A graphic file is a defined data structure. A file reader for a specific type of graphic file – an ART file or a JPG file, for example – will attempt to read it based on its knowledge of the structure of the file it was designed to access.
If a file reader doesn't encounter the structure it expects, it will display an error message and stop reading the file.
Because Graphic Workshop knows how to read a large number of different file formats, it must trust that the file extensions of the files it is presented with are correct. For example, if it sees a file with the extension .ART, it assumes that the file contains valid data for an ART file.
It's worth noting that web browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, don't do this. Because they have to contend with very few graphic file formats, they can decide what kind of graphic files they're being asked to read by analyzing the actual file structures.
One elementary way to confuse most of the tools used to examine suspect hard drives is to mis-name the image files involved. For example, if an ART file is named with the extension GIF, rather than ART, most of the software that attempts to open or view it will fail, as it will not appear to be a valid GIF file.
This includes Graphic Workshop Professional.
Graphic Workshop Professional includes a feature to automatically examine the structures of files which aren't what they appear to be, and attempt to determine how they should be named to make them readable. If it's successful in doing so, it can rename them for you, so they'll have correct file extensions..
To use this feature:
- Select Identify Mystery Files from the File menu of Graphic Workshop. A File Open dialog will appear.
- Locate the file you wish to have identified and click on Open.
Alternately, right-click on the file you'd like to identify and select Identify Mystery File from the menu that appears.
Graphic Workshop will attempt to analyze your file. If it's successful, it will tell you what it thinks the file in question really is, and give you the option of having it named with the correct file extension.
While it varies between file types, in most cases Graphic Workshop only has to look at the first few bytes of data in a file to determine whether it's of a specific file type. It's possible for such a file to have corrupted image data even if its initial structure is valid. Once Graphic Workshop Professional has identified a file and renamed it, be sure to view it to verify that it's readable.
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