.RTF File Format – Drawing objects and shapes

Drawing objects (Word 6.0 and 95)

<do>        = '{\*' \do <dohead> <dpinfo> '}'
<dohead>    = <dobx> <doby> <dodhgt> <dolock>?
<dobx>      = \dobxpage | \dobxcolumn | \dobxmargin
<doby>      = \dobypage | \dobypara | \dobymargin
<dpinfo>    = <dpgroup> | <dpcallout> | <dpsimple>
<dpgroup>   = \dpgroup \dpcount <dphead> <dpinfo>+ \dpendgroup <dphead>
<dpcallout> = \dpcallout <cotype> <coangle>? <coaccent>? <cosmartattach>? <cobestfit>? <cominusx>?
              <cominusy>? <coborder>? <codescent>? \dpcooffset \dpcolength <dphead> <dppolyline>
              <dphead> <dpprops> <dptextbox> <dphead> <dpprops>
<dpsimple>  = <dpsimpledpk> <dphead> <dpprops>
<dpsimpledpk> = <dpline> | <dprect> | <dptextbox> | <dpellipse> | <dppolyline> | <dparc>
<dpline>    = \dpline <dppt> <dppt>
<dprect>    = \dprect (\dproundr)?
<dptextbox> = \dptxbx (\dptxlrtb | \dptxtbrl | \dptxbtlr | \dptxlrtbv | \dptxtbrlv)? \dptxbxmar
              '{' \dptxbxtext <para>+ '}'
<dpellipse> = \dpellipse
<dparc>     = \dparc \dparcflipx? \dparcflipy?
<dppolyline> = \dppolyline (\dppolygon)? \dppolycount <dppt>+
<dppt>      = \dpptx \dppty
<dphead>    = \dpx \dpy \dpxsize \dpysize
<cotype>    = \dpcotright | \dpcotsingle | \dpcotdouble | \dpcottriple
<codescent> = \dpcodtop | \dpcodcenter | \dpcodbottom | \dpcodabs
<dpprops>   = <lineprops>? <fillprops>? <endstylestart>? <endstyleend>? <shadow>?
<lineprops> = <linestyle> <linecolor> \dplinew
<linestyle> = \dplinesolid | \dplinehollow | \dplinedash | \dplinedot | \dplinedado | \dplinedadodo
<linecolor> = \dplinegray | (\dplinecor \dplinecog \dplinecob \dplinepal?)
<fillprops> = <fillcolorfg> <fillcolorbg> \dpfillpat
<fillcolorfg> = \dpfillfggray | (\dpfillfgcr \dpfillfgcg \dpfillfgcb \dpfillfgpal?)
<fillcolorbg> = \dpfillbggray | (\dpfillbgcr \dpfillbgcg \dpfillbgcb \dpfillbgpal?)
<endstylestart> = (\dpastartsol | \dpastarthol) \dpastartl \dpastartw
<endstyleend> = (\dpaendsol | \dpaendhol) \dpaendl \dpaendw
<shadow>    = \dpshadow \dpshadx \dpshady

In a group the number of <dpinfo> equals \dpcount; in a polyline the number of points equals \dppolycount. Colours are 0 to 255, distances are in twips.

Anchor and primitives

Callouts

Line, arrows, fill and shadow

Fill patterns

{\*\do\dobxcolumn\dobypara\dodhgt8192\dprect\dpx0\dpy0\dpxsize1440\dpysize720
\dplinesolid\dplinecor0\dplinecog0\dplinecob0\dplinew15
\dpfillfgcr255\dpfillfgcg255\dpfillfgcb0\dpfillbgcr255\dpfillbgcg255\dpfillbgcb255\dpfillpat1}

A one-inch by half-inch rectangle at the anchor, with a black line and a solid yellow fill.

Shapes (Word 97 and later)

{\shp <shape keywords> {\*\shpinst <shape keywords> {\sp{\sn Name}{\sv Value}} … {\shptxt …}}
  {\shprslt <Word 6 drawing object or picture>}}

The shape keywords may come in any order after {\shp; Word also repeats them inside \shpinst. Then each property is one \sp group with a name and a value; only properties that differ from the default are written.

Shape keywords

Except for \shplid, the keywords do not apply to shapes inside a group, which use the group properties below.

Value types

The specification says only that angles are “fractions of a degree” and colours “24-bit”; the fixed-point reading of angles and the byte order of colours are how Word writes them, not stated in the 1.6 text.

Shape properties

Every property the 1.6 specification lists, in its groups, with its type and default. A few appear twice in the specification (fHidden, lineBackColor, fillShadeColors, fillWidth, fCalloutTextBorder); they are listed once.

Position

Object type

Lock

Text box

WordArt

Picture

Geometry

Coordinates in pVerticies are in the space set by geoLeft to geoBottom, which is stretched over the shape’s rectangle.

Grouped shapes

Fill

Measurement types

Values of fillDztype and lineFillDztype: 0 default size, ignore the values; 1 EMUs; 2 pixels; 3 fractions of the shape’s size; 4 aspect ratio fixed; 5 EMUs, aspect ratio fixed; 6 pixels, aspect ratio fixed; 7 proportion of the shape, aspect ratio fixed; 8 aspect ratio fixed, favour the larger size; 9 to 11 as 5 to 7 (the specification gives the same descriptions; presumably also favouring the larger size).

Line

Shadow

3-D effects

Perspective

Callout

Connectors and black-and-white modes

The specification gives one description, “settings for modifications to be made when in different forms of black-and-white mode”, for all three, and does not say which form each one is for.

The specification prints a few names with a capital first letter (Rotation, ShapeType, PictureBrightness, ShadowOriginY, FillOriginY); Word writes them with a lower-case one, as listed here.

Shape types

Values of the shapeType property. 32 to 40 and 189 to 200 are not listed.

Example

A text box 1.5 inches wide and half an inch high, placed relative to the column and paragraph, with a red line 1 point wide:

{\shp{\*\shpinst\shpleft0\shptop0\shpright2160\shpbottom720\shpfhdr0\shpbxcolumn\shpbypara
\shpwr2\shpwrk0\shpfblwtxt0\shpz0\shplid1025
{\sp{\sn shapeType}{\sv 202}}
{\sp{\sn lineColor}{\sv 255}}
{\sp{\sn lineWidth}{\sv 12700}}
{\shptxt \pard\plain Text in the box\par}}
{\shprslt …the same box as a \do drawing object…}}

2,160 twips is 1.5 inches; colour 255 is red (red in the low byte); 12,700 EMUs is 1 point.