Supported files

STYD reads PDF, Word (.docx), text, Markdown, CSV, Excel (.xlsx) and JSON files, and scans and photos. This page says what is read from each and what is refused.

Accepted types

PDF (.pdf)
Word (.docx)
Text (.txt) and Markdown (.md)
Excel (.xlsx)
CSV (.csv)
JSON (.json)
Photos (.jpg, .jpeg, .png)

STYD checks what is inside the file, not only its name. A file renamed to another extension is refused if its content does not match.

What is read from each type

PDF.
The text of each page, with its page number. Tables are read as plain text, so a complex table can lose its layout. Pages that are pictures of text are read as scans. A PDF with a password is refused.
Word (.docx).
The body text. Headings become sections, so an answer can name the section. Table cells are read as separate lines. Headers, footers, footnotes, comments and text inside pictures are not read. Text deleted with tracked changes is skipped. Older .doc files are not accepted: save them as .docx.
Text and Markdown.
UTF-8 text. In Markdown, headings become sections. HTML tags and comments are removed.
Excel, CSV and JSON.
Loaded as tables, so sums and counts are exact. CSV can be UTF-8 or Windows-1252 and use a comma, semicolon, tab or pipe. JSON must be a list of flat records. See Spreadsheets.
Photos.
A JPG or PNG up to 50 megapixels is read like one scanned page, for example a photographed receipt or a page of a printed contract. See Scans and photos.

What is refused

  • Other types, such as .doc, .xls, .ppt, .pptx, .rtf, .odt, .tsv and .zip.
  • Excel files with macros (.xlsm, .xlsb) and Word files with macros. Save a plain .xlsx or .docx.
  • Files with a password.
  • Empty files, and files STYD cannot read (damaged or suspicious files).
  • Files over the limits on the Limits page.

The Troubleshooting page lists the messages you may see.

Names and new versions

A file name can be up to 255 characters. Two files with the same name (ignoring capital letters and extra spaces) are the same document. Adding a file with a name that already exists asks you to confirm, then the new file replaces the old one. A file identical to the current one is ignored. A spreadsheet cannot replace a text document with the same name, or the other way round: rename one of them.