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{{Short description|Family of document file formats}}
{{distinguish2|] (another XML document format), ] (a deprecated format used by earlier versions of OpenOffice.org), or ] (a deprecated format used by earlier versions of Microsoft Office)}}
{{Redirect|docx}}
{{Distinguish|OpenDocument|Open Office XML|Microsoft Office XML formats}}
{{stack|
{{Office Open XML}}
{{Infobox file format {{Infobox file format
| name = Office Open XML Document | name = Office Open XML Document
| icon = ] | icon = .docx icon.svg
| logo = | iconcaption = The OOXML Document icon, as appears on the ] web service
| screenshot = | screenshot =
| caption = | caption =
| extension = <tt>.docx</tt> | extension = .docx, .docm
| mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />wordprocessingml.document<ref name="mimetype">{{cite web | mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />wordprocessingml.<br />document<ref name="mimetype">{{cite web | url = https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | title = application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | publisher = ] | access-date = 2024-11-03 | date=2011-02-25 | website = www.iana.org }}</ref>
| type code =
| url=http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/ja-JP/library/f88d06fb-c9a4-413c-a1d3-40c97e340c5a1041.mspx?mfr=true
| uniform type =
| title=Register file extensions on third party servers
| magic =
| author=Microsoft
| owner = ], ], ], ]
| date=
| released = {{Start date and age|2006|12|07|df=yes}}
| accessdate=2008-04-09
| latest release version = 4th edition
| publisher=microsoft.com}}</ref>
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2016|10|26|df=yes}}
| type code =
| uniform type =
| magic =
| owner = ], ]
| released =
| latest release version =
| latest release date =
| genre = ] | genre = ]
| container for = | container for =
| contained by = | contained by =
| extended from = ], ], ] | extended from = ], ], ]
| extended to = | extended to =
| standard = | standard = ECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
| url = , | url = ,
| open = Yes<ref name="ExckertEtZiesing2009">{{cite web
| url=http://regmedia.co.uk/2009/08/20/fokus_odf_ooxml_report.pdf
| title=Document Interoperability: Open Document Format and Office Open XML
|author1=Klaus-Peter Eckert |author2=Jan Henrik Ziesing |author3=Ucheoma Ishionwu | page=90
| publisher=Fraunhofer Verlag}}</ref>
}} }}

{{Infobox file format {{Infobox file format
| name = Office Open XML Presentation | name = Office Open XML Presentation
| icon = ] | icon = .pptx icon.svg
| logo = | logo =
| screenshot = | screenshot =
| caption = | caption =
| extension = <tt>.pptx</tt> | extension = .pptx, .pptm
| mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />presentationml.presentation<ref name="mimetype" /> | mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />presentationml.<br />presentation <ref> {{cite web | url = https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation | title = application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation | publisher = ] | access-date = 2024-11-03 | date=2011-03-14 | website = www.iana.org }} </ref>
| type code = | type code =
| uniform type = | uniform type =
| magic = | magic =
| owner = ], ] | owner = ], ], ], ]
| released = | released = {{Start date and age|2006|12|07|df=yes}}
| latest release version = | latest release version = 3rd edition
| latest release date = | latest release date = {{Start date and age|2011|06|29|df=yes}}
| genre = ] | genre = ]
| container for = | container for =
| contained by = | contained by =
| extended from = ], ] | extended from = ], ]
| extended to = | extended to =
| standard = | standard = ECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
| url = , | url = ,
| open = Yes
}} }}

{{Infobox file format {{Infobox file format
| name = Office Open XML Workbook | name = Office Open XML Workbook
| icon = ] | icon = .xlsx icon.svg
| logo = | logo =
| screenshot = | screenshot =
| caption = | caption =
| extension = <tt>.xlsx</tt> | extension = .xlsx, .xlsm
| mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />spreadsheetml.sheet<ref name="mimetype" /> | mime = application/vnd.<br />openxmlformats-officedocument.<br />spreadsheetml.<br />sheet<ref> {{cite web | url = https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet | title = vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet | publisher = ] | access-date = 2024-11-03 | date=2011-03-16 | website = www.iana.org }} </ref>
| type code = | type code =
| uniform type = | uniform type =
| magic = | magic =
| owner = ], ] | owner = ], ], ], ]
| released = | released = {{Start date and age|2006|12|07|df=yes}} (as Microsoft Open XML)
| latest release version = | latest release version = 3rd edition
| latest release date = | latest release date = {{Start date and age|2011|06|29|df=yes}}
| genre = ] | genre = ]
| container for = | container for =
| contained by = | contained by =
| extended from = ], ], ] | extended from = ], ], ]
| extended to = | extended to =
| standard = | standard = ECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
| url = , | url = ,
| open = Yes
}}
}} }}
'''Office Open XML''' (also referred to as '''OOXML''' or '''OpenXML''') is a ] and ] ] for representing ]s such as ]s, ]s, ]s and ] documents.


