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# 10.3. File Formats

In the Save as.. dialog you can choose between various file formats. (see Figure 10-1)

Figure 10-1. File Format Selector

Similarly, in the Import.. dialog you can also choose between various file formats. (see Figure 10-2)

Figure 10-2. File Format Selector

Most of these formats are provided by plug-ins. If they don't appear on your list of available plug-ins use the Tools Plug-ins... menu item to verify that the appropriate plug-in has been loaded.

## 10.3.1. Gnumeric XML File Format

The default file format and Gnumeric's native format is an xml based file. The file format is a ascii text based xml format. It is however, typically written and read in a gzip compressed form.

The uncompressed format is human readable and designed to be easily parsed. It is very extensible.

## 10.3.2. Data Interchange Format

This format is supported by the "Data Interchange Format (DIF) module" plug-in.

| This format is available when saving or importing files.

## 10.3.3. DVI TeX Format

This format is supported by the "HTML & TeX" plug-in.

| This format is only available when saving files.

Creation of a dvi file with Gnumeric requires that groff has been installed. If a complete TeX installation is available it is probably advisable to use the LaTeX format (Section 10.3.8) instead, since the created LaTeX file can be extensively customized before creating the dvi file from it.

Figure 10-3. Gnumeric Sample Screenshot

Example 10-1. Saving as DVI TeX

The screenshot Figure 10-3 shows an example Gnumeric file. If we save this file in DVI TeX format and open it using xdvi we obtain Figure 10-4.

Figure 10-4. xdvi Screenshot of DVI TeX File

## 10.3.4. MS Excel (tm) File Formats

This format is supported by the "MS Excel (tm) File Formats" plug-in.

Gnumeric can open files from most recent versions of MS Excel (tm). It can also save files in MS Excel (tm) 95 format.

## 10.3.5. Experimental Bonobo EFS Format

This format is supported by the "EXPERIMENTAL SAX based XML" plug-in.

| This format is available when importing or saving files.

## 10.3.6. Gnome Glossary PO File Format

This format is supported by the "Gnome Glossary" plug-in.

| This format is only available when saving files.

## 10.3.7. HTML File Formats

These formats are supported by the "HTML & TeX" plug-in.

### 10.3.7.1. HTML generated by Gnumeric

| This format is only available when importing or opening files.

Very simple and well structured HTML tables can be opened by Gnumeric into an appropriate spreadsheet. In this process, Gnumeric will lose information on merged cells and most other formatting, but the main cell values should be preserved.

### 10.3.7.2. HTML 3.2 File Format

| This format is only available when saving files.

Gnumeric can create HTML 3.2 files. All sheets of the current workbook are exported. The tables in the HTML 3.2 file contain all cells, whether visible or not, including merged cells and spans. Horizontal as well as vertical alignment is preserved, as are font colors and some font characteristics (italic, bold). These files also include an appropriate preamble.

Example 10-2. Saving as HTML 3.2

The screenshot Figure 10-3 shows an example Gnumeric file. If we save this file in HTML 3.2 format and open it using Mozilla 0.95 we obtain Figure 10-5.

Figure 10-5. Mozilla Screenshot of HTML 3.2 File

### 10.3.7.3. HTML 4.0 File Format

| This format is only available when saving files.

Gnumeric can create HTML 4.0 files. All sheets of the current workbook are exported. The tables in the HTML 4.0 file contain all cells, whether visible or not, including merged cells and spans. Horizontal as well as vertical alignment is preserved, as are some font characteristics (italic, bold) and cell background colors. These files also include an appropriate preamble.

Example 10-3. Saving as HTML 4.0

The screenshot Figure 10-3 shows an example Gnumeric file. If we save this file in HTML 4.0 format and open it using Mozilla 0.95 we obtain Figure 10-6.

Figure 10-6. Mozilla Screenshot of HTML 4.0 File

### 10.3.7.4. HTML Fragment Format

| This format is only available when saving files.

Gnumeric can create HTML fragments. All sheets of the current workbook are exported. The tables in such a fragment file contain all cells, whether visible or not, including merged cells and spans. Horizontal as well as vertical alignment is preserved, as are some font characteristics (italic, bold) as well as cell background and font colors. These files do not contain any preamble. Note that each tag used in these files is valid in some HTML version, the combination of these tags in a Gnumeric generated HTML fragment may not be.

Example 10-4. Saving as HTML fragment

The screenshot Figure 10-3 shows an example Gnumeric file. If we save this file as an HTML fragment and open it using Mozilla 0.95 we obtain Figure 10-7.

Figure 10-7. Mozilla Screenshot of HTML Fragment

## 10.3.8. LaTeX 2e Format

This format is supported by the "HTML & TeX" plug-in.

| This format is only available when saving files.

