Rich Text Format

RTF Syntax
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.

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 applications use 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…

ABC

A Backslash begins each control word

C Alphabetic string
C Numeric delimiter

The delimiter can be a space or one or more nonalphabetic characters. 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 nonalphabetic characters.
 Rich Text Format 2

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 implementations of RTF assume that the footnote, header/footer,
and annotation groups (described later in this document) 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 mentioned above, 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 document corresponds to version 1.

The order of groups within an RTF file is important. Each group specifies the part of the document affected by the
group and the different attributes of that text. An RTF file must begin with the following two control words in the
following order:

• RTF version (\rtfn)

• Character set

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 words.
Destinations whose related text should be inserted into the document even if the destination is not recognized
should not use \*. In this document, all destinations that use \* will be shown with \* as part of the control
word.
 Rich Text Format 3

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;}…

ABC D

A Control word
B Font number
C Font family
D 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 (TmsRmn, 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 Zapf Chancery, 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.
 Rich Text Format 4

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
\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 is shown in the following example. 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

A—\sbasedon0\snext1 FLUSHRlGHT;}{\s2\fi-720\li720\fs20\ri2880\fs20
\sbasedon0\snext2 IND;}}

\widowctrl\ftnbj\ftnrestart\sectd\linex0\endnhere
\pard\plain\fs20 This is Normal style.
\par\pard\plain\s1
B—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}

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.

A Style sheet
B Styles applied to text
 Rich Text Format 5

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 values 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 is 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.
 Rich Text Format 6

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 printer's 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 Macintosh Quick Draw
\wmetafilen Source of picture is Windows metafile; argument identifies the metafile type;
default is 1 (MM_TEXT)
\wbitmapn 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 Macintosh Quick Draw
\pichn yExt field if picture is metafile; picture height in pixels if picture is bitmap
or from Macintosh Quick Draw
\picwGoaln Desired width of picture in twips
\pichGoaln Desired height of picture in twips
\picscalexn Horizontal scaling value; argument is a value between 1 and 100 (default is
10)
\picscaleyn Vertical scaling value; argument is a value between 1 and 100 (default is 10)
\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
 Rich Text Format 7

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
4912000000000273023d1101a030
3901000a000000000273023d98
0048000200000275
0240000200010275023e000000000
273023dO00002b90002b90002
b90002b90002b9
0002b90002b90002b90002b90002b90002
b92222b90002b90002b90
002b90002b9
D002b90002b90002b90002b9000

A Source
B Width
C Height
D Bits per pixel
E Bitmap planes
F Width of picture in bytes
G Desired picture width
H Desired picture height
I Horizontal scaling value
J Vertical scaling value
K 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.
 Rich Text Format 8

The following is an example of a group containing footnotes:

\ftnbj\ftnrestart\sectd \linemod0\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 others 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

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 others have noted2 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.

A Footnotes

See "Section Formatting Properties," "Document Formatting Properties," and "Special Characters" later in this
document for other control words relating to footnotes.

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 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.}}
…
 Rich Text Format 9

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 section, 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:

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
docurnent 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 last made changes to document
\keywords Selected key words for document
\comment Comments; text is ignored
\version Version number of document
\doccomm Comments displayed in Edit Summary Info dialog box
 Rich Text Format 10

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 Stephen J. Gould}{\keywords science

natural history }}

Fields
The field group contains the text of Word fields. The field group 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)
 Rich Text Format 11

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 recently 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:

IA |C IC

1 I

{\field\fldedit{\fldinst author}{\fldrslt Joe Smith}}\par\pard

{\field{\fldinst time\\@"h:mm AM/PM"}{\fldrslt 8:12 AM}}

A Begins fieId group

B Field instructions
C 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 (see "Character Formatting
Properties," later in this document), the text is put into the document as well as into the index. Similarly, the text
of the \txe subgroup, described later, 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 numbers for the range of text specified by bookmark-
name
 Rich Text Format 12

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
Ietter between A and Z; default is 67, which maps to C, used for tables of
contents
\tcln Level number (default is l)

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)
 Rich Text Format 13

Control word Meaning

\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 footnotes from document
\ftnsepc Text argument separates continued footnotes 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 on each page
\pgnstartn Beginning page number ( 1 )
\linestartn Beginning line number ( 1 )
\landscape Landscape format
\fracwidth Uses fractional character widths when printing (Macintosh _
\*\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 ( {} )
\makeback 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, Ieft
margin; 2 right mugin; 3, outside (Ieft on Ieft 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.

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)
 Rich Text Format 14

Control word Meaning

\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 upper case Ietter
\pgnlcltr Page number format is lower case letter
\pgnxn Page number is n twips from Ieft margin (720)
\pgnyn Page number is n twips from bottom margin ( 720)
\headeryn Header is n twips from top of page (1080)
\footeryn Footer is n twips from bottom of page (1080)
\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 continued 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) specifymg the pattern for the border, to ensure compatibility
with previous versions 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)
 Rich Text Format 15

Control word Meaning

\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 \sl000 is used, line
spacing is automatically determined by 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 a 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
\box Border around paragraph (box paragraph)
\brdrs Single-thickness border
\brdrth Thick border
\brdrsh Shadowed border
\brdrdb Double border
\brdrdot Dotted border
\brdrhair Hairline border
\brspn Space in twips between borders and object
\tldot Leader dots
\tlhyph Leader hyphens
\tlul leader underline
\tlth leader thick line
 Rich Text Format 16

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 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 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 absolutely postioned paragraph from text in
main text flow
\pvmrg Position vertically relative to margin
\pvpg Position vertically relative to page
\phmrg Position horizontally relative to margin
\phpg Position horizontally relative to page
\phcol Position horizontally relative to column

The following is an example of absolute-positioned text in a document

…
\par \pard \pvpg\phpg\posxc\posyt\absw5040\dxfrtextl73 abs pos paral
\par \pard \phmrg\posxo\posyc \dxfrtext1 152 abs pos para2
…

A 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.
 Rich Text Format 17

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 Ieftmost 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\clbrdrn\brdrth\clbrdrb\brdrdb
\clbrdr\brdrdb\celbx3636\clbrdrt\brdrth
\clbrdrl\brdrdb \clbrdrb\brdrdb \dbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx7236\clbrdrt\brdrth\dbrdrl\brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrdb\clbrdr\brdrdb\cellx10836\pard \intbl
\cell \pard \intbl \cell \pard \intbl \cell \pard \intbl \row
\trowd \trqc\trgaph108\trrh280\trleft36 \dbrdrt\brdrdb
\clbrdrl\brdrth \clbrdrb \brdrsh\brdrs \dbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx3636\clbrdr\brdrdb \dbrdr\brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrsh\brdrs \dbrdrr\brdrdb
\cellx7236\clbrdrt \brdrdb \dbrdr \brdrdb
\clbrdrb\brdrsh\brdrs \clbrdrr\brdrdb \celbx10836\pard
\intbl \cell \pard \intbl \cell \pard \intbl \cell \pard
\intbl \row \pard
…
 Rich Text Format 18

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 a zero (0). For example, \b turns bold on, while \b0 turns bold off.

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 (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

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 footnole reference (footnotes follow in a group)
\chatn Annotion reference (annotation text follows in a group)
\chftnsep Anchoring character for footnote separator
 Rich Text Format 19

Control word Meaning

\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 \<ASCIIl3> (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.