'''Office Open XML''' (also informally known as '''OOXML''')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/LibreOffice_OOXML|title=The Document Foundation, LibreOffice and OOXML|access-date=2016-03-22|publisher=]}}</ref> is a ], ]-based ] developed by ] for representing ]s, ]s, ]s and ] documents. ] standardized the initial version as ECMA-376. ] and ] standardized later versions as ISO/IEC 29500.
] originally developed the specification as a successor to its binary ] file formats. The specification was later handed over to ] to be developed as the '''Ecma 376''' standard, under the stewardship of Ecma International Technical Committee TC45. Ecma 376 was published in December 2006<ref name="pr_tc45_dec2006">{{cite press release
| url=http://www.ecma-international.org/news/PressReleases/PR_TC45_Dec2006.htm
| title=Ecma International approves Office Open XML standard
| date=] ]
| accessdate=2006-12-08
| publisher=]
}}</ref> and can be freely downloaded from Ecma International.<ref name="StandardECMA376"></ref>


] provides read support for ECMA-376, full support for ISO/IEC 29500 Transitional, and read support for ISO/IEC 29500 Strict.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/office-2010/cc179190(v=office.14) |title=Overview of the XML file formats in Office 2010 |website=Office 2010 Resource Kit |publisher=Microsoft |date=5 August 2011}}</ref> ] and later fully support ISO/IEC 29500 Strict,<ref name="Office 2013 File Formats">{{cite web |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/office-2013-resource-kit/cc179191(v=office.15) |title=XML file name extension reference for Office 2013 |website=Office 2013 Resource Kit |publisher=Microsoft |date=26 December 2016 }}</ref> but do not use it as the default file format because of backwards compatibility concerns.<ref name="Office 2016 file formats">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000401.shtml|title=XLSX Strict (Office Open XML), ISO 29500-1:2008-2016|website=]|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref>
An amended version of the format, '''DIS 29500''' (Draft International Standard 29500), received the necessary votes for approval as an ]/] Standard as the result of a ] fast tracking standardization process that concluded in ].<ref name="ISOIECapproval">{{cite web
| url=http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1123
| title=ISO/IEC DIS 29500 receives necessary votes for approval as an International Standard
| date=2008-04-02
| publisher=ISO}}</ref> However a formal protest was filed in ] by the ], meaning the standard will not become '''ISO/IEC 29500''' unless and until the appeal has been resolved.<ref name="SouthAfricaProtest">{{cite web
| url=http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=2444
| title=South Africa appeals against ISO’s OOXML decision
| last=Otter
| first=Alastair
| date=2008-05-23
| publisher=Tectonic}}</ref>


==Background== ==Background==
Prior to the 2007 edition, the core applications of the ] software suite (primarily ], ], and ]) by default stored their data in a format known as a ]. Historically, these formats were difficult for other applications to natively interoperate with due to a lack of publicly available information and royalty-free access to the format specifications. More recently, ] has offered these binary format specifications under a royalty-free ] as part of its ].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/840817/en-us#
| title=How to extract information from Office files by using Office file formats and schemas
| publisher=Microsoft
| date=2007-03-27
| accessdate=2007-07-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/interop/docs/officebinaryformats.mspx
| title=Microsoft Office Binary (doc, xls, ppt) File Formats
| publisher=Microsoft
| date=2008-02-15
| accessdate=2008-04-05 }}</ref> While a level of support for the binary formats had been achieved by various applications, full interoperability remained elusive.


In 2000, Microsoft released an initial version of an ]-based format for ], which was incorporated in Office XP. In 2002, a new file format for ] followed.<ref>{{cite web In 2000, Microsoft released an initial version of an ]-based format for Microsoft Excel, which was incorporated in Office XP. In 2002, a new file format for Microsoft Word followed.<ref name="ooxmlhistory">{{cite web|author=Brian Jones|date=2007-01-25|title=History of office XML formats (1998–2006)|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/brian_jones/history-of-office-xml-formats-1998-2006|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-31|website=|publisher=MSDN blogs}}</ref> The Excel and Word formats—known as the ]—were later incorporated into the 2003 release of Microsoft Office.
| url=http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/archive/2007/01/25/office-xml-formats-1998-2006.aspx
| title=History of office XML formats (1998&ndash;2006)
| author=Brian Jones
| Publisher=MSDN blogs
| date=2007-01-25 }} </ref> The Excel and Word formats - known as the ] - were later incorporated into the ] release of ].


