diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.files.ui/src/org/eclipse/rse/files/ui/propertypages/UniversalPreferencePage.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.files.ui/src/org/eclipse/rse/files/ui/propertypages/UniversalPreferencePage.java
index ad1c4bf6041..8abd46032d9 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.files.ui/src/org/eclipse/rse/files/ui/propertypages/UniversalPreferencePage.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.files.ui/src/org/eclipse/rse/files/ui/propertypages/UniversalPreferencePage.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /********************************************************************************
- * Copyright (c) 2002, 2006 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2002, 2007 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved.
  * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the terms
  * of the Eclipse Public License v1.0 which accompanies this distribution, and is 
  * available at http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
@@ -602,9 +602,8 @@ public class UniversalPreferencePage
 			String name = dialog.getName();
 			String extension = dialog.getExtension();
 			
-			if (extension.length() > 0) {
-				addResourceType(name, extension);
-			}
+			// add the resource type
+			addResourceType(name, extension);
 		}
 	}
 	
@@ -632,19 +631,10 @@ public class UniversalPreferencePage
 	 * This is typically called after the extension dialog is shown to the user.
 	 */
 	public void addResourceType(String newName, String newExtension) {
-	
-		// no extension is provided
-		if (newExtension == null || newExtension.length() < 1) {
-// Note by DWD - this path is never taken because the dialog that gathers resource types checks for this condition
-			SystemMessageFile mf = RSEUIPlugin.getPluginMessageFile();
-			Shell shell = getControl().getShell();
-			SystemMessage message = mf.getMessage(ISystemMessages.MSG_ERROR_EXTENSION_EMPTY);
-			SystemMessageDialog.displayErrorMessage(shell, message);
-			return;
-		}
 
-		if (newName == null || newName.length() < 1)
+		if (newName == null || newName.length() < 1) {
 			newName = "*"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
 		else {
 			
 			int index = newName.indexOf('*');
@@ -664,7 +654,15 @@ public class UniversalPreferencePage
 		}
 	
 		// Find the index at which to insert the new entry.
-		String newFilename = (newName + "." + newExtension).toUpperCase(); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		String newFileName = null;
+		
+		if (newExtension == null || newExtension.length() < 1) {
+			newFileName = newName.toUpperCase();
+		}
+		else {
+			newFileName = (newName + "." + newExtension).toUpperCase(); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
+		
 		IFileEditorMapping resourceType;
 		boolean found = false;
 		int i = 0;
@@ -673,7 +671,7 @@ public class UniversalPreferencePage
 			
 			resourceType = (FileEditorMapping)(editorMappings.get(i));
 			
-			int result = newFilename.compareTo(resourceType.getLabel().toUpperCase());
+			int result = newFileName.compareTo(resourceType.getLabel().toUpperCase());
 			
 			// if the type already exists
 			if (result == 0) {
diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeMapping.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeMapping.java
index 306cf988878..dce9e199e30 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeMapping.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeMapping.java
@@ -22,27 +22,24 @@ package org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core.model;
  * An internal class. Clients must not instantiate or subclass it.
  */
 
-public class SystemFileTransferModeMapping
-	implements ISystemFileTransferModeMapping, Cloneable {
-
-
-		
+public class SystemFileTransferModeMapping implements ISystemFileTransferModeMapping, Cloneable {
 	
 	private String name;
 	private String extension;
 	private boolean isBinary = true;
 
-
 	/**
-	 * Constructor for SystemFileTransferModeMapping
+	 * Constructor for SystemFileTransferModeMapping. The name is set to <code>*</code>.
+	 * @param extension the extension. Can be <code>null</code>.
 	 */
 	public SystemFileTransferModeMapping(String extension) {
 		this("*", extension); //$NON-NLS-1$
 	}
 		
-	
 	/**
-	 * Constructor for SystemFileTransferModeMapping
+	 * Constructor for SystemFileTransferModeMapping.
+	 * @param name the name. If the name is <code>null</code> or if it is an empty string, it is set to <code>*</code>.
+	 * @param extension the extension. Can be <code>null</code>.
 	 */
 	public SystemFileTransferModeMapping(String name, String extension) {
 		
@@ -70,7 +67,13 @@ public class SystemFileTransferModeMapping
 	 * @see ISystemFileTransferModeMapping#getLabel()
 	 */
 	public String getLabel() {
-		return (name + "." + extension); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		
+		if (extension != null) {
+			return (name + "." + extension);  //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
+		else {
+			return name;
+		}
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeRegistry.java b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeRegistry.java
index 90970b89e0e..222841478fa 100644
--- a/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeRegistry.java
+++ b/rse/plugins/org.eclipse.rse.subsystems.files.core/src/org/eclipse/rse/subsystems/files/core/model/SystemFileTransferModeRegistry.java
@@ -51,11 +51,7 @@ import org.eclipse.ui.XMLMemento;
  * An internal class. Clients must not instantiate or subclass it.
  */
 
-public class SystemFileTransferModeRegistry  
-	implements ISystemFileTransferModeRegistry, IPropertyListener {
-
-
-
+public class SystemFileTransferModeRegistry implements ISystemFileTransferModeRegistry, IPropertyListener {
 
 	private static SystemFileTransferModeRegistry instance;
 	
@@ -312,20 +308,29 @@ public class SystemFileTransferModeRegistry
 		//DY int extIndex = fileName.indexOf('.');
 		int extIndex = fileName.lastIndexOf('.');
 
+		String name = null;
+		String extension = null;
 		
 		// if there is no extension
 		if ((extIndex == -1) || (extIndex == (fileName.length() - 1))) {
-			return null;
+			name = fileName;
+		}
+		else {
+			name = fileName.substring(0, extIndex);
+			extension = fileName.substring(extIndex + 1);
+		}		
+		
+		// check if the name and extension combination exists already
+		SystemFileTransferModeMapping mapping = (SystemFileTransferModeMapping)(typeModeMappings.get(getMappingKey(new SystemFileTransferModeMapping(name, extension))));
+		
+		// if not, check only for the extension
+		if (mapping == null) {
+			mapping = (SystemFileTransferModeMapping)(typeModeMappings.get(getMappingKey(new SystemFileTransferModeMapping(extension))));
 		}
 		
-		
-		String name = fileName.substring(0, extIndex);
-		String extension = fileName.substring(extIndex + 1);		
-		
-		SystemFileTransferModeMapping mapping = (SystemFileTransferModeMapping)(typeModeMappings.get(getMappingKey(new SystemFileTransferModeMapping(extension))));
-		
-		if (mapping == null)
+		if (mapping == null) {
 			return null;
+		}
 			
 		
 		SystemFileTransferModeMapping fileMapping = new SystemFileTransferModeMapping(name, extension);