Q: What file extensions are already in use by UNIX or by applications?
A: The extension is separated from the filename with a dot.
The following extensions are cited in the online SysRefMan/02_UserIntf.wn document ("Preliminary") as shipped with the 1.0 release:
These standard extensions have a well-established history:
.a A C library file
.asm A file containing source code for the DSP
.c A file containing C source code
.f A file containing Fortran source code
.F A file containing Fortran source code
.h A C header file
.lnk A file with relocatable object code for the DSP
.lod A program that can be loaded to run on the DSP
.lst A file with the listing for a DSP program
.m A file containing Objective-C source code
.o A file containing binary, relocatable object code
.p A file containing Pascal source code
.r A file with source code for the Ratfor variety of Fortran
.s A file containing assembly source code for the main processor
To these NeXT adds a variety of its own extensions, including these common ones:
.app A directory containing an executable file
.dsp A file with binary code for the DSP
.eps A file containing Encapsulated PostScript code
.ma A text file for a Mathematica notebook
.mb A file containing binary information for a Mathematica notebook
.mbox A file containing mail messages
.midi A file with binary MIDI data
.nib An archive file produced by Interface Builder
.ps A file containing PostScript code
.psw A file containing declarations for the pswrap utility
.pswm A file with pswrap declarations and Objective-C source code
.rtf A file in Rich Text Format (RTF)
.score A music file in the ScoreFile language
.snd A sound file
.tiff A file in Tag Image File Format (TIFF)
.wn A file in WriteNow format
.wndict A WriteNow dictionary
This list is open-ended. Other extensions will be added in the future.
Your application should use its own unique file name extensions to identify (and help the Workspace Manager identify) its documents. To request that an extension be registered and reserved for your use, write to:
NeXT Technical Support
Extension Registry
900 Chesapeake Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063
You can also send your request by electronic mail to ask_next@NeXT.COM or
...!next!ask_next.
Here are known extensions that are not (yet) listed in the online documentation:
afm Adobe Font Metrics
awk General use (awk script)
bepf Adobe Bitmap font file
book FrameMaker
*cat[0-9a-z]/* General use (Formatted man pages)
cl Common Lisp source code
csh General use (C shell script)
draw Draw (a NeXT-provided Demo)
dvi TeX (device independent format)
el Emacs Lisp source code
elc Emacs Lisp compiled format
eps General use (Encapsulated PostScript code)
fdat StatLab (a NeXT-provided Demo)
frame FrameMaker
framemif FrameMaker
iconheader Interface Builder (header information for __ICON segment)
io General use (DSP simulator file)
l General use (lex source)
m Mathematica (clashes with Objective C files?)
makefile General use (makefile)
man[0-9a-z]/* General use (Unformatted man pages)
map General use (load map for the DSP)
me General use (nroff and troff files using the me macro package)
mft TeX (Metafont source)
mol Molecule (a NeXT-provided Demo)
msg Msgwrap (declaration file for msgwrap utility)
n General use (nroff file)
nff Ray, Neutral File Format (a NeXT-provided Demo)
nr General use (nroff)
old General use (marks old files, no specific app)
S General use (assembly source code)
sed General use (sed script)
sh General use (shell script)
sty TeX (style definitions)
tex TeX (TeX source file)
tfm TeX font
top TopologyLab (a NeXT-provided Demo)
uu General use (file created via uuencode)
web TeX (meta-level TeX source)
y General use (yacc source)
Z General use (file created via compress)
File types that are known to the Digital Librarian can be deduced by reading
/usr/lib/indexing/files/fileTypeTable
Here are some other conventional suffixes and prefixes that aren't extensions -- they're listed here just as a reminder:
~ [suffix] A backup file (emacs, Interface Builder, Edit)
