Save as, File Extensions

Hello,

on behalf of the Abiword team i'd like to request clarification on
behaviour of "Save as" functionality wrt filename extensions. In Abiword
and other applications the user has the possibility to save his/her work
in a number of different file formats, usually identified by a file's
extension (.txt, .rtf, .abw ...).
It seems to be common practise to extend the "Save as" dialog by adding
a possibility to select the desired file format, usually a combo box.
Some applications include a "by Extension" or similar entry, which
detects the desired file format from the user's input. The problem and
purpose of this request is how to resolve different combinations of user
input.

A problematic situation seems to occur if selection and manually typed
extension do not match.

- Should the selected file-type always have preference, and even append
itself if another extension is contained in the filename, e.g.
foo.doc.abw?

- Should either selection of user input override each other?

- Should it be possible to save without extension at all?

Maybe more, but don't remember ATM.

Is there a desktop-wide accepted policy already? Did i overlook it in
the HIG?

Thanks,
Rob
Received on Sat Aug 14 18:46:12 2004