IV. File content pane

The file content pane is a powerful interpreter and presentation tool for most proprietary and open-source file formats processed in Schlesinger collections. The file content pane views the file highlighted in the file list.

Using the file content pane

The file content pane can present most files using the Natural view tab at the top of the pane.

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Figure 1. An email file from the Papers of Candida Royalle presented in the Natural view tab of the file content pane.

Viewing tabs at the top of the file content pane interpret the file using different encodings and translations. The Text view can be used to interpret the raw text from the file using different text encoding types.

1. Hex: The hexadecimal viewer showing a compressed view of the binary data in the file.

2. Text: A raw text view of the file.

3. Filtered: A text view of the file stripping uncommon characters.

4. Translation: Translated text.

5. Natural: The most high-fidelity presentation of a file. The natural view can sometimes fail for legacy file types.

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Figure 2. The same email file presented in the Text view tab of the file content pane.

The tabs along the bottom of the file content pane show the file properties (file metadata) and a hex interpreter. The hex interpreter is an advanced means of analyzing raw file metadata. The hex interpreter takes encoded boot sector data from different file system data structures and analyzing the data positions and content to describe their values.

The file content pane can view complex file formats with relative fidelity. This is a convenient means of viewing files without needing to export and open files from their disk images. For example, the file shown in Figure 4 is an Excel file, and the file content viewer allows the user to view formatted spreadsheet data and even each tab of the spreadsheet.

File content pane errors

An uncommon error seen in several cases is a failure of the file content pane to display some files in legacy formats. In the event the software fails to present a file, the most common pattern is for the Natural tab of the file content pane to show an error message in red text.

In the event that a file content pane error occurs, it is recommended to attempt to switch the view tab to Filtered, Text, or Hex views to examine the file content.

In the uncommon circumstance where a file’s content cannot be accessed in the file content pane, consult with Digital Collections and Services staff.