Wiley Professional InfoPath 2003 978-0-7645-5713-2 ユーザーズマニュアル
製品コード
978-0-7645-5713-2
About InfoPath
In the spring and summer of 2002, Microsoft started showing pre-alpha versions of what was then
called XDocs to selected corporate customers. Something interesting was on the way. XDocs was far
from finished, and it wasn’t certain how what is now InfoPath would be positioned or how it would
fit into the rest of the Office product line. Some limited XML features were already present in the
existing Office applications, and it was reasonable to expect enhancements in that area in the next
major release. It was also clear, even then, that InfoPath was going to be something of a departure.
called XDocs to selected corporate customers. Something interesting was on the way. XDocs was far
from finished, and it wasn’t certain how what is now InfoPath would be positioned or how it would
fit into the rest of the Office product line. Some limited XML features were already present in the
existing Office applications, and it was reasonable to expect enhancements in that area in the next
major release. It was also clear, even then, that InfoPath was going to be something of a departure.
If InfoPath joined the Office application suite, it would be the only product without a considerable
pre-XML legacy, and there was an opportunity to make a fresh start in introducing XML compati-
bility to part of the product line. It also seemed, as is still evident, that InfoPath would initially be
much more dependent on developer skills than anything else in Microsoft Office 2003.
pre-XML legacy, and there was an opportunity to make a fresh start in introducing XML compati-
bility to part of the product line. It also seemed, as is still evident, that InfoPath would initially be
much more dependent on developer skills than anything else in Microsoft Office 2003.
As time passed we learned that support for XML in the 2003 versions of Access, Excel, and Word
would be expanded considerably from what was initially available in Office XP. The missing piece
was the fit for InfoPath. In retrospect it seems obvious. InfoPath would be a new information-
gathering program using XML as its native file format.
would be expanded considerably from what was initially available in Office XP. The missing piece
was the fit for InfoPath. In retrospect it seems obvious. InfoPath would be a new information-
gathering program using XML as its native file format.
But why does Office need yet another XML processor? With the new features in Word, we can cre-
ate custom XML documents. And Access 2003 and Excel 2003 will now do a good job of capturing
regular data structures in any schema we choose. The answer lies in forms, possibly the last arena
in office systems that is pretty much untouched by XML technology.
ate custom XML documents. And Access 2003 and Excel 2003 will now do a good job of capturing
regular data structures in any schema we choose. The answer lies in forms, possibly the last arena
in office systems that is pretty much untouched by XML technology.
Initially, because of its inheritance from SGML, XML was seen as an enhancement that would ben-
efit online document-oriented applications. Then XML was adopted, some think hijacked, by
developers who wanted it as an interoperable format to oil the wheels of e-commerce, and there’s
no doubt that data-oriented XML has recently been the primary driver of Internet standards.
Forms sit somewhere between the two poles of document and data orientation. Whereas docu-
ments can have extremely complex information structures, including features such as repeating
elements and recursion, regular structures like database tables and spreadsheets are simple and
straightforward. Office forms can combine the two features. They are usually quite short but often
take a semistructured form, combining simple field lists with optional sections and repeating
elements—for example, the dates and details in an expense claim.
efit online document-oriented applications. Then XML was adopted, some think hijacked, by
developers who wanted it as an interoperable format to oil the wheels of e-commerce, and there’s
no doubt that data-oriented XML has recently been the primary driver of Internet standards.
Forms sit somewhere between the two poles of document and data orientation. Whereas docu-
ments can have extremely complex information structures, including features such as repeating
elements and recursion, regular structures like database tables and spreadsheets are simple and
straightforward. Office forms can combine the two features. They are usually quite short but often
take a semistructured form, combining simple field lists with optional sections and repeating
elements—for example, the dates and details in an expense claim.
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