Subjective and incomplete file format lists in Filters' settings

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

By default under the

Search > Organize Filters...

users have ready to use filtering expressions based on file extensions. Among them there is one with two small error - i.e. in the Audio the ".spc" is before ".snd", while ".rmi" is listed twice with this ".spc" between them

But the far more alarming issue is profound incompleteness of those lists. For example this aforementioned Audio lacks e.g. WV and TTA which are two less known audio file formats- but being one of few lossless formats available they deserve attention. And what about the SAP format which can be played in Winamp with a plugin - thus allowing Windows users to hear music from Atari games? After all, this list for audio includes the obscure to young people MIDI; and even the UMX format, which was affiliated with just one PC videogame thus is extremely niche one

And its not only audio formats conundrum. For example GIF is not a movie file, but a static raster graphic or merely an animation built from such frames, right? But animated GIF can be shows as a [silent] movie by Media Player Classic while static [i.e. consisting of just one frame] GIF can also be viewed in MPC. So why is GIF only in picture and not also in video?


The same issues I have encountered when checking what exactly is written [by default] in lists of file formats in similar features in some file managers


I already have a far more complete lists for some categories and I am still working on others - they range in hundreds of entries. But I reckon they include many errors and most of all they have debatable choices and omissions. And so fellow users of Everything:

what are your thoughts about all this?

[And would you void want me to publish those lists here or send them to you over PM, so that you could maybe use them as default ones in future releases of Everything?]

[horst.epp]

You are free to customize the default Filter settings.
I guess a typical user like me will just add a few extensions which are missed.
No one needs a full list of all possible extensions which no one have on its systems.

[void]

users have ready to use filtering expressions based on file extensions. Among them there is one with two small error - i.e. in the Audio the ".spc" is before ".snd", while ".rmi" is listed twice with this ".spc" between them

Thanks for pointing this out.
This will be fixed in the next alpha update.

The ordering doesn't matter.
for example: ext:zxc;asd is the same as ext:asd;zxc

The extra rmi doesn't matter either.

But the far more alarming issue is profound incompleteness of those lists. For example this aforementioned Audio lacks e.g. WV and TTA which are two less known audio file formats- but being one of few lossless formats available they deserve attention. And what about the SAP format which can be played in Winamp with a plugin - thus allowing Windows users to hear music from Atari games? After all, this list for audio includes the obscure to young people MIDI; and even the UMX format, which was affiliated with just one PC videogame thus is extremely niche one

It will be impossible to please everyone here.
I will support the most common file types.

I'll remove umx... I think this came from Winamp in the old days..

And its not only audio formats conundrum. For example GIF is not a movie file, but a static raster graphic or merely an animation built from such frames, right? But animated GIF can be shows as a [silent] movie by Media Player Classic while static [i.e. consisting of just one frame] GIF can also be viewed in MPC. So why is GIF only in picture and not also in video?

gif uses the image/gif mime type.
It is more commonly known as an image format.
I would like to keep each extension to one of the default filters only.

what are your thoughts about all this?

I would like to support file extensions for files that will play on Windows 10/11 out of the box or in a webbrowser.

And would you void want me to publish those lists here or send them to you over PM, so that you could maybe use them as default ones in future releases of Everything?

Yes please.
It's quite easy for users to edit their filters under Search -> Organize filters...
I'm sure there are users would like filters that list all known types.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

Finally I did it: I have created extended lists of various file extensions - and grouped them by their purpose and / or kind of data they hold

Some of them overlap each other, e.g. text files and documents or vector graphic and 2D graphic files. Some listed file extensions are used by more than one program that have a completely different purpose [i.e. store a whole-other kind of data]. And thus some might seem like errors but they are not - while others are real unwanted mistakes. But it would be impossible probably for anyone to check even 1% of those formats, as some of them are propriety and / or obsolete; or not from a PC platform*

As sources I used:
● https://filext.com
● https://fileinfo.com
● https://file.org/extension/nsc
● https://file-extensions.org/nsc-file-extension
● Wikipedia
● file extensions listed in help files and save / export menus of programs like CorelDraw, GIMP, VLC, Winamp
● various forums
● ChatGPT


And so: should I post them here in this topic? But maybe every group in a separate post, as the shortest has around 25 extensions while the longest has near 4000?


[* If the program is called Everything and is suppose to show everything - thus I prepared lists of as close to everything I could reasonably get them to be. But if anyone would want to limit the file types just to those used by modern Windows users, then such peron could filter them through ChatGPT or some other AI assistant, right? Or should this be a not merely "want" as "should" - because putting something like 1000 file extension in a Filter will slow it down on even the fastest machines?]

[void]

Thank you for creating a list of extensions.

And so: should I post them here in this topic? But maybe every group in a separate post, as the shortest has around 25 extensions while the longest has near 4000?

Please feel free to create a new topic.

[* If the program is called Everything and is suppose to show everything - thus I prepared lists of as close to everything I could reasonably get them to be. But if anyone would want to limit the file types just to those used by modern Windows users, then such peron could filter them through ChatGPD or some other AI assistant, right? Or should this be a not merely "want" as "should" - because putting something like 1000 file extension in a Filter will slow it down on even the fastest machines?]

The "Kind" property in Everything 1.5 will show Windows known types.
It's a little slower to gather as it's a registry lookup from the extension.

1000+ file extensions with ext: shouldn't cause any notice performance loss.
Everything will sort the extensions and perform a binary search.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I have just published all of the lists: viewtopic.php?t=12994

[void]

Thank you for posting the useful list of file extensions.

I have stickied the main Complet(ish) list of file extensions for various file formats page.

A small request, could you please provide a ext: search with all the extensions at the bottom.

