[Marble-devel] Registering the mimetype application/gpx+xml? Icon for this mimetype (and kml)?

[Anders Lund]

On Onsdag den 19. oktober 2011, Friedrich W. H. Kossebau wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> tl;dr:
> I want to have the mimetype application/gpx+xml registered in the system
> and have a nice icon for it (and an icon also for kml, which is already
> registered as mimetype).
> 
> BACKGROUND (can be skipped):
> So I recently created some tracks (with good old N810 and Maemo Mapper) and
> wanted to view the gpx files it saved with Marble. After all Marble has
> application/gpx+xml noted as supported MimeType in marble.desktop and also
> has the GpxRunner class.
> 
> But seems application/gpx+xml is not yet registered as mimetype in the
> (operating) system, as Dolphin showed the gpx files to be just XML files,
> thus also did not offer Marble as handler for them in the "Open with" menu
> (sure, choosing Marble from within the "Other" option there works, but
> that I consider a not-nice workaround). See also in the output of
> kbuildsycoca4:
> 
> KBuildServiceFactory::populateServiceTypes: "/home/koder/System/kde-
> devel/share/applications/marble.desktop" specifies undefined
> mimetype/servicetype "application/gpx+xml"
> 
> And indeed, there is no entry for the gpx format in the latest shared-mime-
> info [smi], nor is there one in kdelibs/mimetypes/kde.xml.
> 
> [smi] http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xdg/shared-mime-
> info/tree/freedesktop.org.xml.in
> 
> QUESTIONS:
> * Has anybody ever tried to get that mimetype registered?
> It should end up in shared-mime-info I think (after all
> application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml and application/vnd.google-earth.kmz
> (yes, that not yet supported by Marble) are part of it). As a start, until
> accepted there and part of release, it can become part of kdelibs' kde.xml
> (I consider it even a fix for 4.7).
> English Wikipedia names application/gpx+xml to be the Internet media type:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_eXchange_Format . How much basing is that
> for that claim? Convention? Standard? But
> http://www.iana.org/assignments/media- types/application/index.html does
> not have it.
> 
> * What should the definition of the mimetype be like?
> So far I came up with this spec for which I would ask for inclusion in
> shared- mime-info (and kdelibs as intermediate solution):
> 
>   <mime-type type="application/gpx+xml">
>     <comment>GPX geographic data</comment>
>     <acronym>GPX</acronym>
>     <expanded-acronym>GPS eXchange Format</expanded-acronym>
>     <sub-class-of type="application/xml"/>
>     <glob pattern="*.gpx"/>
>   </mime-type>
> 
> There is also the tag root-XML, to help identifying xml-based formats.
> Would be
>     <root-XML namespaceURI="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0"
> localName="gpx"/>
> but only for version 1.0, not also 1.1. No idea how to support two
> versions. Perhaps they also need to be two different mimetypes? Will ask
> once I approach the people for the shared-mime-info inclusion.
> 
> * Which other important (FLOSS) programs or else is using this mimetype and
> could/should give her comments on the mimetype spec of GPX? I think to
> approach also TopoGrafix (anyone has a good contact?).
> 
> * Does Marble have their artist-in-town who would do a nice icon for this
> document format which would be then used (tackat :) )?
> There seems also none for kml, right? Or shall I ask better ask in the KDE
> artists mailing list? A blank document with the marble icon on it might be
> a start, unless someone can come up with a better visual term.

I think it is a great idea to get the mimetype registered :)

> PS: Marble is not listed at http://www.topografix.com/gpx_resources.asp, no
> interest or no go?

Up to now, there is no real gpx support in any released marble version, it 
barely displays tracks and nothing else. I hope there is interrest in 
improving support, and I heard that there is work going on supporting some kml 
extesnions that will help to some degree, so maybe in some future marble will 
be a resonable handler for gpx files. Well my 2c ;)


-- 
Anders