Category:File Format Identification

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(Deleted the text. Use the Identifying_Files article instead.)
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The purpose of File Format Identification is to determine the file format of a digital object.
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See [[Identifying Files]], [[Identifying Physical Media]].
 
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Basically, there are 3 ways to identify a digital object.
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==Extension==
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The file extension is used, e.g. ".doc" if the file is named "example.doc". This tells us the file ''might'' be a Word document.
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==Content Header==
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The content header is used to determine the file type based on the [[mime-type]]. As an example, your browser identified this webpage to be a "text/html" file.
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==Signature==
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The file is scanned for certain bytes, just as one would scan text looking for a keyword. Academic and forensic file format identification software make use of [[signatures]], also known as [[magic bytes]]. Each signature is assigned a unique identifier, such as a [[PUID]].
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Furthermore, all anti-virus software use signatures to detect viruses, next to using [[semantics]].
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[[Category:Top Level Categories]]
 
[[Category:Top Level Categories]]

Revision as of 21:25, 16 August 2015

See Identifying Files, Identifying Physical Media.

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