Have you ever tried to troubleshoot document formatting by searching through task panes and dialog boxes for information? How much time would it take you to replace a logo or other graphic that appears dozens of times throughout a long document? These are just two of many tasks with which you can save time, simplify your work, or even discover new formatting possibilities, just by editing your Open XML Format document in the document’s ZIP package.

You know that your 2007 Office system documents are XML-based. You have seen the contents of an Open XML ZIP package and you understand the relationships between the files. But if you are not a programmer, what difference can the XML structure really make to you?

It is not necessary for any Microsoft Office user to work in the XML in order to work effectively with the 2007 Office system programs. However, for those who are interested in working directly with the XML file structure, you can discover many benefits — from troubleshooting, to timesaving, and even adding custom formatting that cannot be created from within Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

To learn more about this course, read the text in Goals and About this course, or look at the table of contents. Then click Next to start the first lesson.

If you are not yet familiar with the basics of the new Open XML Formats — including related terminology such as ZIP package, document parts, relationships, and content types — try the course Office Open XML I: Exploring the Office Open XML Formats before continuing here. That course introduces you to the new file formats and provides a basic walk-through of their XML structure.

About the author

Stephanie Krieger is a Microsoft Office System MVP and professional document consultant. She also is the author of two books, Advanced Microsoft Office Documents 2007 Edition Inside Out and Microsoft Office Document Designer. Stephanie publishes a blog — where you can ask questions and find many Microsoft Office tips.