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Rich Text Format Specification
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Microsoft Corporation.
You have the royalty-free right to reproduce and distribute products that use RTF (Rich Text Format) as a file conversion medium provided that you: (a) do not use Microsoft's name, logo, or trademarks to market your software product; and (b) agree to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend Microsoft from and against any claims or lawsuits, including attorneys' fees, that arise from the use or distribution of your software.
You may reproduce and distribute this specification provided that it is reproduced in its entirety including this copyright page.
If you have suggestions for enhancements or extensions to the RTF Specification, have developed an application using RTF, or wish to receive the most up-to-date copy of the RTF specification, please write:
Microsoft Corporation
Department: RTF
16011 NE 36th Way
Box 97017
Redmond, WA 98073-9717
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Notice: The electronic version of this document was typed in by Charles C. Lloyd, an independent contractor. Every effort was made to reproduce the hard copy version provided by Microsoft verbatim. However, typographical errors may exist in this electronic version, so if you are in doubt, contact Microsoft for an official hard copy. Also, please notify me of any errors you may find so I may update the master copy. I can be reached at wiltel!clloyd@uunet.uu.net. Williams Telecommunications was in no way involved with the effort to transcribe this document.
Rich Text Format
The Rich Text Format (RTF) standard is a method of encoding formatted text and graphics for easy transfer between applications. Currently, users depend on special translation software to move word processing documents between different DOS applications, and between DOS applications and Apple Macintosh applications.
The RTF standard provides a standard format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems. RTF uses the ANSI, 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 standard, documents composed under different operating systems and with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications.
RTF Syntax
An RTF file consists of unformatted text, "control words," "control symbols," and "groups." A standard RTF file consists of only 7-bit ASCII characters for ease of transport.
A "control word" is a specially formatted command that RTF uses to mark printer control codes and information that Microsoft Word uses to manage documents. A control word consists of a backslash followed by an alphabetic string and a delimiter, as shown in the following example:
\rtf1 ...
Explanation of above:
Element Meaning |
\ Backslash begins each control word
rtf Alphabetic string
1 Numeric delimiter
The delimiter can be a space or one or more nonalphabetic characters. A numeric delimiter can have a leading minus sign (-) and the numeric portion can be in the range 0-32,767. When writing RTF files to be read by Word for Windows or Word for the Macintosh, you should limit numeric delimiters to 31,680, since neither application expects a delimiter larger that 31,680. If a numeric parameter immediately follows the control word, this parameter is the delimiter, and is itself followed by a delimiter, also consisting of a space or one or more alphabetic characters. If a space delimits a control word, then it does not appear in the document. If a control word is delimited by another character, then space following the delimiter will be part of the document. For this reason, you should use spaces only where necessary; do not use spaces merely to break up RTF code.
A "control symbol" consists of a backslash followed by a single, nonalphabetic character. For example, \~ represents a nonbreaking space. Control symbols take no delimiters.
A "group" consists of text and control words or control symbols enclosed in braces({}). Formatting specified within a group affects only the text within the group. Generally, text within a group inherits any formatting of the text preceding the group. However, Microsoft implementation of RTF assume that the footnote, header/footer, and annotation groups (described later in this chapter) do not inherit formatting of the preceding text. Therefore, to ensure that these groups will always be formatted correctly, you should set the formatting within these groups to the default with the \sectd, \pard, and \plain control words, and then add any desired formatting.
Any other characters in the file are plain text. As previously mentioned, the backslash (\) and braces ({}) have special meaning in RTF. To use these characters as text, precede them with a backslash.
Software that takes a formatted file and turns it into an RTF file is called a "writer." Software that translates an RTF file into a formatted file is called a "reader." An RTF writer separates the application's control information from the plain text and writes a new file containing the plain text and the RTF groups associated with that text. An RTF reader does the converse of this procedure.
An entire RTF file is considered a group and must be enclosed in braces. The control word \rtfn must follow the first open brace. The numeric parameter identifies the version of the RTF standard used. The RTF standard described in this chapter corresponds to version 1.
