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XML File Formats
By default, LibreOffice loads and saves files in the OpenDocument file format.
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The OpenDocument file format (ODF) is a standardized file format used by many software applications. You can find more information at the Wikipedia site: wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument. |
Contents
OpenDocument file format names
LibreOffice uses the following file formats:
| Document format | File extension |
|---|---|
| ODF Text | *.odt |
| ODF Text Template | *.ott |
| ODF Master Document | *.odm |
| 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 |
| LibreOffice Extension | *.oxt |
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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 | 2005-05-01 | OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 or StarOffice 7 |
| ODF 1.1 | 2007-02-02 | 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) | - | OpenOffice.org 3.2 or StarOffice 9.2 |
In current versions, you can select to save your documents using ODF 1.2 (default) 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 exchange documents with users that still use OpenOffice.org 1 or StarOffice 7, save the document using the respectively named filter in the File type listbox.
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If you want to define another file format as the default, choose 'Tools - Options' - Load/Save - General to find alternative file formats for each LibreOffice 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 minimize 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. - The file settings.xml contains further information about the settings for this document.
- In styles.xml, you find the styles applied to the document that can be seen in the Styles and Formatting window.
- 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.
Related Topics
Changing the Association of Microsoft Office Document Types