Only the top sheet of the current workbook is exported.

The created LaTeX file can either be input into another LaTeX file (see Section 10.3.8.1) or latexed independently. See the content and Section 10.3.8.2 of the created file for various customization options.

Example 10-5. Saving as LaTeX file

The screenshot Figure 10-3 shows an example Gnumeric file. If we save this file as LaTeX file, tex it using pdflatex and open it using xpdf we obtain Figure 10-8.

Figure 10-8. xpdf Screenshot of LaTeX file

### 10.3.8.1. Including Tables Into Other Documents

To include an exported Gnumeric table into another LaTeX document you need to use several packages

            \usepackage{color}
            \usepackage{array}
            \usepackage{longtable}
            \usepackage{calc}
            \usepackage{multirow}
            \usepackage{hhline}
            \usepackage{ifthen}

and to add the following lines to the preamble of your document:

            \newlength{\gnumericTableWidth}
            \newlength{\gnumericTableWidthComplete}

When you have set up your main document in this way, include each table with:

            \input{mygnumericfile.tex}

### 10.3.8.2. Customizing The LaTeX Tables

To switch from portrait to landscape for independently latexed tables, uncomment the line:

    	                  %,landscape%

to obtain

    	\documentclass[12pt%
    	                  ,landscape%
                        ]{report}

To change the column widths, look for the following section in the LaTeX file:

    %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
    %%                                                                  %%
    %% The following are the widths of the various columns. We are      %%
    %% defining them here because then they are easier to change.       %%
    %% Depending on the cell formats we may use them more than once.    %%
    %%                                                                  %%
    %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

    \def\gnumericColA{107pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColB{89pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColC{98pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColD{89pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColE{89pt*\gnumericScale}

To change the second column (Column B) to a width of 0.75 inches, we would simply have to modify this code to:

    \def\gnumericColA{107pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColB{0.75in}
    \def\gnumericColC{98pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColD{89pt*\gnumericScale}
    \def\gnumericColE{89pt*\gnumericScale}

## 10.3.9. Linear and Integer Program File Format

This format is supported by the "Linear and integer expression (MPS) format module" plug-in.

| This format is only available when importing files.

## 10.3.10. Plan Perfect Format

This format is supported by the "Plan Perfect" plug-in.

| This format is only available when importing files.

## 10.3.11. PDF Format

Currently, Gnumeric cannot save directly as a PDF file; but, provided a standard tetex installation is available, the Gnumeric file can be saved as a LaTeX file (see Section 10.3.8), and turned into a PDF file using pdflatex.

See Figure 10-8 for an example of a created PDF file.

## 10.3.12. SC/XSpread Format

This format is supported by the "SC/XSpread Format" plug-in.

| This format is only available when importing files.

## 10.3.13. Text Format

This format exports Gnumeric spreadsheets as straight text or imports them from straight text files. Both export (save as) as well as import can be highly customized.

### 10.3.13.1. The Text Export Druid

After specifying the "Text File Export" Format and a file name in the "Save as.." dialog, the text export druid starts to guide you through the various options:

1. Specify which sheets to export.

   Figure 10-9. Specifying which sheets to export

2. Choose the line terminator to use. You should select it based on the platform you want the created file to be used on. Choose one of several field separators and whether to quote all fields or only as needed. The defaults create the standard Unix csv format.

   Figure 10-10. Specifying line terminators

3. Select "Finish" to finally export the selected sheets and create the text file. The standard csv output of Figure 10-3 is shown in Figure 10-11.

   Figure 10-11. csv File

       ,"Operating System",,,
       ,DOS,Linux,SCO,
       January,"$1000.00 ","$900.00 ","$500.00 ",
       February,"$900.00 ","$2500.00 ","$300.00 ",
       March,"$800.00 ","$4100.00 ","$100.00 ",
       April,"$700.00 ","$5700.00 ",($100.00),
       May,"$600.00 ","$7300.00 ",($300.00),
       June,"$500.00 ","$8900.00 ",($500.00),
       July,"$400.00 ","$10500.00 ",($700.00),
       August,"$300.00 ","$12100.00 ",($900.00),
       September,"$200.00 ","$13700.00 ",($1100.00),
       October,"$100.00 ","$15300.00 ",($1300.00),
       November,"$0.00 ","$16900.00 ",($1500.00),
       December,($100.00),"$18500.00 ",($1700.00),
       ,,,,
       Totals:,"$5400.00 ","$116400.00 ",($7200.00),
       ,,,,

### 10.3.13.2. The Text Import Druid

After specifying the "Text File Import" Format and a file name in the "Import.." dialog, the text import druid starts to guide you through the various options.

