File types, Mimemap etc.

The problem I describe below showed up because a packaged zip file I uploaded for PackMan did not work correctly. Initially this was because the file that I had specified as my contents list had a filename ‘pointer.url’ and sometime during 2015 someone had decided that files of type ‘.url’ would no longer be rendered by any browser. I have changed my specification to ‘pointer.txt’ and another packaged file I uploaded then worked. But not version 0.24 of !Cat. Alan Buckley has looked into it and found that if he re-zipped the file it worked when dragged to PackMan. File contents were therefore excluded as a cause.

I had another package which worked correctly, was zipped in the same way using the same (SparkFS) software, uploaded using the same ftpc client and appeared on the web in the same way and downloaded from my Windows File Explorer (which allows ftp as a drive) to my NAS (drive N: under Windows) or LanMan98:: under ARMX6, both exactly as expected.

I had used SparkFS to zip both packages but depending on whether I subsequently viewed them after creation or not (and before uploading) they can end up with different RISC OS filetypes – either Zip (&A91) or Archive (&DDC).

The package that would not work with PackMan (!Cat version 0.24) is type Zip (&A91), the one that worked correctly was Archive (&DDC).

Both appear in the form ‘Filename.zip’ on the following drives:
when downloaded under Windows
LanMan98:: (NAS) viewer on ARMX6
Windows viewer of web site via ftp
Hostfs viewer of NAS on VRPC (same name different filetypes)

The &A91 version appears as ‘Filename.zip,a91’ on the following drives:
Windows Explorer drive N: (NAS)
LanMan98:: (NAS) viewer on VRPC

The symptoms were therefore confusing:
The non-working package was uploaded using FTPc on my AMRX6 to my website where it appears as expected. The file I uploaded appears correctly in the LanMan98:: viewer on my ARMX6 but the same file appears with an extra ,a91 in the Windows viewer of the same folder on my NAS. The Windows file explorer window of my web site (which uses ftp) shows the file as ‘.zip’ (i.e. with no ,a91 extension). If I download the web copy into the Windows viewer (under Windows) then a new file (without the ,a91) appears on the NAS. Then I get two files with identical names in the LanMan98 viewer of my NAS on my ARMX6, both appearing as type ‘Zip’.

HostFS viewer of the NAS (drive N:) on VRPC now shows two files, one type Zip and one type Archive (&DDC). LanMan98 viewer of the NAS on VRPC shows two files, both type Zip.

Can anyone account for this please?

The relevant MimeMap entries are:

VRPC:
Hostfs extensions

a91 zip
ddc spk,hqx,zoo,uu,spark

HostFS::HardDisc4.$.!Boot.Choices.Default.Internet.Files.MimeMap

Search string: ddc
    Line  Match
     101  application/compress            Archive         ddc     .Z      .z
     116  application/x-compress          Archive         ddc
     126  application/zip                 Archive         ddc     .zip
     127  application/zip                 Archive         ddc     .arc
     128  application/zip                 Archive         ddc     .spk
     130  application/x-arj               Archive         ddc     .arj
     132  application/x-lzh               Archive         ddc     .lha    .lzh
[No a91 entry]

application/x-compress	Archive		ddc
application/x-zip	Zip		a91
(hash) Not IANA registered, but prevalent
application/compress	Archive		ddc	.z	.arc	.spk	.lha	.arj	.lzh