About File Parsers

File parsers work in conjunction with the file viewing components of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. These components are the shell, the Quick View program (QUIKVIEW.EXE), display engines, and file parsers. The shell responds to user requests to generate a quick view for a file by calling the Quick View program. The program manages the process, directing one of the display engines to draw the Quick View window and fill it with a view of the file. The display engine uses a file parser to determine the contents of the file and to draw those contents correctly.

You can extend the file viewing capabilities of Windows by supplying additional file parsers. Each file parser is responsible for a specific type or class of file and is associated with one of the display engines. For example, you can allow a quick view to be generated for a .DOC file by creating a file parser to support that file type and associating the file parser with the word processor display engine.

This overview describes the file parser interface and explains how to write file parsers for word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, bitmapped graphics, and vector graphics. For information about extending the file viewing capabilities in other ways, see File Viewers.

The file viewing technology used in the Quick View feature system has been jointly developed by Microsoft Corporation and Systems Compatibility Corporation.

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