Monday, February 15, 2010

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions

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MIME Types

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is an Internet standard for describes message content types.
MIME is a standard for describing different types of information This was originally meant to be used to specify encoding for different types of information into text. This made it possible to send them as e-mail.
The standard MIME is also used in other types of communication where there is a need for specifying which type of information is used. This could be your local operating system or a web server.
MIME defines mechanisms for sending other kinds of information in e-mail. These include text in languages other than English using character encodings other than ASCII, and 8-bit binary content such as files containing images, sounds, movies, and computer programs. MIME is also a fundamental component of communication protocols such as HTTP, which requires that data be transmitted in the context of e-mail-like messages even though the data might not (and usually doesn't) actually have anything to do with e-mail. Mapping messages into and out of MIME format is typically done automatically by an e-mail client or by mail servers when sending or receiving Internet (SMTP/MIME) e-mail.
How do I read MIME in my mail?
Mime is just a specification. Normally the information is encoded with some other standard format. When decoded it regains it original shape.
To be able to read the file you need an application that can handle the attached file. If two files, a word document and a image is sent by email they would both get encoded as mime. Upon receiving these files there need to be an application associated with each file type. Microsoft word or maybe another word processor would be associated with the word document making it possible to read the file. Photoshop or another image viewer would be associated with the image.
Normally the conversion from MIME to files is handled by the e-mail application. When the file is stored on disk it is up to the operating system to map an application to file type.
MIME messages can contain text, images, audio, video, and other application-specific data.
Official MIME info is provided by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in the following documents:
  • RFC-822   Standard for ARPA Internet text messages
  • RFC-2045 MIME Part 1: Format of Internet Message Bodies
  • RFC-2046 MIME Part 2: Media Types
  • RFC-2047 MIME Part 3: Header Extensions for Non-ASCII Text
  • RFC-2048 MIME Part 4: Registration Procedures
  • RFC-2049 MIME Part 5: Conformance Criteria and Examples
Different applications support different MIME types.
The reference below is a list of MIME types supported by Microsoft Internet Information Server version 5.

MIME Types

MIME Types (Application):

Type/sub-type Extension
application/envoy evy
application/fractals fif
application/futuresplash spl
application/hta hta
application/internet-property-stream acx
application/mac-binhex40 hqx
application/msword doc
application/msword dot
application/octet-stream *
application/octet-stream bin
application/octet-stream class
application/octet-stream dms
application/octet-stream exe
application/octet-stream lha
application/octet-stream lzh
application/oda oda
application/olescript axs
application/pdf pdf
application/pics-rules prf
application/pkcs10 p10
application/pkix-crl crl
application/postscript ai
application/postscript eps
application/postscript ps
application/rtf rtf
application/set-payment-initiation setpay
application/set-registration-initiation setreg
application/vnd.ms-excel xla
application/vnd.ms-excel xlc
application/vnd.ms-excel xlm
application/vnd.ms-excel xls
application/vnd.ms-excel xlt
application/vnd.ms-excel xlw
application/vnd.ms-outlook msg
application/vnd.ms-pkicertstore sst
application/vnd.ms-pkiseccat cat
application/vnd.ms-pkistl stl
application/vnd.ms-powerpoint pot
application/vnd.ms-powerpoint pps
application/vnd.ms-powerpoint ppt
application/vnd.ms-project mpp
application/vnd.ms-works wcm
application/vnd.ms-works wdb
application/vnd.ms-works wks
application/vnd.ms-works wps
application/winhlp hlp
application/x-bcpio bcpio
application/x-cdf cdf
application/x-compress z
application/x-compressed tgz
application/x-cpio cpio
application/x-csh csh
application/x-director dcr
application/x-director dir
application/x-director dxr
application/x-dvi dvi
application/x-gtar gtar
application/x-gzip gz
application/x-hdf hdf
application/x-internet-signup ins
application/x-internet-signup isp
application/x-iphone iii
application/x-javascript js
application/x-latex latex
application/x-msaccess mdb
application/x-mscardfile crd
application/x-msclip clp
application/x-msdownload dll
application/x-msmediaview m13
application/x-msmediaview m14
application/x-msmediaview mvb
application/x-msmetafile wmf
application/x-msmoney mny
application/x-mspublisher pub
application/x-msschedule scd
application/x-msterminal trm
application/x-mswrite wri
application/x-netcdf cdf
application/x-netcdf nc
application/x-perfmon pma
application/x-perfmon pmc
application/x-perfmon pml
application/x-perfmon pmr
application/x-perfmon pmw
application/x-pkcs12 p12
application/x-pkcs12 pfx
application/x-pkcs7-certificates p7b
application/x-pkcs7-certificates spc
application/x-pkcs7-certreqresp p7r
application/x-pkcs7-mime p7c
application/x-pkcs7-mime p7m
application/x-pkcs7-signature p7s
application/x-sh sh
application/x-shar shar
application/x-shockwave-flash swf
application/x-stuffit sit
application/x-sv4cpio sv4cpio
application/x-sv4crc sv4crc
application/x-tar tar
application/x-tcl tcl
application/x-tex tex
application/x-texinfo texi
application/x-texinfo texinfo
application/x-troff roff
application/x-troff t
application/x-troff tr
application/x-troff-man man
application/x-troff-me me
application/x-troff-ms ms
application/x-ustar ustar
application/x-wais-source src
application/x-x509-ca-cert cer
application/x-x509-ca-cert crt
application/x-x509-ca-cert der
application/ynd.ms-pkipko pko
application/zip zip

