View source for Symbolic Link (SYLK)

{{distinguish|symbolic link}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = Symbolic Link (SYLK)
| icon = 
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|_noextcode = 
| extension = .slk
|_nomimecode = 
| mime = 
| type_code = 
| uniform_type = 
| conforms_to = 
| magic = 
| max_size = 
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released =                <!-- {{start date and age|YYYY|mm|dd|df=yes/no}} -->
| latest_release_version = 
| latest_release_date =     <!-- {{start date and age|YYYY|mm|dd|df=yes/no}} -->
| type = 
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| standard =                <!-- or: | standards = -->
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}}

'''Symbolic Link''' ('''SYLK''') is a [[Microsoft]] file format typically used to exchange data between applications, specifically [[spreadsheets]]. SYLK files conventionally have a <code>.slk</code> suffix. Composed of only displayable [[Windows code page|ANSI]] characters, it can be easily created and processed by other applications, such as [[databases]].

Microsoft has never published a SYLK specification.  Variants of the format are supported by [[Multiplan]], [[Microsoft Excel]], [[Microsoft Works]], [[OpenOffice.org]], [[LibreOffice]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.libreofficehelp.com/libreoffice-calc-supported-file-formats/|title=LibreOffice Calc - Supported File Formats|date=12 November 2016}}</ref> and [[Gnumeric]]. The format was introduced in the 1980s and has not evolved since 1986.<ref name="Outflank">{{cite web |language=en |author=Stan Hegt |title=Abusing the SYLK file format |date=2019-10-30 |access-date=2019-12-14 |website=outflank.nl |url=https://outflank.nl/blog/2019/10/30/abusing-the-sylk-file-format/ }}</ref>

A commonly encountered (and spurious) 'occurrence' of the SYLK file happens when a [[comma-separated value]] (CSV) format is saved with an unquoted first field name of 'ID', that is the first two characters match the first two characters of the SYLK file format.  Microsoft Excel (at least to Office 2016) will then emit misleading error messages relating to the format of the file, such as "The file you are trying to open, 'x.csv', is in a different format than specified by the file extension...".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/323626 | title="SYLK: File format is not valid" error message when you open file | access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.alunr.com/articles/excel-csv-import-returns-an-sylk-file-format-error | title=Excel CSV import returns an SYLK file format error | date=9 January 2012 | access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref>

SYLK is known to cause [[computer security|security]] issues, as it allows an attacker to run [[arbitrary code]], offers the opportunity to disguise the [[attack vector]] under the benign-looking appearance of a CSV file, and is still enabled by default on recent (2016) versions of Microsoft Excel.<ref name="Outflank"/>

==Limitations==
SYLK does not have support for Unicode.  Even if a SYLK file is created by an application that supports Unicode (for example Microsoft Excel), the SYLK file will be encoded in the current system's [[Windows code page|ANSI]] code page, not in Unicode.  If the application contained characters that were displayable in Unicode but have no code point in the current system's code page, they will be converted to question marks ('?') in the SYLK file.

The semicolon is treated as a field separator in SYLK, so cannot be used unescaped in data values.  If a character string in the SYLK file is to contain a semicolon (;) then it should be prefixed with another semicolon so the string would appear as e.g., "WIDGET;;AXC1254". MS Excel will strip the first semicolon on import and the data element will appear as "WIDGET;AXC1254".

Each line of a SYLK input file must be no longer than 260 characters.  Otherwise, Microsoft Excel will issue an [[error message]] and skip loading the overlong line.

