gnumeric-doc 1.12.35-1.1 / usr / share / help / C / gnumeric / files-opening.xml

<sect1 id="sect-file-open">
  <title>Opening Files</title>
    
  <para>
    Opening an existing file into a &gnum; workbook requires working
    through the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog. The user must
    select the file that they wish &gnum; to open, possibly specifying
    a file format and character encoding.
  </para>
  
  <tip>
    <title>The steps required to open a file.</title>

<!-- TODO: render hack, remove me.  -->
    <para></para>

    <orderedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  Launch the  <interface>File Open</interface> dialog.
	</para>
	<para>
	  In the <guimenu>File</guimenu> menu, select the
	  <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem> menu item.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  Open the folder containing the desired file.
	</para>
	<para>
	  Navigate the folder hierarchy by double-clicking on the folders.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  Select the desired file within the folder.
	</para>
	<para>
	  Click on the file name in the folder content area.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  (Optional) Specify a file format type.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  (Optional) Specify the character encoding.
	</para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
	  Click on the <guibutton>Open</guibutton> button.
	</para>
      </listitem>
    </orderedlist>

  </tip>

  <para>
    The remainder of this section explains these steps in greater
    detail, first, by describing the components in the <interface>File
    Open</interface> dialog and, then, by explaining each of the steps
    above in greater detail.
  </para>




  <sect2 id="file-open-dialog">
    <title>Using the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog.</title>

    
    <para>
      Opening a file into a workbook is a relatively simple
      process. The only complications come from using the
      <interface>File Open</interface> dialog to find the desired
      file, from changing the automatic file format type recognition
      system, or from specifying a different character encoding than
      that chosen by &gnum;. The first of these steps will become
      intuitive once the user understands the functioning of the
      dialog. The latter two steps are generally unnecessary and can
      be ignored by most users.
    </para>

    <para>
      The next section explains in detail the different components of
      the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog and the subsequent
      section describes each step in the process of opening a file.
    </para>

    <sect3 id="sect-file-open-dialog-components">
      <title>
        The components of the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog
      </title>

      <para>
        The <interface>File Open</interface> dialog allows the user to
        open an existing file into a &gnum; workbook but requires that
        the user find the folder containing the file, select the file,
        and optionally define a file format type and a character
        encoding. The dialog also allows the user to change the list
        of bookmark folders to quickly access different parts of the
        file system.
      </para>

      <para>
	The <interface>File Open</interface> dialog first appears as
        is shown in <xref linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" />
        which also shows a label for each different component of the
        dialog.
      </para>
      
      <figure id="fig-file-open-dialog-components">
        <title>
	  The <interface>File Open</interface> dialog with the
	  component areas labeled.
	</title>
	<screenshot>
          <mediaobject> 
	    <imageobject> 
	      <imagedata fileref="figures/dialog-fileopen-withTags.png"
	                 format="PNG" scale="100" />
	    </imageobject>
	    <textobject>
	      <para> 
	        This screenshot depicts the 'File Open' dialog with
	        the different areas labeled.
	      </para>
	    </textobject>
	    <caption>
	      <para>
                The different components of the <interface>File
                Open</interface> dialog, shaded with boxes of different
                colors and labeled with a letter.
              </para>
	    </caption>
	  </mediaobject>
	</screenshot>
      </figure>

      <para>
        The purpose of each labeled component in <xref
        linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" /> is
        explained below:

	<variablelist>
	  <title>The components of the dialog</title>

	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> - The starting
	      folder selection area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area allows the user to begin navigating the
	        filesystem by choosing a starting
	        folder. The navigation system in this dialog only
	        allows users to select sub-folders of this starting
	        folder so the starting folder must contain the desired
	        file, possibly nested in one or more sub-folders.
	      </para>

