format> (SYLK) A Microsoft file format forspreadsheets, (not to be confused with symbolic link). SYLK format existed in one form or another in as early as 1987, and was part of Excel v1.0. It is is an outgrowth of VisiCalcDIF file format. SYLK format is ascii text and represents information about both formula, value, and some formatting information, which makes it something like an RTFfor spreadsheets. It is used as a general tabular data exchange format. . [Reference?] (2004-04-08)