== Description ==
{{verify|date=March 2025}}
Below is the contents of a sample SYLK file: 
<pre>
ID;P
C;Y1;X1;K"Row 1"
C;Y2;X1;K"Row 2"
C;Y3;X1;K"Total"
C;Y1;X2;K11
C;Y2;X2;K22
C;Y3;X2;K0;ER1C2+R2C2
E
</pre>
This file, when read by a spreadsheet application that supports SYLK would be displayed like the following:
{| class="wikitable"
| Row 1 || 11
|-
| Row 2 || 22
|-
| Total || 33
|}
SYLK files consist of a sequence of records with semicolon-delimited lists of fields. In this file, the {{code|ID}} record (specifically the {{code|ID;}} at the start of the file) acts as a [[magic number (programming)|magic number]], identifying the file as a SYLK file, as all SYLK files must start with an {{code|ID}} record. The {{code|P}} field without a value indicates the file was not generated by [[Microsoft Excel]] or [[Microsoft]]'s older spreadsheet application [[Multiplan]]. Each {{code|C}} record describes one cell in the spreadsheet located at cell {{code|(X,Y)}} (the values of the {{code|X}} and {{code|Y}} fields). The {{code|K}} fields define the raw value of each cell. [[string (programming)|Strings of text]] are enclosed in quotation marks. Otherwise, the value is listed without quotes. Dates and times are internally stored as numbers of whole and fractional days since a set [[epoch]] and displayed accordingly with custom cell formatting options. The {{code|E}} field defines the value of the cell to be the value of an expression (equivalent, here, to the more familiar formula {{code|1==B1+B2}}). Lastly, the {{code|E}} record marks the end of the file. It must be the last record in the file.

=== Formatting ===
The {{code|F}} record is used to define and apply styles to cells, and {{code|P}} records can be used to define shared number formats, along with font information. For example:
<pre>
ID;P
P;PGeneral
P;P_(* #,##0_);;_(* \-#,##0_);;_(* "-"_);;_(@_)
P;P_(* #,##0.00_);;_(* \(#,##0.00\);;_(* "-"??_);;_(@_)
P;P_("$"* #,##0.00_);;_("$"* \(#,##0.00\);;_("$"* "-"??_);;_(@_)
C;Y1;X1;K"Row 1"
C;Y2;X1;K"Row 2"
C;Y3;X1;K"Total"
C;Y1;X2;K11
C;Y2;X2;K22
C;Y3;X2;K0;ER1C2+R2C2
F;P2;C2
E
</pre>
is rendered similar to the following:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Row 1 || 11.00
|-
| Row 2 || 22.00
|-
| Total || 33.00
|}
The {{code|F}} record's {{code|P2}} field indicates that the number format in the ''third'' and [[:wikt:penultimate|penultimate]] {{code|P}} record is being used, and the record's {{code|C2}} field applies that format to the ''second'' column. Indices of {{code|P}} records are [[zero-indexed]], while columns and rows are one-indexed. In this example, the following number formats are defined:
* {{code|P0}}, the general number format, which displays the number as it is listed in the file,
* {{code|P1}}, a number format that uses [[thousands separator]]s and no decimal places,
* {{code|P2}} (applied to column two), the same number format as {{code|P1}} but with two decimal places,
* and {{code|P3}}, the same number format as {{code|P2}} but with a dollar sign at the start.

The {{code|W}} field of the {{code|F}} record defines the widths of a group of columns in characters. For instance, the records {{code|F;W1 1 20}} and {{code|F;W2 2 30}} set the widths of the first two columns of a spreadsheet to 20 and 30 characters wide respectively. Likewise, {{code|F;W1 5 5}} would set the widths of the first five columns to be five characters wide each.

The {{code|F}} field of the {{code|F}} record defines both the number format and text alignment of a cell, column, row, or spreadsheet. Unlike the {{code|P}} record, this field only supports a basic set of number formats. As an example, a {{code|F;FD3C}} record would use the default number format with three digits and center-aligned text.

