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This Tech Tip is brought to you by the ‘Mac vs. Windows Society’…engaging in pointless battles since 11110111111!

Today’s tip is geared toward those of us (you) who work with their Macs and frequently save files that they need to send to others, including Windows users.

In some cases, it is necessary to make a couple of small changes when sending out these files…the problem is with ‘file extensions’, and it is an age old issue.

For instance, when you create a Word document, it is saved as ‘mydocument.doc’. The ‘.doc’ is the extension. On most Windows applications, that extension is necessary for the computer to know what program opens it.

This tip will help you ease the pain of sending/receiving a file that needs to be used cross-platform.

Part one - Fixing Entourage (in which we accommodate the lowly PC on our fabulous Mac)

When sending an attachment using MS Entourage, the default action is to NOT add the file extension automatically. This behavior can be remedied though, by doing the following:

Click the ‘Entourage’ menu (top left of your screen). Then choose ‘Preferences’.

Using this screenshot as a guide, check/uncheck the appropriate boxes.

Please note that there is a ‘bonus’ checkbox for you to uncheck, since you’re in here, after all. This bonus will fix an annoying error you might get when you attempt to send email. Trust me, just do it…

After closing ‘Preferences’, Entourage will automatically append the file extension to outbound attachments, assuming you have provided one or that the system knows what the default typically is (such as Word = .doc).

Part two - Adding Extensions (in which we tweak Mac programs that are stupid - Office, I’m looking at you…)

In this section, we will demonstrate how to add a file extension when saving a file from an application such as MS Word 2004 for Mac.

Create your Document.

Choose ‘File -> Save’.

In the ‘Save’ dialog (as seen below), check the box labeled ‘Append file extension’.

Notice that Word will then automatically add the appropriate extension, in this case ‘.doc’.
This works the same in most Office applications. Keep in mind that not every program recognizes and attempts to compensate for it’s lack of common sense.

Part three - Compatibility (in which we discover how to use common ground, courtesy of Adobe)

In some situations, it might make sense to send someone a file in a format that will showcase the hard work and dedication you have put into creating your document. In this particular scenario, you can choose to save your document as a PDF file, which will display and print the same across any platform, as you intended it to be. Please note: this functionality is built into Mac OS X…for Windows, you need a full copy of Adobe Acrobat installed.

When you are done with your document, go to the ‘File -> Print’ menu.

As in the screenshot below, click the ‘PDF’ button on the bottom left of the dialog.

Choose ‘Save as PDF’…you will then see the dialog named ‘Save’.

Uncheck the ‘Hide extension’ box.

Note the addition of the ‘.pdf’ extension.

Save the file somewhere memorable, such as, say,’Documents’ or ‘Desktop’…

Attach the file to an outbound email.

Everyone wins!

Part four - Correcting a user error (in which we make the Windows users feel wanted…)

It’s bound to happen that you will receive an email from someone that contains an attachment with no extension. But don’t worry…fixing it is easy, like Sunday morning (hello? is this thing on?).

In your email program, highlight the attached file, then right (or secondary) click it. You should see a menu item named ‘Save As…’

In the ‘Save as…’ dialog, you can choose a location, but more importantly, you can RENAME the file! Aha! If you know, for instance, that a file is a spreadsheet, you can append the extension ‘.xls’ manually (as seen below).

Save the file to a familiar location (My Documents, Desktop, for instance).

You’ve done it! Take a coffee break, champ. You’ve earned it.

BUT, in the event that you forget to name the file or it is already saved somewhere also sans extension, you can still fix it.
First, go to the location you saved the file to. You should then see it sitting there, all lonely and extension-less. Here’s how to make it feel loved.

Gently click the files icon with your left (or primary) mouse button (you can also highlight the file and hit F2 on your keyboard).

The text of the file should highlight, making the field editable.

At the end of the filename, type in the extension, preceded with a period, like so ‘.xls’.

Click outside of the file, and you’ll see it now has a new name and a shiny new icon. If you double-click it, it should open up in the appropriate program. Tada! Sorcery at its finest.

Part five - Linkage (in which we tell you where to go…)
If you would like to learn more about file extensions and cross platform compatibility, I would recommend that you take a light sedative and watch some TV instead. If you insist, however, check out the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension
http://filext.com/
http://tinyurl.com/akjf4
http://www.imagemontage.com/Docs/DOSSuffix.html

I hope that this Tip makes your life easier, less stressful and makes you an overall better citizen of technology-land. Got something to add? Comment away! The more knowledge, the better!