Microsoft Office File Extensions

[Darren]

I noticed that we can't post Excel templates to the forums as attachments...".xlt" is not a valid attachment extension.  I assume the same is true for Word templates.  Also, Office 2007 just came out, and they came out with new file extensions.  Please add the following to the allowed extensions list:

.xlt (Template from Excel 2003 and earlier)

.xltx (Template from Excel 2007)

.dot (Template from Word 2003 and earlier)

.dotx (Template from Word 2007)

-D

[Laura F.]

This is updated!

Thanks,
Laura
Web Support & Operations

[Darren]

Oops, I just realized that I forgot to mention the new Office 2007 extensions for normal Word and Excel files:

.docx (standard Word 2007 document)

.xlsx (standard Excel 2007 workbook)

Can you add these too?

-D

[Laura F.]

I've added these too!

Laura

[Ben]

Are these type of files safe?

Ben

Message Edited by Ben on 12-08-2006 07:22 AM

[TiTou]

Concidering that they come from MicroSoft, I would say "certainly not !"

[Ben]

Well not to make a mountain out of a mole hill but.... (this is Ben speaking )....

The US Center of Disease Control has already acused me of donloading a virus as a result of logging into the NI Developer Exchange from one of their machines.

Ben

[Darren]

The .docx and .xlsx file formats are the standard document/workbook formats for Office 2007.  In other words, if you saved a document in Word 2003 or earlier, it would have a .doc extension.  If you save a document in Word 2007, it has a .docx extension.  Same goes for Excel and .xls vs. xlsx.  The new file format is radically different...it's XML based, but wrapped in a ZIP format...it's really very interesting.  I tried this back in the Office beta, so I don't know if it still works in the release version, but if you rename a .docx/.xlsx file to have a .zip extension, you can open it up and find all sorts of neat stuff... 🙂

Anyway, I know this doesn't answer the original question, but I guess since .docx and .xlsx are the standard document formats for Word and Excel now, they better be safe!

-D

[Ben]

Still beating the same dead horse....

I am often told by support to "just download blah blah blah" from the NI web-site. If the NI Web-site is open to MS-Virus type file propogation, the "just download" option will be shutdown by secure government IT groups.

Those types of file can still be shared by zipping or re-naming. That way the browsers can't do stupid things and the Virus checkers can get involved when the zips are opened.

Ben

[shoneill]

Aah, the age-old MS versus security issue..... (Even though I have to admit they HAVE gotten better)

I don't think ANY xls, doc, docx or xlsx (or ppt for that matter) files are inherently safe.  They can ALL incorporate macros which may be programmed to do anything they want with your computer.  Opening one of these from an unknown source can be problematic if you don't have your office suite set to high security (which I hardly ever do, since I program a bit in Office).

On a side note, will the extension *.odf be allowed?  I've just started using OpenOffice, and I'm impressed (Especially the built-in PDF exporter).  I know it doesn't have the support it deserves yet, but will that be accepted too?

Shane.

PS this post has undergone many transofrmations with ranting being repeatedly edited out by myself upon re-reading.  I personally find MS's tactics in this (any many other areas) suspect, aside from the fact that their "XML standard" is incompatible with everyone's software except their own.