XML File Formats
By default, Office loads and saves files in the OpenDocument file format.
The OpenDocument file format (ODF) is a standardised file format used by many software applications. You can find more information at the Wikipedia site: wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument.
OpenDocument file format names
Office uses the following file formats:
| Document format | File extension |
|---|---|
| ODF Text | *.odt |
| ODF Text Template | *.ott |
| ODF Master Document | *.odm |
| ODF Master Document Template | *.otm |
| HTML Document | *.html |
| HTML Document Template | *.oth |
| ODF Spreadsheet | *.ods |
| ODF Spreadsheet Template | *.ots |
| ODF Drawing | *.odg |
| ODF Drawing Template | *.otg |
| ODF Presentation | *.odp |
| ODF Presentation Template | *.otp |
| ODF Formula | *.odf |
| ODF Database | *.odb |
| Office Extension | *.oxt |
The HTML format is not an OpenDocument format.
ODF Chart is the name of the file format for stand alone charts. This format with the extension *.odc is currently not in use.
Evolution of the OpenDocument format
The OpenDocument format evolves over time.
| ODF version | Date of standard approval by OASIS | First supporting version of the software |
|---|---|---|
| ODF 1.0 | 01/05/2005 | OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 or StarOffice 7 |
| ODF 1.1 | 02/02/2007 | OpenOffice.org 2.2 or StarOffice 8 Update 4 |
| ODF 1.2 | 2011-09-30 | OpenOffice.org 3, StarOffice 9, Oracle Open Office |
| ODF 1.2 Extended (compatibility mode) | — | Office 3.5 |
| ODF 1.2 Extended | — | OpenOffice.org 3.2 or StarOffice 9.2 |
| ODF 1.3 | TBD | Office 7.0 |
| ODF 1.3 Extended | — | Office 7.0 |
In current versions, you can select to save your documents using ODF 1.2 or ODF 1.0/1.1 (for backward compatibility). Choose Tools - Options - Load/Save - General and select the ODF format version.
If you want to define another file format as the default, choose Tools - Options - Load/Save - General to find alternative file formats for each Office document type.
XML file structure
Documents in OpenDocument file format are stored as compressed zip archives that contain XML files. To view these XML files, you can open the OpenDocument file with an unzip program. The following files and directories are contained within the OpenDocument files:
- The text content of the document is located in content.xml.
By default, content.xml is stored without formatting elements like indentation or line breaks to minimise the time for saving and opening the document. The use of indentations and line breaks can be activated in the Expert configuration by setting the property /org.openoffice.Office.Common/Save/Document PrettyPrinting to true.
- The file meta.xml contains the meta information of the document, which you can enter under File - Properties.
If you save a document with a password, meta.xml will not be encrypted.
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The file settings.xml contains further information about the settings for this document.
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In styles.xml, you find the styles applied to the document that can be seen in the Styles window.
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The meta-inf/manifest.xml file describes the structure of the XML file.
Additional files and folders can be contained in the packed file format.
Definition of the XML formats
The schema for the OpenDocument formats can be found on the www.oasis-open.org web site.