computer science

Microsoft Office XML formats

Microsoft Office XML formats is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Microsoft Office XML formats rather than just read about it. In short: The Microsoft Office XML formats are XML-based document formats (or XML schemas) introduced in versions of Microsoft Office prior to Office 2007. Microsoft Office XP introduced a new XML format for storing Excel spreadsheets and Office 2003 added an XML-based format for Word documents.

Key takeaways

Microsoft Office XML formats belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Microsoft Office XML formats to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Microsoft Office XML formats from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Microsoft Office XML formats are XML-based document formats (or XML schemas) introduced in versions of Microsoft Office prior to Office 2007. Microsoft Office XP introduced a new XML format for storing Excel spreadsheets and Office 2003 added an XML-based format for Word documents. These formats were succeeded by Office Open XML (ECMA-376) in Microsoft Office 2007.

File formats Microsoft Office Word 2003 XML Format — WordProcessingML or WordML (.XML) Microsoft Office Excel 2002 and Excel 2003 XML Format — SpreadsheetML (.XML) Microsoft Office Visio 2003 XML Format — DataDiagramingML (.VDX, .VSX, .VTX) Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 XML Format — XML FormTemplate (.XSN) (Compressed XML templates in a Cabinet file) Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 XML Format — XMLS FormTemplate (.XSN) (Compressed XML templates in a Cabinet file)

Limitations and differences with Office Open XML Besides differences in the schema, there are several other differences between the earlier Office XML schema formats and Office Open XML.

Whereas the data in Office Open XML documents is stored in multiple parts and compressed in a ZIP file conforming to the Open Packaging Conventions, Microsoft Office XML formats are stored as plain single monolithic XML files (making them quite large, compared to OOXML and the Microsoft Office legacy binary formats). Also, embedded items like pictures are stored as binary encoded blocks within the XML. In the case of Office Open XML, the header, footer, comments of a document etc. are all stored separately. XML Spreadsheet documents cannot store Visual Basic for Applications macros, auditing tracer arrows, charts and other graphic objects, custom views, drawing object layers, outlining, scenarios, shared workbook information and user-defined function categories. In contrast, the newer Office Open XML formats support full document fidelity. Poor backward compatibility with the version of Word/Excel prior to the one in which they were introduced. For example, Word 2002 cannot open Word 2003 XML files unless a third-party converter add-in is installed. Microsoft has released a Word 2003 XML Viewer which allows WordProcessingML files saved by Word 2003 to be viewed as HTML from within Internet Explorer. For Office Open XML, Microsoft provides converters for Office 2003, Office XP and Office 2000. Office Open XML formats are also defined for PowerPoint 2007, equation editing (Office MathML), vector drawing, charts and text art (DrawingML).

Word XML format example

Excel XML spreadsheet example

See also List of document markup languages Comparison of document markup languages

References

External links MSDN: XML Spreadsheet Reference (2014) MSDN: Word 2003 XML Reference (2010) "XML patent: US Supreme Court upholds decision against Microsoft". H Online. June 10, 2011.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Microsoft Office XML formats

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Microsoft Office XML formats claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Microsoft Office XML formats before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Microsoft Office XML formats ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Microsoft Office XML formats

In research: Microsoft Office XML formats appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Microsoft Office XML formats in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Microsoft Office XML formats is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer file formats, Markup languages, Microsoft Office, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Microsoft Office XML formats outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Microsoft Office XML formats in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Microsoft Office XML formats means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Microsoft Office XML formats out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Microsoft Office XML formats in simple terms?

Why does Microsoft Office XML formats matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Microsoft Office XML formats?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Microsoft Office XML formats.