MF File Extension

What is the .MF file type?

Primarily, the .mf filename extension associates with the MetaFont Source File (.mf) file type. MetaFont by D.Knuth is a renowned font manipulation system for the TeX (and later, LaTeX) typesetting environment. Basically, MetaFont is about generating device-specific bitmap fonts to secure proper rendering of TeX/LaTeX documents on computer screens and in print. To control font generation and rendering, MetaFont uses .mf source files.

A MetaFont source file (.mf) is a primary font definition. It is a plaintext file that contains a series of statements in the MetaFont mathematical drawing language. MetaFont source files (.mf) must be processed by the MetaFont executable (mf) and compiled into bitmap fonts (.gf, generic font) and .tfm (TeX Font Metric) files, before they can be used to typeset TeX/LaTeX documents.

In MetaFont, several special .mf files are used as the base for the font-making process. Those include the "local.mf" (or, "modes.mf) file that lists available screen and printer modes (capabilities). MF files can be directly opened and edited with a text editor.

Java, a very popular object-oriented programming language and a platform-independent runtime and development framework by Oracle, uses the .mf extension—as a short for 'Manifest'—to denote Java application manifest files (.mf).

A Java application manifest (.mf) is a text-only file named "MANIFEST.MF" and usually located in the "META-INF" directory inside a .jar application archive package. Such a manifest (.mf) provides a complete description of a Java application, listing technical details, stating prerequisites, etc.

In a more general sense, the .mf extension is also used to identify all kinds of manifest files used by different applications, while Microsoft chiefly uses the .manifest extension for the same purpose.

The open-source 3D game development and runtime framework Panda3D by Carnegie Mellon University uses the .mf extension as a label for its Multifile Archive (.mf) file type. A multifile archive (.mf) is a large ZIP archive with various resource files (models, textures, sounds, etc.) inside. Panda3D can mount .mf archives directly as file sources. Alternatively, an .mf file can be opened as a regular ZIP archive, changing (if necessary) the extension to .zip.

Software to open or convert MF files

Notepad++ by Notepad++ Team

 

WinEdt by WinEdt Team

 

Notepad++

 

Parallels Tools Center

 

FeatureCAM

 

Free File Viewer Pro

Download