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Is Anyone Using Office 2007?

The latest version of Microsoft's flagship office suite Office 2007 has been around for a while now but I've yet to come across many people who are using it in business. There are a couple of reasons for this. It's XML based files means the default file format is not immediately backwards compatible (although you can download file viewers from Microsoft's web site) so if you are sharing with users of previous versions you have to make sure you save in a compatible file format, perhaps losing some of the programs' new features. Another significant reason is the steep learning curve for anyone making the transition from an earlier version.

Office 2007 looks very different with the Ribbon replacing the familiar menus and toolbars. My first reaction was "Where have all the tools gone?". Microsoft has worked hard to make its programs far more intuitive and new users will no doubt find learning them a breeze. We old hands are finding the transition a bit more difficult and I was delighted to find that many of my familiar Excel keyboard shortcuts worked in the new version.

But it's certainly worth the effort. Microsoft have done a really good job here and some of the enhancements are stunning. Most of my work is done in Office 2003 because it's what most of my clients and my students use, but I use the new version as much as I can.

VBA programmers will heave a sigh of relief when they find that the Visual basic Editor hasn't changed although there are one or two surprises resulting from beefed-up security. For example SendKeys, the programmer's last resort when all else fails, isn't allowed any more.

Macro Security has changed significantly and is easy to manage when you know how, and my first Office 2007 publication is an addition to my collection of free handouts: Working with Macros and VBA in Excel 2007. Read it to find out all you need to know to get started with Office 2007 VBA.

Pip pip!

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