# ASiC-E File Viewer: see every file inside the container

> An ASiC-E file viewer does more than show the contract you were sent. It lists every file in the container, including the technical ones that hold the signatures together.

Source: https://asiceviewer.com/en/blog/asice-file-viewer/
Published: 2026-11-10 · Digixy

## In short

- A container holds two kinds of files: your documents and the technical files in `META-INF`.
- The viewer shows documents first and keeps technical files in a separate, collapsed list.
- Each file can be previewed and downloaded individually.

## Two kinds of files

Open any `.asice` container and you will find the same layout:

| File | Purpose |
| `mimetype` | One line that declares the container type |
| Your documents | The PDF, Word or other files that were signed |
| `META-INF/manifest.xml` | A list of the documents and their media types |
| `META-INF/signatures0.xml` | The first signature, in XAdES format |
| `META-INF/signatures1.xml` | The second signature, and so on |

A good file viewer separates the two groups. In [ASiCE Viewer](https://asiceviewer.com/en/#tool) the documents sit under **Files**, while `mimetype` and everything in `META-INF` are tucked into **Technical files**, closed by default so they do not get in the way.

## What you can do with each file

- **Preview it.** PDF, DOCX, XLSX, ODT, images, text, CSV, JSON and XML open directly. XML is indented so it can actually be read.
- **Download it.** One click gives you the file byte for byte as it was signed.
- **Download everything.** A single button packs all documents into an ordinary ZIP.

## Why look at the technical files at all?

Most people never need to. They are useful when something is wrong: a support engineer may ask which signature profile was used, or you may want to see the raw `SigningTime` yourself. Opening `signatures0.xml` in the viewer shows the certificate, the digest of every document and the signed properties.

> A file that appears in the container but is not referenced by any signature was not signed. ASiCE Viewer compares each signature's references with the files and warns when a referenced file is missing or altered.

## File names with special characters

Containers created in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania often contain names with õ, ä, š or ž. ASiCE Viewer decodes names as UTF-8 and falls back to the Baltic code page, so `Üürileping.pdf` stays `Üürileping.pdf`. More on reading documents in [ASiC-E Reader](https://asiceviewer.com/en/blog/asice-reader/).

## Frequently asked questions

**Can I delete a file from the container in the viewer?**

No. A viewer only reads. Removing a signed file would break the signatures anyway.

**Why are there several signatures files?**

Each signer gets a separate file: signatures0.xml, signatures1.xml and so on. That lets people sign one after another without touching earlier signatures.

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Open your .asice file now: https://asiceviewer.com/en/
ASiC-E Viewer on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digixy.asiceviewer