InfoPath 2003

InfoPath is an XML data tool that lets you see information held in an XML Schema, then modify it and build forms and a user interface around it. It only ships in the Professional Enterprise edition of Office.

For those who need XML document editing and information transport, InfoPath is an amazing tool that radically frees your information from documents. The principle is to allow users to work on structured information as part of a coherent workflow process, and not care where the information came from, what format it's in or where it's going.

Operation is thankfully simple, although a solid understanding of the principles is very much in order. First, you open up an existing XML Schema or create a new one, then create a form in Design mode. Next, select the items you wish to have on this page and wire them up to controls and objects. Applying rules to the form item is sped up considerably thanks to the wealth of supplied templates, covering the standard business processes like time management and invoicing.

This data-management tool is alien to many of us and doesn't fit in with the rest of Office 2003, but it shows Microsoft's continued efforts to bring XML and its principles to the masses.

If all this piques your interest, good for you - take a look at InfoPath, the XML features of Office and all the great XML middle-tier work that's being done today, and stand by to be amazed. If it doesn't, don't be ashamed. Using a word processor for writing letters, or a spreadsheet for doing tables of information, is still perfectly legitimate. However, you'll likely end up using some future child of InfoPath. But you won't care, and nor should you, because by then the concepts will be better integrated into your workspace.

PC Pro's full review of the Microsoft Office System