Microsoft SYLK

Also Known As: Symbolic Link Format, SLK

Type	Vector
Colors	NA
Compression	NA
Maximum Image Size	NA
Multiple Images Per File	No
Numerical Format	NA
Originator	Microsoft Corporation
Platform	MS-DOS, others
Supporting Applications	Spreadsheets, business graphics applications
See Also	Lotus DIF

Usage
Interchange of spreadsheet information.

Comments
Yet another format used to share spreadsheet information with business graphics applications.

The Microsoft SYLK (Symbolic Link) format is used mainly for the interchange of spreadsheet data between applications such as Microsoft Multiplan and Excel. Files in this format might also be imported directly by business graphics applications. SYLK files are written entirely in ASCII and, like Lotus DIF and SDI, are application-independent. SYLK, however, incorporates several features not found in other spreadsheet data interchange formats.

Contents:
File Organization
File Details
For Further Information

File Organization

Records in a SYLK file contain three fields: a Record Type Descriptor (RTD), a Field Type Descriptor (FTD), and a variable amount of data. A SYLK record has the following format:

<RTD>;<FTD>;<data> ...

File Details

The following Record Type Descriptors (RTDs) are currently defined by SYLK:

RTD	Description
B	Cell boundary
C	A data cell
E	End of file
F	Cell formatting parameter
ID	SYLK file identification record
NE	Link to an inactive spreadsheet file
NN	Name given to a rectangluar area of cells
NU	Substitute filename
P	Time and date stamp formats

Each Record Type Decriptor may be followed by a single Field Type Descriptor (FTD) if needed. Most field type descriptors have meanings unique to each record, but a few, listed below, have meanings global to all record types:

FTD	Description
W	Column width
X	Horizontal cell coordinate
Y	Vertical cell coordinate

The SYLK file format does not contain a header and resembles a data stream in its design. Except for the ID record, which must be the first record in every SYLK file, RTDs may appear anywhere in the file with the following exceptions:

• The first record must be an ID record (the RTD is ID)

• All P records follow the ID record.

• All B records follow the P records.

• A ;D or ;G FTD must appear in a C record prior to a reference to that FTD by another record.

• NE records always follow NU records.

• The final record must be an E record.

For Further Information

SYLK was created and is maintained by Microsoft Corporation. You may be able to get information by contacting:

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Voice: 206-882-8080
Voice: 800-426-9400
FAX: 206-883-8101
WWW: http://www.microsoft.com/

The following reference also contains information about the SYLK format:

Walden, Jeffrey B. File Formats for Popular PC Software, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1986.

You may also be able to get information via FTP through the Developer Relations Group at:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developer/drg/

Copyright © 1996, 1994 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.