Information in Files Of Type Box Not Updated as Expected

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

When you type a file extension in the File Name box in the Open dialog box for one of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, the information displayed in the Files Of Type box may not change. Additionally, the extension you type may not appear in the Files Of Type box.

For example, if you type "*.xla" in the File Name box in the Open dialog box in Microsoft Excel, the information in the Files Of Type box, Microsoft Excel Files (*.xl*; *.xls;*.xla;) by default, does not change to Add-Ins (*.xla;*.xll), even though the list of files displayed may change as expected.

CAUSE

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Office programs. When you type a file extension in the File Name box in the Open dialog box, all files in the current directory that have this extension are displayed in the Open dialog box. Additionally, if the extension that you type matches a single extension in the Files Of Type list, this entry is displayed in the Files Of Type list.

However, the Files Of Type list displays the selected file extension only if the entry is a single file extension. For example, if you type "*.xls" in the File Name box in Microsoft Excel, the Files Of Type list displays the entry "Worksheets (*.xls)."

This behavior prevents the list of files from displaying files with extensions other than the extension you entered. For example, if the Files Of Type list changes to Microsoft Excel Files (*.xl*;*.xls;*.xla;) when you enter "*.xla" in the File Name box, then the list of files displayed would include all those files with extensions matching *.xls, *.xl*, *.xla, instead of only those matching *.xla.

Additionally, this behavior means that if the Microsoft Excel Files (*.xl*;*.xls;*.xla;) option is selected in the Files Of Type list, and you type "*.xla" in the File Name box, the list of files will include all files that end in the following extensions:

   *.xla
   *.xla.xls
   *.xla.xla

MORE INFORMATION

Note that this behavior does NOT occur with the following file extensions in the Microsoft Office programs (that is, the following extensions are single extension entries in the Files Of Type list):

Microsoft Word

 .doc (Word Documents)
 .dot (Document Templates)
 .rtf (Rich Text Format)
 .txt (Text Files)
 .scd (Schedule+ Contact List)
 .pab (Personal Address Book)
 .anc (MS-DOS Text With Layout)
 .ans (Text With Layout)
 .wri (Windows Write)
 .rft (RFT-DCA)
 .wps (Works 3.0 for Windows)

Microsoft Excel

 .wk* (Lotus 1-2-3 Files)
 .wq* (QuattroPro/DOS Files)
 .wks (Microsoft Works 2.0 Files)
 .dbf (dBASE Files)
 .xlc (Microsoft Excel 4.0 Chart Files)
 .xlw (Microsoft Excel 4.0 Workbooks)
 .xls (Worksheets)
 .xlt (Templates)
 .xlb (Toolbars)
 .slk (SYLK Files)
 .dif (Data Interchange Format)
 .wb1 (Quattro Pro for Windows)

Microsoft PowerPoint

 .ppt (Presentations)
 .pot (Presentation Templates)
 .pre (Freelance Windows 2.0-2.1)
 .shw (Harvard Graphics 2.3 Shows)
 .cht (Harvard Graphics 2.3 Charts)
 .drw (Lotus Freelance 4.0 for DOS)
 .sh3 (Harvard Graphics 3.0 Shows)
 .ch3 (Harvard Graphics 3.0 Charts)