A MIME type describes the type and encoding method of a document. A standard MIME description is two words split by a backslash (/) character. The first word is the type of document (e.g. application, text e.t.c) and the second word is the document subtype (e.g. plain, html e.t.c). Used together these types can help the browser or mail client better deliver the content to the user by making judgements based on its type. For example; if the document received had a text/html type then the application would pass the document to the browser for viewing or if it was of the application/postscript type it might offer to print the document for the user. In practice of course each application treats these types as is appropriate to the application (or more as it sees fit).
KEY: |
|
|
BLUE |
String Litteral. |
|
GREEN |
Expansion Rule (replace Name Marker using named rule). |
|
Green |
Name Marker (expand via rules). |
|
IETF |
Internet Engineering Task Force. |
|
INAN |
Internet Assigned Numbers Authroity |
|
Name |
Value |
Notes |
|
Content |
"Content-Type" ":" Type "/" Subtype *(";" Parameter) |
Matching of type and sub-type; is ALWAYS case-insensitive |
|
Type |
Discrete-type / Composite-type |
. |
|
Discrete-Type |
"text" / "image" / "audio" / "video" / "application" / Extension-token |
|
|
Composite-Type |
"message" / "multipart" / Extension-token |
|
|
Extension-Token |
IETF-token / X-token |
|
|
IETF-Token |
<An extension token defined by a standards-track RFC and registered with IANA.> |
|
|
X-Token |
<The two characters "X-" or "x-" followed, with no intervening white space, by any token> |
|
|
Subtype |
Extension-token / IANA-token |
|
|
IANA-token |
<A publicly-defined extension token. Tokens of this form must be registered with IANA as specified in RFC 2048.> |
|
|
Parameter |
Attribute "=" Value |
|
|
Attribute |
Token |
Matching of attributes ; is ALWAYS case-insensitive. |
|
Value |
Token / Quoted-String |
|
|
Token |
1*<any (US-ASCII) CHAR except SPACE, CTLs, or tspecials> |
|
|
TSpecials |
"(" / ")" / "<" / ">" / "@" / "," / ";" / ":" / "\" / <"> "/" / "[" / "]" / "?" / "=" ; |
Must be in quoted-string, to use within parameter values |
MIME types are registered in the registry under the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\MIME\Database\Content Type
Official RFC Documents :
RFC2045,
RFC2046
Other Useful Links(s) :
MIME, Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (from Network Sourcery)
Note: KVK Consultancy does not endorse the sites listed here beyond
the acknowledgement that the information provided there in at the time the links
where created appears useful and accurate. KVK Consultancy is not
aware of any reason to not recommend the information providers, if anyone should
experience issues with the links here provided please email KVK Consultancy
at feedback@kvkconsultancy.co.uk
providing details of the issue..