--- name: "install-mime" section: "8" platform: "linux" package: "mime-support" version: "3.9-1" release: "Debian 2.2 (Potato)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/install-mime" --- # install-mime(8) create or update MIME information ## NAME install-mime **\[obsolete\]** - create or update MIME information ## SYNOPSIS **install-mime** \[--install\] \[--remove\] \[--list\] \[--package=\\] \[--content=\\] \[--comment=\\] \[--test=\\] \[--needsterminal=\\] \[--copiousoutput=\\] \[--description=\\] \[--textualnewlines=\\] \[--x11-bitmap=\\] \[--nametemplate=\\] \[--view=\\] \[--compose=\\] \[--composetyped=\\] \[--edit=\\] \[--print=\\] ## DESCRIPTION **install-mime** makes, updates or removes entries from the **/etc/mailcap** file. **install-mime** is **obsolete!** Pluse use **update-mime** insead. ### OPTIONS All options are in the form --\\[=\\]. Values can be a accepted by dpkg), 'content-type' (any valid content-type as recognized by MIME), 'conditional' (a valid shell command line), 't/f' (a true/false or t/f value), 'string', (any arbitrary ascii string), ´pathname' (a path to an existing file), and 'program-string' (how to call a program with the given content-type as supported by MIME). ### Actions These options specify what is to be done. - **--install** Installs the given commands along with their modifiers into the database and *mailcap* file. This option requires the **--package** and **--content** options. - **--remove** Removes all entries for the named package from the database and *mailcap* file. This option requires the **--package** option. - **--list** Lists all entries in the database. The **--package** and **--content** options can be specified to restrict which items will be listed. ### Install Info - **--package=\** Specifies the name of the package under which to create or remove entries. This option is mandatory for both the **--install** and **--remove** actions. - **--comment=\** Specifies a comment string to print out if it is necessary to prompt the user to chose a priority for these commands. Strings can be as long as you want. All newlines and tabs will be removed and the string reformatted for the width of the screen. - **--content=\** Specifies the MIME content-type the action applies to. This option is mandatory for the **--install** action. ### Commands These options specify what to do for the given content-type. - **--view=\** Specifies the program to run to view a file of the given content-type. - **--compose=\** The "compose" command may be used to specify a program that can be used to compose a new body or body part in the given format. Its intended use is to support mail composing agents that support the composition of multiple types of mail using external composing agents. The result of the composing program may be data that is not yet suitable for mail transport -- that is, a Content-Transfer-Encoding may need to be applied to the data. - **--composetyped=\** The "composetyped" command is similar to "compose", but is to be used when the composing program needs to specify the Content-type header field to be applied to the composed data. The "compose" option is simpler, and is preferred for use with existing (non-mail-oriented) programs for composing data in a given format. The "composetyped" option is necessary when the Content-type information must include auxiliary parameters, and the composition program must then know enough about mail formats to produce output that includes the mail type information. - **--edit=\** The "edit" command may be used to specify a program that can be used to edit a body or body part in the given format. In many cases, it may be identical in content to the "compose" command. - **--print=\** The "print" command may be used to specify a program that can be used to print a message or body part in the given format. ### Modifiers These options are modifiers to all the commands specified on the command line. - **--test=\** The "test" option may be used to test some external condition (e.g., the machine architecture, or the window system in use) to determine whether or not the mailcap line applies. It specifies a program to be run to test some condition. If the test fails, a subsequent mailcap entry will be sought. Multiple test options are not permitted -- since a test can call a program, it can already be arbitrarily complex. - **--needsterminal=\** The "needsterminal" option, if true, indicates that the commands must be run on an interactive terminal. This is needed to inform window- oriented user agents that an interactive terminal is needed. (The decision is not left exclusively to the command because in some circumstances it may not be possible for such programs to tell whether or not they are on interactive terminals.) The needsterminal command applies to the view, compose and edit commands, if they exist. Note that this is NOT a test -- it is a requirement for the environment in which the program will be executed, and should typically cause the creation of a terminal window when not executed on either a real terminal or a terminal window. (default=false) - **--copiousoutput=\** The "copiousoutput", if true, indicates that the output from the view-command will be an extended stream of output, and is to be interpreted as advice to the UA (User Agent mail-reading program) that the output should be either paged or made scrollable. Note that it is probably a mistake if needsterminal and copiousoutput are both specified. (default=false) ### Content-Type Info These options provide additional information about the given content-type. These will be applied to all entries of that type whether defined on the same invocation of **mime-support** or another. - **--description=\** The "description" option simply provides a textual description that describes the type of data, to be used optionally by mail readers that wish to describe the data before offering to display it. - **--textualnewlines=\** The "textualnewlines" option, if set to true, indicates that this type of data is line-oriented and that, if encoded in a binary format, all newlines should be converted to canonical form (CRLF) before encoding, and will be in that form after decoding. In general, this is needed only if there is line-oriented data of some type other than text/\* or non-line- oriented data that is a subtype of text. (default=false) - **--x11-bitmap=\** The "x11-bitmap" option names a file, in X11 bitmap (xbm) format, which points to an appropriate icon to be used to visually denote the presence of this kind of data. - **--nametemplate=\** The "nametemplate" option gives a file name format, in which %s will be replaced by a short unique string to give the name of the temporary file to be passed to the viewing command. This is only expected to be relevant in environments where filename extensions are meaningful, e.g., one could specify that a GIF file being passed to a gif viewer should have a name ending in ".gif" by using "nametemplate=%s.gif". ### Program settings These options change the behavior of **mime-support** itself. They have no effect on the final results of the program. - **--quiet** The "quiet" flag will keep **mime-support** from generating any unnecessary messages. - **--noparmcheck** The "noparmcheck" flag will tell **mime-support** to ignore any unrecognized parameters on the command line. This flag is useful *only* for allowing install scripts using newer options to work semi-gracefully with older versions of **mime-support.** It should *not* be used for any other purpose and should be removed as soon as possible. ## CONFLICTS **Mime-support** will correctly handle situations where multiple packages wish to provide viewers, editors, and/or composers for the same mime-type. When such a conflict arises, the user will be presented with a list of current entries for that type and asked at what priority the new program is to be inserted. *Note:* Because *install-mime* can become interactive, it is essential that *stdout* not be redirected. Use the **--quiet** option instead. ## DEPENDENCIES Packages that wish to provide MIME access to themselves should not depend on, recommend, or suggest **mime-support,** but rather just put something like the following in the *postinst* and *prerm* scripts. ``` if [ -x /usr/sbin/install-mime ] then install-mime [...] fi ``` ## SEE ALSO RFC-1524 (/usr/doc/mime-support/rfc1524.txt) ## AUTHOR **install-mime** was written by Brian White \ ## COPYRIGHT **install-mime** is in the public domain (the only true "free").