The control word defining the character set should be one of the first entries following \rtfn. It must precede any document text or table.
Each group specifies the part of the document affected by the group and the different attributes of that text. The RTF file can also include groups for fonts, styles, screen color, pictures, footnotes, annotations, headers and footers, summary information, fields, and bookmarks, as well as document, section, paragraph, and character formatting properties. If the font, style, screen color, and summary information groups and document formatting properties are included, they must precede the first plain text character in the document. If included, the group for fonts should precede the group for styles.
The groups are discussed in the following sections. If a group isn't used, it can be omitted.
Certain groups, referred to as "destinations," mark the beginning of a collection of related text. An example of this is the \footnote group, where the footnote text follows the control word. Destinations added after the RTF specification published in the March 1987 Microsoft Systems Journal may be preceded by the control symbol \*. This control symbol identifies destinations whose related text should be ignored if the RTF reader does not recognize the destination. RTF writers should follow this convention when adding new control word. Destinations whose related text should be inserted into the document even if the destination is not recognized should not use \*. In this chapter, all destinations that use \* will be shown with \* as part of the control word.
System Default Values
The following control words specify system default value:
Control Word Meaning |
\deffn Specifies the default font number
\defformat Tells the RTF reader that the document should be saved in RTF format
\deftabn Specifies the default tab width
The Character Set
After specifying the RTF writer, you must declare the character set. the RTF specification currently supports the following character sets:
Control Word Character set |
\ansi ANSI (default)
\mac Apple Macintosh
\pc IBM PC
\pca IBM PC page 850, used by IBM Personal System/2
The Font Table
This group contains descriptions of fonts and begins with the control word \fonttbl. All fonts available to the RTF writer can be included in the font table, even if the document doesn't use all the fonts.
A font is defined by its name, a font number, and a font family as shown in the following example. Semicolons are used as delimiters between fonts.
{\fonttbl\f0\froman Tms Rmn;}...
Explanation of above:
Element Meaning |
\fonttbl Control word
\f0 Font number
\froman Font Family
Tms Rmn Font name
The font numbers represent the full font definitions in the group, and vary with each document. The font families are listed below:
Control Word Font family |
\fnil Unknown or default fonts (default)
\froman Roman, proportionally spaced serif fonts (Tms Rmn, Palatino, etc.)
\fswiss Swiss, proportionally spaced sans serif fonts (Swiss, etc.)
\fmodern Fixed-pitch serif and sans serif fonts (Courier, Elite, Pica, etc.)
\fscript Script fonts (Cursive, etc.)
\fdecor Decorative fonts (Old English, ITC Zapf Cancery, etc.)
\ftech Technical, symbol, and mathematical fonts (Symbol, etc.)
If an RTF file uses a default font, the default font number is specified with the \deffn control word, which must precede the font table group. The RTF writer supplies the default font number used in the creation of the document as the numeric argument. The RTF reader then translates this number through the font table into the most similar font available on the reader's system.
The Style Sheet
The style sheet group begins with the control word \stylesheet. This group contains definitions and descriptions of the various styles used in the document. The style sheet is declared only once, in the RTF file header. All styles in the document's style sheet can be included, even if not all the styles are used.
In some applications, styles are based on, or are the basis for, other styles. In these cases, two other control words can be used:
Control Word Meaning |
\sbasedonn Defines the number of the style on which current style is based; default (222) is no style
\snextn Defines next style associated with current style; if omitted, next style is the current style
An example of an RTF style sheet and styles follows. In this example, PostScript is declared but not used. Some of the control words in this example are discussed in the following sections.
...
{\stylesheet{\fs20\sbasedon222\snext0 Normal;}{\s1\qr\fs20\sbasedon0\snext1 FLUSHRIGHT;}{\s2\fi-720\li720\fs20\ri2880\fs20\sbasedon0\snext2 IND;}}
...
\windowctrl\ftnbj\ftnrestart\sectd\linex0\endnhere
\pard\plain\fs20 This is Normal style.
\par\pard\plain\s1
This is right justified. I call this style FLUSHRIGHT.
