Build a file-type identification tool that accurately identifies file formats based on magic numbers.
Outline of the steps:
1- Research Magic Numbers: Researching and gathering a comprehensive list of magic numbers and their corresponding file types. Magic numbers are usually unique sequences of bytes located at the beginning of files.
2- Create a Database: Creating a data structure that maps magic numbers to file types. This data structure will be used to compare the magic numbers extracted from files.
3- File Scanning: Implementing a file scanning mechanism that reads the first few bytes of a file to extract its magic number. Using Python's built-in open() function with the 'rb' mode to read files in binary mode to extract the necessary bytes.
4- Compare Magic Numbers: Comparing the extracted magic number with the entries in the database to determine the file type. Using a function that takes the magic number as input and returns the corresponding file type.
5- Handle Unknown Formats: Handling and labelling any file with an unrecognized magic number as an "Unknown" or "Unsupported" file type.
6- Testing: Testing the tool with a variety of files representing different formats to ensure accuracy in identifying file types.
7- Error Handling: Implementing error handling for cases such as inaccessible files, file permission issues, or unexpected exceptions.
8- Documentation: Creating documentation for the tool, including instructions on how to use it and information about supported file types.
9- Updates and Maintenance: Keeping the magic number database up to date. New file formats may emerge over time, so periodically update the tool to include new magic numbers.
10- Distribution: Distributing the tool either packaged as a standalone application or made available as a library.
