tif or tiff

[Norbert Vischer-2]

Using our  "Windows XP" campus computers, I have problems with tif file names. Obviously, Internet Explorer changes silently filenames: e.g, if I go to
http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/images/
and download "abe.tif", Internet Explorer stores this as "abe.tiff", while the extension is hidden and the type is classified as "TIF". This breaks macros that rely on file names. Drag&dropping the URL directly into ImageJ leaves the extension intact. Putting them into a zip archive, leaves them also intact, but unpacking is more complicated than on the Mac. Firefox seems ok, but I don't have knowledge of the user's browser. Anyone who has the same problem? Will I have to write lengthy manuals when distributing example macros together with images in order to compensate for the unwanted "cleverness" of Internet Explorer? Or avoid the ".tif" extension which seems to be default in ImageJ?
Is there a trend which of "tif" or "tiff" is more official?

Norbert Vischer

[Judy Trogadis]

Hi, Norbert
Are you talking about Internet Explorer or a Windows browser - which is doing the storing? You can make the extensions visible by opening My Computer Tools/Folder Options/View and uncheck the box "hide extensions for known file types".

I have never seen the extension change. It is always .tif - from the old DOS days when file extensions were limited to 3 letters.
Judy


Judy Trogadis
Bio-Imaging Coordinator
St. Michael's Hospital, 7Queen
30 Bond St.
Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
ph:  416-864-6060  x6337
pager: 416-685-9219
fax: [phone]
[hidden email]


>>> Norbert Vischer <[hidden email]> 2/22/2010 8:58 AM >>>
Using our  "Windows XP" campus computers, I have problems with tif file names. Obviously, Internet Explorer changes silently filenames: e.g, if I go to
http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/images/ 
and download "abe.tif", Internet Explorer stores this as "abe.tiff", while the extension is hidden and the type is classified as "TIF". This breaks macros that rely on file names. Drag&dropping the URL directly into ImageJ leaves the extension intact. Putting them into a zip archive, leaves them also intact, but unpacking is more complicated than on the Mac. Firefox seems ok, but I don't have knowledge of the user's browser. Anyone who has the same problem? Will I have to write lengthy manuals when distributing example macros together with images in order to compensate for the unwanted "cleverness" of Internet Explorer? Or avoid the ".tif" extension which seems to be default in ImageJ?
Is there a trend which of "tif" or "tiff" is more official?

Norbert Vischer

[Michael Schmid]

Hi Norbert,

Windows Internet Explorer is known for all kind of troubles, caused  
trying to be more smart than the user. Why not use Firefox? It should  
not cause problems like this.
TIFF means "Tagged Image File Format", thus most systems except those  
limited to 3-character file extensions (today or in the past) use  
four letters.

Michael
________________________________________________________________

On 22 Feb 2010, at 15:47, Judy Trogadis wrote:

> Using our  "Windows XP" campus computers, I have problems with tif  
> file names. Obviously, Internet Explorer changes silently  
> filenames: e.g, if I go to
> http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/images/
> and download "abe.tif", Internet Explorer stores this as  
> "abe.tiff", while the extension is hidden and the type is  
> classified as "TIF". This breaks macros that rely on file names.  
> Drag&dropping the URL directly into ImageJ leaves the extension  
> intact. Putting them into a zip archive, leaves them also intact,  
> but unpacking is more complicated than on the Mac. Firefox seems  
> ok, but I don't have knowledge of the user's browser. Anyone who  
> has the same problem? Will I have to write lengthy manuals when  
> distributing example macros together with images in order to  
> compensate for the unwanted "cleverness" of Internet Explorer? Or  
> avoid the ".tif" extension which seems to be default in ImageJ?
> Is there a trend which of "tif" or "tiff" is more official?
>
> Norbert Vischer