Microsoft announced in November 2005 that it would co-sponsor standardization of the new version of their XML-based formats through ] as "Office Open XML".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://news.microsoft.com/2005/11/21/qa-microsoft-co-sponsors-submission-of-office-open-xml-document-formats-to-ecma-international-for-standardization/ | title = Microsoft Co-Sponsors Submission of Office Open XML Document Formats to Ecma International for Standardization | publisher = Microsoft | date = 2005-11-21}}</ref><ref></ref> The presentation was made to Ecma by Microsoft's ] and Isabelle Valet-Harper.<ref></ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ecma-international.org/activities/Office%20Open%20XML%20Formats/TC45_GA_Dez05.pdf/ |title=Slides presented by the TC45 committee to Ecma International |access-date=2011-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021022009/http://www.ecma-international.org/activities/Office%20Open%20XML%20Formats/TC45_GA_Dez05.pdf/ |archive-date=2011-10-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In ], governments and the European Union recommended to Microsoft that they publish and standardize their XML Office formats through a standardization organization.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/2592/5588
| title=TAC approval on conclusions and recommendations on open document formats
| author=Telematics between Administrations Committee based on IDA expert group on open document formats
| publisher=IDABC - European eGovernment Services
| date=2004-05-25
| accessdate=2007-07-30}}</ref> Microsoft announced<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/nov05/11-21Ecma.mspx
| title=Microsoft Co-Sponsors Submission of Office Open XML Document Formats to Ecma International for Standardization
| publisher=Microsoft
| date=2005-11-21}}</ref> in ] ] that it would standardize the new version of their XML-based formats through ], as "Ecma Office Open XML".


==Standardization process==
==File format and structure==
{{Main|Standardization of Office Open XML}}
Office Open XML uses a file package conforming to the ]. This format uses the ] and contains the individual files that form the basis of the document. In addition to Office markup, the package can also include embedded files such as images, videos, or other documents.


Microsoft submitted initial material to ] Technical Committee TC45, where it was standardized to become ECMA-376, approved in December 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ecma-international.org/news/PressReleases/PR_TC45_Dec2006.htm | title = Ecma International approves Office Open XML standard | publisher = Ecma International | date = 2006-12-07}}</ref>
===Document markup languages===
An Office Open XML file may contain several documents encoded in specialized markup languages corresponding to applications within the Microsoft Office product line. Office Open XML defines multiple vocabularies using 27 namespaces and 89 schema modules.


This standard was then fast-tracked in the ] of ISO and IEC. After initially ], an amended version of the format received the necessary votes for approval as an ISO/IEC Standard as the result of a ] fast-tracking standardization process that concluded in April 2008.<ref name="ISOIECapproval">{{cite web | url = https://www.iso.org/news/2008/04/Ref1123.html | title = ISO/IEC DIS 29500 receives necessary votes for approval as an International Standard | date = 2008-04-02 | publisher = ISO}}</ref> The resulting four-part International Standard (designated ISO/IEC 29500:2008) was published in November 2008<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1181 | title = Publication of ISO/IEC 29500:2008, Information technology—Office Open XML formats | date = 2008-11-18 | access-date = 2008-11-19 | publisher = ISO | author = ISO/IEC | archive-date = 2009-07-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090706154539/http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1181 | url-status = dead }}</ref> and can be downloaded from the ].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html | title = Freely Available Standards | publisher = ITTF (ISO/IEC) | date = 2008-11-18 | access-date = 2023-09-26 }}</ref> A technically equivalent set of texts is published by Ecma as ''ECMA-376 Office Open XML File Formats—2nd edition'' (December 2008); they can be downloaded from their website.<ref name="StandardECMA376">{{cite web | url = https://www.ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-376/ | title = Standard ECMA-376 | publisher = Ecma-international.org | access-date = 2009-05-19 }}</ref>
The primary markup languages are:
* WordprocessingML for word-processing
* SpreadsheetML for spreadsheets
* PresentationML for presentations
* ] used for vector drawing, charts, and for example, text art. (additionally, though deprecated, ] is supported for drawing).


