What is the FIL file format?
The .fil file format is used for defining lists of files and code templates within dBASE database projects. Originally introduced with dBASE IV's Application Generator in the late 1980s, a .fil template is consumed by the dBASE Application Generator to scaffold .prg program source files from a database schema - making it a development-time artefact rather than end-user data.
.fil format is supported by several applications, most notably dBASE PLUS (by dataBased Intelligence, Inc.). Because the content is largely readable xBase template code, a plain text editor such as Notepad++ can open and inspect .fil files. Related dBASE development files include .dbf table files, .dbt memo files, and .fmt or .scr screen definitions.
The .fil extension is also used by unrelated software - including ACL for Windows, AVG Antivirus, and Cardbox - so it is important to confirm the source application before treating any .fil as a dBASE Application Generator template. Modern dBASE PLUS visual designers and project files have largely superseded the classic Application Generator workflow.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA dBASE Application Generator template is inert development data and poses little direct risk. The bigger caution is identity confusion: because '.fil' is used by many unrelated programs, an unidentified .fil from an untrusted source should be checked (hex-inspect or scan) before opening with whatever app you guess - and never run an unknown file as a program. If it is a dBASE template from your own project, it is harmless.
Format details
in a nutshell- WinFax PRO fax file (.fil) - Symantec WinFax PRO stored received/sent faxes as .fil files - image data opened by WinFax, unrelated to dBASE.
- Filemaker / generic 'file' data (.fil) - Various applications use .fil generically for internal data or filter/settings files; meaning depends entirely on the creating program.
- FileNet / OS_FILE binary (.fil) - Some enterprise document/imaging systems and games use .fil for opaque binary data blobs.
Programs that open FIL files
Windows3 apps
dBASE (dBASE PLUS)
Paid Open the containing dBASE project; the Application Generator / IDE is the only tool that understands its .fil templates. Recommended only if the file is genuinely a dBASE template.
Text editor (Notepad++ / Notepad)
Open-source If the .fil is a text template, open it in a text editor to inspect its contents. Binary .fil variants will look like garbage.
A hex editor (HxD)
Free For an unidentified .fil, inspect the first bytes in a hex editor to guess the real format (e.g. fax image vs text template) before choosing an app. Technical details
deep spec| Primary role | Application Generator template - consumed by the dBASE Application Generator to scaffold `.prg` program code from a database schema |
| Encoding | Plain text (xBase/dBASE template syntax); some generator-produced variants may be binary |
| Typical file size | A few KB to tens of KB |
| Associated operating systems | DOS (dBASE IV era), Windows (dBASE PLUS and Visual dBASE) |
| MIME type | `application/octet-stream` (no registered MIME type; text variants may be served as `text/plain`) |
| File signature (magic bytes) | No documented binary signature; identified by dBASE project context, not byte pattern |
| Internal version binding | Tied to the dBASE Application Generator version that reads it; not cross-version portable |
| Developer | dataBased Intelligence, Inc. (carrying lineage from Ashton-Tate dBASE IV) |
| Related dBASE file types | `.dbf` (table data), `.prg` (program source), `.dbt` (memo), `.fmt` / `.scr` (screen definitions), `.frm` (report forms) |
| Extension ambiguity | `.fil` is used by multiple unrelated applications (ACL for Windows, AVG Antivirus, Cardbox); always verify source application |
| Structure | Text file containing xBase code with placeholders; the Application Generator fills placeholders and emits complete `.prg` source |
| Superseded by | dBASE PLUS visual form and report designers, which generate code without a separate template workflow |
| Usage context | Development-time artefact; meaningful only inside a dBASE project and the dBASE IDE, not an end-user data file |
| Released | dBASE Application Generator era (dBASE IV, late 1980s; carried into Visual dBASE/dBASE PLUS) |
| Latest version | Tracks the installed dBASE version (dBASE PLUS by dataBased Intelligence) |
| Specification | www.dbase.com |
FIL conversions
Community Q&A
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