\par\pard\plain\s2
This is an indented paragraph. I call this style IND. It produces a hanging indent.
\par}
...
NOTE: The stylesheet is everything between the first two ellipses.
The styles are applied to text between the second two ellipses.
The results:
This is Normal style.
This is right justified. I call this style FLUSHRIGHT.
This is an indented paragraph. I call this style IND. It produces a hanging indent.
The Color Table
Screen colors, character colors, and other color information are contained in the color table group. The control word \colortbl begins this group. Values for red, green, blue, and the foreground and background colors are shown in the following list. These parameter value correspond to the color indexes used by Microsoft Windows (0-255). Each color table entry is defined by the amount of red, green, and blue it has. For more information on color setup, see your Windows documentation.
The following are valid control words for this group:
Control Word Meaning |
\redn Red index
\greenn Green index
\bluen Blue index
\cfn Foreground color (default is 0)
\cbn Background color (default is 0)
Each definition must be delimited by a semicolon, even if the definition is omitted. If a color definition is omitted, the RTF reader uses its default color. In the example below, three colors are defined. The first color is omitted, as shown by the semicolon following the \colortbl control word.
...
{\colortbl;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue255;}
...
The following example defines a block of text in color (where supported). Note that the cf/cb index in the index of an entry in the color table, which represents a red/green/blue color combination.
...
{\f1\cb1\cf2 This is colored text. The background is color 1 and the foreground is color 2.}
...
If the file is translated by software that does not display color, this group is ignored.
Pictures
An RTF file can include picture files composed with other applications. These files are in hexadecimal (default) or binary format. The control word \pict begins this group. Control words that define and describe the picture parameters follow the \pict control word.
These control words are listed in the table that follows. Some measurements in this table are in twips; a twip is one-twentieth of a point. The control words for picture border patterns (\brdrs, \brdrdb, \brdrth, \brdrsh, \brdrdot, and \brdrhair) are ignored when translated into Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, which uses character properties to make borders.
Control Word Meaning |
\brdrs Single border for picture
\brdrdb Double border for picture
\brdrth Thick border for picture
\brdrsh Shadow border for picture
\brdrdot Dotted border for picture
\brdrhair Hairline border for picture
\macpict Source of picture is QuickDraw
\wmetafilen Source of picture is Windows metafile; argument identifies the metafile type; default is 1 (MM_TEXT)
\wbitmap Source of picture is a bitmap; argument identifies the bitmap type; default is 0 (logical bitmap)
\picwn xExt field if picture is metafile; picture width in pixels if picture is bitmap or from QuickDraw
\pichn yExt field if picture is metafile; picture height in pixels if picture is bitmap or from QuickDraw
\picwgoaln Desired width of picture in twips
\pichgoaln Desired height of picture in twips
\picscalexn Horizontal scaling value; argument is a value representing a percentage (default is 100)
\picscaleyn Vertical scaling value; argument is a value representing a percentage (default is 100)
\picscaled Scales picture to fit within specified frame; used only with /macpict pictures
\piccroptn Top cropping value in twips; positive value crops toward center of picture; negative value crops away from center, adding space border around picture (default is 0)
\piccropbn Bottom cropping value in twips; positive value crops toward center of picture; negative value crops away from center, adding space border around picture (default is 0)
\piccropln Left cropping value in twips; positive value crops toward center of picture; negative value crops away from center, adding space border around picture (default is 0)
\piccroprn Right cropping value in twips; positive value crops toward center of picture; negative value crops away from center, adding space border around picture (default is 0)
\wbmbitspixeln Bitmap bits/pixel (default is 1)
\wbmplanesn Number of bitmap planes (default is 1)
\wbmwidthbytesn Bitmap width in bytes
\binn Picture is in binary format; numeric parameter is number of bytes to follow
The \wbitmap control word is optional; if neither \wmetafile nor \macpict is specified, the picture is assumed to be a Windows bitmap.
Be careful with spaces following control words when dealing with pictures in binary format. When reading files, RTF considers the first space the delimiter and subsequent spaces part of the document text. Therefore, any extra white space is attached to the picture, with unpredictable results.
