Files with the XFDL extension are associated with the XML Form in XFDL format. XFDL means Extensible Forms Description Language which provides you with the opportunity of securely sending and receiving legally binding XML documents over the Internet. XFDL documents are sent electronically and can be digitally signed by the recipient.
Extensible Forms Description Language is an XML extension language which helps to address security concerns when transmitting legal documents over the Internet. The language also provides a secure method for viewing sensitive documents in a web browser. The format of XFDL is considered “human readable” and “open standard” which means it is publicly available with restricted access to specific portions of the document. The format supports multiple digital signatures which are programmed to be applied to specific parts of a business form to prevent changes to the content already signed.
XFDL files contain data that define the structure of a legal business form, including the form layout, details of the business transaction, conditions for auditability and security, digital signatures and other types of server-side business logic. XML forms in XFDL format are typically used by military organizations that require extreme security during the transmission of electronic documents.
How to Open XFDL Files
In order to open and view XFDL files, you must use a viewer in conjunction with your web browser. There are viewers that are standalone applications and others that operate directly in your web browser.
The most common method of opening and viewing XFDL files is by using PureEdge Viewer which is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. PureEdge Solutions is the source responsible for creating the XFDL format. It was acquired by IBM, hence the reason for the name IBM PureEdge Viewer.
PureEdge allows you to open and edit XFDL business forms and acts as an extension to most of the primary web browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Netscape. It can also be used as a standalone application for opening and viewing XFDL documents.
You can also open and edit XFDL files using IBM Lotus Viewer which is available for download from the Air Force ePublishing website. The military recently switched from the IBM PureEdge Viewer to the IBM Lotus Viewer which is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
It is also possible to open XFDL files using a text editing program such as Notepad for Windows or Apple TextEdit for Mac. Simply right click on the XFDL file and then choose Open With from the drop-down menu. On the submenu choose the text editor you want to use or click on Browse if the program is not displayed in the list.
If you use Linux, you can open XFDL files with OpenOffice Writer, Gnu, or BSD which are text editing programs that will allow you to work with XFDL files.
