# File Formats

PhpSpreadsheet can read a number of different spreadsheet and file
formats, although not all features are supported by all of the readers.
Check the [features cross
reference](../references/features-cross-reference.md) for a list that
identifies which features are supported by which readers.

Currently, PhpSpreadsheet supports the following File Types for Reading:

### Xls

The Microsoft Excel™ Binary file format (BIFF5 and BIFF8) is a binary
file format that was used by Microsoft Excel™ between versions 95 and
2003. The format is supported (to various extents) by most spreadsheet
programs. BIFF files normally have an extension of .xls. Documentation
describing the format can be found online at
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc313154(v=office.12).aspx> or
from [as a downloadable
PDF](http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/8/24862317-78F0-4C4B-B355-C7B2C1D997DB/%5BMS-XLS%5D.pdf).

### Xml

Microsoft Excel™ 2003 included options for a file format called
SpreadsheetML. This file is a zipped XML document. It is not very
common, but its core features are supported. Documentation for the
format can be found at
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140066%28office.10%29.aspx>
though it’s sadly rather sparse in its detail.

### Xlsx

Microsoft Excel™ 2007 shipped with a new file format, namely Microsoft
Office Open XML SpreadsheetML, and Excel 2010 extended this still
further with its new features such as sparklines. These files typically
have an extension of .xlsx. This format is based around a zipped
collection of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) files. Microsoft Office
Open XML SpreadsheetML is mostly standardized in ECMA 376
(<http://www.ecma-international.org/news/TC45_current_work/TC45_available_docs.htm>)
and ISO 29500.

### Ods

aka Open Document Format (ODF) or OASIS, this is the OpenOffice.org XML
File Format for spreadsheets. It comprises a zip archive including
several components all of which are text files, most of these with
markup in the eXtensible Markup Language (XML). It is the standard file
format for OpenOffice.org Calc and StarCalc, and files typically have an
extension of .ods. The published specification for the file format is
available from the OASIS Open Office XML Format Technical Committee web
page
(<http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office#technical>).
Other information is available from the OpenOffice.org XML File Format
web page (<http://xml.openoffice.org/general.html>), part of the
OpenOffice.org project.

### Slk

This is the Microsoft Multiplan Symbolic Link Interchange (SYLK) file
format. Multiplan was a predecessor to Microsoft Excel™. Files normally
have an extension of .slk. While not common, there are still a few
applications that generate SYLK files as a cross-platform option,
because (despite being limited to a single worksheet) it is a simple
format to implement, and supports some basic data and cell formatting
options (unlike CSV files).

### Gnumeric

The Gnumeric file format is used by the Gnome Gnumeric spreadsheet
application, and typically files have an extension of .gnumeric. The
file contents are stored using eXtensible Markup Language (XML) markup,
and the file is then compressed using the GNU project's gzip compression
library.
<http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/file-format-gnumeric.shtml>

### Csv

Comma Separated Value (CSV) file format is a common structuring strategy
for text format files. In CSV flies, each line in the file represents a
row of data and (within each line of the file) the different data fields
(or columns) are separated from one another using a comma (`,`). If a
data field contains a comma, then it should be enclosed (typically in
quotation marks (`"`). Sometimes tabs `\t`, or the pipe symbol (`|`), or a
semi-colon (`;`) are used as separators instead of a comma, although
other symbols can be used. Because CSV is a text-only format, it doesn't
support any data formatting options.

"CSV" is not a single, well-defined format (although see RFC 4180 for
one definition that is commonly used). Rather, in practice the term
"CSV" refers to any file that:

-   is plain text using a character set such as ASCII, Unicode, EBCDIC,
    or Shift JIS,
-   consists of records (typically one record per line),
-   with the records divided into fields separated by delimiters
    (typically a single reserved character such as comma, semicolon, or
    tab,
-   where every record has the same sequence of fields.

Within these general constraints, many variations are in use. Therefore
"CSV" files are not entirely portable. Nevertheless, the variations are
fairly small, and many implementations allow users to glance at the file
(which is feasible because it is plain text), and then specify the
delimiter character(s), quoting rules, etc.

**Warning:** Microsoft Excel™ will open .csv files, but depending on the
system's regional settings, it may expect a semicolon as a separator
instead of a comma, since in some languages the comma is used as the
decimal separator. Also, many regional versions of Excel will not be
able to deal with Unicode characters in a CSV file.

### Html

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the main markup language for
creating web pages and other information that can be displayed in a web
browser. Files typically have an extension of .html or .htm. HTML markup
provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural
semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes
and other items. Since 1996, the HTML specifications have been
maintained, with input from commercial software vendors, by the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C). However, in 2000, HTML also became an
international standard (ISO/IEC 15445:2000). HTML 4.01 was published in
late 1999, with further errata published through 2001. In 2004
development began on HTML5 in the Web Hypertext Application Technology
Working Group (WHATWG), which became a joint deliverable with the W3C in
2008.
