Before going on, allow me to explain the acronym... SAUCE stands for Standard Architecture for Universal Comment Extentions.
SAUCE is an attempt to tag any type of file with extra information beyond what can be provided by the operating system. Although this seems very simple, and indeed it also is simple, it took a lot more than just some loose thoughts.
SAUCE's main intention is to provide a standard method for describing the files stored in what is commonly called an "Art pack". Trying to explain "Art Pack" is beyond the scope of this page, but a short explanation would be: a collection of files containing visual and/or audio "art".
Although originally intended for use by ACiD only for commenting ANSi's and RIP screens, early in the developement it was decided that SAUCE should be extended to have support for more than just ANSi and RIP screens. Our brainchild was born and the specs were designed. The only aspect left undecided was the name, and after rejecting some very funny candidates, SAUCE was unanimously chosen.
This leads us to the big question in the sky, "What is SAUCE ?" SAUCE is a universal process to incorporate a full description for any type of file. The most outstanding aspect of this concept is that you have access to the complete file name, the file's title, the creation date, the creator of the file, the group that the creator is employed by, and much, much, more.
A Full explanation on how you can implement sauce is described in the SAUCE specs. A list of programs supporting SAUCE is maintained in SAUCE program compatibility.
SAUCE already supports a plethora of filetypes (See SAUCE specs). If you have a need for additional features or changes to SAUCE specifications, please contact me before you make the changes yourself. If the request fits the SAUCE concept, I will accomodate your needs as soon as possible. After all, SAUCE is supposed to be a standard, and if people change the specs without notice, then it's hard to call it a standard. In the event that SAUCE is changed, these pages will be updated.
NOTICE |
|---|
| SAUCE was initially created for supporting only the ANSi
& RIP screens. Since both ANSi and RIP are in effect text-based and
have no other form of control but the End-Of-File marker, SAUCE should
never interfere with the workings of a program using either ANSi or RIP.
If it does, the program is not functionning the way it should. This is NOT true for the other types of files however. Adding SAUCE to some of the other filetypes supported in the SAUCE specifications may have serious consequences on the proper functionning of programs using those files, In the worst case, they'll simply refuse the file, stating it is invalid. |
| It's not up to me to decide whether or not adding SAUCE
is a bad thing. The one who added the SAUCE to the file should be fully
aware of any problems that can arise when 'SAUCEing' a file other than
the 'Character', 'BinaryText' or 'XBIN' datatypes. You may have your own specialized viewing/editing tools and simply not care about the file not being recognised in other viewing/editing programs. |
This page is being maintained by
Tasmaniac@acid.org