Data files are used by programs to store data on disk. All file-system objects that are neither program files nor &link_folders; are considered data files by &os2;. They may or may not contain human-readable data.

Data files usually have a type. You can set a file's types explicitly on the "Type" page in the file's properties notebook. If no explicit type has been assigned, &xwp; will assign an automatic type to the file based on its file extension, which is the part of the object's file name after the last dot.

In addition, data files frequently have &link_progobjs; associated with them. This allows you to simply double-click on a data file to have the associated program opened with the data file already loaded, or to select a program from the data file's "Open" submenu in its &popmenu;.

If the data file does not have a type assigned (neither explicitly nor automatically), &os2; associates it with the "Text Editor" object, which usually resides in the "Utilities" folder in the "Programs" folder on your Desktop. System Editor.

You can configure &xwp;'s file types and associations on the "File types" page in the "Workplace Shell" object.

See Types and associations for an introduction to associations between data files and programs.

You can change the associations between a program and data files on the "Associations" page of a program's properties notebook.

For related information, select from the list below: