4.3. Registering Applications for MIME Types
The application registry contains text files that register applications. The application
registration files contain a series of key-value pairs that specify details
for applications. For example, the application registration files contain
the following information:
An application registration file can contain one or more application
registrations. Application registration files have a .applications extension.
The location of the application registry is /usr/share/gnome/application-registry. This directory contains a default application registration file
that is called gnome-vfs.applications.
To register an application, add a registration file for the application
to the application registry.
The following is an example of an application registration:
eog
command=eog
name=Eye of Gnome
can_open_multiple_files=true
expects_uris=false
requires_terminal=false
mime_types=image/bmp,image/gif,image/jpeg,image/png,image/tiff,
image/x-xpixmap,image/x-bmp,image/x-png,image/x-portable-anymap,
image/x-portable-bitmap,image/x-portable-graymap,
image/x-portable-pixmap
Table 4.3 describes the keys in application registration
files.
Table 4.3. Keys for an Application Registration
Key | Description |
|---|
Application identifier | Specifies a unique identifier for the application. This
identifier must be the same as the identifier in the short_list_application_ids_for_novice_user_level
key in the MIME keys file for the application. |
command
| Specifies the command to use to start the application,
and any options to use with the command. |
name
| Specifies a name for the application. The name is used
in the user interface. For example, the name is used in the Open
With submenu in the file manager. |
can_open_multiple_files
| Specifies whether the application can open several
files at the same time. |
expects_uris
| Specifies whether the application can process URIs.
If the value of this key is true, the application registration
entry must also contain a supported_uri_schemes key. |
supported_uri_schemes
| Specifies
the URI schemes that the application can process. |
requires_terminal
| Specifies whether to run the application in a terminal
window. Enter true for this field for an application that
does not create a window in which to run. |
mime_types
| Specifies the MIME types that the application can
use. |
