Determine file type

for files with no extensions

[geoapa]

Is there a utility out there that can determine the file type of a file by reading it's encoding?

I tried giving the file a .txt, .html and other extensions but I can't figure it out.

[Timotheos]

Are you saying you don't know the file type? Like if it's a word document or spreadsheet. If I have some weird file that I don't know what it is then I've used Quick View Plus before. It usually knows.

Or are you referring to encoding as another character set?

[geoapa]

The only thing I know about the file is that it's some sort of a data file (vs. graphic file)

I'm sure there is some way to convert or view the file down to it's binary format.

Not quite sure if every file has some sort of info in its header telling programs what types of files they are... It's got to work in some sort of way like that. If that's the case then there should be a little proggy out there that could identify a file by reading it in it's binary format no?