	      <para>
	        The folders listed in this area include the standard
	        folders provided by the system and a number of folders
	        added, as bookmark folders, by the user. The standard
	        folders provided by the system will vary for different
	        machines and system administrators may have disabled
	        access to certain branches of the filesystem. By
	        default, the standard folders provided include the
	        user's 'Home' folder, the user's 'Desktop' folder, a
	        folder pointing to the root of the filesystem tree and
	        folders for each of the removable storage devices
	        attached to the computer. The user's home folder, on
	        GNU and other UNIX like systems, this folder is
	        usually known as <literal>~</literal> or
	        <literal>~user_account_name</literal> where the phrase
	        <literal>user_account_name</literal> represents the
	        account name used by the current user. This folder is
	        often located at
	        <filename>/home/user_account_name/</filename> in the
	        filesystem. The 'Desktop' folder is the folder which
	        holds the files which are displayed in the background
	        of the user's window. The 'Filesystem' folder is the
	        top of the filesystem tree, which on GNU systems is
	        also known as <filename>/</filename>. The list also
	        presents peripheral or external devices. Below the
	        standard folders, area <emphasis
	        role="bold">A</emphasis> has a separator and the
	        bookmark folders selected by the user. In <xref
	        linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" /> the
	        folder <filename>currentWork</filename> is a folder
	        named by the user and added to the list of
	        bookmark folders.
	      </para>


      <note>
        <title>Understanding the file organization system.</title>

        <para>
	  In order to understand how to change folders, it is first
	  necessary to understand the system by which documents are
	  stored. This system is called the 'filesystem'.
	</para>

	<para>
	  All documents are stored in a folder. Folders can contain
	  files but can also contain other folders. Any folder
	  therefore can contain several sub-folders, each of which may
	  itself contain several sub-folders; the resulting structure
	  is called a nested 'tree' with the original folder being the
	  'relative root' of that tree.
        </para>

	<para>
	  In GNU and UNIX systems, all of the files are stored in
	  folders organized in a single, unified filesystem tree with
	  a folder named '<filename>/</filename>' at the absolute root
	  of the tree. Every file is accessible from this absolute
	  root folder and, by default, this folder is provided as the
	  choice named <filename>Filesystem</filename> with an icon of
	  a disk drive in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> in
	  the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog.
	</para>

	<para>
	  Navigating the directory tree from the single root folder
	  would quickly become burdensome and the <interface>File
	  Open</interface> dialog provides several other starting
	  folders in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis>. Two
	  starting folders which are commonly provided are the 'Home'
	  and 'Desktop' folders for the current user.
	</para>

	<para>
	  In a complex computer system, the absolute root folder may
	  be hidden from the user and the starting folders accessible
	  to the user may only provide limited access to the
	  filesystem. Jointly, the starting folders provided should
	  allow the users to access all the folders in which the user
	  has permission to store files and to the folders which are
	  designed to be read by the user.
	</para>

	<para>
	  Several starting folders may be provided when files can be
	  opened from different filesystems. This will be the case
	  when filesystem on other machines are accessible over a
	  network or when &gnum; is running on operating systems whose
	  filesystems are not unified, such as the proprietary
	  operating systems sold by Microsoft in which each disk drive
	  has its own root named, for example,
	  <filename>C:\</filename> or <filename>D:\</filename>.
	</para>
	  
	<para>
	  Additional starting folders can be added as 'bookmark
	  folders' by the users themselves. These bookmark folders do
	  not provide access to a different set of folders but merely
	  provide efficient access to a folder and its
	  sub-folders. These bookmark folders are easy to change to
	  allow a user to work efficiently. These bookmark folders are
	  listed, in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis>, under
	  the thin horizontal separator line. The creation and
	  deletion of these bookmark folders is explained below, in
	  <xref linkend="sect-file-open-dialog-bookmarks" />.


