File Types | Excel 2007 Power Programming with VBA (Mr. Spreadsheets Bookshelf)

Although the Excel 2007 default file format is an XLSX workbook file, the program can also open and save a wide variety of other files. This section provides an overview of the file types that Excel 2007 can handle.

Note	Excel 2007 no longer supports Lotus or Quattro spreadsheet file formats.

Excel file formats

Excel 2007 uses a new default file format. However, it can still read and write older Excel file formats.

Tip	To change the default file save setting, choose Office Excel Options and click the Save tab in the Excel Options dialog box. You'll find a drop-down list that lets you select the default file format.

Table 4-2 lists the Excel file types that Excel 2007 supports. Keep in mind that an Excel workbook or add-in file can have any extension that you like. In other words, these files don't need to be stored with the standard extensions shown in the table.

Table 4-2: EXCEL FILE TYPES
Open table as spreadsheet
File Type	Extension	Read/Write	Notes
Excel Workbook	xlsx	Yes/Yes	The default Excel 2007 file format. It cannot store VBA or XLM macro code.
Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook	xlsm	Yes/Yes	The Excel 2007 file format for workbooks that contain macros.
Excel Binary Workbook	xlsb	Yes/Yes	The Excel 2007 binary file format (BIFF12). This is an updated version of the previous XLS (BIFF8) format.
Template	xltx	Yes/Yes	The Excel 2007 file format for a template. It cannot store VBA or XLM macro code.
Macro-Enabled Template	xltxm	Yes/Yes	The Excel 2007 file format for a template that contains macros.
Excel Add-In	xlam	Yes/Yes	The Excel 2007 file format for add-ins. It can store VBA and XLM macros.
Excel 97 “Excel 2003 Workbook	xls	Yes/Yes	The Excel binary format (BIFF8) that's compatible with Excel 97 through Excel 2003.
Excel 97 “Excel 2003 Template	xlt	Yes/Yes	The Excel binary template format (BIFF8) that's compatible with Excel 97 through Excel 2003.
Excel 97 “Excel 2003 Add-In	xla	Yes/Yes	The Excel binary format (BIFF8) for add-ins that's compatible with Excel 97 through Excel 2003.
Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook	xls	Yes/Yes	The Excel binary format (BIFF5) that's compatible with Excel 5.0 and Excel 95.
XML Spreadsheet 2003	xml	Yes/Yes	Microsoft's XML Spreadsheet 2003 file format (XMLSS).
XML Data	xml	Yes/Yes	A general XML file that contains data.

Note	Microsoft Office XP and Office 2003 users can install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, which allows them to open and save documents in the Office 2007 file formats. The Compatibility Pack is available at http://www.office.microsoft.com.

Text file formats

When you attempt to load a text file into Excel, the Text Import Wizard might kick in to help you specify how you want the file retrieved.

Tip	To bypass the Text Import Wizard, press Shift when you click OK in the Open dialog box.

Table 4-3 lists the text file types supported by Excel 2007. All text file formats are limited to a single worksheet.

Table 4-3: TEXT FILE TYPES
Open table as spreadsheet
File Type	Extension	Read/Write	Notes
CSV (comma separated variable)	csv	Yes/Yes	Columns are delimited with a comma, and rows are delimited with a carriage return. Excel supports subtypes for Macintosh and MS-DOS.
Formatted Text	prn	Yes/Yes	Columns are delimited with a space character, and rows are delimited with a carriage return.
Text	txt	Yes/Yes	Columns are delimited with a tab, and rows are delimited with a carriage return. Excel supports subtypes for Macintosh, MS-DOS, and Unicode.
Data Interchange Format (DIF)	dif	Yes/Yes	The file format originally used by VisiCalc.
Symbolic Link (SYLK)	slk	Yes/Yes	The file format originally used by Multiplan.

Database file formats

Table 4-4 lists the database file types supported by Excel 2007. All database file formats are limited to a single worksheet.

Table 4-4: DATABASE FILE TYPES
Open table as spreadsheet
File Type	Extension	Read/Write	Notes
Access	mdb, mde, accdb, accde	Yes/No	You can open one table from the database.
dBASE	dbf	Yes/No	The file format originally created by Ashton-Tate
Others	Various	Yes/No	By using the commands in the Data Get External Data group , you can import data from various data sources that have connections or queries defined on your system.

Other file formats

Table 4-5 lists the other file types supported by Excel 2007.

Table 4-5: OTHER FILE TYPES
Open table as spreadsheet
File Type	Extension	Read/Write	Notes
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)	htm, html	Yes/Yes	Excel 2007 no longer supports "round-tripping" for HTML files.
Single File Web Page	mht, mhtml	Yes/Yes	Also known as Archived Web Page. The only browser that can display these files is Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Portable Document Format (PDF)	pdf	No/Yes	The file format originated by Adobe. Requires a free add-in from Microsoft.
XML Paper Specification	xps	No/Yes	Microsoft's alternative to Adobe's PDF. Requires a free add-in from Microsoft.

Workspace Files

A workspace file is a special file that contains information about an Excel workspace. For example, if you have a project that uses two workbooks and you like to have the workbook windows arranged in a particular way, you can save an XLW file to save this window configuration. Then, whenever you open the XLW file, Excel restores the desired workspace.

To save a workspace, choose View Window Save Workspace, and provide a name when prompted.

To open a workspace file, use Office Open and select Workspaces (*.xlw) from the Files of Type drop-down list.

It's important to understand that a workspace file does not include the workbooks - only the configuration information that makes those workbooks visible in your Excel workspace. So if you need to distribute a workspace to someone else, make sure that you include the workbook files as well as the XLW file.