11.1 Manage Files Effectively

2026 Syllabus Objectives

Students should be able to:

  • Manage files: Locate stored files, open and import files of different types, save files in a planned hierarchical directory/folder structure, save files using appropriate file names
  • Save and print files in a variety of formats including a document, screenshots, database reports, data tables, graphs/charts, a web page in browser view, a web page in HTML view
  • Save and export in the file format of an application package including .docx, .doc, .xlsx, .xls, .sdb, .sdc, .accdb, .odb, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt
  • Save and export in a generic file format including .csv, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, .css, .htm, .jpg, .png
  • File formats: Understand characteristics and uses of file formats including css, csv, gif, htm, jpg, pdf, png, rtf, txt, zip, rar
  • The need for generic file formats

🔑 File Formats Overview

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File formats are the file types used to store data in a file. They define the structure and organisation of the data and determine which software can be used to read the contents of the file. Different file formats are used depending on the type of file being used.

Generic File Formats

Generic file formats are file types that are compatible and allow sharing between different devices and software programs. Non-generic files require special software or hardware to be accessed.

Why generic file formats are needed 📌:

  • Allow the exchange of data across different types of applications
  • Widely adopted and can be accessed by many users or devices
  • Can be created, edited and accessed across many different devices

📄 Text File Formats

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.txt (Text File)

Characteristics:

  • Used for storing plain text data
  • Contains only human-readable text without any additional formatting or styling
  • Extensively supported across different platforms and applications
  • Can be opened and edited using a word processor or basic text editor

Uses:

  • Simple documents that require no formatting
  • Data storage in plain text form

.rtf (Rich Text Format)

Characteristics:

  • A file format that allows exchange of text files between different word processing programs
  • Can contain different text styles, fonts, colours, and other basic formatting elements
  • Has basic formatting capabilities (embolden, underline, paragraph formatting)
  • Can create bulleted lists and include images
  • Takes up more memory than .txt files

Uses:

  • Creating documents that require basic formatting
  • Letters, reports, and academic papers
  • Documents that need to be opened across different word processors

Key Difference: RTF has basic formatting (embolden, underline, etc.) while TXT is plain text. RTF is capable of paragraph formatting and bulleted lists while TXT is not.

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