	</para>

	<para>
	  

	</para>
      </note>

	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>

	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis> - The folder hierarchy area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area displays the folder hierarchy starting from
	        the starting folder selected in area <emphasis
	        role="bold">A</emphasis> and ending in the current
	        folder, the folder whose contents are displayed in
	        area <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>, while
	        displaying all the folders between the two. This area
	        changes dynamically as the user changes to new
	        folders. In the case shown in <xref
	        linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" />, the user
	        has selected their 'Home' folder as the starting folder
	        in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> and has not
	        navigated to any sub-folders.
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis> - The folder content area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area displays the contents of the currently
	        selected folder which is the rightmost folder shown in
	        area <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis>. 
		
		<warning>
		  <title>
		    This list of folders and files is filtered.
		  </title>

		  <para>
		    Not all of the sub-folders and files present in
		    the folder area are shown.
		  </para>

		  <para>
		    Firstly, hidden folders and files, those that
		    start with a leading period, are not displayed by
		    default. These can be shown by placing the mouse
		    pointer over area <emphasis
		    role="bold">C</emphasis>, clicking with one of the
		    secondary mouse buttons to raise the context menu,
		    moving the pointer onto the <guimenuitem>Show
		    hidden files</guimenuitem> menu entry, and
		    clicking with the primary mouse button. This step
		    will ensure that all the folders are displayed.
		  </para>

		  <para>
		    Secondly, the filtering rule defined in
	            area <emphasis role="bold">F</emphasis>
	            will limit the files displayed based on the
	            characteristics of these files. By default, a
	            filtering rule is applied which causes only those
	            files present that have an extension commonly used
	            for spreadsheet files. The rule can be changed to
	            display all the files regardless of their
	            extension, except possibly for the hidden files.
<!-- TODO explain role of mime type in file display filter. Ibid -saving -->
		  </para>
		</warning>
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">D</emphasis> - The panel
	      rearrangement handles.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        These triple dots indicate that the mouse can be used
	        to change the shape and size of the different areas in
	        the dialog. These handles can be used by placing the
	        mouse pointer above a handle, clicking and holding
	        with the primary mouse button, then dragging the
	        handle to a new position, and then releasing the mouse
	        button.
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">E</emphasis> - The bookmark folder
	      list modification buttons.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        These buttons will add or remove folders to or from
	        the list of bookmark folders in area <emphasis
	        role="bold">A</emphasis>. The
	        <guibutton>Add</guibutton> button will add the folder
	        currently selected in area <emphasis
	        role="bold">C</emphasis>. The
	        <guibutton>Remove</guibutton> button will remove any
	        bookmark folder that is selected in area <emphasis
	        role="bold">A</emphasis>.
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">F</emphasis> - The filter
	      definition area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area contains a drop down menu with the different
	        filters defined by the application. Filters are rules
	        that limit the types of files which are displayed in
	        the folder content area, area <emphasis
	        role="bold">C</emphasis>.
	      </para>

	      <para>
	        By default, the <interface>File Open</interface>
	        dialog starts with a filter named "Spreadsheets" which
	        causes the folder content list to only show files
	        which are recognized as files that &gnum; could open.
	      </para>

	      <para>
	        The filter in area <emphasis role="bold">F</emphasis>
	        can be changed by clicking on the area to open the
	        drop down list and then selecting the filter named
	        "All files". This filter applies no rules, essentially
	        disabling any filtering operation, and lists all the
	        files in the currently selected folder. Note, however,
	        as explained in the warning given in the section
	        explaining area <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>
	        above, that any files starting with a leading period
	        are not shown. To display such 'hidden' files, the
	        user must use the context menu available in area
	        <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>. 
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">G</emphasis> - The file format type
	      selection area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area provides a drop down list of all the file
	        formats provided by the &gnum; program itself and by
	        all the currently active plugins.
	      </para>
	      <para>
	        By default, &gnum; is configured to automatically
	        recognize the type of each file selected by the
	        user. This recognition system is sophisticated and
	        generally works. The best strategy is to try opening
	        the file using this automatic recognition strategy
	        and, only if the automatic recognition system fails,
	        close the worksheet with the mangled file and re-try
	        to open the file a second time but manually selecting
	        the file type in the second attempt.
	      </para>
	      <para>
	        The file formats which can be selected are those
	        listed in <xref linkend="sect-file-open-formats"/>
	        below. Each of these formats are explained in detail
	        in <xref linkend="sect-file-formats"/>.
	      </para>
	      <note>
	        <para>
		  If the file format type named "Text import
		  (configurable)" is opened, this will start the text
		  import procedure. <xref
		  linkend="sect-file-textImport"/> explains this
		  procedure in complete detail.
		</para>
	      </note>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">H</emphasis> - The character
	      encoding selection area.