RTF writers should not use the carriage-return--line-feed (CRLF) combination to break up pictures in binary format. In this case, the CRLF will be treated as literal text and considered part of the picture data.
The picture in hexadecimal or binary format follows the picture group control words. The following example illustrates the group format and the result.
...
{\pict\wbitmap0\picw170\pich77\wbmbitspixel1\wbmplanes1\wbmwidthbytes22\picwgoal505
\pichgoal221
\picscalex172
\picscaley172
49f2000000000273023d1101a030
3901000a000000000273023d98
0048000200000275
0240000200010275023e000000000
273023d000002b90002b90002
b90002b90002b9
0002b90002b90002b90002b90002b90002
b92222b90002b90002b90
002b90002b9
0002b90002b90002b90002b9000
...
<Rendered image of horse omitted>
Explanation of above:
Control Word Meaning |
\pict begins group
\wbitmap0 Source
\picw170 Width
\pich77 Height
\wbmbitspixel1 Bits per pixel
\wbmplanes1 Bitmap planes
\wbmwidthbytes22 Width of picture in bytes
\picwgoal505 Desired picture width
\pichgoal221 Desired picture width
\picscalex172 Horizontal scaling value
\picscaley172 Vertical scaling value
<data omitted> Hexadecimal data
Footnotes
The group containing footnote text begins with the control word \footnote. Footnotes are anchored to the character that immediately precedes the footnote group. If automatic footnoting is defined, the group can be preceded by a footnote reference character, identified by the control word \chftn.
The following is an example of a group containing footnotes:
...
\ftnbj\ftnrestart\sectd\linemod\linex0\endnhere\pard\plain
\ri1170\fs20{\up6 Mead's landmark study has been amply annotated.\chftn
{footnote\pard\plain\s246\fs20{up6\chftn}See Sahlins, Bateson, and Geertz for a complete bibliography.}
It was her work in America during the Second World War, however, that forms the basis for this paper. As other have noted,\chftn
{\footnote\pard\plain\s246\fs20{\up6\chftn}
A complete bibliography will be found at the end of this chapter.}
this period was a turning point for Margaret Mead.}
\par
...
Results:
Mead's landmark study has been amply annotated.1 It was her work in America during the Second World War, however, that forms the basis for this paper. As other have noted,2 this period was a turning point for Margaret Mead.
1See Sahlins, Bateson, and Geertz for a complete bibliography.
2A complete bibliography will be found at the end of this chapter.
For other control words relating to footnotes, see "Document Formatting Properties," "Section Formatting Properties," and "Special Characters," later in this chapter.
Annotations
The group containing annotation text begins with the control word \*\annotation. Annotations are anchored to the character that immediately precedes the annotation group. The group must be preceded by an annotation reference character, identified by the control word \chatn, which itself must be preceded by a group that begins with the control word \*\atnid, and that contains the identification text for the author of the annotation.
An example of annotation text follows:
...
An example of a paradigm might be Newtonian physics or
Darwinian biology.{\v\fs16{\atnid bz}\chatn{\annotation
\pard\plain\s224\fs20{\field{\fldinst page \\#"'Page:
'#'\line'"}{\fldrslt}}{\fs16\chatn}
How about some examples that deal with social science?
That's what this paper is about.}}
...
Headers and Footers
Headers and footers are treated as separate groups in RTF. These groups must precede the first plain text character in the given document section. The control words \header and \footer begin these groups.
Headers and footers can be defined for each section. If none is defined for a given sections, the headers and footers from the previous section (if any) are used.
The control words \header and \footer can be replaced by the following control words, as appropriate. The \headerl and \headerr and \footerl and \footerr control words are used in conjunction with the \facingp control word, and the \headerf and \footerf control words are used in conjunction with the \titlepg control word. For more information, see "Document Formatting Properties," later in this chapter.
Control Word Meaning |
\headerl Header on left pages only
\headerr Header on right pages only
\headerf Header on first page only
\footerl Footer on left pages only
\footerr Footer on right pages only
\footerf Footer on first page only
Information
The RTF file can also contain an information group, which is translated but not displayed with the text. This information can include the title, author, key words, comments, and other information specific to the file. This information can be used when a document management utility is available.
