FILEDESCRIPTION

FILEDESCRIPTION is a generic term used in computing to denote a structured description of a file’s metadata. It refers to a data record or object that encapsulates essential information about a file for purposes such as enumeration, transfer, archiving, or processing. In practice, a FILEDESCRIPTION typically includes fields like the file name, size, type or MIME type, timestamps (creation, last modification, last access), and attributes or permissions. Additional fields may cover the owner, a checksum or hash, and the data offset or length within a larger package. The exact schema varies by API or format, but the aim is to provide a compact, machine-readable description that can be used without opening the file itself.

In certain environments, particularly Windows, a FILEDESCRIPTOR structure is used as part of drag-and-drop or clipboard-based file transfer formats (for example, the CFSTR_FILEDESCRIPTOR format). In such contexts, a collection of FILEDESCRIPTOR records can describe a batch of files, with the actual file contents supplied afterward in corresponding data streams. This enables applications to enumerate and coordinate multiple files in a single operation.

Within POSIX systems and general file interfaces, file metadata is often obtained through calls like stat, which provide information such as size, type, and timestamps. The term FILEDESCRIPTION may be used informally to refer to that kind of metadata or to a higher-level object that wraps those fields for a specific API or workflow.

Use and purpose: FILEDESCRIPTION objects enable tools to display, compare, package, or transfer files without needing to read their contents, supporting efficient backup, archiving, synchronization, and user interfaces that present file information before access or transfer. See also FILEDESCRIPTOR, CFSTR_FILEDESCRIPTOR, stat, and file metadata concepts.