	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        This area provides a drop down menu which allows the
	        user to specify the encoding which &gnum; must use to
	        interpret the characters in text files. This menu is
	        only enabled for the two text file formats: "Comma or
	        Tab Separated Values (CSV/TSV)" and "Text Import
	        (configurable)". This menu is disabled for all other
	        file types because &gnum; automatically detects the
	        encoding for those files.
	      </para>

	      <note>
	        <para>
		  A character encoding is a system to relate the
	          binary digits contained in a computer file to the
	          characters of a textual script. All computer files
	          consist only of binary digits so some system is
	          required to determine this relationship. Where early
	          computers used simple encoding systems which only
	          supported the characters commonly used in English,
	          most systems are now standardizing on the UTF-8
	          encoding scheme which relates the binary digits in
	          computer files to characters defined in the
	          Universal Character Set, a set which is still being
	          defined but will include all the characters in every
	          language and many other useful symbols for
	          mathematics, science, music and literature.  <xref
	          linkend="sect-file-textImport-complex-encoding"/>
	          contains a brief explanation of character encoding,
	          and discusses the encodings available in &gnum;.

		</para>
	      </note>

	      <para>
	        The character encoding can be set using the drop down
	        menu in area <emphasis role="bold">H</emphasis>. By
	        default, the encoding is set for the locale of the
	        user. The locale is set by the operating system and
	        defines the language, time zone and other geographic
	        related preferences of the user.
<!-- TODO: add link to locale --> 
		The character encoding is changed by clicking on the
	        drop down menu button in area <emphasis
	        role="bold">H</emphasis>, that is by placing the mouse
	        pointer over this menu and clicking on the primary
	        mouse button, and then navigating the menu to select
	        the new encoding, that is by moving the mouse through
	        the menus and clicking on the name of the new
	        encoding. &gnum; will then use this encoding to open
	        the text file.
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>


	  <varlistentry>
	    <term>
	      <emphasis role="bold">I</emphasis> - The button area.
	    </term>
	    <listitem>
	      <para>
	        The button area provides two buttons, the
	        <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> and the
	        <guibutton>Open</guibutton> buttons. Clicking the
	        <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> button will dismiss the
	        dialog and return the user to the worksheet. Clicking
	        the <guibutton>Open</guibutton> button will cause the
	        selected file to be opened into a worksheet, using
	        either the automatic file format type detection or the
	        file format type specified if one has been selected,
	        and using the character encoding scheme if one has
	        been selected.
	      </para>
	    </listitem>
          </varlistentry>



        </variablelist>

      </para>

      <para>
        The procedure required to open a file into a workbook using
        this dialog is presented next.
      </para>


    </sect3>


    <sect3 id="sect-file-open-dialog-process">
      <title>
        The procedure to open an existing file.
      </title>

      <para>
        Opening an existing file into a workbook requires selecting the
        folder containing the desired file, selecting the file within
        this folder, and optionally selecting the file format type and
        character encoding.
      </para>

      <procedure>
        <title>The procedure to open a file.</title>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Launch the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog.
	  </title>

	  <para>
	    The <interface>File Open</interface> dialog can be
	    launched using three alternative approaches.
	    
