File Types

Virtual Files supports multiple file types with specific MIME type mappings and Free/Pro tier differences. This guide covers all supported file types and their applications.

Supported File Types Overview

File Type	Extensions	MIME Type	Free Version	Pro Version	Common Uses
Text Files	.txt	text/plain; charset=utf-8	✅	✅	Documentation, logs, simple data
Markdown	.md	text/markdown; charset=utf-8	✅	✅	Documentation, readme files
JSON	.json	application/json; charset=utf-8	✅	✅	API responses, configuration
XML	.xml	application/xml; charset=utf-8	❌	✅	Sitemaps, RSS feeds, data exchange
RSS	.rss	application/rss+xml; charset=utf-8	❌	✅	News feeds, updates
CSV	.csv	text/csv; charset=utf-8	❌	✅	Data export, spreadsheets
YAML	.yml, .yaml	text/yaml; charset=utf-8	❌	✅	Configuration files
Log Files	.log	text/plain; charset=utf-8	❌	✅	Debug logs, access logs

Free Version File Types

Text Files (.txt)

Features

• Basic text content serving with proper UTF-8 charset headers
• Simple monospace textarea editor
• 1MB maximum content size

Common Use Cases

robots.txt

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-includes/
Disallow: /wp-content/plugins/
Disallow: /wp-content/themes/

Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Configuration Files

# Application Configuration
app_name=My WordPress Site
version=1.0.0
debug=false
api_key=your_api_key_here

Markdown Files (.md)

Features

• Basic textarea editing with monospace font
• No syntax highlighting (Free version)
• Standard markdown support

Common Use Cases

README Documentation

# My WordPress Plugin

A comprehensive WordPress plugin for managing virtual files.

## Features

- Virtual file management
- Multiple file types support
- Performance optimization

## Installation

1. Download plugin
2. Upload to wp-content/plugins
3. Activate in WordPress admin

JSON Files (.json)

Features

• Basic JSON content serving
• Simple textarea editor (no syntax highlighting in Free)
• Proper JSON MIME headers

Common Use Cases

API Configuration

{
  "api_version": "1.0",
  "site_name": "My WordPress Site",
  "endpoints": {
    "posts": "/api/posts.json",
    "pages": "/api/pages.json"
  },
  "authentication": {
    "type": "bearer_token",
    "required": true
  }
}

Pro Version File Types

XML Files (.xml)

Features

• CodeMirror editor with XML syntax highlighting (Pro)
• Auto-validation and error detection (Pro)
• Proper XML MIME headers
• UTF-8 encoding support

Common Use Cases

Sitemap

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00</lastmod>
        <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
        <priority>1.0</priority>
    </url>
</urlset>

RSS Feed

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title>My WordPress Site</title>
        <description>Latest news and updates</description>
        <link>https://yourdomain.com</link>
        <item>
            <title>Sample Post</title>
            <link>https://yourdomain.com/sample-post</link>
            <description>Post description here</description>
        </item>
    </channel>
</rss>

RSS Files (.rss)

Features

• Dedicated RSS feed format with proper MIME type
• CodeMirror syntax highlighting (Pro)
• Auto-validation of RSS structure (Pro)

Common Use Cases

News Feed

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title>Site News</title>
        <description>Latest updates from our site</description>
        <link>https://yourdomain.com</link>
        <item>
            <title>New Feature Released</title>
            <description>We've just released a new feature!</description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
        </item>
    </channel>
</rss>

CSV Files (.csv)

Features

• Proper CSV MIME type serving
• Comma-separated format support
• CodeMirror editing with CSV syntax highlighting (Pro)

Common Use Cases

Product Export

id,title,price,category,stock,sku
1,"WordPress Theme",49.99,"Themes",15,"WP-THEME-001"
2,"Plugin Bundle",29.99,"Plugins",50,"WP-BUNDLE-001"
3,"Support Package",99.99,"Services",100,"WP-SUPPORT-001"

YAML Files (.yml/.yaml)

Features

• Support for both .yml and .yaml extensions
• Text/yaml MIME type serving
• CodeMirror syntax highlighting (Pro)
• Structure validation (Pro)

Common Use Cases

Docker Configuration

version: '3.8'

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:6.0
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: secure_password

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: WordPress Build

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Run Tests
        run: npm test

Log Files (.log)

Features

• Text/plain MIME type serving
• CodeMirror editing with log syntax highlighting (Pro)
• Common log format support
• Timestamp and level detection (Pro)

