Introduction
This tip discusses how to configure IIS to allow any file type to be downloaded.
Background
Many times requirements come into our projects where we want to allow a new file extension to be supported by our IIS.
For example, I want to allow a file with extension ‘.newextension’ to be served by IIS when a user requests a file that contains this file extension.
Using the Code
For allowing a new file extension, we need to allow a new file extension in MIME types. In our case, I need to add ‘.newextension’ in MIME type.
What are MIME Types?
MIME types basically identify the type of request. If a user requests a file that is not mapped in MIME type, IIS will throw an exception.
‘The page you are requesting cannot be served because of the extension configuration. If the page is a script, add a handler. If the file should be downloaded, add a MIME map.’
For allowing a new file extension, we need to add a new MIME type. For adding a new MIME type, we need to supply ‘File name extension’ and ’MIME type’. In my case, file name extension will be ‘.newextension’ and MIME type will be ‘text/plain’ because I just want to view the contents of file.
Once we allow a new file extension, IIS will serve that new file extension.
Request: http://XX.XXX.XX.XX/SampleWeb/test. newextension .
