Article on “Using Java to Crack Office 2007”

re: Article on “Using Java to Crack Office 2007”

Jeff Moser — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 03:11:34 GMT

Brian,

Thanks for the quick response! If it were at all possible to get the file format converter team(s) to factor that functionality out into a DLL that could be used on the server (for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), it would lead to a great explosion of usage in the type of projects I work on. The clients have have different versions of Office (2000, XP, 2003, 2007) and some of their IT departments either haven't applied the file format compatibility pack, don't know about it, or won't apply it. Even in the case where the client is allowed to install the compatibility pack, it still puts an undue burden on them to open the OpenXML-based file. I love the formats and have been doing great things with them. Unfortunately, this single issue that is preventing me from making use of them on a large scale.

Thanks again for all your posts, technical depth, and transparency on this blog!

Jeff

re: Article on “Using Java to Crack Office 2007”

I'm Brian Jones — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 01:52:25 GMT

Hi Jeff,

We are definitely aware of this scenario, but the only code we currently have for going from doc to docx is Word code which is not built to run on the server.

-Brian

re: Article on “Using Java to Crack Office 2007”

Jeff Moser — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 23:11:07 GMT

I am definitely a big supporter of Open XML and applaud efforts like this and the Open XML SDK. However, there are cases when clients are stuck with Office 2003 and cannot install the compatibility pack due to their current IT policies. Will there be any help from Microsoft in the terms of an SDK where I can read a binary format programmatically, convert it to the Open XML format and work with it using the SDK and then save it back in the binary format? I know I could do that using the Office COM layer, but I'd like to do this on the server level. Preferrably, I'd like a Microsoft solution rather than a third party solution to ensure that the conversion from binary to Open XML and back is optimal.