MIME Types (Audio):

audio/basic au
audio/basic snd
audio/mid mid
audio/mid rmi
audio/mpeg mp3
audio/x-aiff aif
audio/x-aiff aifc
audio/x-aiff aiff
audio/x-mpegurl m3u
audio/x-pn-realaudio ra
audio/x-pn-realaudio ram
audio/x-wav wav

MIME Types (Image):

image/bmp bmp
image/cis-cod cod
image/gif gif
image/ief ief
image/jpeg jpe
image/jpeg jpeg
image/jpeg jpg
image/pipeg jfif
image/svg+xml svg
image/tiff tif
image/tiff tiff
image/x-cmu-raster ras
image/x-cmx cmx
image/x-icon ico
image/x-portable-anymap pnm
image/x-portable-bitmap pbm
image/x-portable-graymap pgm
image/x-portable-pixmap ppm
image/x-rgb rgb
image/x-xbitmap xbm
image/x-xpixmap xpm
image/x-xwindowdump xwd

MIME Types (Message):

message/rfc822 mht
message/rfc822 mhtml
message/rfc822 nws

MIME Types (Text):

text/css css
text/h323 323
text/html htm
text/html html
text/html stm
text/iuls uls
text/plain bas
text/plain c
text/plain h
text/plain txt
text/richtext rtx
text/scriptlet sct
text/tab-separated-values tsv
text/webviewhtml htt
text/x-component htc
text/x-setext etx
text/x-vcard vcf

MIME Types (Video):

video/mpeg mp2
video/mpeg mpa
video/mpeg mpe
video/mpeg mpeg
video/mpeg mpg
video/mpeg mpv2
video/quicktime mov
video/quicktime qt
video/x-la-asf lsf
video/x-la-asf lsx
video/x-ms-asf asf
video/x-ms-asf asr
video/x-ms-asf asx
video/x-msvideo avi
video/x-sgi-movie movie

MIME Types (Video):

x-world/x-vrml flr
x-world/x-vrml vrml
x-world/x-vrml wrl
x-world/x-vrml wrz
x-world/x-vrml xaf
x-world/x-vrml xof

