The WTO website offers a range of information, guides, documents and videos which can be downloaded in various electronic formats. This page explains the difference between these formats.

If you are looking for official WTO documents, go to the Documents online database.

If you are looking for publications, go to the online bookshop.

If you are looking for video and audio files go to the webcasting gateway.

  
  
Microsoft Word files (.doc)  back to top

We recommend downloading MS Word files and opening them using MS Word or WordPerfect. Word files can also be viewed using special viewers such as Quick View Plus or Keyview, but page layout and paragraph numbering may differ from the original document.

WordPerfect files (.wpf)  back to top

Some older files on the WTO website are available in WordPerfect 5.1/5.2 format. We recommend downloading  WordPerfect files and opening them using WordPerfect or MS Word. WordPerfect files can also be viewed using special viewers such as Quick View Plus or Keyview, but page layout and paragraph numbering may differ from the original document.

Display Write 4 (RFT/DCA) files (.rft)  back to top

If you are using MS Word and are having problems viewing or opening WordPerfect documents or Display Write 4 documents, Microsoft provides additional converters for MS Word upon request and free of charge as explained below:

“Users who require updated RFT-DCA filters should contact the Microsoft Support Centre in their region, Microsoft customers can also contact Microsoft online to log support incidents.

When requesting the converter pack, you should specify that you require the RFT-DCA converter, which is a legacy filter and not included in the standard download from the Microsoft web site. They should then provide you with a password protected download location from which to obtain the converter pack.”

Executable files (.exe)  back to top

Executable or .exe files perform an action when run locally on your computer once they have been downloaded and saved on your hard disk. For example, an .exe file might decompress itself to produce a number of documents, or it might install software when you run it by double-clicking. We recommend that you move each downloaded .exe file into its own folder before running it. Note that .exe files from the WTO site will run only on MS Windows-based machines.
  
  

Zip files (.zip)  back to top

Zip is a compression format used to reduce downloading times. “Zipped” files can be decompressed using software freely available from http://www.winzip.com/ 
  
  

Microsoft Access files (.mdb) back to top

Microsoft Access is a database format which will allow you to sort and modify data. You need a full version of MS Access software to open files in this formt. In some cases (e.g. schedules of concessions and commitments on goods) data is provided in this format on the WTO website. 
  
  

Microsoft Excel files (.xls)  back to top

Microsoft Excel is spreadsheet software, designed to manipulate and view numerical data such as statistics. We recommend downloading  MS Excel files and opening them using MS  Excel or other spreadsheet software. Excel files can also be viewed in your browser window using a special viewer such as QuickView, but page layout may differ from the original document.
  
  

Video and audio files back to top

A number of different multimedia formats can be found on the WTO site.

Windows media (.avi)
You will need Microsoft Windows Media Player® to view these videos. To download and install the software go to Microsoft Download Center. This is not a “streaming” format, i.e. you must download the complete file before it will start to play.

RealMedia (.rm)
This is a streaming format which will start playing before being completely downloaded. You will need RealPlayer to view these files.

MPEG (.mpg)
MPEG (pronounced M-peg), which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is the name of family of standards used for coding audio-visual information (e.g., movies, video, music) in a digital compressed format. MPEG files cahn be played on Microsoft Windows Media Player® (see above) and QuickTime Player® (see below).

QuickTime Movie (.mov)
Apple's technology for handling video, and audio. Requires QuickTime Player®, available free from Apple

What is the difference between downloading files and browsing online?

To download a file means to save it locally on your computer's hard disk. 

The page you are looking at now on your screen exists only in your computer's “live” memory. You cannot modify it, and it will not be accessible once you restart your computer, unless you connect to the Internet again. This is fine for surfing around the web, but sometimes you may want to keep documents for future use. Also, some formats, such as MS Word (.doc) were not originally designed for online browsing. They can be displayed in a browser window only by embedding Word or by using special viewers (such as Quick View Plus or Keyview). The viewer gives an imperfect representation of the document, so the page layout, paragraph numbering etc. may be incorrect. For this reason, we recommend that you download .doc files and open them in MS Word rather than browsing online. Indeed, if you do not have QuickView Plus, KeyView or a similar viewer installed, you will have no alternative.
 

How do you download a file?

> If you are using Internet Explorer, click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As”.

> If you are using Netscape, click with the RIGHT mouse on the hyperlink and choose “Save Link As”.

The browser normally prompts you for a folder to which to save files, and it provides a default filename. You can change the folder and filename if you wish. Make a note of the location and name. Once the file is downloaded to your hard drive it can be viewed by double clicking in Windows Explorer.