.TMP

Task 733: .TMP File Format

Task 733: .TMP File Format

thinkmelt@protonmail.com

• 6 min read

1. List of Properties of the .TMP File Format Intrinsic to Its File System

The .TMP file extension does not correspond to a standardized file format with a fixed internal structure, such as headers or fields. Instead, it denotes temporary files created by operating systems or applications for transitory storage, with content varying based on the generating program. Properties intrinsic to the file system include metadata attributes accessible via file system APIs. Based on available documentation and common practices across operating systems (e.g., Windows, Unix-like systems), the following properties are relevant:

  • File Extension: .tmp (case-insensitive in most systems).
  • MIME Type: application/octet-stream (generic binary stream, as content is not format-specific).
  • File Type Category: Temporary or transitory file, often used for backups, caches, or intermediate data.
  • Common Locations:
  • Windows: %TEMP% (e.g., C:\Users[User]\AppData\Local\Temp) or C:\Windows\Temp.
  • Unix-like (Linux/macOS): /tmp or /var/tmp.
  • Temporary Attribute: Often flagged with a temporary attribute (e.g., FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TEMPORARY in Windows NTFS, indicating the file should not be flushed to disk immediately).
  • Visibility: Frequently hidden by default (e.g., via hidden attribute in Windows or permissions in Unix).
  • Auto-Deletion Behavior: Many applications or systems delete .TMP files upon program closure or system cleanup; not enforced universally.
  • Size: Variable, ranging from a few bytes to several gigabytes, limited by file system constraints (e.g., no inherent maximum beyond disk space).
  • Creation Timestamp: Date and time of file creation, recorded by the file system.
  • Modification Timestamp: Date and time of last content modification.
  • Access Timestamp: Date and time of last access (may be disabled in some file systems for performance).
  • Owner/User ID: The user or process ID that owns the file.
  • Group ID: The group associated with the file (relevant in Unix-like systems).
  • Permissions: Read/write/execute flags (e.g., 0666 in Unix, adjustable for security).
  • Content Nature: Application-dependent; may be binary, text, or serialized data; no standard encoding or magic number.
  • Encryption: Optional and application-specific; not intrinsic to the format.
  • Security Risk: Generally low, but may contain sensitive data if not properly managed.

These properties are derived from file system metadata rather than internal file content, as .TMP files lack a universal specification.

Direct download links to .TMP files are uncommon, as these are typically generated temporarily and not intended for distribution. However, the following publicly accessible links point to files with the .TMP extension (note: these may actually contain PDF or other data, renamed as .TMP during server processing; exercise caution when downloading unknown files):

3. Ghost Blog Embedded HTML JavaScript for Drag-and-Drop .TMP File Property Dump

The following is a self-contained HTML snippet with embedded JavaScript suitable for embedding in a Ghost blog (or any static HTML page). It allows users to drag and drop a .TMP file, then displays the available properties on screen using the browser's File API. Note that browser security limits access to full file system metadata; only basic properties (name, size, type, last modified) are retrievable. For full properties, server-side processing would be required.

Drag and drop a .TMP file here

4. Python Class for Handling .TMP Files

The following Python class uses the os and stat modules to open, read metadata, create/write a new .TMP file, and print properties. Since .TMP has no internal format, "decode" refers to retrieving file system metadata.

import os
import stat
import time
import tempfile

class TmpFileHandler:
    def __init__(self, filepath):
        self.filepath = filepath
        self.properties = {}

    def read_properties(self):
        if not os.path.exists(self.filepath) or not self.filepath.lower().endswith('.tmp'):
            raise ValueError("Invalid .TMP file path.")
        st = os.stat(self.filepath)
        self.properties = {
            'File Extension': '.tmp',
            'MIME Type': 'application/octet-stream',
            'Size': st.st_size,
            'Creation Timestamp': time.ctime(st.st_ctime),
            'Modification Timestamp': time.ctime(st.st_mtime),
            'Access Timestamp': time.ctime(st.st_atime),
            'Owner UID': st.st_uid,
            'Group GID': st.st_gid,
            'Permissions': oct(st.st_mode & 0o777),
            'Temporary Attribute': 'Yes' if st.st_flags & stat.UF_NODUMP else 'No'  # Approximate check
        }

    def print_properties(self):
        for key, value in self.properties.items():
            print(f"{key}: {value}")

    def write_new_tmp(self, content=b''):
        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(suffix='.tmp', delete=False) as tmp:
            tmp.write(content)
            self.filepath = tmp.name
        print(f"New .TMP file created at: {self.filepath}")

# Example usage:
# handler = TmpFileHandler('path/to/example.tmp')
# handler.read_properties()
# handler.print_properties()
# handler.write_new_tmp(b'Sample content')

5. Java Class for Handling .TMP Files

The following Java class uses java.nio.file to handle file operations and retrieve/print properties. Writing creates a new temporary file.