The following SYLK file:
<pre>
ID;P
P;PGeneral
C;Y1;X1;K"Row 1 Left Justify"
F;P0;FG0L
C;Y2;X1;K"Row 2 Right Justify"
F;P0;FG0R
C;Y3;X1;K"Total at Center"
F;P0;FG0C
C;Y1;X2;K11
C;Y2;X2;K22
C;Y3;X2;K0;ER1C2+R2C2
F;Y1;X2;FF2L
F;Y2;X2;FF2R
F;Y3;X2;F$2C
F;W1 2 25
E
</pre>
would be rendered, ignoring the incorrect column widths, like:
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align: left;"
| Row 1 Left Justify || 11.00
|- style="text-align: right;"
| {{in5|3}} Row 2 Right Justify || {{in5|10}} 22.00
<!-- Using the in5 template to painlessly force the columns to be larger on most devices so the alignment is more visible, but not enough to cause issues. Certain readers ignore the CSS width property (see Help:Table/Width for more). -->
|- style="text-align: center;"
| Total at Center || $33.00
|}

The {{code|P}} record can also be used to store font information, in addition to the number format. A cell with a {{code|P;FCambria;M240;SB;L4}} record applied would be rendered using the [[Cambria (font)|Cambria]] font ({{code|FCambria}}), 12{{nbsp}}[[Point (typography)|point]] font ({{code|M240}}: the value of the {{code|M}} field divided by 20 is the font size in points), boldface ({{code|SB}}), and green ({{code|L4}}).<ref name="p-record">{{cite web |url=https://helparchive.huntertur.net/document/4250 | access-date=10 March 2025 |date=2 November 1997 |title=Excel: SYLK File Format Additional P Record Fields |website=The Microsoft KnowledgeBase Archive}}</ref>
<!-- Do not add a rendering of this example on the page. On top of looking bad, especially in dark mode, it also is bad for accessibility. See WP:MOS#Formatting_issues. -->

