WPD is a text document file format created by Satellite Systems International for their WordPerfect word processing software in 1980. It is a historically popular word processing file format, which can also be opened by most versions of Microsoft Word. Development of the DOS and Macintosh versions of WordPerfect were stopped in 1997 but the Windows version is still under active development by current owners Corel. WordPerfect was the top selling word processing software during the 1980's and early 1990's, and retains a big fanclub to this day (so much so that it was still the second most popular office suite up to a couple of years ago). WordPerfect has been acquired twice - first by Novell in 1994, and then by Corel in 1996 who continue development of the product and the WPD file format to this day.
WPD documents tend to to primarily contain formatted text. WPD files produced in Corel WordPerfect, the company that have developed the format since 1996, are also capable of storing embedded objects such as tables, graphs and images produced in other applications. WPD files contain streams of text, and store formatting information using tags which can be shown as reveal codes in Corel WordPerfect. These highlight how each section of text or object is formatted at a glance, and are therefore useful when trying to determine layout or formatting issues. Like similar file formats such as DOC, WPD files can also contain mail merge fields, which allow information from an external data source, such as a spreadsheet or database, to be inputted into a template.
Associated programs
Corel WordPerfect Microsoft Word OpenOffice Writer
Doc (an abbreviation of document) is a file extension for word processing documents; it is associated mainly with Microsoft and their Microsoft Word application. Historically, it was used for documentation in plain-text format, particularly of programs or computer hardware, on a wide range of operating systems. Almost everyone would have used the doc file format, whenever you write a letter, do some work or generally write on your PC you will use the doc file format. It was in the 1990s that Microsoft chose the doc extension for their proprietary Microsoft Word processing formats. As PC technology has grown the original uses for the extension have become less important and have largely disappeared from the PC world.
Early versions of the doc file format contained mostly formatted text, however development of the format has allowed doc files to contain a wide variety of embedded objects such as charts and tables from other applications as well as media such as videos, images, sounds and diagrams. doc files can also contain mail merge information, which allows a word-processed template to be used in conjunction with a spreadsheet or database.
Associated programs
AbiWord Apple Pages AppleWorks KWord Microsoft Word StarOffice
