Definition of RTF File
The file extension .rtf stands for "Rich Text Format." This extension will normally be found at the end of word-processing documents, but unlike other common extensions, such as Microsoft Word's .doc, this extension designates a file that can be opened by most programs with formatting preserved. While Microsoft Word has a 95 percent market share, amounting to some 400 million copies of the program, that leaves millions of users who rely on other word-processing programs, creating a need for cross-platform documents.
Other People Are Reading
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History
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Microsoft has been continuously developing Rich Text Format since its initial release in 1987, about six years after the first release of Microsoft Word. RTF capability was included with Microsoft Word from that initial release (version 1.0). There have been eight subsequent versions; the latest version, incorporating revisions to Word 2007, is v. 1.9.1.
Features
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Rich Text Format, according to programmer Sean M. Burke, includes plain text, commands, escapes and groups. The plain text uses seven-bit ASCII characters, except backslashes ( / ) and braces ( { } ), sometimes known as curly brackets; these symbols are used to designate commands and groups. Burke explains that a Rich Text Format document includes four components: a prolog, which starts with a "{" and then has essential information for the document, such as fonts; then some optional document-formatting commands, such as page numbering; then any amount of commands, groups, plain text and escapes, which designate formatting for specific blocks of text; then a closing "}" that closes the group opened by the start of the prolog.
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Benefits
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According to the documentation for the 1992 release of version 1.0, the "RTF standard provides a format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems," including OS/2, Windows, MS-DOS and Apple. As with HTML, the code for a Rich Text Format document can be edited directly with Notepad or similar plain-text editors.
Significance
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Rich Text Format is important as an alternative to Microsoft Word's .doc file type, according to a Colorado State University tutorial, because despite the Microsoft Word program's popularity, not everyone uses it. The tutorial recommends RTF for posting documents to the Web because other file formats, including PDF and HTML, "require more work to preserve formatting and accessibility."
How To
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If you have one of the popular word-processing programs, including Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, you probably already have the capability to create RTF documents. Simply select "Save As" from the "File" menu and choose "Rich Text Format" from the options listed there. If you receive an RTF file, simply open it as you would any word-processing document.
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References
Resources
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