The first day of the DevCon 2006 was all about XML for me. Various sessions dived into the new XML file format for Word and Excel. Loads of improvements here! The WordML format has been expanded, it is no longer a large XML file. Instead it is now a ZIP under the covers, which contains various XML parts of your document. Cool stuff, you can for instance just replace the style XML and re-style all your documents in one swoop! To be able to handle the new ZIP container, the System.IO assembly has got a new cousin, System.IO.Packaging. Why would you want to use this new format? Easy!
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It is compact (small files through zip),
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It is robust (you can delete half the zip and still have a ‘valid’ document),
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You can run server side logic (no more trying to automate the Word COM application).
Furthermore, the file format offers real data-view separation. By just replacing your own custom XML data island inside the ZIP, the data inside the document can be changed at a whim. Think of generating documents on the fly using a template, just past in the data xml, and presto, a document! If you are worried about licenses, paying up to use the XML format, you are mistaking. The new formats are totally open, standardized and best of all, FREE!
For those interested in learning more, here are some interesting sites:
Now I am off checking out new features in Info Path.