Issue: 2003 - Vol. 1 - Issue 2 - Microsoft Office System

Executive Letter

Product Manager Letter

Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 is a form creation program allowing seamless integration of data with various databases, Web services, XML, or any other XML-enabled system.To create the input forms, you just drag and drop controls onto the InfoPath form and specify how the controls connect to the data that is either entered in the form or referenced from external data sources. The result is a data entry form with advanced controls that conforms to Microsoft's interface st...andards, complete with Microsoft Office 2003 toolbars. Information entered in an InfoPath 2003 form is saved as an XML file and can be processed by a backend system.See More

If you developed smart tags in Office XP, you'll be interested in the changes in Office 2003.Smart tag technology links text to resources that provide relevant information useful in creating a document. Or even better, relevant information can be inserted right into the document itself. Smart tags in Microsoft Office 2003 have been improved to make them even easier to develop, and they conquer a few limitations.

Microsoft Office 2003 Editions add a powerful new tool to the Office task pane: the Research Library.By default, the Research Library allows you to type in a word or phrase and search for the term using several built-in resources. The Research Library is also extensible: you can add your own research service simply by creating a Web service that follows schemas defined by Microsoft for research services.

The much-anticipated release of Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services is not far away.This is the successor to SharePoint Team Services, and the changes go beyond small enhancements. In the new release, Microsoft has unified the way the technologies work. This article introduces Windows SharePoint Services and shows how it truly responds to the need for highly productive and collaborative desktop tools. Additionally, you'll explore how Windows SharePoint Services work wi...th Office 2003 applications to bring information to users when they need it, and also making it easier for people to work together around common objectives.See More

Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services offer an exciting key technology: Web Parts.Both SharePoint offerings ship with an array of sample Web Parts; putting them in action is the best way to learn what Web Parts are and how they are used. Creating Web Parts in Visual Studio.NET is about to become one of the most powerful tools in your developer's repertoire.

One of Microsoft Office 2003's most significant new features is the integration of XML technology.The XML features of Word 2003 are a great way to ensure that you can always get to the information stored within documents. This article focuses on taking advantage of Word 2003's XML features from within your applications.

Microsoft has opened wide Office development to Visual Studio .NET developers by creating the Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System. These tools work with Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition.In its previous versions, Microsoft has spent considerable time making Office available for integration with other Windows-based applications. The ability to integrate with Office began with DDE, went on to OLE 1.0, then to automation, and finally added... Visual Basic for Applications. The Visual Studio Tools for Office combine the vision of its predecessors with the functionality of the future in Office 2003.See More