Alist of filename patterns vs corresponding major mode functions.
Each element looks like (REGEXP . FUNCTION) or (REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL).
(NON-NIL stands for anything that is not nil; the value does not matter.)
Visiting a file whose name matches REGEXP specifies FUNCTION as the
mode function to use. FUNCTION will be called, unless it is nil.
If the element has the form (REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL), then after
calling FUNCTION (if it's not nil), we delete the suffix that matched
REGEXP and search the list again for another match.
The extensions whose FUNCTION is `archive-mode' should also
appear in `auto-coding-alist' with `no-conversion' coding system.
See also `interpreter-mode-alist', which detects executable script modes
based on the interpreters they specify to run,
and `magic-mode-alist', which determines modes based on file contents.