The Microsoft Excel File Format - OpenOffice.org

5 Worksheet/Workbook Records
5.49 FORMAT
BIFF2 BIFF3 BIFF4 BIFF5 BIFF8
001E H 001E H 041E H 041E H 041E H
This record contains information about a number format. All FORMAT records occur together in a sequential list.
In BIFF2-BIFF4 other records referencing a FORMAT record contain a zero-based index into this list. From BIFF5 on
the FORMAT record contains the index itself that will be used by other records.
Record FORMAT, BIFF2-BIFF3:
Offset Size Contents
0 var. Number format string (byte string, 8-bit string length, ➜2.5.2)
Record FORMAT, BIFF4-BIFF5:
Offset Size Contents
0 2 BIFF4: Not used
BIFF5: Format index used in other records
2 var. Number format string (byte string, 8-bit string length, ➜2.5.2)
Record FORMAT, BIFF8:
Offset Size Contents
0 2 Format index used in other records
2 var. Number format string (Unicode string, 16-bit string length, ➜2.5.3)
From BIFF5 on, the built-in number formats will be omitted. The built-in formats are dependent on the current regional
settings of the operating system. The following table shows which number formats are used by default in a US-English
environment. All indexes from 0 to 163 are reserved for built-in formats. The first user-defined format starts at 164.
The built-in number formats, BIFF5-BIFF8: 313233
Index Type Format string Index Type Format string
0 General General 18 Time h:mm AM/PM
1 Decimal 0 19 Time h:mm:ss AM/PM
2 Decimal 0.00 20 Time h:mm
3 Decimal #,##0 21 Time h:mm:ss
4 Decimal #,##0.00 2232 Date/Time M/D/YY h:mm
531 Currency "$"#,##0_);("$"#,##0) 37 Account. _(#,##0_);(#,##0)
631 Currency "$"#,##0_);[Red]("$"#,##0) 38 Account. _(#,##0_);[Red](#,##0)
731 Currency "$"#,##0.00_);("$"#,##0.00) 39 Account. _(#,##0.00_);(#,##0.00)
831 Currency "$"#,##0.00_);[Red]("$"#,##0.00) 40 Account. _(#,##0.00_);[Red](#,##0.00)
9 Percent 0% 4131 Currency _("$"* #,##0_);_("$"* (#,##0);_("$"* "-"_);_(@_)
10 Percent 0.00% 4231 33 Currency _(* #,##0_);_(* (#,##0);_(* "-"_);_(@_)
11 Scientific 0.00E+00 4331 Currency _("$"* #,##0.00_);_("$"* (#,##0.00);_("$"* "-"??_);_(@_)
12 Fraction # ?/? 4431 33 Currency _(* #,##0.00_);_(* (#,##0.00);_(* "-"??_);_(@_)
13 Fraction # ??/?? 45 Time mm:ss
1432 Date M/D/YY 46 Time [h]:mm:ss
15 Date D-MMM-YY 47 Time mm:ss.0
16 Date D-MMM 48 Scientific ##0.0E+0
17 Date MMM-YY 49 Text @
31
These formats are always written by Excel, though they are built-in. They contain the currency symbol of the current locale as plain
text. It precedes or follows the value, according to the local settings. It is not required to write these formats.
32
These formats are taken from the Microsoft Windows regional settings. Changes of these system settings will be reflected in the
Excel document.
33
These formats contain a blind currency symbol (an underscore precedes each character), if it follows the value. This happens for
example in a German format with the Euro sign. Here the built-in format 42 looks like this: _-* #,##0 _€_-;-* #,##0 _€_-;_-* "-" _€_-;_-
@_-
174