Data Interchange Format
Dan Tobias (Talk | contribs) |
(sample files) |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
|formattype=electronic | |formattype=electronic | ||
|subcat=Document | |subcat=Document | ||
| + | |subcat2=Spreadsheet | ||
|extensions={{ext|dif}} | |extensions={{ext|dif}} | ||
| + | |pronom={{PRONOM|x-fmt/41}}, {{PRONOM|x-fmt/368}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | + | '''Data Interchange Format''' (DIF) was created in the early 1980s by the makers of [[VisiCalc]] (Software Arts, which was later acquired by Lotus) as a format for exporting and importing spreadsheet data between different programs and platforms. VisiCalc had an option to save in this format in place of its native one, and it could be imported into a number of other programs which implemented the standard. (But reportedly some versions of Microsoft programs botched it up and misinterpreted some of the elements, interchanging VECTORS with TUPLES.) | |
| − | '''Data Interchange Format''' (DIF) was created in the early 1980s by the makers of [[VisiCalc]] (Software Arts) as a format for exporting and importing spreadsheet data between different programs and platforms. VisiCalc had an option to save in this format in place of its native one, and it could be imported into a number of other programs which implemented the standard. (But reportedly some versions of Microsoft programs botched it up and misinterpreted some of the elements, interchanging VECTORS with TUPLES.) | + | |
DIF is an [[ASCII]]-based format (newer implementations support other [[Character Encodings]] as well) with two sections, a header and data. Each section is divided into chunks, which are 3 lines long in the headers and 2 lines in the data. The first line of a header chunk is an all-capital-letters chunk type name; the second line is a pair of numbers separated by a comma; and the third line is a quoted string. Data chunks have one line with a pair of numbers and one line with a quoted string or keyword. | DIF is an [[ASCII]]-based format (newer implementations support other [[Character Encodings]] as well) with two sections, a header and data. Each section is divided into chunks, which are 3 lines long in the headers and 2 lines in the data. The first line of a header chunk is an all-capital-letters chunk type name; the second line is a pair of numbers separated by a comma; and the third line is a quoted string. Data chunks have one line with a pair of numbers and one line with a quoted string or keyword. | ||
| Line 11: | Line 12: | ||
The first number in the number pairs indicates the type of value represented by the other number and the string on the next line. | The first number in the number pairs indicates the type of value represented by the other number and the string on the next line. | ||
| − | == | + | The format has also been called "Navy DIF" and "Lotus DIF", though it was not created by the Navy or Lotus. |
| + | |||
| + | == Format description == | ||
* [[Wikipedia:Data Interchange Format|Wikipedia article]] | * [[Wikipedia:Data Interchange Format|Wikipedia article]] | ||
| + | * {{EGFF|dif|Lotus DIF File Format Summary}}, from the [[Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats]] | ||
| + | * [http://newcenturycomputers.net/projects/dif.html Documentation from Python module for DIF] | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Software == | ||
| + | * [https://github.com/ziggythehamster/ruby-navy-dif Ruby program for handling DIF] | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Sample files == | ||
| + | * {{DexvertSamples|text/dataInterchangeFormat}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:Lotus]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:24, 30 July 2024
Data Interchange Format (DIF) was created in the early 1980s by the makers of VisiCalc (Software Arts, which was later acquired by Lotus) as a format for exporting and importing spreadsheet data between different programs and platforms. VisiCalc had an option to save in this format in place of its native one, and it could be imported into a number of other programs which implemented the standard. (But reportedly some versions of Microsoft programs botched it up and misinterpreted some of the elements, interchanging VECTORS with TUPLES.)
DIF is an ASCII-based format (newer implementations support other Character Encodings as well) with two sections, a header and data. Each section is divided into chunks, which are 3 lines long in the headers and 2 lines in the data. The first line of a header chunk is an all-capital-letters chunk type name; the second line is a pair of numbers separated by a comma; and the third line is a quoted string. Data chunks have one line with a pair of numbers and one line with a quoted string or keyword.
The first number in the number pairs indicates the type of value represented by the other number and the string on the next line.
The format has also been called "Navy DIF" and "Lotus DIF", though it was not created by the Navy or Lotus.
[edit] Format description
- Wikipedia article
- Lotus DIF File Format Summary, from the Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats
- Documentation from Python module for DIF
