bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Jambunathan K]

Please include OpenDocument extensions to `mailcap-mime-extensions'.

mimetypes of interest:

,---- (http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/index.html)
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.chart 
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.chart-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.database
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.formula
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.formula-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.graphics
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.graphics-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.image
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.image-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-master
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-template
| vnd.oasis.opendocument.text-web
`----

File extensions of interest:

,---- From LibreOffice Help (F1) - Node name: XML File Formats 
| 
| By default, LibreOffice loads and saves files in the OpenDocument file format.
| 
| The OpenDocument file format (ODF) is a standardized file format used
| by many software applications. You can find more information at the
| Wikipedia site: wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument.
| 
| OpenDocument file format names
| LibreOffice 3.4 uses the following file formats:
| 
| | Document format           | File extension |
| |---------------------------+----------------|
| | ODF Text                  | *.odt          |
| | ODF Text Template         | *.ott          |
| | ODF Master Document       | *.odm          |
| | ODF Spreadsheet           | *.ods          |
| | ODF Spreadsheet Template  | *.ots          |
| | ODF Drawing               | *.odg          |
| | ODF Drawing Template      | *.otg          |
| | ODF Presentation          | *.odp          |
| | ODF Presentation Template | *.otp          |
| | ODF Formula               | *.odf          |
| | ODF Database              | *.odb          |
| | LibreOffice Extension     | *.oxt          |
| 
| ODF Chart is the name of the file format for stand alone charts. This
| format with the extension *.odc is currently not in use.
`----

In GNU Emacs 24.0.95.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)
 of 2012-04-03 on MARVIN
Windowing system distributor `Microsoft Corp.', version 5.1.2600
Configured using:
 `configure --with-gcc (4.6) --no-opt --enable-checking --cflags
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libXpm-3.5.8/src
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/libpng-dev_1.4.3-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/zlib-dev_1.2.5-2/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/giflib-4.1.4-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/jpeg-6b-4/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/tiff-3.8.2-1/include
 -ID:/devel/emacs/libs/gnutls-3.0.9/include'

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Glenn Morris]

Jambunathan K wrote:

> Please include OpenDocument extensions to `mailcap-mime-extensions'.

On non MS systems, there is no need, because there are system files
such as /etc/mime.types that contain this information, and
mailcap-parse-mimetypes combines these with mailcap-mime-extensions.

My mailcap-mime-extensions has over 1000 elements.
Compare with the 100 elements in mailcap-mime-extensions.

> In GNU Emacs 24.0.95.1 (i386-mingw-nt5.1.2600)

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Glenn Morris]

Glenn Morris wrote:

> My mailcap-mime-extensions has over 1000 elements.
> Compare with the 100 elements in mailcap-mime-extensions.

That was informative.
I meant, after adding in the values from /etc, there 10 times as many
entries as the minimal default value.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Jambunathan K]

Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org> writes:

>> Please include OpenDocument extensions to `mailcap-mime-extensions'.
>
> On non MS systems, there is no need, because there are system files
> such as /etc/mime.types that contain this information, and
> mailcap-parse-mimetypes combines these with mailcap-mime-extensions.

My thoughts (See C-h f mailcap-parse-mimetypes)

My machine falls under `mailcap-poor-system-types'.  To use the right
mimetype for outgoing attachements, I need to do one of the following:

1. Set the environment "MIMETYPES" and point in to the mimetype file
2. Create one of the following files "~/mime.typ", "~/etc/mime.typ" 
   and start populating it. (Why do these file names have a typo?)
3. Push an entry via elisp in to `mailcap-mime-extensions'.[2]

Unfortunately info lookup throws up nothing when I search for 1, 2 or 3.

The above options are user-facing and need to be captured in the manual.
It is also desirable that one of the above entries be exposed via custom
group mailcap or mime.

ps: Emacswiki and a quick google search turns up no help around this
area.  It is unlikely that an average user would ever do a M-x
mailcap-parse-mimetypes for routine work.

Jambunathan K.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Glenn Morris <rgm@gnu.org>
> Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:47:59 -0400
> Cc: 11212@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> Jambunathan K wrote:
> 
> > Please include OpenDocument extensions to `mailcap-mime-extensions'.
> 
> On non MS systems, there is no need, because there are system files
> such as /etc/mime.types that contain this information

This file seems to come from mime-support, which is a Debian package.
Do other Posix systems, whether other GNU/Linux or Unix, also have
this file?

OTOH, if we want to rely on this file, then why do we have a non-empty
mailcap-mime-extensions at all?  And why adding a few more entries to
that list should be rejected?

In any case, one can download (what seems to be) the latest version of
the mime-support package from here:

  http://packages.debian.org/source/wheezy/mime-support

Then set the MIMETYPES environment variable to point to its absolute
file names, and then it can be used by mailcap-parse-mimetypes on any
system.  Perhaps we should recommend users to do that if their systems
don't have the file already.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Jambunathan K <kjambunathan@gmail.com>
> Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:55:39 +0530
> Cc: 11212@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> My machine falls under `mailcap-poor-system-types'.  To use the right
> mimetype for outgoing attachements, I need to do one of the following:
> 
> 1. Set the environment "MIMETYPES" and point in to the mimetype file

I think this is the best way.

> 2. Create one of the following files "~/mime.typ", "~/etc/mime.typ" 
>    and start populating it. (Why do these file names have a typo?)

Someone was thinking about DOS 8+3 file-name restrictions, but didn't
know that specifying mime.types will work on MS-DOS as well.

> ps: Emacswiki and a quick google search turns up no help around this
> area.

I used the source, although my name isn't Luke.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Jambunathan K]

Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

>> ps: Emacswiki and a quick google search turns up no help around this
>> area.
>
> I used the source, although my name isn't Luke.

The `ps' was deliberate.  The intention is to lay emphasis on the need
for info documentation surrounding this area.

Jambunathan K.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Glenn Morris]

Eli Zaretskii wrote:

> This file seems to come from mime-support, which is a Debian package.
> Do other Posix systems, whether other GNU/Linux or Unix, also have
> this file?

I'm 99% sure all halfway modern GNU/Linux systems have such files.
Eg, Red Hat based ones do. Less sure about any other Unix.
mailcap-poor-system-types suggests they do.

> OTOH, if we want to rely on this file, then why do we have a non-empty
> mailcap-mime-extensions at all?  And why adding a few more entries to
> that list should be rejected?

I'm not rejecting anything; but since this issue mainly affects MS
Windows it's not a high priority for me personally to change it.

mailcap-mime-extensions is weird (IMO), in that there is a default
(which is a defcustom) that gets modified behind the user's back. It
would be cleaner to separate it out into different variables.
An empty one for the user's customizations, one that gets the system
entries added to it, and a fallback one for systems without databases.
I think it's fine to add many more entries to the last one.
Or stick a mime-types file in the Emacs etc directory if that is easier.

bug#11212: 24.0.95; mailcap-mime-extensions: Add opendocument formats

[Jambunathan K]

OP here.  Closing it.