Apache handlers allow you to control what Apache will do with certain file types. When Apache sees a file, it has an action built in for that file type, and will perform that action.
If you wish Apache to do a different action, you will need to make a handler to tell Apache to perform that action. For example, if you use a file type that requires a special service to run it, such as a file with server side includes that is not named with a .shtml extension, you need to tell Apache to treat these files differently.
To get regular html pages to handle php code, you need to add this line to your htaccess file.
It is highly recommended that you never allow html pages to automatically handle php or shtml, because this forces all of your html pages to be processed by the server first. Instead, please rename your files to .php or .shtml whenever possible.
System Mime Type defaults
| Handler Code | File Extensions |
| application/x-hdf | hdf |
| application/vnd.wap.wbxml | wbxml |
| image/x-xbitmap | xbm |
| image/x-icon | ico |
| image/vnd.djvu | djvu djv |
| application/x-troff-me | me |
| application/perl | pl plx ppl perl pm |
| application/x-tcl | tcl |
| image/bmp | bmp |
| text/x-sql | sql |
| image/png | png |
| text/x-log | log |
| audio/x-realaudio | ra |
| application/x-latex | latex |
| application/x-director | dcr dir dxr |
| text/rtf | rtf |
| application/xhtml+xml | xhtml xht |
| application/vnd.ms-powerpoint | ppt |
| application/x-csh | csh |
| image/svg+xml | svg |
| application/x-troff-ms | ms |
| image/x-rgb | rgb |
| application/x-img | img |
| image/jpeg | jpeg jpg jpe |
| image/x-portable-pixmap | ppm |
| text/plain | asc txt |
| image/cgm | cgm |
| application/x-sh | sh |
| application/andrew-inset | ez |
| application/vnd.wap.wmlscriptc | wmlsc |
| text/x-registry | reg |
| video/vnd.mpegurl | mxu |
| image/ief | ief |
| audio/x-pn-realaudio | ram rm |
| image/x-xpixmap | xpm |
| video/mpeg | mpeg mpg mpe |
| text/tab-separated-values | tsv |
| application/rdf+xml | rdf |
| application/x-httpd-php | phtml php php3 php4 php5 php6 |
| x-conference/x-cooltalk | ice |
| image/tiff | tiff tif |
| text/richtext | rtx |
| text/css | css |
| application/ruby | rb |
| application/x-wais-source | src |
| application/xml | xml xsl |
| application/voicexml+xml | vxml |
| image/x-portable-graymap | pgm |
| chemical/x-xyz | xyz |
| model/iges | igs iges |
| application/vnd.mif | mif |
| application/mathml+xml | mathml |
| application/x-ustar | ustar |
| application/x-troff-man | man |
| text/vbscript | vbs |
| text/calendar | ics ifb |
| chemical/x-pdb | pdb |
| application/smil | smi smil |
| application/srgs+xml | grxml |
| image/x-portable-anymap | pnm |
| application/x-shockwave-flash | swf |
| audio/mpeg | mpga mp2 mp3 |
| video/x-sgi-movie | movie |
| application/cgi | cgi |
| application/x-cpio | cpio |
| application/x-javascript | js |
| text/x-setext | etx |
| audio/basic | au snd |
| text/sgml | sgml sgm |
| application/x-tar | tgz tar |
| application/vnd.mozilla.xul+xml | xul |
| application/x-futuresplash | spl |
| application/xslt+xml | xslt |
| model/mesh | msh mesh silo |
| application/mac-binhex40 | hqx |
| text/vnd.wap.wml | wml |
| image/x-cmu-raster | ras |
| application/x-sv4cpio | sv4cpio |
| audio/x-aiff | aif aiff aifc |
| application/x-gtar | gtar |
| audio/x-ms-wax | wax |
| audio/x-ms-wma | wma |
| image/x-xwindowdump | xwd |
| application/x-cdlink | vcd |
| application/msword | doc |
| video/quicktime | qt mov |
| application/x-bcpio | bcpio |
| application/x-tex | tex |
| text/x-config | cnf conf |
| application/x-sv4crc | sv4crc |
| application/x-dvi | dvi |
| application/x-troff | t tr roff |
| audio/x-mpegurl | m3u |
| application/x-shar | shar |
| audio/mp4 | a-latm m4p m4a mp4 |
| application/pdf | |
| application/mac-compactpro | cpt |
| application/vnd.wap.wmlc | wmlc |
| video/x-msvideo | avi |
| application/ogg | ogg |
| text/html | html htm shtml |
| image/gif | gif |
| audio/midi | mid midi kar |
| application/x-pkcs7-crl | crl |
| application/x-chess-pgn | pgn |
| audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin | rpm |
| application/srgs | gram |
| application/x-koan | skp skd skt skm |
| image/vnd.wap.wbmp | wbmp |
| application/x-netcdf | nc cdf |
| model/vrml | wrl vrml |
| application/x-httpd-php-source | phps |
| application/vnd.ms-excel | xls |
| application/postscript | ai eps ps |
| application/x-texinfo | texinfo texi |
| application/zip | zip |
| image/x-portable-bitmap | pbm |
| audio/x-wav | wav |
| application/x-x509-ca-cert | crt |
| application/oda | oda |
| application/xml-dtd | dtd |
| application/octet-stream | bin dms lha lzh exe class so dll iso dmg |
| text/vnd.wap.wmlscript | wmls |
| application/x-stuffit | sit |
