The Symbian OS Recogniser allows MIDlets to be recognised as MIDlets by the system. The Recogniser plugs into the file recognition architecture and links the file extension to its relevant MIME type. The Recogniser causes two file types to be added to the system:
.jar
— compressed archive file containing the MIDlet classes and any required resources.
.jad
— text file containing information about the MIDlet, such as where to download its JAR from and how to execute it.
Without the Recogniser it would be impossible to install any MIDlets:
For MIDlet installation the Recogniser ensures that the native Symbian Installer is launched whenever a JAD or JAR is selected. This can happen in a number of ways:
Clicking on a JAD or JAR in a web or WAP browser
Clicking on a JAD or JAR attached to an email message
Clicking on a JAD or JAR in the Symbian OS filing system