Rich Text Format

Rich Text Format
Name	Rich Text Format
Released	1987
Developer	Microsoft
Latest release	1.9.1 (1999)
Format	Document interchange
Extension	.rtf
Mime	application/rtf
Website	Microsoft

Rich Text Format

Rich Text Format is a proprietary document interchange format introduced to enable cross-application text exchange among desktop environments. It was created to allow interoperability between Microsoft Word and other word processors on platforms like MS-DOS, Windows NT, and Macintosh. The format gained rapid adoption among vendors such as Corel, IBM, StarDivision, Adobe Systems, and Sun Microsystems for document interchange and archival workflows.

History

Developed by Microsoft in 1987 as part of efforts surrounding Microsoft Word and operating environments including MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, the format served as an alternative to platform-specific binary formats used by vendors such as Lotus Development Corporation and WordPerfect Corporation. Early cross-platform needs were influenced by projects at companies like IBM and initiatives around Apple Macintosh desktop publishing. During the 1990s, competing formats and standards from organizations including Adobe Systems (with PDF), the Internet Engineering Task Force (with MIME types), and the World Wide Web Consortium (with HTML) shaped adoption. Key milestones involved updates to support features used by Microsoft Word 6.0, Microsoft Word 95, and later versions tied to Office 97 and Office 2000 releases.

Specification and File Structure

The published specification outlines a plain-text, control-word-based syntax using ASCII and escaped sequences. The RTF file structure uses groups delimited by braces and control words beginning with backslashes, a syntax conceptually similar to earlier markup systems used by companies like Digital Equipment Corporation and influenced by text processing traditions at institutions such as Bell Labs. The format’s specification documents describe character encoding, font tables, color tables, and object embedding mechanisms derived from container strategies used by Compound File Binary Format implementations. The specification versions issued by Microsoft enumerate control words for paragraph and character properties, table row constructs, and picture embedding tokens compatible with data formats created by vendors including Aldus Corporation and Corel Corporation.

Features and Capabilities

RTF supports rich text attributes—fonts, sizes, styles—plus paragraph formatting, lists, tables, and footnotes, comparable to features exposed by Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. It also enables embedded objects using mechanisms that interact with compound storage systems used in Microsoft Office applications and allows inclusion of images encoded as native formats recognizable by products from Adobe Systems and Paint Shop Pro. The format accommodates multilingual documents through code page indicators aligning with standards from Unicode Consortium developments and character set work relevant to ISO/IEC. For exchange scenarios, vendors like Corel Corporation, Sun Microsystems, and IBM implemented import/export pathways to convert between native formats and this interchange format.

Implementations and Software Support

Support for the format appears across a wide array of applications: word processors such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect Office, AbiWord, OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, and Apple Pages; editors like Notepad and WordPad on Microsoft Windows; and conversion tools provided by companies including Adobe Systems and Corel Corporation. Server-side libraries and toolkits from projects like Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice have been used in enterprise workflows at organizations such as IBM and Oracle Corporation. Many programming environments—examples include Microsoft .NET Framework, Java (programming language), and scripting ecosystems maintained by companies like Sun Microsystems—offer parsers or APIs to read and write this format.

Compatibility and Interoperability

The format was designed for broad interoperability among desktop publishing and office products produced by companies like Microsoft, Corel, IBM, and Adobe Systems. Despite broad support, differences in feature sets across applications such as Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, OpenOffice.org, and LibreOffice have led to varying fidelity for advanced constructs including complex tables, tracked changes, and form fields. Interoperability efforts often referenced standards activity from entities like the Unicode Consortium, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and national standards bodies to harmonize character encoding and metadata handling. Conversion workflows in enterprise contexts involving vendors such as Oracle Corporation and IBM frequently include validation stages and fallback rendering strategies.

Security and Limitations

Because the format permits embedded objects and control words that can invoke OLE compound storage semantics implemented by Microsoft Windows and office suites, the format has been associated with security concerns in environments using Microsoft Office automation. Embedded content from vendors like Adobe Systems or scripts originating from Microsoft Visual Basic macros in compound documents can introduce risk vectors if processed by permissive converters. Limitations include lack of standardized handling for modern layout features present in newer document architectures from Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org, and the plain-text control syntax can be verbose compared with binary or XML-based alternatives such as Office Open XML and OpenDocument Format.

Category:Computer file formats