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WHAT ARE FILE FORMATS? Many programs save documents in a specific way that can often only be understood by the program that it was created in. This is known as a file format. File format basics• To help the PC recognise a file format, each file has a full stop and a three-letter ‘extension’ to the file name. Every file format has its own unique ‘extension’ and its own icon, so when you look at a file in a window you know exactly which program it was created in. • When you double-click on a file, Windows tries to recognise a file extension and automatically run the program and open the file, if an appropriate program is installed on the computer. Handy hints• To see the different types of file in a folder on your PC, click View and then Details. The program that created each file will be listed in the Type column • Click View and select Arrange Icons by to see documents listed by name, size or type
It can be frustrating if you can’t open one of your creative projects on your PC, or you aren’t sure in what format you should save it. Use this card to answer all your questions.
FILE FORMAT PROBLEMS SOLVED
I’ve received a picture file that I can’t open. What should I do?
You may receive a file, perhaps via email, that your computer doesn’t recognise. It may just be that you don’t have the program necessary to open it. If this is the case, look at the file extension of images you can open, such as TIFF, JPEG or BMP, then ask the sender to resave the image as one of those file types and send it to you again.
How do I change a picture’s file format?
Open the file in the program you originally saved it in. Click on File and Save As. In the dialogue box click the ‘Save as type’ drop-down menu and select another file format, such as ‘JPEG’. Click Save.
After some file names I often see the extension ‘.exe’. What does it mean?
EXE files, also known as ‘executables’, are the main element of programs on your computer; when you click on a program’s shortcut icon it is actually linked to the program’s EXE file. Without EXE files no programs would work, so bear this in mind if you decide to spring-clean your PC and delete lots of files! Unfortunately, many viruses also come in the EXE file format as well, so only open the EXE files that you recognise.
Why are file extensions used?
Various programs store data in different ways, which is why you can’t open a Word document in an art program, for example. So when Microsoft established their first operating system, MS-DOS, they incorporated file extensions as a way for both the computer and the user to recognise the various different file formats. Even now, if you accidentally delete the extension from a filename, the computer will not show the program icon and may not be able to open the file in the correct program either.
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