File Formats University of Delaware

File Formats

ASCII: An ASCII file is a file that contains lines of letters, numbers, and punctuation but no formatting information.
Binary: A binary file is a file that contains text plus formatting or program execution information. Files created and saved in a word processing or spreadsheet application are normally saved as binary files, unless you specifically save them as text-only files.
BinHex (sometimes called BinHex4): BinHex is a format for representing a Macintosh file in text form. BinHex converts a Macintosh file, icons, and file creators into a plain text file. The resulting text file can be sent through most electronic mail systems and stored on most computers. The conversion to text makes the file larger, so it takes longer to transmit a file in BinHex than if the file was simply a text file. The suffix hqx usually indicates a BinHex file format.
MacBinaryII: MacBinaryII is a binary file format used for storing a Macintosh file on a non-Macintosh system for later retrieval. Unlike BinHex, MacBinaryII files cannot be passed through most electronic mail systems unless they are first encoded. Macintosh file names usually associated with binary files are those ending in bin, Z, sit, gif or tar.
Macintosh Files: Macintosh files differ from files on most other machines in that they consist of two parts: one part contains data (text, executable program), the other part contains resources (icons, file creator code). This complicated structure prevents you from sharing Macintosh files directly over a network. However, there is one format which practically all computers understand: ASCII (plain text). Therefore, Macintosh files can be saved as ASCII files to ensure compatibility when sharing files over a network.
Text File: A file containing lines of letters, numbers, and punctuation but no formatting information. Most word processors can create text files and some editors (such as SimpleText for Macintosh computers) create only text files. A file that contains formatting information is a binary file.