Discuss file associations, with regard to operating systems and browsers, and include what happens when there is no file association for a specific file.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

When a software application is installed on a computer, the data file types used by that software application are associated with it. For instance, when the Microsoft Excel application is installed, the Excel data file type is associated with Microsoft Excel. Excel data files have an extension of .xls or .xlsx. When a file ending in .xls is double-clicked, the Excel application opens and the file is loaded into it. This is the case regardless of whether the computer is running Windows or OS X.

When a Web page contains a link that points to a file that is not an HTML file, the browser downloads the file. If there is a file association with that data file to an application, the browser may also launch that application, which then loads the data file. For instance, if a link points to a file named Q1.xls, then the Q1.xls file is downloaded. When the user clicks on the downloaded file, Microsoft Excel is launched and the Q1.xls file opens in Microsoft Excel. On some computers or mobile devices, the file may open automatically in the software application that is associated with it.

If there is no file association for a specific file, the computer may display a dialog box that prompts you to save the file or to search for an application on the Web.