XML File Formats

By default, Collabora Office loads and saves files in the OpenDocument file format.

OpenDocument file format names

Collabora Office uses the following file formats:

Document format	File extension
ODF Text	*.odt
ODF Text Template	*.ott
ODF Master Document	*.odm
HTML Document	*.html
HTML Document Template	*.oth
ODF Spreadsheet	*.ods
ODF Spreadsheet Template	*.ots
ODF Drawing	*.odg
ODF Drawing Template	*.otg
ODF Presentation	*.odp
ODF Presentation Template	*.otp
ODF Formula	*.odf
ODF Database	*.odb
Collabora Office Extension	*.oxt

ODF Chart is the name of the file format for stand alone charts. This format with the extension *.odc is currently not in use.

Evolution of the OpenDocument format

The OpenDocument format evolves over time.

ODF version	Date of standard approval by OASIS	First supporting version of the software
ODF 1.0	2005-05-01	OpenOffice.org 1.1.5 or StarOffice 7
ODF 1.1	2007-02-02	OpenOffice.org 2.2 or StarOffice 8 Update 4
ODF 1.2	2011-09-30	OpenOffice.org 3, StarOffice 9, Oracle Open Office
ODF 1.2 (Extended)	-	OpenOffice.org 3.2 or StarOffice 9.2

In current versions, you can select to save your documents using ODF 1.2 (default) or ODF 1.0/1.1 (for backward compatibility). Choose - Load/Save - General and select the ODF format version.

If you want to exchange documents with users that still use OpenOffice.org 1 or StarOffice 7, save the document using the respectively named filter in the File type listbox.

XML file structure

Documents in OpenDocument file format are stored as compressed zip archives that contain XML files. To view these XML files, you can open the OpenDocument file with an unzip program. The following files and directories are contained within the OpenDocument files:

1. The text content of the document is located in content.xml.

   By default, content.xml is stored without formatting elements like indentation or line breaks to minimize the time for saving and opening the document. The use of indentations and line breaks can be activated in the Expert configuration by setting the property /org.openoffice.Office.Common/Save/Document PrettyPrinting to true.

2. The file meta.xml contains the meta information of the document, which you can enter under File - Properties.

   If you save a document with a password, meta.xml will not be encrypted.

3. The file settings.xml contains further information about the settings for this document.

4. In styles.xml, you find the styles applied to the document that can be seen in the Styles window.

5. The meta-inf/manifest.xml file describes the structure of the XML file.

Additional files and folders can be contained in the packed file format.

Definition of the XML formats

The schema for the OpenDocument formats can be found on the www.oasis-open.org web site.