formatsaid

Formatsaid is a proposed open-source framework and registry designed to support the consistent handling of digital file formats across software systems. It aims to provide a centralized source of format information, including identifiers, metadata schemas, and interoperable interfaces for parsing, validating, and converting formats.

Core components include a format registry that assigns unique identifiers and tracks aliases, MIME types and common extensions, and metadata schemas describing properties such as encoding, version, and structural constraints. The project also specifies validation rules, conversion adapters between formats, and a plugin system to extend coverage. In addition, formatsaid envisions a data model and reference data that can be shared across tools to promote interoperability.

Formatsaid is intended for use by content management systems, digital libraries, document processing pipelines, and archival workflows to reduce format ambiguity and improve interoperability. By providing a shared reference and pluggable tooling, it supports automated validation, format migration, and metadata preservation across stages of digital lifecycles.

As an open initiative, formatsaid remains the subject of ongoing discussion in community forums. There is no formal standard universally adopted, and implementations vary in completeness. The project emphasizes openness, cross-community governance, and licensing that encourages contribution and reuse.

See also:

- MIME type

- File format

- Metadata schema

- Data interoperability