Talk:Windows Metafile

Windows .meta file
Windows RealPlayer may produce an accessory file with the extension .meta which contains description data for a .rv file. It should not be opened on its own, but just kept with its .rv file. provides a little but better discussion, but does not indicate the nature of the pairing. Unlike .html/folder pairs, there is no mention of any special windows handling. This wiki article leaves this (.meta file, metafile) totally ambiguous. Wikidity (talk) 23:36, 19 February 2010 (UTC)

Steve Gibson?
Can anyone cite the podcast where he made that accusation about this being a "Back Door"? Thanks!

Merger?

 * I agree with Ojcit. In fact I think this article touches to much information about the exploit.  We should probably have more information about where metafiles are used (like printing and Open Office).  ForestJay 09:37, 13 September 2006


 * I'm thinking the merger idea isn't applicable, since the subject is distinct enough to stand on its own. If we merged this one, then every Windows component would be found only under exploit articles Ojcit 21:20, 12 September 2006 (UTC)


 * The article needs to provide some useful information - in particular, what programs the user can employ in order to open a wmf format file. Tannin 07:10, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I have removed the merge template, see Talk:Windows_Metafile_vulnerability. --Stux 18:47, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Oh come on, a merger? So, next Microsoft Windows will be merged with "Microsoft Windows vulnerabilities", Gnome will be merged with "lack of usability in window managers" and U.S.A. will be merged with "International Terrorism"? I have found the wmf emf article very useful and important, as that has allowed me to find out vector file formats supported by M$ Windows, which are a very crucial point of publishing scientific articles with graphics, as rasters just won't do, quality wise. If you merge this article, you will lose an important article, deserving it's own treatment. Did you know that flavors of M$ Windows are quite a widespread operating system family, with it's own supported filetypes, whether we geeks like it not. Try to see the bigger picture, please. geminga
 * I don't agree to merge too. This article is about Windows Metafiles, and it is always possible to link it to the "Microsoft Windows vulnerabilities". Hervegirod 10:47, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

So it's like a MIDI file for graphics?

 * MIDI files are also a set of instructions that tell the computer what instrument to play at what time and a what pitch. A MIDI file can be compared to an MP3 as sheet music can be compared to a vinyl record. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.25.138.179 (talk • contribs) 16:27, 3 January 2006
 * Well, MIDI format is an instrument-vectorial format. --Libero 15:03, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Software to create

 * Somebody knows about free software (GPL) to save graphics in WMF format? I'm looking for it because I want to create RTF files with pictures, compatible with MS-Wordpad, MS-Word and OpenOffice. --Libero 15:07, 20 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Answer to myself: The OpenOffice.org Draw module --Libero 17:22, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

16-bit format
WMF is a 16-bit format introduced in Windows 3.0; a newer 32-bit version with additional commands is called Enhanced Metafile (EMF).

What does x-bit file format mean? --Abdull 18:14, 23 May 2007 (UTC)
 * the two terms have articles on wikipedia. I have linked to these articles and added a short explanation in them. Hervegirod 22:34, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

?
Why so many links to things that converts files to SVG? It should have been links to thing that convert things to this type files. Helpsloose 05:28, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

PostScript in the Unix world?
I have some questions/issues with this quote from the first paragraph "It is somewhat similar in purpose and design to the PostScript format used in the Unix world." The part I have issue with is the "format used in the Unix world" part. I'm pretty sure and have not seen any references to how Unix has anything to do directly with PostScript. Unless someone has a credible reference, I intend to remove these words.

I also have issue with the entire sentence. PostScript is designed to be an exact printing layout for generic printing devices. WMF is for one specific layout engine and the exactness is not a design but more an accident of being on the one platform. I believe the sentence is giving the wrong impression to the reader to the point of being misleading. Unless someone has a credible reference or argument, I'd intend to remove this sentence.

J3gum (talk) 17:30, 28 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I Agree with you, It don't think we will be able to find any sources about it (WP:OR ?), and also this is not true. I support the removal of this sentence. Hervegirod (talk) 22:11, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

Intro Not Quite Right
The intro paragraph implies that use of WMF has declined because of the rise of the Web. This is untrue. WMF is a widely used standard graphics format which can contain both vector and bitmap information. It is a portable format used within and between most Windows applications. It also is not comparable with PostScript which is a "Page Description Language" and not a metafile format. I would like to propose a new introduction as follows - please let me know your thoughts before I proceed:

Windows Metafile (WMF) is a standard Microsoft Windows graphics file format. Metafiles are intended to be portable between applications and may contain both vector and bitmap components. Essentially, a WMF file stores a list of function calls that have to be issued to the Windows graphics layer GDI in order to display an image on screen. In contract to JPEG and GIF which are used to store bitmap graphics such as photographs, scans and graphics from painting applications such as PhotoShop, Windows Metafiles generally are used to store line-art, illustrations and content created in drawing or presentation applications. Clip-art is commonly stored in the WMF format. The native vector format for Microsoft Windows Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint, and Pubisher is also WMF. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ggeek (talk • contribs) 13:28, 30 May 2008 (UTC) Ggeek (talk) 13:32, 30 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Be bold and go ahead. - xpclient  Talk 19:10, 30 May 2008 (UTC)
 * OK, as you did not have the time to do the change, I did it myself. Feel free to change the text, as I applied it with some modifications from your proposal. However, I did not know that the native file format of MS apps was WMF, are you sure of that ? Hervegirod (talk) 22:41, 30 May 2008 (UTC)
 * yep - I'm sure. the native vector format is WMF. PowerPoint slides, line art, illustrations - anthing created with "drawing tools" in MS apps is a Windows metafile, especially at the OS layer. Thanks for making the changes for me. Ggeek (talk) 02:58, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Applications to Add
Is there any evaluation criteria for adding applications? It seems that we should add links to WMF Viewers. Here are two to consider - www.cristallight.com/wmfviewer.htm (for the Mac, $9.95) and www.meta-fly.com/default.htm (for Windows, free on home page). Ggeek (talk) 19:17, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Naming conventions for image file formats
Please see the discussion at Talk:Image file formats on naming conventions for articles on image file formats. Dcoetzee 00:47, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Reference 2?
The reference for EMZ / WMZ doesn't appear to support the thing its referenced from. 150.101.115.205 (talk) 11:09, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

should EMF not have its own page?
I don't know, but my feeling is either EMF should have a stand alone page, or this article should say clearly in the first sentence it is covering both formats. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 140.32.183.252 (talk) 14:24, 11 September 2015 (UTC)