On the first screen of the druid specify the basic format type (fixed width fields or fields separated by specific characters), as well as the line numbers of the lines to import.

Figure 10-12. Selecting the basic format type

#### 10.3.13.2.1. The Text Import Druid for Separated Fields

1. Figure 10-13. Separation Customization

   Select the appropriate field separator(s) in the "Separator" frame. Select the "See two separators as one"option if any sequence of separators are supposed to be considered a single separator. The "Example" frame gives immediate feedback on your choices:

   Figure 10-14. Separation Customization With Correct Selection

2. Finally select the appropriate format for each input column:

   Figure 10-15. Selecting Formats

   After selecting a column on the left select the appropriate format on the right. In the preview section at the bottom of the dialog, you can immediately see the effect of selecting that format. The following types of formats are available:

   General

     This format will guess for each field value whether it is text, a number, a date, etc.

   Numbers

     You can choose between various number formats. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-16. Some Number Formats

         0
         0.00
         #,##0
         #,##0_);(#,##0)
         #,##0.00_);[Red](#,##0.00)

     There are also formats facilitating the use of scientific notation, see Figure 10-21.

   Currency Amounts

     You can choose between various currency formats. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-17. Some Currency Formats

         "$"#,##0
         "$"#,##0_);(#,##0)
         "$"#,##0.00_);[Red](#,##0.00)

   Dates and Times

     You can choose between various date and time formats. Some of these formats will recognize combined date/time entries. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-18. Some Date and Time Formats

         m/d/yy
         d-mmm-yyyy
         d-mm
         mmm/d
         mmm/ddd/yyyy
         mmmm-yyyy
         m/d/yyyy h:mm
         yyyy
         h:mm:ss AM/PM
         [h]:mm:ss

   Percentages

     You can choose between various formats that recognize percentages. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-19. Some Percentage Formats

         0%
         0.00%

   Fractions

     You can choose between a few formats that recognize fractions. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-20. Some Fraction Formats

         # ?/?
         # ??/??

   Scientific Notation

     You can choose between a few formats that recognize numbers in scientific notation.. The following list presents just a short selection of those formats:

     Figure 10-21. Some Scientific Formats

         0.00E+00
         ##0.0E+0

   Text

     If you want the importer to simply read the field value as text without attempting to interpret it in any way, use the following text format:

     Figure 10-22. The Text Format

         @

   More details on the various formats can be found in Section 9.1.1.

3. Click the "Finish" button to complete importing the file.

#### 10.3.13.2.2. The Text Import Druid for Fixed Width Fields

1. If you selected fixed width fields you are asked to specify the widths for each field. Click the "Auto Column Discovery" button to have Gnumeric try to determine the fields widths automatically.

   Figure 10-23.

2. Finally select the appropriate format for each input column as in Figure 10-15.

3. Click the "Finish" button to complete importing the file.

## 10.3.14. TROFF Format

This format is supported by the "HTML & TeX" plug-in.

| This format is only available when saving files.

Files in this format are useful because they can be converted with the groff or troff commands into various other common formats. For example, given a TROFF file `myfile.me`, the command

      groff -me -t -Tps myfile.me >myfile.ps

will create a postscript file of the corresponding table.

Similarly, the command

    groff -me -t -Tascii myfile.me >myfile.ascii

creates an ascii (straight text) file.

Example 10-6. Creating an ASCII File

If we save Figure 10-3 as a troff file `hypothetical-sales.me` and then execute the command

    groff -me -t -Tascii hypothetical-sales.me >hypothetical-sales.ascii

then the file `hypothetical-sales.ascii` contains:

    Sheet 0

    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |          | Operating System |             |            |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |          |       DOS        |    Linux    |    SCO     |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |  January | $1000.00         | $900.00     | $500.00    |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    | February | $900.00          | $2500.00    | $300.00    |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |    March | $800.00          | $4100.00    | $100.00    |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |    April | $700.00          | $5700.00    | ($100.00)  |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |      May | $600.00          | $7300.00    | ($300.00)  |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |     June | $500.00          | $8900.00    | ($500.00)  |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |     July | $400.00          | $10500.00   | ($700.00)  |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |   August | $300.00          | $12100.00   | ($900.00)  |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |September | $200.00          | $13700.00   | ($1100.00) |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |  October | $100.00          | $15300.00   | ($1300.00) |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    | November | $0.00            | $16900.00   | ($1500.00) |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    | December | ($100.00)        | $18500.00   | ($1700.00) |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |          |                  |             |            |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |  Totals: | $5400.00         | $116400.00  | ($7200.00) |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+
    |          |                  |             |            |   |
    +----------+------------------+-------------+------------+---+

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