Productivity Hints and Tips

[MGadAllah]

Productivity Hints and Tips - Working with Files

There are so many different types of files that sometimes it can be difficult to remember where a file originated from or what programme or software you use to open and edit. Well, here I have listed the most common file extensions with brief explanations of their origin - hope it helps!

Document File Extensions

.txt - This extension denotes a text file, one of the simplest word-processing documents. Windows will open this file by default using Notepad, and all word-processing applications will open a simple text file with this suffix.

.doc - Microsoft Word creates these files. A word processing file hat again, is recognised by all modern word-processors. Depending on which software you are using and which version of Microsoft Word was used to create the .doc file, various features of the document may or may not be recognised when opened.

.xls - This suffix denotes a spreadsheet that has been created by the Microsoft Excel programme. Many freeware spreadsheets will recognise and open this kind of file.

.csv - A file with this extension is filled with data that is seperated by commas. It is used to supply data to spreadsheets and databases and can be opened by Excel, Word Processors and Text Editors.

.rtf - This file extension stands for Rich Text Format. Word Processors are able to open and edit this kind of file which has more sophisticated formatting than a simple text document.

.ppt - This suffix is appended to Powerpoint files, a presentation programmes which is part of Microsoft's Office suite.

.pdf - The pdf extension is very common on the web and is often encountered when downloading catalogues or brochures online. The extension denotes an Adobe Acrobat file and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader or a freeware equivalent to open it.

.htm and .html - Either of these extensions apply to files on the Internet that are designed to be viewed with World Wide Web browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla or Opera.

Compressed File Extensions

.zip - This kind of file has been compressed using Zip software. It can be decompressed and the contents read by many of the freeware zip programmes available or use Winzip to open zip files.

.rar - Another compressed file sometimes encountered online. Some freeware software that unzips files will also decompress .rar files otherwise WinRar opens this file.