This group begins with the control word \info. Some applications, such as Word, ask a user to type this document information when saving the document in native format. When the document is then saved or translated into RTF, the RTF writer specifies this information using the following control words. These control words are destinations, and should be enclosed in braces ({}).
Control Word Meaning |
\title Title of document
\subject Subject of document
\author Author of document
\operator Person who made last changes to document
\keywords Selected key words for document
\comment Comments; text is ignored
\versionn Version number of document
\doccomm Comments displayed in Edit Summary Info dialog box
The RTF writer may automatically enter other control words, as shown in the following list:
Control Word Meaning |
\vernn Internal version number
\creatim Creation time
\revtim Revision time
\printim Last print time
\buptim Backup time
\edminsn Total editing time (in minutes)
\yrn Year
\mon Month
\dyn Day
\hrn Hour
\minn Minute
\nofpagesn Number of pages
\nofwordsn Number of words
\nofcharsn Number of characters
\idn Internal ID number
Entries without the n parameter have the \yr \mo \dy \hr \min format. An example of an information group follows:
...
{\info{\title The Panda's Thumb}{\author Steven J. Gould}{keywords science natural history }}
...
Fields
The field group contains the text of Word fields. For more detailed information on fields, see Fields. The field groups begins with the control word \field.
The following control words can follow the \field control word:
Control Word Meaning |
\flddirty Change has been made to the field result since the field was last updated
\fldedit Text has been added to, or removed from, the field result since the field was last updated
\fldlock Field is locked and cannot be updated
\fldpriv Result is not in a form suitable for display (for example, binary data used by fields whose result is a picture)
Two subgroups are available within the \field group. They must be enclosed in braces ({}) and begin with the following control words:
Control Word Meaning |
\*\fldinst Field instructions
\fldrslt Most recent calculated result of the field
The \fldrslt control word should be included even if no result has been calculated. This simplifies the RTF reader's task, because even readers that do not recognize fields can generally include the value of the \fldrslt group in the document.
An example of some field text follows:
...
{\field\fldedit{\fldinst author}{\fldrslt Joe Smith}}\par\pard
{\field{\fldinst time \\@ "h:mm AM/PM"}{\fldrslt 8:12 AM}}
...
Element Meaning |
\field Begins Field Group
{\fldinst author} Field instructions
{\fldrslt Joe Smith} Field result
\field Begins Field Group
{\fldinst time \\@ "h:mm AM/PM"} Field instructions
{\fldrslt 8:12 AM} Field result
Index Entries
The index entry group begins with the control word \xe. Following this control word is the text of the index entry and other, optional control words that further define the index entry.
If the text of the index entry is not formatted as hidden text with the \v control word, the text is put into the document as well as into the index. For more information on the \v control word, see "Character Formatting Properties," later in this chapter. Similarly, the text of the \txe subgroup, described later in this section, becomes part of the document if it is not formatted as hidden text.
The following control words may also be used:
Control Word Meaning |
\bxe Formats the page number or cross-reference bold
\ixe Formats the page number or cross-reference italic
The following control words are destinations within the \xe group and are followed by text arguments. These control words and their arguments must be enclosed in braces ({}).
Control Word Meaning |
\txe text Uses text instead of a page number
\rxe bookmark-name Generates page number for the range of the text specified by bookmark-name
Table of Contents Entries
The table of contents entry group begins with the control word \tc. It is followed by the text of the table of contents entry and optional switches.
As with index entries, text that is not formatted as hidden with the \v character formatting control word should be put into the document.
The following control words can also be used in this group:
Control Word Meaning |
\tcfn Type of table being compiled; n is mapped by existing Microsoft software to a letter between A and Z; default is 67, which maps to C, used for tables of contents
\tcln Level number (default is 1)
Bookmarks
This group contains two control words: \*\bkmkstart, to indicate the start of the specified bookmark, and \*\bkmkend, to indicate the end of the specified bookmark. A bookmark is shown in the following example:
...