== Syntax ==
{{verify|section|date=March 2025}}
The basic syntax of a SYLK file is shown below (in the [[ABNF]] syntax):
<syntaxhighlight lang="abnf">
SYLK-file = 1*(Record)
Record = RecordType *(";" Field) LF
</syntaxhighlight>
A list of valid record types along with their valid fields is shown below:
; {{code|B}} record
: A record used to tell the number of rows and columns in a spreadsheet. It is recommended{{by whom|date=March 2025}} that it comes before the {{code|C}} and {{code|F}} records. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|X}} || columns || The number of columns in the spreadsheet || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|Y}} || rows || The number of rows in the spreadsheet || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|}
; {{code|C}} record
: A record used to describe a cell's contents.
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|C}} || column reference || References another cell by its column number. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|D}} || || Defines a shared expression. If this field is present, the {{code|E}} field must also be present. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|E}} || expression || An expression or formula whose value is the value of the cell || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|G}} || || Defines a shared value. If this field is present, the {{code|E}} field must be absent and the {{code|K}} field must be present. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|H}} || hidden || If present, the cell is hidden. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|I}} || inside matrix? || If present, the cell is inside a matrix, and the {{code|K}} and {{code|E}} fields must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|K}} || value || A field whose value is the value of the cell || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|M}} || matrix expression || A matrix expression from cell {{code|(X,Y)}} to cell {{code|(C,R)}}. If this field is present, the {{code|E}} field must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|N}} || not protected? || If present, or the {{code|N}} field ''is'' present in the {{code|ID}} record, the cell is ''not'' protected. If the {{code|ID}} record ''does not'' contain the {{code|N}} field, this field must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|P}} || protected? || If present, or if the {{code|N}} field is ''not present'' in the {{code|ID}} record, the cell ''is'' protected. If the {{code|ID}} record contains the {{code|N}} field, this field must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|R}} || row reference || References another cell by its row number. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|S}} || shared reference || References a shared value ({{code|G}} field) or expression ({{code|D}} field). If present, the {{code|D}}, {{code|E}}, {{code|G}}, {{code|K}}, and {{code|M}} fields must all be absent and the {{code|R}} and {{code|C}} fields must be present, as the {{code|R}} and {{code|C}} fields define the row and column the shared value or expression is copied from. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|X}} || column position || One-indexed column number of the cell || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|Y}} || row position || One-indexed row number of the cell. If this field is omitted, the last defined {{code|Y}} field's value is used instead. || {{Optional}}
|}
; {{code|E}} record
: A record that marks the end of the file. It must be the last record in the file.
; {{code|F}} record
: A record that follows any {{code|P}} records and applies the formats described by those records (or fields described by the {{code|F}} record itself) to the entire spreadsheet or a single cell, column, or row. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|C}} || column || One-indexed column number. If present, the {{code|E}}, {{code|G}}, {{code|H}}, {{code|K}}, {{code|N}}, {{code|R}}, {{code|W}}, {{code|X}}, and {{code|Y}} fields must all be absent and one or more of the following fields must also be present: {{code|P}}, {{code|F}}, or {{code|S}}. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|D}} || default format || Describes a default format. The form is near-identical to the {{code|F}} field below. The only difference is that the {{code|D}} specifiers for the number format and cell alignment are both invalid in this field. If this field is present, the {{code|C}}, {{code|R}}, {{code|X}}, and {{code|Y}} fields must all be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|E}} || show formula? || If present and the cell's value is defined by an expression or formula, that expression or formula is displayed instead of its value. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|F}} || format || The cell, row, or column format, taking the form of <code>{{angbr|ch1}}{{angbr|digits}}{{angbr|ch2}}</code>. <code>{{angbr|ch1}}</code>, the number format (and <code>{{angbr|digits}}</code> is the number of decimal digits after the [[decimal separator]]), is one of the following:
* {{code|C}}, the continuous cross-cell display format;
* {{code|D}}, the default number format;
* {{code|E}}, the scientific notation or exponential format;
* {{code|F}}, the fixed decimal point format;
* {{code|G}}, the general number format;
* {{code|$}}, the dollar format, which precedes the number with a dollar sign ({{code|$}}) and uses two decimal places;
* {{code|*}}, the bar graph format, with one asterisk for every unit (eg: {{code|5}} would be {{code|*****}});
* or {{code|%}}, the percentage format.
and <code>{{angbr|ch2}}</code> is the text alignment, and can be one of:
* {{code|C}}, center alignment;
* {{code|D}}, the default alignment;
* {{code|G}}, general alignment, which is left alignment for text and right alignment for numbers;
* {{code|L}}, left alignment;
* {{code|R}}, right alignment;
* {{code|X}}, fill;
* and {{code|-}}, ignored.<!-- Theoretically and semantically, two description lists will also work here. But it doesn't seem worth it to make the cell an unreadable 34 lines (at a minimum) long. -->
| Optional
|-
| {{code|G}} || show grid lines? || If absent in the entire file, the default grid lines are shown. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|H}} || show headers? || If absent in the entire file, column and row headers are shown. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|K}} || show commas? || If present and the cell has a numeric value, [[thousands separator|group separators]] (commas) are shown. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|N}} || font || The font of the cell, column, or row in the form: <code>{{angbr|fontId}} {{angbr|size}}</code>.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|P}} || indexed number format || The indexed Excel-style cell number format, a [[zero-indexed]] number corresponding to which {{code|P}} record should be used. For instance, {{code|P3}} selects the number format defined by the ''fourth'' {{code|P}} record. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|R}} || row || One-indexed row number. If present, the {{code|C}}, {{code|E}}, {{code|G}}, {{code|H}}, {{code|K}}, {{code|N}}, {{code|W}}, {{code|X}}, and {{code|Y}} fields must all be absent and one or more of the following fields must also be present: {{code|P}}, {{code|F}}, or {{code|S}}. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|S}} || style || A list of characters describing the text formatting, cell borders, and backgrounds of the cell, row, column, or spreadsheet. The following characters are used:
