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Microsoft Releases Open XML SDK

Microsoft this week released a preview of a new software development kit for use with the Open XML standards native to Office 2007.

The company said the SDK is meant to streamline development chores for coders creating Office Business Applications (OBAs). It contains instructional articles and sample code regarding a number of tasks, including programmatic document creation; tweaking document properties; and working with custom XML within documents. The release coincided with the start of Microsoft’s Tech Ed conference in Orlando, Fla.

Brian Jones, an Office program manager, discussed the SDK's high points in a blog post. "The goal in this first CTP was to provide some additional structure on top of what was already provided by System.IO.Packaging in .Net 3.0," Jones wrote. "Now instead of just generic parts and relationships, you actually have each part from the Open XML spec available as a strongly typed part. The API also provides package level validation so you’ll know you’re creating all the necessary content type declarations and relationship type references."

The SDK is available for download here. Microsoft has posted a video with more information about the release here.

About the Author

Chris Kanaracus is the news editor for Redmond Developer News.