.RELS

📌 A .RELS extension class is normally associated with a metadata sample included into Microsoft Office Open XML file structures, such as PowerPoint .PPTX, Excel .XLSX, and Word .DOCX record layouts. Specifically, the .RELS object instances include detailed XML specification rules and clauses for how “elements” in scope of a “package” are interconnected within a common document to form the outcome file shape. As a matter of fact, the .RELS entry formations are stored within a _rels folder of an Office Open XML (in short, OOXML) document arrangement.

Basically, .RELS file constitution is not expected and recommended to be revealed and extracted in the manual principle. On the contrary, the .RELS file is traditionally referenced by the Microsoft Office package uncovering the target document that includes the individual .RELS item.

If you require to visualize and track the data within a proper .RELS file build-up, you can take service of a plain text editor as long as the requested information is stored in a clear, transparent XML logic. Nevertheless, it is obligatory to comprehend that the contents of the proper .RELS file should not be adjusted as long as it may cause the proper document that includes a relevant .RELS data instance to become unusable.

Direct relationships and references within .RELS file interpretations are declared using the XML syntax <Relationship Id=”proper_ID” Type=”relationship_Type” Target=”target_node”/>, where Target attribute node implies the target file used for the relevant relationship, Type stands out as the of content, and Id marker serves as a unique user-defined string.

OOXML RELS data standard was initially introduced to the public audience with the eventual release and publication of Microsoft Office 2007 revision.

How to open an .RELS file?

📌 It should be explicitly noted that the .RELS-wrapped documents should not be adjusted by any manual user interference. Instead, they are internally opened, processed and operated by certain Microsoft Office package components, such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.