Common Use Cases

Access Log

[2026-01-01 12:00:00] INFO GET /robots.txt 0.045s 200
[2026-01-01 12:00:15] INFO GET /sitemap.xml 0.038s 200
[2026-01-01 12:01:30] WARNING GET /admin/ 0.089s 403

Error Log

[2026-01-01 12:00:00] ERROR Database connection failed
[2026-01-01 12:00:15] WARNING Cache write timeout
[2026-01-01 12:01:30] INFO Rewrite rules flushed successfully

File Type Configuration

MIME Type Mappings

Each file extension is automatically mapped to its appropriate MIME type:

$mime_types = [
    'txt'  => 'text/plain; charset=utf-8',
    'md'   => 'text/markdown; charset=utf-8',
    'json' => 'application/json; charset=utf-8',
    'xml'  => 'application/xml; charset=utf-8',
    'rss'  => 'application/rss+xml; charset=utf-8',
    'csv'  => 'text/csv; charset=utf-8',
    'yml'  => 'text/yaml; charset=utf-8',
    'yaml' => 'text/yaml; charset=utf-8',
    'log'  => 'text/plain; charset=utf-8',
];

File Type Selection

When creating or editing files:

1. Dropdown Interface: Select from available file types
2. Pro Feature Indicators: Pro-only types show upgrade prompts
3. MIME Auto-Detection: Content-Type header set automatically
4. Validation: File extension must be from allowed list

Extension Filtering

• Free Users: Only .txt, .md, .json available in dropdown
• Pro Users: All extensions available
• Custom Extensions: Can be filtered via virtual_files_allowed_extensions hook
• Security: Only predefined extensions allowed for security

Editor Support Differences

Free Version Editor

• Basic WordPress textarea with monospace font
• No syntax highlighting
• Simple text editing capabilities
• 1MB content size limit

Pro Version Editor (CodeMirror)

• Syntax Highlighting: For all supported file types
• Theme Options: Light (default) and Dark (monokai) themes
• Line Numbers: Show/hide line numbers
• Bracket Matching: Visual matching of opening/closing brackets
• Search Functionality: Find and replace in editor
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • Ctrl-Space: Auto-complete
  • Ctrl-/: Toggle comment
  • F11: Fullscreen mode
• Auto-indent: Smart indentation based on file type
• Multiple Cursor: Multiple text cursors for bulk editing

File Validation

Filename Validation

• Character Restrictions: No <>:"|?* characters
• Length Limit: Maximum 255 characters
• Uniqueness Check: No duplicate filenames allowed
• Extension Validation: Must match selected file type

Content Validation

• Required Field: Content cannot be empty
• Size Limits: 1MB maximum content size
• Security Scanning: Automatic sanitization of dangerous content
• Encoding Support: UTF-8 character handling

File Type Validation

• Extension Match: Content must match file type (basic validation)
• MIME Verification: Correct MIME headers sent
• Structure Validation: Basic syntax checking (Pro feature)
• Error Detection: Highlight common errors in editor (Pro)

Performance Considerations

File Serving

• Direct Serve: Files served via WordPress routing
• MIME Headers: Proper Content-Type headers set
• Charset Support: UTF-8 encoding for all text types
• Caching: Cache support for all file types (Pro feature)

Content Size

• Memory Management: Efficient serving of large content
• Compression: Gzip compression when available
• Stream Processing: Large files streamed to prevent memory issues
• Browser Caching: Appropriate cache headers sent

Best Practices

File Type Selection

• Choose appropriate file type for your content
• Use JSON for structured data
• Use XML for sitemaps and feeds
• Use TXT for simple configuration
• Use Markdown for documentation

Content Optimization

• Keep file sizes reasonable for performance
• Use proper formatting for chosen file type
• Validate syntax before publishing
• Test files in different browsers

Security Considerations

• Don't include sensitive information in accessible files
• Use proper file permissions
• Validate input when generating dynamic content
• Regularly review file access

Pro Feature Utilization

• Use syntax highlighting for easier editing
• Enable caching for better performance
• Use advanced file types for complex data
• Leverage import/export for backups

Next Steps

Now that you understand file types:

1. Create Files: Start creating virtual files
2. Configure Settings: Set up allowed file types
3. Managing Files: Organize your files effectively
4. Explore Pro Features: Unlock advanced file types

---

Need Help?

• FAQ - Answers to common questions
• Troubleshooting - Step-by-step problem solving
• Contact Support - Contact options and resources