Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification, version 1.6

Microsoft Corporation

May 1999

Summary: The Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification provides a format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems. RTF uses the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), PC-8, Macintosh, or IBM PC character set to control the representation and formatting of a document, both on the screen and in print. With the RTF Specification, documents created under different operating systems and with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications. (248 printed pages)

Contents

Introduction
RTF Syntax
Conventions of an RTF Reader
Formal Syntax
Contents of an RTF File
   Header
      RTF Version
      Character Set
      Unicode RTF
      Font Table
      File Table
      Color Table
      Style Sheet
      List Table
      Track Changes (Revision Marks)
   Document Area
      Information Group
      Document Formatting Properties
      Section Text
      Paragraph Text
      Character Text
      Document Variables
      Bookmarks
      Pictures
      Objects
      Drawing Objects
      Word 97-2000 RTF for Drawing Objects (Shapes)
      Footnotes
      Comments (Annotations)
      Fields
      Form Fields
      Index Entries
      Table of Contents Entries
      Bidirectional Language Support
Far East Support
   Escaped Expressions
   Character Set
   Character Mapping
   Font Family
      Composite Fonts (Associated Fonts for International Runs)
      New Far East Control Words Created by Word 6J
      New Far East Control Words Created by Asian Versions of Word 97
      New Far East Control Words Created by Word 2000
Appendix A: Sample RTF Reader Application
   How to Write an RTF Reader
   A Sample RTF Reader Implementation
      Rtfdecl.h and Rtfreadr.c
      Rtftype.h
      Rtfactn.c
   Notes on Implementing Other RTF Features
      Tabs and Other Control Sequences Terminating in a Fixed Control
      Borders and Other Control Sequences Beginning with a Fixed Control
   Other Problem Areas in RTF
      Style Sheets
      Property Changes
      Fields
      Tables
      Rtfdecl.h
      Rtftype.h
      Rtfreadr.c
      Makefile
Appendix B: Index of RTF Control Words
Appendix C: Control Words Introduced by Other Microsoft Products
   Pocket Word
   Exchange (Used in RTF<>HTML Conversions)