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fftExcel

fftExcel = 5

Example​

procedure NormalizeLegacyExcel(FileDef: TvxFileDef);
begin
  FileDef.FileType := fftExcel;
  // Reading FileType now returns fftExcelFile, not fftExcel.
end;

Usage​

Retains the legacy Excel file-type ordinal but is immediately normalised to fftExcelFile by current File Definition code.

Additional Technical Info​

fftExcel is ordinal 5 of TvxFileType and is retained solely for legacy compatibility. The native display array labels it OLD, and its data-type mapping points to fdtExcelFile.

The TvxFileDef.FileType setter immediately rewrites this value to fftExcelFile. The File Definition transfer/copy path performs the same normalization for older stored objects. Concrete engine creation and module-class selection contain branches for fftExcelFile, not fftExcel.

Consequences:

  • The value cannot round-trip through the property: write ordinal 5, read current ordinal 3.
  • It does not select a different workbook format, compatibility mode or old engine.
  • Equality checks for FileDef.FileType = fftExcel are normally false after assignment.
  • New scripts/configuration must use fftExcelFile; retain this member only when interpreting/migrating old serialized configuration.
  • Do not persist the ordinal as an external contract. A normalized save may legitimately change 5 to 3 without changing the selected engine.

Changing to this member can still trigger receiver-specific configuration effects before/after normalization; review Excel settings and data views. The constant itself performs no file conversion and does not rewrite an existing workbook.

The example demonstrates source-defined normalization and was not executed; no workbook, migration, runtime or image-function test was run.

Related Code Library entries

  • fftExcelFile - the only current Excel selection for new work.
  • TvxFileType - complete engine and normalization contract.
Created 2026-07-15