WebCT File Formats

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Save WebCT course documents in a format that a Web browser can display, or a standard format that students can download and open on their computers.

Web Browser Compatible File Formats

File Format		Description
.htm or .html		HyperText Markup Language, or Web pages
.txt		Plain text (ASCII text) with no formatting.
.gif		Graphical Interhcange Format appropriate for clip art, images with few colors, line drawings
.jpg		Joint Photographic Experts Group format appropriate for photos, images with up to 16 million colors, or images with subtle shading and shadows

File types that require a plug-in or helper application:

Here are some of the standard file types that you can link in WebCT tools. Links to free viewer downloads are listed that students can use if they do not have the application installed. They will be able to download free viewers to read or print files.

Document types	File Extensions	Required Application	Operating System
MS Word	.doc	MS Word or MS Word Viewer	Windows
MS Excel	.xls	MS Excel or MS Excel Viewer	Windows
MS PowerPoint	.ppt	MS PowerPoint or MS PowerPointViewer	Windows, Mac
Portable Document File	.pdf	Adobe Acrobat Reader	Windows, Mac
Flash	.swf	Flash Player	Windows, Mac
Audio (sound)	.wav, .aif, .ram	Windows Media Player,QuickTime , RealPlayer	Windows, Mac
Video	avi, .mov, .mpg, .rm	Windows Media Player, QuickTime ,RealPlayer	Windows, Mac

Notes:

Only the PowerPoint Viewer is available for the Macintosh platform. You may need to save Word files as web pages (filtered) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Most word processors will open .rtf files.
Windows Media Player or QuickTime is recommended for audio and video files.
If you use multimedia files in your course, be aware that they probably aren't usable for students using dialup connections. Keep your file size as small as possible.

Naming Conventions for Files and Folders:

Names of files and folders can contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore (_) character, but cannot

spaces

tabs

line breaks

paragraph returns

: ~ {} ! @ # $ % ^ & * () + [] | \ < > / ? ; ' "