\pard\plain\fs20 Kuhn believes that science, rather than discovering in experience certain structured relationships, actually creates (or already participates in) a presupposed structure to which it fits the data.
{\bkmkstart paradigm}Kuhn calls such a presupposed structure a paradigm.{\bkmkend paradigm}
...
Document Formatting Properties
This section lists the control words that act on the attributes of a document, such as margins and footnote placement. These attributes must precede the first plain text character in the document.
The following control words specify document formatting. If you omit a control word, RTF uses the default value shown in parentheses. Measurements are in twips.
Control Word Meaning |
\paperwn Paper width (12,240)
\paperhn Paper height (15,840)
\margln Left margin (1,800)
\margrn Right margin (1,800)
\margtn Top margin (1,440)
\margbn Bottom margin (1,440)
\facingp Facing pages (activates odd/even headers and gutters)
\guttern Gutter width (0)
\deftabn Default tab width (720)
\widowctrl Widow control
\hyphhotz Hyphenation hot zone (amount of space at right margin in which words are hyphenated)
\ftnsep Text argument separates footnote from document
\ftnsepc Text argument separates continued footnote from document
\ftncn Text argument is a notice for continued footnotes
\endnotes Footnotes at end of section (default)
\enddoc Footnotes at end of document
\ftntj Footnotes beneath text
\ftnbj Footnotes at bottom of page
\ftnstartn Beginning footnote number (1)
\ftnrestart Footnote numbers restart at each section
\pgnstartn Beginning page number (1)
\linestartn Beginning line number (1)
\landscape Landscape format
\fracwidth Uses fractional character widths when printing (QuickDraw only)
\*\nextfile Destination; argument is file name of file to print or index next; must be enclosed in braces ({})
\*\template Destination; argument is file name of related template file; must be enclosed in braces ({})
\makebackup Backup copy is made automatically when document is saved
\defformat Tells RTF reader that document should be saved in RTF format
\revisions Turns on revision marking
\margmirror Switches margin definitions on left and right pages
\revpropn Argument indicates how revised text will be displayed: 0, no properties shown; 1, bold; 2, italic; 3, underline (default); 4, double underline
\revbarn Vertical lines mark altered text, based on the argument: 0, no marking; 1, left margin; 2, right margin; 3, outside (left on left pages, right on right pages; default)
Section Formatting Properties
The following control words are used to specify section formatting properties. Default values are shown in parentheses. Section properties apply to the text following the control word, with the exception of the section break control words (those beginning with \sbk). Section break control words describe the break preceding the text.
Control Word Meaning |
\sectd Reset to default section properties
\sbknone No section break
\sbkcol Section break starts new column
\sbkpage Section break starts new page (default)
\sbkeven Section break starts at even page
\sbkodd Section break starts at odd page
\pgnstartsn Beginning page number (1)
\pgncont Continuous page numbering (default)
\pgnrestart Page numbers restart at \pgnstarts value
\pgndec Page number format is decimal
\pgnucrm Page number format is uppercase roman numeral
\pgnlcrm Page number format is lowercase roman numeral
\pgnucltr Page number format is uppercase letter
\pgnlcltr Page number format is lowercase letter
\pgnxn Page number is n twips from right margin (720)
\pgnyn Page number is n twips from top margin (720)
\headeryn Header is n twips from top of page (720)
\footeryn Footer is n twips from bottom of page (720)
\linemodn Line number modulus (amount to increase each line number) (1)
\linexn Distance from line number to left text margin in twips (360)
\linestartsn Beginning line number (1)
\linerestart Line numbers restart at \linestarts value
\lineppage Line numbers restart each page
\linecont Line numbers continue from preceding section
\vertalt Text is top-aligned (default)
\vertal Text is bottom-aligned
\vertalc Text is centered vertically
\vertalj Text is justified vertically
\colsn Number of columns (snaking) (1)
\colsxn Space between columns in twips (720)
\linebetcol Line between columns
\endnhere Endnotes included in section
\titlepg Title page has special format
Paragraph Formatting Properties
The following control words are used to specify paragraph formatting properties. Default values are shown in parentheses. When specifying border properties, the border segment control word (\brdrt, \brdrb, \brdrl, \brdrr, or \box) must precede the control word(s) specifying the pattern for the border, to ensure compatibility with previous version of RTF.
