WIF

Weaving Information File

Version 1.1, April 20, 1997

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of a new standard for sharing weaving files among different weaving programs and the human reader.

This new standard, called WIF, represents a unique collaboration between the programmers of major software packages available to handweavers today.

The WIF developers of Version 1.0, released March 3, 1996, were Ravi Nielsen, Patternland Weave Simulator; Bob Keates, Fiberworks PCW; and Rob Sinkler, Swiftweave.

WIF Version 1.1, released April 20, 1997, is the result of additional collaboration among an expanded group of programmers, including the original three, plus Sally Breckenridge, WeaveIt; Dana Cartwright, WeaveMaker; Jane Eisenstein, QD-WIF; Mark Kloosterman, Proweave; and Bjorn Myhre, WeavePoint.

The advent of this new file standard opens the door for weavers and artists to share their work freely without the limitations of a particular software's file format. It also allows weavers to work with their designs using several different programs, thereby taking advantage of the strengths that each program has to offer. With the increased support and commitment by additional programmers for Version 1.1, the WIF standard will become an increasingly important and valuable tool for weavers worldwide.

To view a copy of this exciting new specification, click below. Use your browser's Save option to download it.

Click here: WIF

For WIF Program Developers: We've added a new section to store WIF files for testing purposes. Only WIF V1.1 files are included in the library. The link below will take you to a directory of program names; click a directory to see sample files submitted by each program's author. Click a file name to view it. Use your browser's SaveAs... option to save the file to your local disk. Use your browser's Back button to return to this page.

NOTE: As of today as I put up this page, only the Patternland directory has samples. I will be collecting samples created by other programs in the near future. Please check back.

WIF SAMPLES