1XDG-MIME(1) xdg-mime Manual XDG-MIME(1)
2
6 xdg-mime - command line tool for querying information about file type
7 handling and adding descriptions for new file types
8
10 xdg-mime query {filetype | default} ...
11 xdg-mime default application mimetype(s)
13 xdg-mime install [--mode mode] [--novendor] mimetypes-file
15 xdg-mime uninstall [--mode mode] mimetypes-file
17 xdg-mime {--help | --manual | --version}
19
21 The xdg-mime program can be used to query information about file types
22 and to add descriptions for new file types.
23
25 query
26 Returns information related to file types.
27 The query option is for use inside a desktop session only. It is
29 not recommended to use xdg-mime query as root.
30 The following queries are supported:
32 query filetype FILE: Returns the file type of FILE in the form of a
34 MIME type.
35 query default mimetype: Returns the default application that the
37 desktop environment uses for opening files of type mimetype. The
38 default application is identified by its *.desktop file.
39 default
41 Ask the desktop environment to make application the default
42 application for opening files of type mimetype. An application can
43 be made the default for several file types by specifying multiple
44 mimetypes.
45 application is the desktop file id of the application and has the
47 form vendor-name.desktop. application must already be installed in
48 the desktop menu before it can be made the default handler. The
49 application's desktop file must list support for all the MIME types
50 that it wishes to be the default handler for.
51 Requests to make an application a default handler may be subject to
53 system policy or approval by the end-user. xdg-mime query can be
54 used to verify whether an application is the actual default handler
55 for a specific file type.
56 The default option is for use inside a desktop session only. It is
58 not recommended to use xdg-mime default as root.
59 install
61 Adds the file type descriptions provided in mimetypes-file to the
62 desktop environment. mimetypes-file must be a XML file that
63 follows the freedesktop.org Shared MIME-info Database specification
64 and that has a mime-info element as its document root. For each new
65 file type one or more icons with name type-subtype must be
66 installed with the xdg-icon-resource command in the mimetypes
67 context. For example the filetype
68 application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text requires an icon named
69 application-vnd.oasis.opendocument.text to be installed (unless the
70 file type recommends another icon name).
71 uninstall
73 Removes the file type descriptions provided in mimetypes-file and
74 previously added with xdg-mime install from the desktop
75 environment. mimetypes-file must be a XML file that follows the
76 freedesktop.org Shared MIME-info Database specification and that
77 has a mime-info element as its document root.
78
80 --mode mode
81 mode can be user or system. In user mode the file is (un)installed
82 for the current user only. In system mode the file is (un)installed
83 for all users on the system. Usually only root is allowed to
84 install in system mode.
85 The default is to use system mode when called by root and to use
87 user mode when called by a non-root user.
88 --novendor
90 Normally, xdg-mime checks to ensure that the mimetypes-file to be
91 installed has a proper vendor prefix. This option can be used to
92 disable that check.
93 A vendor prefix consists of alpha characters ([a-zA-Z]) and is
95 terminated with a dash ("-"). Companies and organizations are
96 encouraged to use a word or phrase, preferably the organizations
97 name, for which they hold a trademark as their vendor prefix. The
98 purpose of the vendor prefix is to prevent name conflicts.
99 --help
101 Show command synopsis.
102 --manual
104 Show this manual page.
105 --version
107 Show the xdg-utils version information.
108
110 xdg-mime honours the following environment variables:
111 XDG_UTILS_DEBUG_LEVEL
113 Setting this environment variable to a non-zero numerical value
114 makes xdg-mime do more verbose reporting on stderr. Setting a
115 higher value increases the verbosity.
116 XDG_UTILS_INSTALL_MODE
118 This environment variable can be used by the user or administrator
119 to override the installation mode. Valid values are user and
120 system.
121
123 An exit code of 0 indicates success while a non-zero exit code
124 indicates failure. The following failure codes can be returned:
125 1
127 Error in command line syntax.
128 2
130 One of the files passed on the command line did not exist.
131 3
133 A required tool could not be found.
134 4
136 The action failed.
137 5
139 No permission to read one of the files passed on the command line.
140
142 xdg-icon-resource(1), xdg-desktop-menu(1), Shared MIME database
143 specification[1], MIME applications associations specification[2]
144
146 xdg-mime query filetype /tmp/foobar.png
147 Prints the MIME type of the file /tmp/foobar.png, in this case
149 image/png
150 xdg-mime query default image/png
152 Prints the .desktop filename of the application which is registered to
154 open PNG files.
155 xdg-mime install shinythings-shiny.xml
157 Adds a file type description for "shiny"-files. "shinythings-" is used
159 as the vendor prefix. The file type description could look as follows.
160 shinythings-shiny.xml:
162 <?xml version="1.0"?>
164 <mime-info xmlns='http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info'>
165 <mime-type type="text/x-shiny">
166 <comment>Shiny new file type</comment>
167 <glob pattern="*.shiny"/>
168 <glob pattern="*.shi"/>
169 </mime-type>
170 </mime-info>
171 An icon for this new file type must also be installed, for example
173 with:
174 xdg-icon-resource install --context mimetypes --size 64 shiny-file-icon.png text-x-shiny
176
179 Kevin Krammer
180 Author.
181 Jeremy White
183 Author.
184
186 Copyright © 2006
187
189 1. Shared MIME database specification
190 http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/shared-mime-info-spec/
191 2. MIME applications associations specification
193 http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/mime-apps-spec/
194xdg-utils 1.0 07/25/2023 XDG-MIME(1)