For example:

.ACCDW
.ALIAS
.ARTASK
.ASM
.BKMK
.DAT
.ED2K
.EPIBRW
.FETCHSHORTCUTS
.FTT
...



=>



.ACCDW
.ALIAS
.ARTASK
.ASM
.BKMK
.DAT
.ED2K
.EPIBRW
.FETCHSHORTCUTS
.FTT
...

Code: Select all

ext:ACCDW;ALIAS;ARTASK;ASM;BKMK;DAT;ED2K;EPIBRW;FETCHSHORTCUTS;FTT

This will be useful for users to create a filter or just a once off search.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

Thank you for posting the useful list of file extensions.

No, thank you for creating Everything , making it free and maintaining this forum

[...]
could you please provide a ext: search with all the extensions at the bottom.
[...]

I just upgraded all of the related topics

[void]

Thank you for adding ext: searches.

Another request:
Could you please remove any extensions with ? or * from the ext: searches.
Everything will treat these as wildcards.
The recent builds (1339a or earlier) will crash with wildcards and duplicated extensions.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

Do you have any other requests or suggestions? Its time consuming correcting them, as I also have to do it for my offline lists, which serve as bases for those posted

[void]

Thanks for taking the time to correct these extension lists.

Only a minor suggestion:

There's a few duplicated extensions.

For example, Complet(ish) list of file extensions for archive / data image file formats has the extension 100 listed twice.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I have removed extension with

Code: Select all

?

but there were none with

Code: Select all

*

I also found and removed few duplicates, which I have no idea how they got there

[tuska]

I also found and removed few duplicates, which I have no idea how they got there

Now there should be no more duplicates - I checked this with Excel.

Code: Select all

● archive / data image 		https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12993
● audio  			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12992
● configuration / settings 	https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12991
● document 			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12990
● executable 			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12989
● font 				https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12988
● graphic (2D)			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12987
● graphic (3D)			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12986
● graphic (raster) 		https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12985
● graphic (vector) 		https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12984
● icon 				https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12983
● link / shortcut 		https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=54720
● playlist 			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12981
● script 			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12980
● spreadsheet / workbook 	https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12979
● text 				https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12978
● video 			https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12977
● web / network 		https://www.voidtools.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12976

Thank you for sharing the lists of file extensions!

[void]

Everything 1.5.0.1340a fixes a crash with using wildcards and duplicated extensions with ext:

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

[...]
wildcards
[...]

I could re-institute those previously removed formats - but it would not be easy form. And so my question would be: does it make sense?

My educated guess was that if a user was e.g. running an emulation of a system different than Windows or is running on a system different than Windows an emulation of it, then such user could have in some files with [Windows] illegal characters like >>?<< that could be searched by Everything

Was my guess right or wrong?

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

[...]
Now there should be no more duplicates - I checked this with Excel.
[...]

I have added one new list [viewtopic.php?t=13017] while many I have updated

Myabe I should add an info like last updated ON YYYY MM DD in the main list and / or in every one of them?

[tuska]

[...]
wildcards
[...]

I could re-institute those previously removed formats - but it would not be easy form.
And so my question would be: does it make sense?
...

I don't know which formats you have removed altogether here:
Complet(ish) list of file extensions for document file formats

- I noticed then during a comparison that you removed -> PM?
- ext:pma;pmp are present on my PC.

If you want, you could add PM? here again and prefix the code -> ext:

If the restoration means a very big effort for you, maybe you could only enter individual file extensions based on a forum request.

[tuska]

[...]
Now there should be no more duplicates - I checked this with Excel.
[...]

I have added one new list [viewtopic.php?t=13017] while many I have updated

Myabe I should add an info like last updated ON YYYY MM DD in the main list and / or in every one of them?

I don't think this is necessary, since your first post shows when it was last edited anyway.
But it is your decision.

-----
I would like to address one more point, namely
I am not sure whether file extensions listed below each other should not be put into a CODE field,
because I have the impression that you scroll endlessly. (I know that you can search for a file extension in the browser with Ctrl+F).
I would argue in favour of CODE fields.

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

[...]
I am not sure whether file extensions listed below each other should not be put into a CODE field,
because I have the impression that you scroll endlessly
[...]

I personally do not like the need to scroll windows with codes and citations on various forums - so much I have even written for myself CSS styles unfolding them vertically, as their size limitation is a common approach

But the point you are making has a sound reasoning, especially in case od the longest list with Documents. And I am willing to implement the visually limiting enclosure of it in form of changing hem to CODE, especially if void will asks me to

[tuska]

[...]
I am not sure whether file extensions listed below each other should not be put into a CODE field,
because I have the impression that you scroll endlessly
[...]

I personally do not like the need to scroll windows with codes and citations on various forums -
so much I have even written for myself CSS styles unfolding them vertically, as their size limitation is a common approach ...

Thank you for your explanation - I also have no problem if you leave everything as it is at the moment.
It's your decision anyway.

(My procedure with CODE fields is that I usually copy the content and paste it into EmEditor,
because there I have all the options at my disposal, such as filters, etc.)

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I restored all extensions that had he

Code: Select all

?

sign in them


And I will be enclosing the vertical lists in CODE sub-windows


But those updates in will be executing somewhere in the near future, when as part of loading up overall slightly updated lists

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I also was thinking about adding Databases as a separate group. But in the past and as well as now I have not seen much of sense in doing so, because they are included in the Document group - and [as I guess] to see a database saved in a particular file format you need a proper program much more than in other kinds of file format

But this is just my opinion and I might be wrong - thus illogically separating e.g. Text files from Document group

[Thy Grand Voidinesss]

I have added some new categories, updated many of the lists and enclosed all those verticalities in

Code: Select all

CODE 

boxes