XDocs Delivers Office XML Interface

XDocs is an XML-oriented forms design and processing tool scheduled for release in mid-2003-about the same time as the next version of Office. Although few product details have been revealed, XDocs will give business and consumers the ability to work with XML-based forms and data, and will complement the XML capabilities of Office itself. Though touted as a simple way to work with XML, XDocs is likely to require configuration or development input before it is usable in specific scenarios.

What Is XDocs?

XML is becoming widely used-for example, Web services exchange data in XML and some recent Microsoft applications store configuration information in XML files. However, XML is difficult for nonexperts to use effectively. XDocs aims to solve that problem by combining a familiar document authoring interface, with capabilities such as spell-checking, and a forms entry interface that can ensure data is entered accurately. XDocs gives nonexperts a way to create, view, and modify XML documents. (For a look at a form displayed in XDocs, see the illustration “Designing a Form with XDocs“.)