* {{code|B}}, for bottom grid lines;
* {{code|D}}, for [[boldface]];
* {{code|I}}, for [[italic type]];
* {{code|L}}, for left grid lines;
* {{code|R}}, for right grid lines;
* {{code|S}}, for shaded backgrounds;
* and {{code|T}}, for top grid lines.
| Optional
|-
| {{code|W}} || column width || Sets the widths of a range of columns in the form <code>{{angbr|col1}}{{angbr|col2}} {{angbr|width}}</code>, where <code>{{angbr|col1}}</code> and <code>{{angbr|col2}}</code> are one-indexed column numbers and <code>{{angbr|width}}</code> is the width of the columns in characters || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|X}} || cell column || One-indexed cell column number. If present, the {{code|Y}} field must be present, the {{code|C}}, {{code|E}}, {{code|G}}, {{code|H}}, {{code|K}}, {{code|N}}, {{code|R}}, and {{code|W}} fields must all be absent, and one or more of the following fields must also be present: {{code|P}}, {{code|F}}, or {{code|S}}. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|Y}} || cell row || One-indexed cell row number. If present, the {{code|X}} field must be present. || {{Optional}}
|}
: At least one of the following fields must be present: {{code|C}}, {{code|D}}, {{code|E}}, {{code|G}}, {{code|H}}, {{code|K}}, {{code|P}}, {{code|R}}, {{code|W}}, {{code|X}}, or {{code|Y}}.
: The {{code|X}} and {{code|Y}} fields define cell formats, the {{code|R}} field defines default row formats, the {{code|C}} field defines default cell formats, and the {{code|D}} field sets the default spreadsheet format.
; {{code|ID}} record
: A header record used to identify the type and creator of a spreadsheet. It must be the first record in the file. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|E}} ||  || If present, {{code|NE}} records are considered redundant.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|N}} || || If present, the file uses {{code|N}}-field-style cell protection, otherwise it uses {{code|P}}-field-style cell protection. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|P}} || program || The [[Computer application|creator]] of the file. Can include:
* {{code|CL}}, for [[Microsoft Excel]],
* {{code|MP}}, for [[Multiplan]] (Microsoft)
* or no value.
| Mandatory
|}
; {{code|NE}} record
: A record that links an area on the spreadsheet to another area on an external spreadsheet. Must be placed after any {{code|NU}} records. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|E}} || destination || An expression that defines the target area on the spreadsheet to link the external data || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|F}} || file || The name of the file containing the external data || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|S}} || source || An expression that defines the source area on the external spreadsheet whose data is being linked || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|}
; {{code|NL}} record
: A record that describes chart external links.{{clarify|date=March 2025}}
; {{code|NN}} record
: A record used to define named functions, macros, and expressions. It is more efficient{{according to whom|date=March 2025}} if an {{code|NN}} record is defined prior to when its name is first used. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|E}} || expression || An expression describing the value of the named function, macro, or expression. || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|F}} || || If present, the named expression can be used as a function. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|G}} || || A field whose value is of the form <code>{{angbr|ch}} {{angbr|ch2}}</code> that indicates a runnable, named macro with command key alias.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} If this field is present, the {{code|K}} field must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|K}} || || A field whose value is of the form <code>{{angbr|ch}} {{angbr|ch2}}</code> that indicates an ordinary, named expression with unused command aliases.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} If this field is present, the {{code|G}} field must be absent. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|N}} || name || The name of the function, macro, or expression. || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|}
; {{code|NU}} record
: A record that precedes any {{code|NE}} records and describes [[file name]] substitutions. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|F}} || new file || The new file name || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|L}} || old file || The old file name || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|}
; {{code|O}} record
: A record that describes spreadsheet options. Supported fields:
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|C}} || || A completion test at the nearest preceding C record.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|E}} || || A macro sheet.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} This should appear{{according to whom|date=March 2025}} before the first appearance of a {{code|F}} or {{code|G}} field in an {{code|NN}} record as well as before the first {{code|C}} record that uses a macro-only function. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|G}} || || If present, allows value iteration and circular references. Takes the form <code>{{angbr|iter}} {{angbr|delta}}</code>, where <code>{{angbr|iter}}</code> is the maximum number of iterations and <code>{{angbr|delta}}</code> is a step test that, if smaller, is present.{{clarify|date=March 2025}} || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|L}} || || If present, cell references use the {{code|A1}}-style. In spite of this, even if present, the SYLK file itself still internally uses {{code|R1C1}}-style references in expressions. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|M}} || || If present, cells are manually recalculated. Otherwise, they are automatically recalculated. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|P}} || sheet protected? || If present, the sheet is protected. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|V}} || base date value || Indicates the date system used for calculating serial date values. This is either {{code|0}} for the 1900 date system or {{code|4}} for the 1904 date system.<ref name="date-system">{{cite web |url=https://www.lifewire.com/serial-number-serial-date-3123991 |access-date=9 March 2025 |publisher=Lifewire |first1=Ted |last1=French |date=8 July 2019 |title=Serial Number and Serial Date in Excel}}</ref> See [[#date-time-formats|below]], after the end of the list of records, for more details. || {{Optional}}
|}
; {{code|P}} record<ref name="p-record"/>
: A record that describes cell formatting and precedes any {{code|F}} records. Supported fields:{{clarify|date=March 2025}}
: {| class="wikitable"
! Field !! Name !! Description !! Use
|-
| {{code|E}} || extended font definition || An extended font definition || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|F}} || font definition || An normal font definition || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|L}} || font color || The color of the font. || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|M}} || font size || The font size of the format in {{frac|1|20}}{{nbsp}}[[point (typography)|point]] units || {{Optional}}
|-
| {{code|P}} || formatting || An Excel-style cell format specification || {{needs|Mandatory}}
|-
| {{code|S}} || font style || The [[Typeface|style of the font]] || {{Optional}}
|}
; {{code|W}} record
: A record that describes window definitions.{{clarify|date=March 2025}}