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;
import java.nio.file.attribute.BasicFileAttributes;
import java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFileAttributes;
import java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFilePermissions;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

public class TmpFileHandler {
    private Path filepath;
    private Map<String, Object> properties = new HashMap<>();

    public TmpFileHandler(String filepath) {
        this.filepath = Paths.get(filepath);
    }

    public void readProperties() throws IOException {
        if (!Files.exists(filepath) || !filepath.toString().toLowerCase().endsWith(".tmp")) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid .TMP file path.");
        }
        BasicFileAttributes attrs = Files.readAttributes(filepath, BasicFileAttributes.class);
        PosixFileAttributes posixAttrs = Files.readAttributes(filepath, PosixFileAttributes.class);
        properties.put("File Extension", ".tmp");
        properties.put("MIME Type", "application/octet-stream");
        properties.put("Size", attrs.size());
        properties.put("Creation Timestamp", attrs.creationTime());
        properties.put("Modification Timestamp", attrs.lastModifiedTime());
        properties.put("Access Timestamp", attrs.lastAccessTime());
        properties.put("Owner", posixAttrs.owner().getName());
        properties.put("Group", posixAttrs.group().getName());
        properties.put("Permissions", PosixFilePermissions.toString(posixAttrs.permissions()));
        // Temporary attribute not directly accessible; approximate via usage
    }

    public void printProperties() {
        properties.forEach((key, value) -> System.out.println(key + ": " + value));
    }

    public void writeNewTmp(byte[] content) throws IOException {
        Path tempFile = Files.createTempFile("example", ".tmp");
        Files.write(tempFile, content);
        this.filepath = tempFile;
        System.out.println("New .TMP file created at: " + tempFile);
    }

    // Example usage:
    // public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
    //     TmpFileHandler handler = new TmpFileHandler("path/to/example.tmp");
    //     handler.readProperties();
    //     handler.printProperties();
    //     handler.writeNewTmp("Sample content".getBytes());
    // }
}

6. JavaScript Class for Handling .TMP Files (Node.js)

The following JavaScript class uses Node.js fs module for file operations. It assumes a Node.js environment, as browser JS has limited file system access.

const fs = require('fs');
const os = require('os');
const path = require('path');

class TmpFileHandler {
  constructor(filepath) {
    this.filepath = filepath;
    this.properties = {};
  }

  readProperties() {
    if (!fs.existsSync(this.filepath) || !this.filepath.toLowerCase().endsWith('.tmp')) {
      throw new Error('Invalid .TMP file path.');
    }
    const stats = fs.statSync(this.filepath);
    this.properties = {
      'File Extension': '.tmp',
      'MIME Type': 'application/octet-stream',
      'Size': stats.size,
      'Creation Timestamp': stats.birthtime.toISOString(),
      'Modification Timestamp': stats.mtime.toISOString(),
      'Access Timestamp': stats.atime.toISOString(),
      'Owner UID': stats.uid,
      'Group GID': stats.gid,
      'Permissions': (stats.mode & 0o777).toString(8),
    };
  }

  printProperties() {
    for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(this.properties)) {
      console.log(`${key}: ${value}`);
    }
  }

  writeNewTmp(content = '') {
    const tempDir = os.tmpdir();
    const newPath = path.join(tempDir, `example-${Date.now()}.tmp`);
    fs.writeFileSync(newPath, content);
    this.filepath = newPath;
    console.log(`New .TMP file created at: ${newPath}`);
  }
}

// Example usage:
// const handler = new TmpFileHandler('path/to/example.tmp');
// handler.readProperties();
// handler.printProperties();
// handler.writeNewTmp('Sample content');

7. C++ Class for Handling .TMP Files

The following C++ class uses <filesystem> (C++17) and <sys/stat.h> for cross-platform compatibility. It reads properties, prints them, and writes a new .TMP file.

#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <string>
#include <map>
#include <ctime>
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <filesystem>

namespace fs = std::filesystem;

class TmpFileHandler {
private:
    std::string filepath;
    std::map<std::string, std::string> properties;

public:
    TmpFileHandler(const std::string& filepath) : filepath(filepath) {}

    void readProperties() {
        if (!fs::exists(filepath) || filepath.substr(filepath.find_last_of(".") + 1) != "tmp") {
            throw std::invalid_argument("Invalid .TMP file path.");
        }
        struct stat st;
        if (stat(filepath.c_str(), &st) == 0) {
            properties["File Extension"] = ".tmp";
            properties["MIME Type"] = "application/octet-stream";
            properties["Size"] = std::to_string(st.st_size);
            properties["Creation Timestamp"] = std::ctime(&st.st_ctime);
            properties["Modification Timestamp"] = std::ctime(&st.st_mtime);
            properties["Access Timestamp"] = std::ctime(&st.st_atime);
            properties["Owner UID"] = std::to_string(st.st_uid);
            properties["Group GID"] = std::to_string(st.st_gid);
            properties["Permissions"] = std::to_string(st.st_mode & 0777);
        }
    }

    void printProperties() {
        for (const auto& [key, value] : properties) {
            std::cout << key << ": " << value << std::endl;
        }
    }

    void writeNewTmp(const std::string& content = "") {
        std::string newPath = fs::temp_directory_path() / ("example" + std::to_string(time(nullptr)) + ".tmp");
        std::ofstream out(newPath);
        out << content;
        out.close();
        filepath = newPath;
        std::cout << "New .TMP file created at: " << newPath << std::endl;
    }
};

// Example usage:
// int main() {
//     try {
//         TmpFileHandler handler("path/to/example.tmp");
//         handler.readProperties();
//         handler.printProperties();
//         handler.writeNewTmp("Sample content");
//     } catch (const std::exception& e) {
//         std::cerr << e.what() << std::endl;
//     }
//     return 0;
// }