<!-- TODO: v4.3 change to stepalternatives. -->
      <variablelist>
	<!-- 
	<title>
	  Three alternative ways to launch the <interface>File
          Open</interface> dialog.
	</title>
	-->

        <varlistentry>
	  <term>
	    <emphasis role="bold">Using the Menus</emphasis>
	  </term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para> 
	      Select, in the <guimenu><accel>F</accel>ile</guimenu> menu, the
	      <guimenuitem><accel>O</accel>pen</guimenuitem> menu item.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry>
	  <term>
	    <emphasis role="bold">Using the Standard Toolbar</emphasis>
	  </term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Click on the <guibutton>Open</guibutton> button:
	      <guiicon>
		<inlinemediaobject>
            <imageobject>
              <imagedata fileref="figures/button-open.png" format="PNG" />
            </imageobject>
            <textobject>
              <phrase>An image of the open file button.</phrase>
            </textobject>
           </inlinemediaobject>
	      </guiicon>
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>

	<varlistentry>
	  <term>
	    <emphasis role="bold">Using a Keyboard Shortcut</emphasis>
	  </term>
	  <listitem>
	    <para>
	      Type the combination
	      <keycombo><keysym>Ctrl</keysym><keysym>o</keysym></keycombo>,
	      typing both keys simultaneously.
	    </para>
	  </listitem>
	</varlistentry>

      </variablelist>


	    All three methods will result in the equivalent action,
            launching the <interface>File Open</interface> dialog to
            allow the user to find the file that they wish to open.
	  </para>

	</step>



        <step>
	  <title>
	    Navigate the file system to open the folder with the file.
	  </title>

	  <para>
	    Changing folders involves selecting a starting
	    folder in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> which
	    contains the folder with the desired file, and then
	    double-clicking on the folders listed in area <emphasis
	    role="bold">C</emphasis> until the folder containing the
	    file has been reached. The folder hierarchy listed in area
	    <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis>can also be used to
	    navigate up the hierarchy if a folder was opened by
	    mistake. As explained below, a user can move around the
	    hierarchy with as many folder selections as they need to
	    reach the folder containing the file the user desires to
	    open.
	  </para>

	  <para>
	    To select a new folder, one of the starting folders
	    which contains the desired folder must first be selected
	    and then the hierarchy must be navigated to find the
	    desired folder, and this folder must be opened to expose
	    its contents. As explained below, a user can move around
	    the hierarchy using as many changes as they need to choose
	    the folder in which to save their &gnum; file.
	  </para>

	    <substeps>
	<step>
	  <title>
	    Select a starting folder in area <emphasis
	    role="bold">A</emphasis>. 
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    The first step in choosing a new folder requires
	    selecting, in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis>, a
	    starting folder which contains the desired
	    folder. The new starting folder is chosen by placing the
	    mouse pointer over the folder name and double clicking
	    (click twice rapidly without moving the mouse) with the
	    primary mouse button. This will change the leftmost button
	    in  area <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis> and change the
	    folders and files listed in  area <emphasis
	    role="bold">C</emphasis> to list the contents of the
	    starting folder which was just selected.
	  </para>
	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Navigate the filesystem to reach the desired
	    folder using area <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>.
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    The next step involves descending the folder tree to reach
	    the desired folder. This requires double clicking the
	    sub-folder of the staring folder which contains
	    the desired folder and continuing through the whole
	    hierarchy until the desired folder is reached. After each
	    double click, the selected folder is added as the right
	    most button in area <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis> and
	    the contents of the selected folder are shown in area
	    <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>. Once the desired
	    folder is reached, it must be opened in the same way, so
	    that its contents are listed in area <emphasis
	    role="bold">C</emphasis> and the file can then be saved
	    into this folder by clicking on the
	    <guibutton>Save</guibutton> button.
	  </para>
	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Navigating back up the folder tree using area <emphasis
	    role="bold">B</emphasis>. 
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    If the sub-folder selected in area <emphasis
	    role="bold">C</emphasis> does not contain the branch of
	    the folder tree leading to the desired folder, the buttons
	    in area <emphasis role="bold">B</emphasis> can be used to
	    jump further up the folder tree but only as far as the
	    starting folder selected in area <emphasis
	    role="bold">A</emphasis>. Area <emphasis
	    role="bold">B</emphasis> provides a list of buttons with
	    the names of all the folders between the starting folder
	    listed in area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> and the
	    currently selected folder. By clicking on one of these
	    buttons, that is by placing the mouse pointer over the
	    button and clicking with the primary mouse button, the
	    folder listed on the button will be opened in area
	    <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis> so that the selection
	    process can restart from this branch.
	  </para>
	</step>