Mime Types By File Extension

Extension Type/sub-type
application/octet-stream
323 text/h323
acx application/internet-property-stream
ai application/postscript
aif audio/x-aiff
aifc audio/x-aiff
aiff audio/x-aiff
asf video/x-ms-asf
asr video/x-ms-asf
asx video/x-ms-asf
au audio/basic
avi video/x-msvideo
axs application/olescript
bas text/plain
bcpio application/x-bcpio
bin application/octet-stream
bmp image/bmp
c text/plain
cat application/vnd.ms-pkiseccat
cdf application/x-cdf
cer application/x-x509-ca-cert
class application/octet-stream
clp application/x-msclip
cmx image/x-cmx
cod image/cis-cod
cpio application/x-cpio
crd application/x-mscardfile
crl application/pkix-crl
crt application/x-x509-ca-cert
csh application/x-csh
css text/css
dcr application/x-director
der application/x-x509-ca-cert
dir application/x-director
dll application/x-msdownload
dms application/octet-stream
doc application/msword
dot application/msword
dvi application/x-dvi
dxr application/x-director
eps application/postscript
etx text/x-setext
evy application/envoy
exe application/octet-stream
fif application/fractals
flr x-world/x-vrml
gif image/gif
gtar application/x-gtar
gz application/x-gzip
h text/plain
hdf application/x-hdf
hlp application/winhlp
hqx application/mac-binhex40
hta application/hta
htc text/x-component
htm text/html
html text/html
htt text/webviewhtml
ico image/x-icon
ief image/ief
iii application/x-iphone
ins application/x-internet-signup
isp application/x-internet-signup
jfif image/pipeg
jpe image/jpeg
jpeg image/jpeg
jpg image/jpeg
js application/x-javascript
latex application/x-latex
lha application/octet-stream
lsf video/x-la-asf
lsx video/x-la-asf
lzh application/octet-stream
m13 application/x-msmediaview
m14 application/x-msmediaview
m3u audio/x-mpegurl
man application/x-troff-man
mdb application/x-msaccess
me application/x-troff-me
mht message/rfc822
mhtml message/rfc822
mid audio/mid
mny application/x-msmoney
mov video/quicktime
movie video/x-sgi-movie
mp2 video/mpeg
mp3 audio/mpeg
mpa video/mpeg
mpe video/mpeg
mpeg video/mpeg
mpg video/mpeg
mpp application/vnd.ms-project
mpv2 video/mpeg
ms application/x-troff-ms
mvb application/x-msmediaview
nws message/rfc822
oda application/oda
p10 application/pkcs10
p12 application/x-pkcs12
p7b application/x-pkcs7-certificates
p7c application/x-pkcs7-mime
p7m application/x-pkcs7-mime
p7r application/x-pkcs7-certreqresp
p7s application/x-pkcs7-signature
pbm image/x-portable-bitmap
pdf application/pdf
pfx application/x-pkcs12
pgm image/x-portable-graymap
pko application/ynd.ms-pkipko
pma application/x-perfmon
pmc application/x-perfmon
pml application/x-perfmon
pmr application/x-perfmon
pmw application/x-perfmon
pnm image/x-portable-anymap
pot, application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
ppm image/x-portable-pixmap
pps application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
ppt application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
prf application/pics-rules
ps application/postscript
pub application/x-mspublisher
qt video/quicktime
ra audio/x-pn-realaudio
ram audio/x-pn-realaudio
ras image/x-cmu-raster
rgb image/x-rgb
rmi audio/mid
roff application/x-troff
rtf application/rtf
rtx text/richtext
scd application/x-msschedule
sct text/scriptlet
setpay application/set-payment-initiation
setreg application/set-registration-initiation
sh application/x-sh
shar application/x-shar
sit application/x-stuffit
snd audio/basic
spc application/x-pkcs7-certificates
spl application/futuresplash
src application/x-wais-source
sst application/vnd.ms-pkicertstore
stl application/vnd.ms-pkistl
stm text/html
svg image/svg+xml
sv4cpio application/x-sv4cpio
sv4crc application/x-sv4crc
swf application/x-shockwave-flash
t application/x-troff
tar application/x-tar
tcl application/x-tcl
tex application/x-tex
texi application/x-texinfo
texinfo application/x-texinfo
tgz application/x-compressed
tif image/tiff
tiff image/tiff
tr application/x-troff
trm application/x-msterminal
tsv text/tab-separated-values
txt text/plain
uls text/iuls
ustar application/x-ustar
vcf text/x-vcard
vrml x-world/x-vrml
wav audio/x-wav
wcm application/vnd.ms-works
wdb application/vnd.ms-works
wks application/vnd.ms-works
wmf application/x-msmetafile
wps application/vnd.ms-works
wri application/x-mswrite
wrl x-world/x-vrml
wrz x-world/x-vrml
xaf x-world/x-vrml
xbm image/x-xbitmap
xla application/vnd.ms-excel
xlc application/vnd.ms-excel
xlm application/vnd.ms-excel
xls application/vnd.ms-excel
xlt application/vnd.ms-excel
xlw application/vnd.ms-excel
xof x-world/x-vrml
xpm image/x-xpixmap
xwd image/x-xwindowdump
z application/x-compress
zip application/zip
MIME Technical Summary
MIME is defined by an Internet standard document called RFC1521. This document summarizes the contents of RFC1521. Sufficient detail is presented here to understand the capabilities of MIME. For sufficient detail to implement MIME please read RFC1521.
MIME allows messages to contain multiple objects. When multiple objects are in a MIME message, they are represented in a form called a body part. A body part has a header and a body, so it makes sense to speak about the body of a body part. Also, body parts can be nested in bodies that contain one or multiple body parts.
The Content-Type values, subtypes, and parameter names defined in the MIME standard are case-insensitive. However, many parameter values are case sensitive
The MIME standard is written to allow MIME to be extended in certain ways, without having to revise the standard. MIME specifies sets of values that are allowed for various fields and parameters. The provides a procedure for extending these sets of values by registering them with an entity called the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

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