.MSS File Extension
CartoCSS Map Stylesheet
| Developer | Mapbox |
| Popularity |
2.5 | 2 Votes |
An MSS file may also be a stylesheet used by CartoCSS-based mapping programs, such as Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, TileMill, and Mapnik. It contains map styling information written in the CartoCSS styling language. MSS files determine how content appears on a map (e.g. what roads should be shown, what colors those roads should appear in, how wide the roads should appear, etc.).
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CartoCSS is a CSS-based styling language that developers use to create open source street maps. Map developers can either write their maps directly in CartoCSS, using the CartoCSS code installation package and the development environment of their choice, or they can create CartoCSS-based maps using a map design application like Kosmtik, Mapbox Studio Classic, or TileMill.
As they create a map, developers must choose how roads, text, and other items appear on it. Developers use MSS files to specify, among other things, what roads should appear on their map, what color and width those roads should appear in, what symbols to use for certain types of landmarks, and how text should appear on their map.
In 2016, the Mapbox team announced they were replacing the CartoCSS styling language with the Mapbox GL Style Specification, a JSON-based styling language. Mapbox's newer map creation applications use Mapbox GL stylesheets, which are saved with the .JSON extension. However, the mapping community continues to maintain CartoCSS and many of the map creation programs that use it.
How to open an MSS file
You should open an MSS file in a Carto-CSS based map creation program, such as Mapbox Studio Classic, TileMill, or Kosmtik. These programs contain helpful features that will help you understand the styling information contained within the file. However, because MSS files are plain text documents, you can also open and edit an MSS file in any text editor if needed.
Programs that open or reference MSS files
MuseScore Style Definition
| Developer | The MuseScore Team |
| Popularity |
2.0 | 1 Vote |
An MSS file may also be a MuseScore style definition. It contains XML-based settings that define how a musical score appears in MuseScore. Specifically, MSS files control how notes, rests, measures, staffs, text, and other visual elements appear within a piece of a music.
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MuseScore is a free music composition and notation program that composers can use to create, edit, and share musical scores. As composers create a piece of music, they can adjust the way notes, rests, measures, staffs, text, and other visual elements appear in that piece of music.
If the composer wants to save these settings (perhaps to apply them to another score in the future), they can do so by selecting from MuseScore's menu bar. When they do, MuseScore creates an MSS file, which contains the composer's custom style settings.
MSS files contain style settings saved in an XML format. As such, they are human-readable. So, if you do not have access to MuseScore (or want to preview the settings contained within an MSS file before applying them), you can open an MSS file in a text editor to view the settings it contains.
How to open an MSS file
You can open an MSS file (and apply the style settings it contains to a piece of music) in MuseScore. To do so, select from the program's menu bar.
If you want to view the settings an MSS file contains before applying those settings in MuseScore, you can open the file in any text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad, Apple TextEdit, or Github Atom.