	  </substeps>
   
	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Select the file.
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    The file must be selected by placing the mouse pointer
	    over the filename in area <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>
	    and clicking with the primary mouse button.
	  </para>

	  <tip>
	    <para>
	      The file can be opened and the dialog dismissed by
	      selecting the file with a double click of the primary
	      mouse button. The last two steps are optional and, if
	      configured appropriately, the file can be selected and
	      opened simply by double clicking on the file name.
	    </para>
	  </tip>

	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Optional: Select the file format type.
	  </title>
	  <para>

	    &gnum; can automatically recognize the file format
	    type. Alternatively, the file format can be specified
	    explicitly by clicking on the drop down list button in
	    area <emphasis role="bold">G</emphasis> and scrolling down
	    the list to the desired file type.
	  </para>

	      <note>
	        <para>
		  If the file format type named "Text import
		  (configurable)" is opened, this will start the text
		  import procedure. <xref
		  linkend="sect-file-textImport"/> explains this
		  procedure in complete detail.
		</para>
	      </note>

	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Optional: Determine the file character encoding.
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    For text files the character encoding must be
	    specified. By default, &gnum; takes the character encoding
	    appropriate to the user's locale. This encoding scheme can
	    be changed by clicking on the drop down menu button in
	    area <emphasis role="bold">H</emphasis> and navigating the
	    menus to find the desired encoding.
	  </para>

	</step>

        <step>
	  <title>
	    Click the <guibutton>Open</guibutton> button.
	  </title>
	  <para>
	    Finally, the <guibutton>Open</guibutton> button must be
	    pressed by placing the mouse pointer over the button and
	    clicking with the primary mouse button.
	  </para>
	</step>
      </procedure>

      <para>
        The file will be opened in a new window. If the selected file
        format was "Text import (configurable)" the <interface>Text
        Import</interface> druid will be opened. This druid is
        explained in great detail in <xref
        linkend="sect-file-textImport" />.
      </para>

    </sect3>


    <!-- Keep in sync with similar section in file-save-dialog. -->
    <sect3 id="sect-file-open-dialog-bookmarks">
      <title>
        Changing the list of bookmark folders.
      </title>

      <para>
        The list of starting folders shown in area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis> of <xref
        linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" />
        may contain starting folders selected by the
        user. These folders are called 'bookmark folders' and are listed in
        area <emphasis role="bold">A</emphasis> below a thin
        horizontal separator line. For example, <xref
        linkend="fig-file-open-dialog-components" />
        contains a folder named <filename>currentWork</filename> which
        is a bookmark folder selected by the user.
      </para>

      <para>
        These bookmark folders can be added in two ways. A folder
        which is selected in area <emphasis role="bold">C</emphasis>
        can be added as a bookmark by clicking on the
        <guibutton>Add</guibutton> button in area <emphasis
        role="bold">E</emphasis>.
      </para>

      <para>
	Alternatively, the folder can be dragged from area <emphasis
        role="bold">C</emphasis> into area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis>. The folder can be dragged by placing
        the mouse pointer over the folder name in area <emphasis
        role="bold">C</emphasis>, clicking and holding the primary
        mouse button, moving the mouse pointer to area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis> and releasing the mouse button. As
        the mouse pointer is moved from area <emphasis
        role="bold">C</emphasis> to area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis>, a small icon of the folder will move
        with the mouse pointer.
      </para>

