The REST API will abstract the aforementioned implementation details from the service client. Under the covers, this API will be dependent on two Office technologies:ġ) Open Office XML SDK: This SDK allows XML mapping to be replaced by data supplied by underlying data feeds.Ģ) Word Automation Service: This service is part of SharePoint and offers a highly scalable, server-side approach for converting Microsoft Word documents into other formats such as PDF. Additionally, the templates can be changed without impacting the clients. The benefit of this approach is that service clients don’t need hard-coded template details. So what do we mean by “self-descriptive” API? In addition to providing methods to generate documents by passing in the required data, the API will also provide a machine readable description of all the parameters needed by a given template. Since the API will be self-describing using the REST/Hypermedia pattern, we expect that it can be callable from any existing or new service applications. This API would support both interactive and batch-oriented document generation.
Our recommended approach would be to provide a clean separation between template creation and document generation using a well-defined REST based API. When the new document is opened, the placeholder content controls in the document are populated with business data from the underlying data feed. Once the mapping is in place, new documents are then programmatically generated as copies of the template document. It is possible to map elements of the XML tree to the content controls contained within the document.
Within the pane on the right, is a XML tree structure (this could be the schema returned by the underlying Policy service). These include text blocks, drop-down menus, combo boxes, calendar controls, etc.Ĭontent Controls can be bound to XML elements, effectively providing the ability to define the document template using a “semantic markup.” The screenshot pasted below further illustrates this concept. Content Controls allow a document template to be created using pre-defined pieces of content. Starting with Office 2007, Microsoft introduced the notion of Content Controls (a big improvement over the Bookmark Control of Office 2003).
Combining out-of-the-box functionality like Content Controls and Open Office XML SDK with a little customization to your business rules, you can automate template creation, document generation, document conversion and (using SharePoint) allow for Web-based document management. Here we describe a solution for automated document generation using the Microsoft Office system. The requirements are typical of a large-scale document (correspondence) generation system: large-scale generation of documents, ability to author dozens of templates, ability to generate documents by binding the templates to data from business systems, ability to support multiple document formats and ability to create workflows to support the business processes. In the following video, we talk about one such prototype that we put together quickly for a customer of ours. This is especially true if a number of competing solutions are being considered.
#Microsoft word content control software#
Having a “working” piece of software this early (despite all the scaffolding needed to make the prototype work) helps the stakeholders make a decision whether to go with a certain technology set or not. The main objective is to determine if the proposed set of technologies will address the key requirements. At AIS, we are often asked by our customers to put together a quick prototype very early in the envisioning phase of a project.
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