Practical PHP Scripts and Tips

Sending files to other people, or having them for download on your website, can create issues that you might not even be aware of.

For example, I was sent a document file today in Microsoft Publisher (.pub) format. This file was sent to a group of about 20 people (local Rotary club contacts).

Now, whilst I have the software to open and view/print these files, it’s not very common. Also, the file size isn’t optimized for sending via email. The Publisher file is about 3 times the size of the equivalent pdf file (in this case).

So, not many people can view the file, and it is much larger to send, so it slows down the process.

The other document file I received was a .doc Microsoft Word file. Now ownership and usage of Word is more prevalent than Publisher, but it’s still not universal, especially outside of business. Many home computers don’t have Word, because of the cost.

(Tip: if you want an equivalent suite of programs that are compatible with Microsoft Office, for FREE, use OpenOffice!).

So, again because of the lack of universal usage, .doc isn’t even an ideal choice.

And, in both cases, opening the document in its original program isn’t really what a sender wants the recipient to do. They don’t want the recipient to edit the file, just circulate it to others and view and print it.

So again, pdf is the perfect choice. Smaller files, that are generally not edited, easy to view and print on almost every computer! And, the Adobe Reader is also free, so if there is a machine out there without the free reader already installed, it’s downloadable for free.

And you don’t need Adobe Acrobat standard or professional to create PDF files. You can create pdf files for FREE!

One option is pdf995 — despite the name, you can download and use their software for free. There are 3 options:

1. Standard pdf creation software, Pdf995, used via the “print” command
2. A version with more enhanced editing functions, PdfEdit995
3. A version with security and encryption to protect your documents and the ability to add digital signatures, Signature995

All are free to download and use.

The only “catch” is that the free versions display a sponsor page in your web browser each time you run the software. If you don’t want this to happen, you can buy “keys” for each one you use for just US$9.95.

That’s a whole lot better than the price for Adobe’s Acrobat standard or professional!

So remember, use pdf files where possible for document distribution: it’s easy to create pdf files for free, they’re smaller to email and perfect to open and view (the software to do this is already on most computers, or is free to download).

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Sometimes you’ll see a file with an extension that you’re unfamiliar with.

Short Info About Extensions

(If you’re using Windows, and open a folder and don’t see the filename extensions, you can turn them back on. Have a look at the instructions on The File Extension Source for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 98 users.)

A filename extension is the characters after the last period (dot) in the filename.

Eg: mypresentation.pdf has an extension “pdf”. A filename of mydocument.august.doc has an extension of “doc”. Don’t worry about having 2 dots/periods in the filename — the extension is only the characters after the LAST dot.

One that might trick you: myfile.doc.exe is NOT a “doc” file, it is an “exe” file. Be wary of these in email attachments!

In the early days, Windows computer file names (under the DOS operating system) were limited to what was know as the “8.3 format” — 8 characters for the name, plus a maximum of 3 characters as the extension. At times the filenames could be quite hard to decipher without opening the file! Thankfully that’s changed nowadays (spaces in file names weren’t allowed before Windows 95. But spaces aren’t good anyway for files that might end up being linked online: as the unix file system treats the space as “%20″ — so my file.doc becomes my%20file.doc.

The computer uses this extension to “associate” the file with particular software programs you have installed. So, if you have a file with a “pdf” extension, and you have the free Adobe Reader software installed, when you “launch” the file or open it, the computer will open the associated program (Adobe Reader) and then open your file for display.

I Don’t Know That Extension!

Occasionally you’ll come across a file with an extension you’ve never seen before. There’s a great free website, called The File Extension Source, that can provide the answer for you. It works just about all of the time.

But not always!

For example, today I came across a file with the extension “.mgmf” — I searched The File Extension Source, but there was no answer. So I searched through Google, and eventually came across MindGenious — this a proprietary extension for mind mapping files.

Now I know!

If DaFont isn’t enough with 1000′s of fonts… try Fonts 500 — The Web’s Top 500 Free Fonts… all free and with a nice preview. 100 per page… easy to navigate and download what you like. Enjoy!