      <para>
        Any bookmark folder can also be removed from the list of
        starting folders presented in area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis>. A bookmark folder can be
        removed by clicking on the folder name in area <emphasis
        role="bold">A</emphasis> and then clicking on the
        <guibutton>Remove</guibutton> in area <emphasis
        role="bold">E</emphasis>.
      </para>


    </sect3>


  
  </sect2>







  <!-- Formats for opening files *** keep // to sect in files-saving.xml -->

  <sect2 id="sect-file-open-formats">
    <title>The file formats which Gnumeric can read.</title>

    <para>
      &gnum; can open files which have been created in several formats
      by other spreadsheet programs or databases. The details of these
      formats are provided in <xref linkend="sect-file-formats"/> and
      the name of each file type in the table below skips to the
      appropriate section of <xref linkend="sect-file-formats"/>. The
      opening of text formatted files is described in <xref
      linkend="sect-file-textImport" />. &gnum; can also import
      text data or HTML and XHTML tables through the clipboard
      mechanism, as is explained in <xref
      linkend="sect-movecopy-xclipboard"/>.

<!-- TODO: add link to other data input: e.g. direct database acess. -->
    </para> 

    <note>
      <para>
        Most of these formats are provided by plugins, which are
        independent, configurable modules. If a format described below
        does not appear in the <interface>File Open</interface>
        dialog, this may be because the appropriate plugin has not
        been configured or started. This can be verified by examining
        the list of plugins which are currently running in the
        <interface>Plugin Manager</interface> dialog.
      </para>

      <para>
        The <interface>Plugin Manager</interface> dialog lists the
        plugins which are currently in use and provides a way to start
        plugins which are currently disabled. The <interface>Plugin
        Manager</interface> can be started by selecting, in the
        <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> menu, the
        <guimenuitem>Plug-ins...</guimenuitem> menu item; see <xref
        linkend="sect-configuration-plugins" /> for more information.
      </para>
    </note>



<!--    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    -->
<table frame='all'><title>The file formats which &gnum; can open.</title>
<tgroup cols='2' align='left' colsep='1' rowsep='1'>
       

<thead>
<row>
  <entry align="left">Format</entry>
  <entry align="left">Extension</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-gnumeric">Gnumeric</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.gnumeric</literal> / <literal>.gnm</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-applix">Applix</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.as</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-csv">Comma Separated Values</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.csv</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-dif">Data Interchange Format</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.dif</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-oleo">GNU Oleo</link></entry>
 <entry><literal>.oleo</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-html">HTML</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.html</literal> / <literal>.htm</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-mps">Linear and Integer Program</link></entry>
  <entry>none / <literal>.mps</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-lotus">Lotus 1-2-3</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.wk1</literal> / <literal>.wks</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-excel-binary-old">Microsoft Excel
  Old Binary</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.xls</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-excel-binary-new">Microsoft Excel New Binary</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.xls</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-excel-oldxml">Microsoft Excel
  2003 XML</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.xls</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-excel-binary-new">Microsoft Excel
  Office Open XML</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.xlsx</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-odf">OpenOffice.Org / StarOffice (OASIS ODF/IS26300)</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.ods</literal> / <literal>.odt</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-sxc">OpenOffice.Org / StarOffice
  Old Format</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.sxc</literal> / <literal>.stc</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-planperfect">Plan Perfect</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.pln</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-qpro">Quattro Pro</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.wb1</literal> / <literal>.wb2</literal> / <literal>.wb3</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-sc">SC/XSpread</link></entry>
  <entry>none / .<literal>sc</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-sylk">Multiplan (SYLK)</link></entry>
  <entry> <literal>.sylk</literal> / <literal>.slk</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-csv">Tab Separated Values</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.tsv</literal> / <literal>.tab</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-text">Text Formats</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.txt</literal> / <literal>.text</literal></entry> 
</row>
<row>
  <entry><link linkend="file-format-xbase">Xbase</link></entry>
  <entry><literal>.dbf</literal></entry> 
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<!--    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    TABLE    -->



  </sect2>


</sect1>