Control Word Meaning |
\pard Resets to default paragraph properties
\sn Designates style; if a style is specified, style properties must be specified with the paragraph
\ql Left-aligned (default)
\qr Right-aligned
\qj Justified
\qc Centered
\fin First-line indent (0)
\lin Left indent (0)
\rin Right indent (0)
\sbn Space before (0)
\san Space after (0)
\sln Space between lines (if this control word is missing or if \s1000 is used, line spacing is automatically determined by the tallest character in line); if positive value, use this size if it is greater than the tallest character, otherwise use tallest character; if negative value, use the absolute value of number, even if tallest character is taller
\intbl Paragraph is part of table
\keep Keep paragraph intact
\keepn Keep paragraph with next
\sbys Side-by-side paragraphs
\pagebb Break page before the paragraph
\noline No line numbering
\txn Tab position in twips from left margin
\tqr Flush-right tab
\tqc Centered tab
\tqdec Decimal tab
\tb Bar tab
\brdrt Border top
\brdrb Border bottom
\brdrl Border left
\brdrr Border right
\brdrbar Border outside (right side of odd-numbered pages, left side of even-numbered pages)
\box Border around paragraph (box paragraph)
\brdrbtw Border between paragraphs
\brdrs Single-thickness border
\brdrth Thick border
\brdrsh Shadowed border
\brdrdb Double border
\brdrdot Dotted border
\brdrhair Hairline border
\brspn Space in twip between borders and object
\tldot Leader dots
\tlhyph Leader hyphens
\tlul Leader underline
\tlth Leader thick line
Absolute-Positioned Objects
These paragraph formatting control words specify the location of the paragraph on the page.
Control Word Meaning |
\posxn Positions paragraph n twips from the left edge of reference frame
\posxc Centers paragraph horizontally within reference frame
\posxi Positions paragraph horizontally inside reference frame
\posxl Positions paragraph to left within reference frame
\posxo Positions paragraph horizontally outside reference frame
\posxr Positions paragraph to right within reference frame
\posyn Positions paragraph n twips from the top edge of reference frame
\posyil Positions paragraph vertically to be in-line
\posyt Positions paragraph at top of reference frame
\posyc Centers paragraph vertically within reference frame
\posyb Positions paragraph at bottom of reference frame
\abswn Absolute width of paragraph text in twips
\dxfrtextn Horizontal distance in twips of an absolute-positioned paragraph from text in main text flow
\pvmrg Positions vertically relative to margin
\pvpg Positions vertically relative to page
\phmrg Positions horizontally relative to margin
\phpg Positions horizontally relative to page
\phcol Positions horizontally relative to column
The following is an example of absolute-positioned text in a document:
...
\par\pard\pvpg\phpg\posxc\posyt\absw5040\dxfrtext173 abs pos para1
\par\pard\phmrg\posxo\posyo\dxfrtext1152 abs pos para2
...
Element Meaning |
abs pos para1 Text to be positioned
abs pos para2 Text to be positioned
Tables
A table is a collection of paragraphs. A table row is a continuous sequence of paragraphs partitioned into cells. The last paragraph of a cell is terminated by a cell mark (the \cell control word), and the row is terminated by a row mark (the \row control word). There is no RTF table group; the \intbl paragraph formatting control word identifies the paragraph as part of a table.
Control Word Meaning |
\clbrdrb Bottom table cell border
\clbrdrt Top table cell border
\clbrdrl Left table cell border
\clbrdrr Right table cell border
\trowd Sets table row defaults
\trql Left-justifies table row with respect to its table column
\trqr Right-justifies table row with respect to its containing column
\trqc Centers table row with respect to its containing column
\trgaphn Half the space between cells of a table row in twips
\trrhn Height of a table row in twips; when 0, height is sufficient for all text in line; when positive, height is guaranteed to be at least the specified height; when negative, the absolute value of the height is used, regardless of the height of the text in the line
\trleftn Position of leftmost edge of table with respect to the left edge of its column
\cellxn Moves the right boundary of a table cell, including its half of the space between cells
\clmgf The first cell in a range of table cells to be merged
\clmrg Contents of table cell are merged with preceding cell
The following example shows some table text:
...
