio - 8-bit u-law PCM | au snd | audio/basic |
Macintosh audio format (AIpple) | aif aiff aifc | audio/x-aiff |
Microsoft audio | wav | audio/x-wav |
MPEG audio | mpa abs mpega | audio/x-mpeg |
MPEG-2 audio | mp2a mpa2 | audio/x-mpeg-2 |
compressed speech (Echo Speech Corp.) | es | audio/echospeech |
Toolvox speech audio (Voxware) | vox | audio/voxware |
RapidTransit compressed audio (Fast Man) | lcc | application/fastman |
Realaudio (Progressive Networks) | ra ram | application/x-pn-realaudio |
NIFF music notation data format | application/vnd.music-niff | |
MIDI music data | mmid | x-music/x-midi |
Koan music data (SSeyo) | skp | application/vnd.koan |
application/x-koan | ||
Speech synthesis data (MVP Solutions) | talk | text/x-speech |
Video Types | ||
MPEG video | mpeg mpg mpe | video/mpeg |
MPEG-2 video | mpv2 mp2v | video/mpeg-2 |
Macintosh Quicktime | qt mov | video/quicktime |
Microsoft video | avi | video/x-msvideo |
SGI Movie format | movie | video/x-sgi-movie |
VDOlive streaming video (VDOnet) | vdo | video/vdo |
Vivo streaming video (Vivo software) | viv | video/vnd.vivo |
video/vivo | ||
Special HTTP/Web Application Types | ||
Proxy autoconfiguration (Netscape browsers) | pac | application/x-ns-proxy-autoconfig |
See Chapter 6 | application/x-www-form-urlencoded | |
See Chapter 9 | application/x-www-local-exec | |
See Chapter 9 (Netscape extension) | multipart/x-mixed-replace | |
See Chapter 9 and Appendix B | multipart/form-data | |
Netscape Cooltalk chat data (Netscape) | ice | x-conference/x-cooltalk |
Interactive chat (Ichat) | application/x-chat | |
Application Types | ||
Text-Related | ||
PostScript | ai eps ps | application/postscript |
Microsoft Rich Text Format | rtf | application/rtf |
Adobe Acrobat PDF | application/pdf | |
application/x-pdf | ||
Maker Interchange Format (FrameMaker) | mif | application/vnd.mif |
application/x-mif | ||
Troff document | t tr roff | application/x-troff |
Troff document with MAN macros | man | application/x-troff-man |
Troff document with ME macros | me | application/x-troff-me |
Troff document with MS macros | ms | application/x-troff-ms |
LaTeX document | latex | application/x-latex |
Tex/LateX document | tex | application/x-tex |
GNU TexInfo document | texinfo texi | application/x-texinfo |
TeX dvi format | dvi | application/x-dvi |
MacWrite document | ?? | application/macwriteii |
MS word document | ?? | application/msword |
WordPerfect 5.1 document | ?? | application/wordperfect5.1 |
SGML application (RFC 1874) | application/sgml | |
Office Document Architecture | oda | application/oda |
Envoy Document | evy | application/envoy |
Wang Info. Tranfer Format (Wang) | application/wita | |
DEC Document Transfer Format (DEC) | application/dec-dx | |
IBM Document Content Architecture (IBM) | application/dca-rft | |
CommonGround Digital Paper (No Hands Software) | application/commonground | |
FrameMaker Documents (Frame) | doc fm frm frame | application/vnd.framemaker |
application/x-framemaker | ||
Remote printing at arbitrary printers (RFC 1486) | application/remote-printing | |
Archive/Compressed Archives | ||
Gnu tar format | gtar | application/x-gtar |
4.3BSD tar format | tar | application/x-tar |
POSIX tar format | ustar | application/x-ustar |
Old CPIO format | bcpio | application/x-bcpio |
POSIX CPIO format | cpio | application/x-cpio |
UNIX sh shell archive | shar | application/x-shar |
DOS/PC - Pkzipped archive | zip | application/zip |
Macintosh Binhexed archive | hqx | application/mac-binhex40 |
Macintosh Stuffit Archive | sit sea | application/x-stuffit |
Fractal Image Format | fif | application/fractals |
Binary, UUencoded | bin uu | application/octet-stream |
PC executable | exe | application/octet-stream |
WAIS "sources" | src wsrc | application/x-wais-source |
NCSA HDF data format | hdf | application/hdf |
Downloadable Program/Scripts | ||
Javascript program | js ls mocha | text/javascript |
application/x-javascript | ||
VBScript program | text/vbscript | |
UNIX bourne shell program | sh | application/x-sh |
UNIX c-shell program | csh | application/x-csh |
Perl program | pl | application/x-perl |
Tcl (Tool Control Language) program | tcl | application/x-tcl |
Atomicmail program scripts (obsolete) | application/atomicmail | |
Slate documents - executable enclosures (BBN) | application/slate | |
Undefined binary data (often executable progs) | application/octet-stream | |
RISC OS Executable programs (ANT Limited) | application/riscos | |
Animation/Multimedia | ||
Andrew Toolkit inset | application/andrew-inset | |
FutureSplash vector animation (FutureWave) | spl | application/futuresplash |
mBED multimedia data (mBED) | mbd | application/mbedlet |
Macromedia Shockwave (Macromedia) | application/x-director | |
Sizzler real-time video/animation | application/x-sprite | |
PowerMedia multimedia (RadMedia) | rad | application/x-rad-powermedia |
Presentation | ||
PowerPoint presentation (Microsoft) | ppz | application/mspowerpoint |
