Filetypes
Digital documents have a filetype, a format that is particular to how the file may be used or edited. The filetype is often indicated by an extension in the filename, a dot followed by (usually) 3-4 letters. A Microsoft Word document will have the extensions .docx or .doc, while an Open Document Format (ODF) Text document will have a .odt extension.
The digital documents available here are of a wide variety of filetypes, some of them potentially unfamiliar. A single teacher will typically use a variety of filetypes within a given course: .docx files, PDFs for distribution to students, Google Docs for other purposes, etc. Consider that the same teacher may use different documents for different courses, or that two different teachers may use different documents for the same course, and... things get complicated.
What follows here is a summary of the different filetypes one might encounter in here, and how they can be viewed, edited, and printed.
| Extension | Name of Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
html |
HyperText Markup Language | HTML is the language of the World Wide Web. Documents are written in plain-text using "markup," a series of tags with formatting instructions. For a developer or web designer, the documents are originally created using a text editor or integrated development environment. HTML documents are then uploaded to a server on the internet, where they can be viewed in a web browser. On a local machine, opening such a document in a text editor will allow one to edit the text, while opening the same document in a web browser will display the web-version of the document. |
txt |
Plain text file | A plain text file consists of simple, unformatted text: different fonts, different text sizes, fancy formatting don't exist. These files are edited using a text editor. Text files are appreciated for their simplicity and portability. For further information on this type of file, see text files. |
md |
Markdown format | The "Markdown" format was created by Jon Gruber as a way of including simple markup notes (indicating formatting) in a plain text file. And just as HTML files will display their formatting when viewed in a browser, markdown files will display their formatting when viewed in an application that supports that viewing (VS Code, for example). |
docx, doc |
Microsoft Word | Microsoft's Office suite is ubiquitous, and used to be the de facto standard for creating written documents that would eventually be printed on paper. In education there have been a move away from Microsoft towards Google's tools. |
odt |
OpenDocument Text | These documents are the open equivalent to MS Word documents, and have some degree of interoperability with those documents. LibreOffice and OpenOffice are both free, open-source suites that support odt, as well as the ability to import a Word-formatted document and export to a Word-formatted document. |
pptx, ppt |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software produced by Microsoft. |
odp |
OpenDocument Presentation | The equivalent of PowerPoint |
ipynb |
Jupyter Presentation | The Jupyter platform supports an interesting type of interactive document that both presents text and allows for interactive code to be run, a great combination for presenting code-related materials. |
pdf |
Adobe Portable Document Format | Another de facto standard for sharing documents. PDF documents typically can't be edited, so are best suited for emailing, printing, sharing with students. |
| N/A | Google Workspace | Google's Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc. are enormously popular with educators, offering a powerful set of editing tools, sharing capabilities, and version tracking. Combine that with Google's Classroom tools and it's easy to work your way into this ecosystem. You'll find few references to Google documents in these materials. Google's system is a closed one—a Google account is required to access them—and it's literally not possible to send someone a Google doc: you can only Share access with them or create a PDF/Word version of it and send them that. |
Converting files
If the document you wish to use is available in your preferred format, you're all set. It is often the case, however, that one needs to convert from one format to another.
File conversion can often be accomplished within an application, perhaps by selecting "Save As..." or printing to a PDF format rather than a physical printer.
Another useful tool is the pandoc command-line utility. It has a powerful feature set beyond the scope of this document.