What is MIME type "chemical/x-csml"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

chemical/x-csml is a MIME type for files storing structured chemical data. It is assigned to files with the extension CSML.

This format encodes molecular structures, reactions, and related data using markup tags similar to XML. It enables applications to process and exchange detailed chemical information in an organized manner.

Key points:

Data Representation: It organizes chemical entities and interactions in a structured, machine-readable format.
Application Integration: It is used by specialized chemical research software, databases, and cheminformatics tools to share standardized data.
Interoperability: It facilitates data exchange among chemical modeling, visualization, and simulation programs.
Experimental Usage: Being non-standard, its support may be limited to specific scientific domains and experimental applications.

For further technical details and resources on chemical MIME types, consider exploring sites like W3C Protocols.

Associated file extensions

.csml

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:


    Content-Type: chemical/x-csml

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:


    <a href="file.dat" type="chemical/x-csml">Download file</a>

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:


    const http = require('http');
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'chemical/x-csml');
      res.end('Content here');
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

.csml

FAQ

What is a MIME type?

A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.

MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.

MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why are multiple MIME types listed for one extension?

Different applications and historical conventions may use alternative MIME identifiers for the same kind of file. Showing them all helps ensure compatibility across systems.