\par\trowd\trqc\trgaph108\trrh280\trleft36
\clbrdrt\brdrth\clbrdrl\brdrth\clbrdrb\brdrdb
\clbrdrr\brdrdb\cellx3636\clbrdrt\brdrth
\clbrdrl\brdrdb\clbrdrb\brdrdb\clbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx7236/clbrdrt\brdrth\clbrdrl\brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrdb\clbrdrr\brdrdb\cellx10836\pard\intbl
\cell\pard\intbl\cell\pard\intbl\cell\pard\intbl\row
\trowd\trqc\trgaph108\trrh280\trleft36\clbrdrt\brdrdb
\clbrdrl\brdrth\clbrdrb\brdrsh\brdrs\clbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx3636\clbrdrt\brdrdb\clbrdrl\brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrsh\brdrs\clbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx7236\clbrdrt\brdrdb\clbrdr\brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrsh\brdrs\clbrdrr\brdrdb\cellx10836\pard
\intbl\cell\pard\intbl\cell\pard\intbl\cell\pard
\intbl\row\pard
...
Character Formatting Properties
The last group controls character formatting properties. A control word preceding plain text turns on the specified attribute. Some control words (indicated by an asterisk following the description) can be turned off by the control word followed by 0 (zero). For example, \b turns on bold, while \b0 turns off bold.
Control Word Meaning |
\plain Resets application's default character formatting properties
\b Bold*
\i Italic*
\strike Strikethrough*
\outl Outline*
\shad Shadow*
\scaps Small capitals*
\caps All capitals*
\v Hidden text*
\fn Font number
\fsn Font size in half points (default is 24)
\expndn Expansion or compression of leading between characters in quarter-points; a negative value compresses (default is 0)
\ul Continuous underline*
\ulw Word underline*
\uld Dotted underline*
\uldb Double underline*
\ulnone Stops all underlining*
\upn Superscript position in half-points (default is 6)
\dnn Subscript position in half-points (default is 6)
\revised Text has been added since revision marking was turned on
In order to read negative \expnd values from Word for Macintosh, an RTF reader should use only the low-order 6 bits of the value read. Word for the Macintosh does not emit negative values for \expnd. Instead, it treats values from 57 to 63 as -7 to -1, respectively (the low-order 6 bits of 57 to 63 are the same as -7 to -1).
Special Characters
Special RTF characters are listed below. If a character is not recognized by the RTF reader, it is ignored and the text following it is considered plain text. The RTF specification is flexible enough to allow new characters to be added for interchange with other software.
Control Word Meaning |
\chdate Current date (as in headers)
\chtime Current time (as in headers)
\chpgn Current page number (as in headers)
\chftn Automatic footnote reference (footnotes follow in a group)
\chatn Annotation reference (annotation text follows in a group)
\chftnsep Anchoring character for footnote separator
\chftnsepc Anchoring character for footnote continuation
\| Formula character
\~ Nonbreaking space
\- Optional hyphen
\_ Nonbreaking hyphen
\'hh A hexadecimal value, based on the specified character set (may be used to identify 8-bit values)
\cell End of table cell
\row End of table row
\par End of paragraph
\sect End of section and paragraph
\page Required page break
\column Required column break
\line Required line break (no paragraph break)
\tab Tab character, same as ASCII 9
\: Specifies a subentry in an index entry
\* Marks a destination whose text should be ignored if not understood by the RTF reader.
An ASCII 9 will be accepted as a tab character. The code \<ASCII10> (line feed) or \<ASCII13> (carriage return) is treated as the control word \par. You must include the backslashes or RTF will ignore the control word. You may also want to insert a carriage-return--line-feed pair (without backslashes) at least every 255 characters for better text transmission over communication lines.
These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Netfuture.ch.