The file extension of each file is used to determine what converter is used when Document Conversion Service converts that file.

When using the PEERNET.ConvertUtility.dll or the command line tools to convert files, a default file extension mapping profile, File Extension To Converter Map.xml, is used to determine this mapping.  This file can be edited and file extensions can be added, removed and changed as needed.

If desired, the file itself can be copied and renamed and the new mapping file passed to the PEERNET.ConvertUtility methods or the command line tools as needed.

An simpler approach is to customize the file extension mapping by adding the setting into a profile file. This allows you to set the file extension mapping at a file level instead of at the application level. Any file extension mappings found in a profile will override the settings in the base File Extension To Converter Map.xml file.

A common use of this would be to have a profile that uses the PEERNET Passthough Converter to skip processing TIFF files, or one that uses Ghostscript to process PDF files instead of Adobe Reader.

For the Watch Folder Service, the service's configuration file contains it's own file extension to converter mapping section. The extension to converter mapping listed in the configuration file has the same format as in the mapping profile.

Customizing the File Extension Mapping Profile

File mapping profiles are stored in the same location as the conversion profiles. The default file extension mapping profile, File Extension To Converter Map.xml, is installed as part of Document Conversion Service. The difference between a conversion profile and a mapping profile is detected using the Type attribute on the Profile element. It is 0 for a conversion profile and 1 for a file extension mapping profile.

The mapping consists of the extension (the suffix of the file name past the last dot or period in file's name) and a semi-colon separated list of converter names.  There are two things to remember when modifying this file:

1.Each file extension can only be listed once.

2.The file extensions must be added in lower case and must include both the dot (.) and the extension.

In some cases the file extension may only have one converter associated with it. Others, such as PDF which can be converted using either Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat, Ghostscript or Outside-In AX, can potentially have more than one converter, in order of preference, associated with it. The code sample below shows a small snippet of the file mapping in the provided file mapping profile.

 

 

The table below lists the available converters and their default file extensions.