Adding File Types for Use with Course Content Items

Overview

The Blackboard Learning System recognizes several file types that can be attached to content items and opened in the page or directly in an associated application. It is important to remember that any type of file can be uploaded to a content item and made available to Students. If the file is not of a type recognized by the Blackboard Learning System, users can always download the file and open it locally.

Administrators can make the Blackboard Learning System recognize additional file types and associated applications by adding MIME extensions to an XML file in the file system. This should only be done by an experienced System Administrator.

Add a MIME extension

To add a MIME extension that associates a file type with an application, edit the following XML file. The XML file includes a few sample extensions that can be used as a blueprint for creating additional MIME extensions.

Windows:

C:\blackboard\webapps\content\WEB-INF\web.xml

UNIX:

/usr/local/blackboard/webapps/content/WEB-INF/web.xml

Recognized content attachments

The Content Attachments section of the Add Content Item page (available to Instructors through the Course Control Panel) includes options to create a link, display a media file, or unpackage a file. If Display a media file within the page is chosen the attached file must be a format recognizable by the Blackboard Learning System. If it is not, the Blackboard Learning System will automatically create a link to the file.

If a link to the file is created users may open the file in the appropriate application by clicking on the link assuming that the file type is recognized by the Blackboard Learning System. For file types that are not recognized by the Blackboard Learning System, users must first download the file and then open it.

The following file types are the file types recognized by the Blackboard Learning System.