PointPlus presentation data (Net Scene) | css | application/x-pointplus |
ASAP WordPower (Software Publishing Corp.) | asp | application/x-asap |
Astound Web Player multimedia data (GoldDisk) | asn | application/astound |
Special Embedded Object | ||
OLE script e.g. Visual Basic (Ncompass) | axs | application/x-olescript |
OLE Object (Microsoft/NCompass) | ods | application/x-oleobject |
OpenScape OLE/OCX objects (Business@Web) | opp | x-form/x-openscape |
Visual Basic objects (Amara) | wba | application/x-webbasic |
Specialized data entry forms (Alpha Software) | frm | application/x-alpha-form |
client-server objects (Wayfarer Communications) | wfx | x-script/x-wfxclient |
General Applications | ||
Undefined binary data (often executable progs) | application/octet-stream | |
CALS (U.S. D.O.D data format - RFC 1895) | application/cals-1840 | |
Pointcast news data (Pointcast) | pcn | application/x-pcn |
Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft) | application/vnd.ms-excel | |
application/x-msexcel | ||
application/ms-excel | ||
PowerPoint (Microsoft) | ppt | application/vnd.ms-powerpoint |
application/ms-powerpoint | ||
Microsoft Project (Microsoft) | application/vnd.ms-project | |
Works data (Microsoft) | application/vnd.ms-works | |
MAPI data (Microsoft) | application/vnd.ms-tnef | |
Artgallery data (Microsoft) | application/vnd.artgalry | |
SourceView document (Dataware Electronics) | svd | application/vnd.svd |
Truedoc (Bitstream) | application/vnd.truedoc | |
Net Install - software install (20/20 Software) | ins | application/x-net-install |
Carbon Copy - remote control/access (Microcom) | ccv | application/ccv |
Spreadsheets (Visual Components) | vts | workbook/formulaone |
Cybercash digital money (Cybercash) | application/cybercash | |
Format for sending generic Macintosh files | application/applefile | |
Active message -- connect to active mail app. | application/activemessage | |
X.400 mail message body part (RFC 1494) | application/x400-bp | |
USENET news message id (RFC 1036) | application/news-message-id | |
USENET news message (RFC 1036) | application/news-transmission | |
Multipart Types (mostly email) | ||
Messages with multiple parts | multipart/mixed | |
Messages with multiple, alternative parts | multipart/alternative | |
Message with multiple, related parts | multipart/related | |
Multiple parts are digests | multipart/digest | |
For reporting of email status (admin.) | multipart/report | |
Order of parts does not matter | multipart/parallel | |
Macintosh file data | multipart/appledouble | |
Aggregate messages; descriptor as header | multipart/header-set | |
Container for voice-mail | multipart/voice-message | |
HTML FORM data (see Ch. 9 and App. B) | multipart/form-data | |
Infinite multiparts - See Chapter 9 (Netscape) | multipart/x-mixed-replace | |
Message Types (mostly email) | ||
MIME message | message/rfc822 | |
Partial message | message/partial | |
Message containing external references | message/external-body | |
Message containing USENET news | message/news | |
HTTP message | message/http | |
2D/3D Data/Virtual Reality Types | ||
VRML data file | wrl vrml | x-world/x-vrml (changing to model/vrml) |
WIRL - VRML data (VREAM) | vrw | x-world/x-vream |
Play3D 3d scene data (Play3D) | p3d | application/x-p3d |
Viscape Interactive 3d world data (Superscape) | svr | x-world/x-svr |
WebActive 3d data (Plastic Thought) | wvr | x-world/x-wvr |
QuickDraw3D scene data (Apple) | 3dmf | x-world/x-3dmf |
Scientific/Math/CAD Types | ||
Chemical types -- to communicate information about chemical models | chemical/* (several subtypes) | |
Mathematica notebook | ma | application/mathematica |
Computational meshes for numerical simulations | msh | x-model/x-mesh(evolving to model/mesh) |
Vis5D 5-dimensional data | v5d | application/vis5d |
IGES models -- CAD/CAM (CGM) data | igs | application/iges(evolving to model/iges?) |
Autocad WHIP vector drawings | dwf | drawing/x-dwf |
Largely Platform-Specific Types | ||
Silicon Graphics Specific Types | ||
Showcase Presentations | showcase slides sc sho show | application/x-showcase |
Insight Manual pages | ins insight | application/x-insight |
Iris Annotator data | ano | application/x-annotator |
Directory Viewer | dir | application/x-dirview |
Software License | lic | application/x-enterlicense |
Fax manager file | faxmgr | application/x-fax-manager |
Fax job data file | faxmgrjob | application/x-fax-manager-job |
IconBook data | icnbk | application/x-iconbook |
? | wb | application/x-inpview |
Installable software in 'inst' format | inst | application/x-install |
Mail folder | application/x-mailfolder | |
? | pp ppages | application/x-ppages |
Data for printer (via lpr) | sgi-lpr | application/x-sgi-lpr |
Software in 'tardist' format | tardist | application/x-tardist |
Software in compressed 'tardist' format | ztardist | application/x-ztardist |
WingZ spreadsheet | wkz | application/x-wingz |
Open Inventor 3-D scenes | iv | graphics/x-inventor |