File content bitstream versus text versus document

Question

Files comprise content and metadata describing the content. Because a computer is a binary device the file content always is a bitstream. File metadata refers to information stored within a file that provides additional details about the file itself. For example, metadata might reveal the author of a file, previous revisions, or personalized comments associated with the file. It's like a description of the file, encompassing various attributes that help organize and manage files effectively.

If the content of a file is always bitstream we must ask.

What conditions must be met to recognize bitstream as text?
What conditions must be met to recognize the text as a document?

Mariusz Postol · Answer

@Gowtham Cp you said ....the text becomes a document when it's organized with structure like headings and paragraphs.  my concern is the difference between a plain document and a formatted document for example XML and PDF.

Gowtham Cp · Answer

Hi great question! Files start as bitstreams which are just sequences of 0s and 1s. To recognize this bitstream as text it needs to be decoded using a standard like ASCII or UTF-8. Once decoded the text becomes a document when it's organized with structure like headings and paragraphs. So bitstreams are raw data text is decoded from that data and documents are structured formatted text. Hope it helps!

Mariusz Postol · Answer

Let me propose an answer: To recognize bitstream as the text an encoding must be associated by default directly or indirectly. The next requirement is that a bitstream must be associated with comprehensible syntax rules. Finally semantics rules should be associated with the bitstream which allows the assigning of meaning to bitstreams. Shortly text-based language has to be defined. A domain-specific language (DSL) is a text-based language dedicated to expressing concepts and data within a specific area. Hence to recognize bitstream as a document it must be compliant with selected domain-specific language. To learn more check out the article titled External Streaming Data - Bitstream Format available at . Let me know what you think.

Mariusz Postol · Answer

@Gowtham Cp and @Aman Gupta - thanks for the contribution. However I have doubts about the XML and JSON texts. Are they documents?

Aman Gupta · Answer

Hi Mariusz To recognize a bitstream as text and then as a document certain conditions and criteria must be met. Here’s how these conditions break down: 1. Recognizing Bitstream as Text Character Encoding: The bitstream must adhere to a known character encoding standard (e.g. ASCII UTF-8 UTF-16). This encoding maps the binary data to specific characters. Readable Characters: The bitstream should represent a sequence of characters that can be interpreted as human-readable text according to the encoding standard. Absence of Non-Textual Data: The bitstream should lack significant binary data that doesn't map to readable characters (e.g. image or sound data) that could interfere with text interpretation. 2. Recognizing Text as a Document Structured Format: The text should follow a recognizable and meaningful structure (e.g. paragraphs headings lists) that is typically associated with documents. This could be plain text (e.g. .txt) or a formatted text file (e.g. .docx .pdf .html). Document Metadata: The presence of metadata specific to documents (e.g. title author creation date) can also indicate that the text is intended as a document. Purpose and Context: The text should serve a purpose or context typically associated with documents such as conveying information instructions or narratives. Example Scenarios Bitstream to Text: A binary sequence is interpreted using UTF-8 encoding. If the resulting characters are readable and meaningful (e.g. Hello World!) the bitstream is recognized as text. Text to Document: If the text Hello World! is placed within a .docx file with appropriate formatting and metadata (e.g. document title author) it can be recognized as a document. These conditions ensure that a bitstream is correctly interpreted as text and that the text is then appropriately recognized as a document.