{{anchor|date-time-formats}}Date and time values are stored as a [[floating point numbers]]. The whole number part is the number of days after either 1 January 1900 (if the {{code|O}} record has a {{code|V}} field with value {{code|0}}, indicating the 1900 date system is being used) or 1 January 1904 (if instead this value is {{code|4}}, indicating the 1904 date system is in use). The 1904 date system is only used in older versions of Microsoft Excel on Macintosh systems prior to 2011.<ref name="date-system"/> The decimal component is the number of seconds divided by 86,400 (the number of seconds in a day) that have elapsed since 00:00 or 12:00{{nbsp}}AM.

It is possible to convert serial date values to [[Unix time]] by subtracting 25,569 or 24,109 (the number of days between 1 January 1970, the [[Unix epoch]], and 1 January 1900 or 1 January 1904 respectively), and then multiplying by 86,400. Conversion from Unix time to SYLK time can be done by doing the reverse (dividing by 86,400 and adding 25,569 or 24,109). However, to be displayed properly, the formatting of the cell must be set to a custom format such as {{code|P;Pdd/mm/yyyy\ hh:mm:ss}}.

Microsoft Excel limits cells in imported SYLK files to 255 characters. [[LibreOffice]] does not have this limitation.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==External links==
* Detailed examples can also be found at [http://www.pindari.com/sylk.html here]

Syntax for SYLK can be found at:

* [https://outflank.nl/upload/sylksum.txt Microsoft SYLK summary] (see also the [https://outflank.nl/blog/2019/10/30/abusing-the-sylk-file-format/ Abusing the SYLK file format] article for some useful information)
* [http://netghost.narod.ru/gff/graphics/summary/micsylk.htm GFF Format Summary: Microsoft SYLK]
and at:
* [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/spreadsheets/faq/ comp.apps.spreadsheets FAQ]
* [http://excel.tips.net/T002051_Converting_UNIX_Date_Time_Stamps.html Excel Tips Converting Unix Date Time Stamps]

Limits related to reading and saving with Excel:

* [http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/excel-formatting-and-features-that-are-not-transferred-to-other-file-formats-HP010014105.aspx#BM6 Microsoft.com Excel features]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Spreadsheet file formats]]
[[Category:Microsoft Office]]