Apache POI 3.5 Beta 5 Available

Since mid-2007, members of the Apache POI project revealed that they were hard at work, focused on introducing support for the native file formats of the Office 2007 System. With the availability of Apache POI 3.5 Beta, Java developers can leverage support for a variety of file formats associated with the Open XML ISO standard, including DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. For Microsoft, Apache POI 3.5 Beta 5 represents a new avenue for Open XML to reach as much audience as possible, but also yet another step forward on the path to interoperability. And interoperability is critical for the Redmond company especially with Open XML having been standardized internationally as ISO/IEC 29500.

“When developers are tasked to deal with document file formats it might be challenging to do the right thing if you don’t have a good experience with a particular format, and need to crack it open and understand all the details. For Java developers and Microsoft Office file formats there’s a very interesting solution with the Apache POI project, which provides a Java API to access Microsoft Office formats. Last year Microsoft and Sourcesence announced that they would collaborate to add support of the Open XML file format to the Apache POI project, and the resulting Open XML support has been integrated as part of POI 3.5 beta 5,” explained Jean-Christophe Cimetiere, Microsoft Sr. technical evangelist, Interop.

Essentially, Apache POI 3.5 Beta 5 provides a Java application programming interface (API) designed to permit developers to play with Open XML content. According to the Redmond company, Apache POI 3.5 Beta 5 comes to the table with enhanced support for XLSX, while at the same time delivering improvements for DOCX and PPTX. “The end result: Good news for Java developers who need to manipulate the Office Open XML files (.XLSX, .DOCX, .PPTX), because it really makes it easier for them to do the job,” Cimetiere added.

Apache POI 3.5 Beta 5 is available for download here.