TECHS User Support Services


Office 2007

The new Microsoft Office suite is coming! With a completely new user interface and new collaborative tools, Office 2007 will be an incredible resource for the Health Sciences Center. Microsoft Office 2007 is Microsoft's next release of its productivity suite, slated to replace Microsoft Office 2003. Microsoft Office 2007, formerly known as Office 12, is scheduled to be released in November 2006 for volume customers such as the University of New Mexico and we will deploy it in mid to late 2007 when we have our licensing for the product.

There are two important components of this upgrade that the UNM HSLIC TECHS are excited about and would like you to be aware of:

  • The new GUI (Graphical User Interface)

  • The new XML file formatting (Microsoft Office Open XML Formats)

    • Graphical User Interface

    The new result-oriented user interface, "Ribbon", will be featured in the core applications of Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and the mail editor of Outlook. These applications have been selected for the User Interface overhaul, because those applications center around document authoring and present a multitude of options to the same regard. The rest of the applications in the suite will also eventually be upgraded to the new User Interface. According to Microsoft, the new User Interface centers on the principle of helping people focus on what they want to do, rather than bothering with the details of how to do it.

    The Ribbon, a panel that houses the command buttons and icons, organizes commands as a set of Tabs, each grouping relevant commands. Each application has a different set of tabs which expose the functionality that application offers. For example, while Excel has a tab for the Graphing capabilities, Word does not feature the same. Instead it has tabs to control the formatting of the document. Within each tab, various related options may be grouped together. The Ribbon is designed to make the features of the application more discoverable and accessible with fewer mouse clicks as compared to the menu-based User Interface used until Office 2003.

    Some tabs, called Contexual Tabs, appear only when certain objects are selected. Contexual Tabs expose functionality specific only to the object with focus. For example, selecting a picture brings up the Pictures tab, which presents options for dealing with the picture. Similarly, focusing on a table exposes table-related options in a specific tab. Contexual tabs remain hidden when the object it works on are not selected.

    Debuting in Office 2007 is the "Office button". It replaces the File menu and provides access to functionality common across all Office applications, including but not limited to Opening, Saving, Printing, and Sharing a file. Users can also choose color schemes for the interface.

    XML File Formats

    Microsoft Office will use a new file format, OpenXML as the default file format. It is based on XML and uses the ZIP file container. According to Microsoft, this file format, which is compressed, will be up to 75% smaller than the current Microsoft Office file formats. XML will also allow Office files to be read by non-Microcrosoft products and systems with little to no configuration, which will help to tear down barriers for collaboration with other institutions. An important point to remember is that these new file types will be new file extensions and not the old ones that we are used to (i.e.: .doc, .xls, .ppt). Therefore Office 2003/XP users will need to have a converter installed on their PC to read these file types until everyone is moved over to the new Office suite. Office 2007, however will not need a special converter and will be able to read any of the older file formats "out of the box".

    We would like to make this Office 2007 deployment as seamless as possible, so being familiar with the suite will benefit your office and the entire HSC. Please feel free to stop by Microsoft's site and take a test drive today!