File extension is an identification to identify a file in computer. example for notepad the extension is .txt

Answered by nisha , an ibibo Master, at 9:26 PM on November 18, 2007

In an effort to be "user-friendly," Windows (and perhaps some other operating systems) hides the most important part of a file name from new computer users: the extension. Okay - we're assuming that the reasoning behind hiding extensions is a "user-friendly" one because we just can't come up with any other reason for hiding them. No harm could ever come from seeing an extension, but plenty could be learned from it. Fortunately you have this article to guide you through some of the most common extensions that you'll run into. But before you can see file extensions, you need to turn them on. From Windows Explorer, click on the "Tools" menu, and select "File Options." Click the "View" tab and then uncheck the box next to "Hide file extensions for known file types." Click "OK" and you'll notice that the files in Windows Explorer show a dot and group of three letters after their names. That dot and group of three letters is known as an "extension," and the extension explains what kind of file it is.

Answered by rushi , an ibibo Citizen, at 7:49 PM on November 18, 2007

A filename extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file applied to indicate its type. It is commonly used to infer information about what sort of data might be stored in the file. The description above is meant to mostly explain the intent of filename extensions: a true definition, giving the criterion for deciding what part of the file name is its extension, belongs to the rules of the specific filesystem used; most times the extension is the substring which follows the last occurrence, if any, of the dot character (e.g. "txt" is the extension of the filename "readme.txt", "html" the extension of "mysite.index.html"). On filesystems on mainframe systems such as MVS, VMS, and PC systems such as CP/M and derivative systems such as Microsoft DOS, the extension is actually a separate namespace from the filename. This is different from Unix-like operating systems, where filesystems do not actually support the notion of an extension, where a suffix is not a separate namespace, and where even having a suffix is voluntary for executables, as permissions are used to decide whether a file is executable.

Answered by quadeer , an ibibo Specialist, at 6:06 PM on November 18, 2007

File Extension is the part of a PC filename after the dot (.), often used to tell Windows what type of file it is. For example, files ending in .exe are programs, and files ending .jpg or .gif are pictures. Note that Windows is sometimes set up not to display the extension in Windows Explorer or My Computer, another helpful idea to confuse beginners from our friends at Microsoft.

Answered by saixaero , an ibibo Master, at 5:32 PM on November 18, 2007

The file extension is an integral part of the Windows file name, yet Windows defaults to hiding this important element. Thus, in order to show the extensions in your Explorer views, you have to unhide them by doing the following from My Computer or from Explorer. Windows Vista 1. Start menu/Control Panel. 2. Select Classic View if not in that mode. 3. Select Folder Options/View. 4. Deselect "Hide extensions for known file types." Windows XP 1. Select Tools/Folder Options/View. 2. Deselect "Hide extensions for known file types." Windows 98 1. Select View/Folder Options/View. 2. Deselect "Hide file extensions for known file types." 3. Be sure "Show all files" is enabled. Windows 95 1. Select View/Options/View. 2. Deselect "Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered." 3. Be sure "Show all files" is enabled. Windows NT 4 1. Select View/Options/View. 2. Deselect "Hide file extensions for known file types." 3. Be sure "Show all files" is enabled.

Answered by alokgupta14 , an ibibo Guru, at 3:59 PM on November 18, 2007

A file format is a particular way to encode information for storage in a computer file. Since a disk drive, or indeed any computer storage, can store only bits, the computer must have some way of converting information to 0s and 1s and vice-versa. There are different kinds of formats for different kinds of information. Within any format type, e.g., word processor documents, there will typically be several different formats. Sometimes these formats compete with each other. 1) An extra feature added to a standard programming language or system. 2) In DOS and some other operating systems, one or several letters at the end of a filename. Filename extensions usually follow a period (dot) and indicate the type of information stored in the file. For example, in the filename EDIT.COM, the extension is COM, which indicates that the file is a command file. (Depending on the operating system, the punctuation separating the extension from the rest of the filename may or may not be considered part of the extension itself.) 3) In Macintosh environments, a program that extends the system's capabilities. When they reside in the Extensions folder, extensions are loaded into memory when the system starts. On older Macs (System 6 and earlier), extensions were called inits. (4) Same as plug-in. Some file formats are designed to store very particular sorts of data: the JPEG format, for example, is designed only to store static photographic images. Other file formats, however, are designed for storage of several different types of data: the GIF format supports storage of both still images and simple animations, and the QuickTime format can act as a container for many different types of multimedia. A text file is simply one that stores any text, in a format such as ASCII or UTF-8, with few if any control characters. Some file formats, such as HTML, or the source code of some particular programming language, are in fact also text files, but adhere to more specific rules which allow them to be used for specific purposes. It is sometimes possible to cause a program to read a file encoded in one format as if it were encoded in another format. For example, one can play a Microsoft Word document as if it were a song by using a music-playing program that deals in "headerless" audio files. The result does not sound very musical, however. This is so because a sensible arrangement of bits in one format is almost always nonsensical in another

Answered by Pammu , an ibibo Specialist, at 1:29 PM on November 18, 2007

A file extension is a suffix at the end of a filename indicating what type of file it is. For example, in the filename "myreport.txt," the .txt part indicates the file is a text document. Some other examples include "Document1.doc," which is a Microsoft Word document, and "Image.psd," which is a Photoshop document. While most file extensions are three characters in length, they can be anywhere from one to five characters long. The extension tells the computer's operating system what program it should use to open the file. It also helps the user see what kind of file a certain document is by just looking at the filename. Both Windows and Mac OS X allow users to change file extensions, which can change the program the computer uses to open the file. While this may work for some files, it can also cause the file to not open at all. For example, if you change a file with a .txt extension to a .doc extension, Microsoft Word should open it. However, if you change a .txt file to a .psd file, Photoshop will not recognize it.

Answered by deep , an ibibo Master, at 7:10 AM on November 18, 2007