39.-+RTF,+TXT.+PDF,+DOC,+XLS,+SWF,+ZIP,+JPG,+PNG,+CSV,+HTML+files

= File Formats =

A file format defines the structure and type of data stored in a file. The structure of a typical file may include a header, metadata, saved content, and an end-of-file (EOF) marker. The data stored in the file depends on the purpose of the file format. Some files, such as XML files, are used to store lists of items, while others, such as JPEG image files simply contain a block of data.

= **.RTF** =

Stands for "Rich Text Format." RTF is a file format standardized by Microsoft for creating formatted text files. Unlike a basic text file, an RTF file can include information such as text style, size, and color. The nice thing about the RTF format is that it is a universal format, meaning it can be read by nearly all word processors.

= .PDF =

Stands for "Portable Document Format." PDF is a multi-platform file format developed by Adobe Systems. A PDF file captures document text, fonts, images, and even formatting of documents from a variety of applications. You can e-mail a PDF document to your friend and it will look the same way on his screen as it looks on yours, even if he has a Mac and you have a PC. Since PDFs contain color-accurate information, they should also print the same way they look on your screen.

= **.DOC** =

Word processing document created by Microsoft Word, a word processor included with all versions of Microsoft Office; may contain formatted text, images, tables, graphs, charts, page formatting, and print settings.

= **.XLS** =

Spreadsheet created by Microsoft Excel, the most widely-used spreadsheet program; stores data in a table with rows and columns; table cells may contain manually entered data or the results computed from the data of other cells; often used to create charts and graphs.

= **.SWF** =

Animation created with Adobe Flash; may contain text as well as both vector and raster graphics; also may include interactive actions written in ActionScript; plays in Web browsers that have the Flash plug-in installed. Flash was originally developed by Macromedia, which was acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005. Therefore, Macromedia Flash is now called Adobe Flash. SWF (pronounced "Swiff") was originally an acronym for "Shockwave Flash" since the SWF format was designed for Shockwave Player. However, SWF files have now become a standard means of publishing compressed Flash content on the Web. Therefore, the SWF acronym has been modified to mean "Small Web Format" as well.

= **.ZIP** =

File compressed or "zipped" using Zip compression, a common type of compression in which every file in the archive is compressed separately; supported by most file compression/decompression programs. Windows users can create ZIP archives by right-clicking a file and selecting "Send to > Compressed (zipped) Folder." Mac OS X users can create ZIP archives by right-clicking a file and selecting "Compress [filename]."

= **.JPG** =

Compressed image format standardized by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG); commonly used for storing digital photos since the format supports up to 24-bit color; therefore, most digital cameras save images as JPG files by default. JPEG is also a common format for publishing Web graphics since the JPEG compression algorithm significantly reduces the file size of images. However, the lossy compression used by JPEG may noticeably reduce the image quality if high amounts of compression are used. For more information about JPG files, view the JPEG definition.

= **.PNG** =

Image file stored in the Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format; contains a bitmap of indexed colors and uses lossless compression, similar to a .GIF file but without copyright limitations; commonly used to store graphics for Web images. The PNG format was created in response to limitations with the GIF format, primarily to increase color support and to provide an image format without a patent license. Additionally, while GIF images only support fully opaque or fully transparent pixels, PNG images may include an 8-bit transparency channel, which allows the image colors to fade from opaque to transparent. PNG images cannot be animated like GIF images. However, the related .MNG format can be animated. PNG images do not provide CMYK color support because they are not intended for use with professional graphics. PNG images are now supported by most Web browsers.

= **.CSV** =

File containing data sets separated by commas, where each new line represents a new database row, and each database row has one or more fields separated by a comma; can be organized into cells by a spreadsheet program or inserted into a database. CSV files are commonly used for transferring data between databases in a simple text-based format.

= **.HTML** =

Web page coded in HTML that can be displayed in a Web browser; formats text, tables, images, and other content that is displayed on the page; most pages within static websites have an ".html" extension. The HTML source code is parsed by the Web browser and is typically not seen by the user. If you want to view the HTML of a Web page, select "View Source" from the Web browser's View menu. Since HTML files are saved in a standard text format, they can be opened and edited with a basic text editor.

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