Multiple programs use the same file extension, but the formats are totally different and incompatible. For instance, I have .sch
files on my computer that are in at least 5 different formats (TINA, PSpice, PADS, Protel, and Eagle). Is there a way to get Windows to treat them differently, so that double-clicking on such a file opens it in the program it's meant to be opened in?
Linux uses magic numbers in the files themselves to differentiate, and only uses file extensions as a fallback plan. (All PNG files start with the bytes 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A
, for instance, regardless of what you name them.) It would be nice if Windows could support this, but probably very difficult to implement. Maybe something simpler like a second-level extension, like filename.program1.sch
and filename.program2.sch
? Maybe some kind of filter that renames files on the fly?
Better idea: Associating the ambiguous extension with a pre-processor (.bat file or dedicated app) that checks for a second-level extension or goes into the file itself and scans for the magic number and then launches the appropriate program?