As far as Microsoft is concerned there is little doubt that the Office Open XML standard is the future of the Office System file formats. However, as it is the case with the Windows platform, the Redmond company has to also think of the vast majority of users that still use Office binary file formats, due to the installed base of older releases of its productivity suite that precede Office 2007. One example with which the software giant aims to bridge users of Office 2007 and 2010 with past releases of the Office System is the Binary to Open XML (B2X) Translator, a project designed to drive interoperability for Office binary file formats.

“In support of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to increase the interoperability of its various technologies, we have partnered with Dialogika to create a translator that converts the Microsoft Office binary file formats (.DOC, .XLS, and .PPT) into the Office Open XML standard format (.DOCX, .XLSX, .PPTX),” revealed Sumit Chawla, Microsoft Technical PM/Architect. “A majority of the world’s documents are available in the binary Office formats and, for developers working with these formats (including .DOC, .PPT, and .XLS.), Microsoft published the specifications under the Open Specification Promise (OSP) in June 2008.”

The latest version of the Binary to Open XML (B2X) Translator released is set up to bring to the table support for PowerPoint (.PPT) and Excel (.XLS) formats. One of the best aspects of the Open XML (B2X) Translator is the fact that the C# SourceForge open-source project is designed to stretch beyond the Windows operating system. In this regard, Microsoft explained that the source of B2X translator leveraged the .NET Framework on Windows. This also means that it can take advantage of the equivalent of .NET for Linux, namely Mono, to perform the same range of functions as on the Microsoft proprietary OS.

“As an open source project, the Translator is a solid foundation for engineering work around the Office binary format. Dialogika’s development team has put together a few “how to” guides, including the Freeform Shapes in the Office Drawing Format guide, that helps to explain the specification and give some valuable tips. For developers and ISVs the code of this translator can be reused in their own applications enabling a wide range of document interoperability solutions,” Chawla added.