The ISO/IEC standardization of Office Open XML was controversial and embittered,<ref name="infoworld-embittered">{{cite news
Shared markup language materials include:
| last=Kirk
* Office Math Markup Language (])
| first=Jeremy
* Extended properties
| title=ISO publishes Office Open XML specification
* Custom properties
| newspaper=]
* Variant Types
| date=19 November 2008
* Custom XML data properties
| url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/2654142/iso-publishes-office-open-xml-specification.html
* Bibliography
| access-date = 12 June 2010}}</ref> with much discussion both about the specification and about the standardization process.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/10/norwegian-standards-body-implodes-over-ooxml-controversy/ |title=Norwegian standards body implodes over OOXML controversy |date=3 October 2008 |publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref> According to '']'', "OOXML was opposed by many on grounds it was unneeded, as software makers could use ] (ODF), a less complicated office software format that was already an international standard."<ref name="infoworld-embittered" /> The same ''InfoWorld'' article reported that ] (which supports the ] format) threatened to leave standards bodies that it said allow dominant corporations like Microsoft to wield undue influence. The article further says that Microsoft was accused of co-opting the standardization process by leaning on countries to ensure that it got enough votes at the ISO/IEC for Office Open XML to pass, although it does not specify exactly who accused Microsoft.<ref name="infoworld-embittered" />


==Licensing==
In addition to the above markup languages custom XML schemas can be used to extend Office Open XML.


Under the Ecma International code of conduct in patent matters,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ecma-international.org/policies/by-ipr/code-of-conduct-in-patent-matters/ | title = Code of Conduct in Patent Matters | publisher = Ecma International}}</ref> participating and approving member organizations of ECMA are required to make their patent rights available on a ] (RAND) basis.
The ] of OOXML emphasizes reducing load time and improving parsing speed. In a test with applications current in April 2007, XML based office documents were slower to load than binary formats.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=480
| title=MS Office 2007 versus Open Office 2.2 shootout
| author=George Ou
| date=2007-04-27
| accessdate=2007-04-27
| publisher=ZDnet.com}}</ref> To enhance performance, OOXML uses very short element names for common elements and spreadsheets save dates as index numbers (starting from 1899 or from 1904). In order to be systematic and generic, OOXML typically uses separate child elements for data and metadata (element names ending in ''Pr'' for ''properties'') rather than using multiple attributes, which allows structured properties. OOXML does not use mixed content but uses elements to put a series of text runs (element name ''r'') into paragraphs (element name ''p''). The result is terse and highly nested in contrast to ], for example, which is fairly flat, designed for humans to write in ] and is more congenial for humans to read.


Holders of patents which concern ISO/IEC International Standards may agree to a standardized license governing the terms under which such patents may be licensed, in accord with the ]/]/] common patent policy.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink/Open/6344764 | title = ISO/IEC/ITU common patent policy}}</ref>
=====Office MathML (OMML)=====
Office Math Markup Language is a mathematical markup language which can be embedded in WordprocessingML, with intrinsic support for including word processing markup like revision markings <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://idippedut.dk/post/2008/01/Do-your-math---OOXML-and-OMML.aspx
| title=Do your math - OOXML and OMML
| date=2008-01-29
| accessdate=2008-02-12
| author=Jesper Lund Stocholm
| publisher=A Mooh Point blog}}</ref>
, footnotes, comments, images and elaborate formatting and styles.<ref>{{Cite web
| url=http://blogs.msdn.com/murrays/archive/2007/06/05/science-and-nature-have-difficulties-with-word-2007-mathematics.aspx
| title=Science and Nature have difficulties with Word 2007 mathematics
| author=Murray Sargent
| publisher=MSDN blogs
| date=2007-06-05
| accessdate=2007-07-31}}</ref>
The OMML format is different from the ] (W3C) ] recommendation that does not support those office features, but is partially compatible<ref>{{Cite web
| url=http://dpcarlisle.blogspot.com/2007/04/xhtml-and-mathml-from-office-20007.html
| title=XHTML and MathML from Office 2007
| author=David Carlisle
| publisher=David Carlisle
| date=2007-05-09
| accessdate=2007-09-20}}</ref> through relatively simple ].


Microsoft, the main contributor to the standard, provided a covenant not to sue<ref>{{cite web | url = https://xml.coverpages.org/ni2006-09-12-a.html | title = Microsoft's Open Specification Promise Eases Web Services Patent Concerns. | date = September 12, 2006 | access-date = 2015-04-18 }}</ref> for its patent licensing. The covenant received a mixed reception, with some like the ] ] criticizing it,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724061306/http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20051202135844482 |title=2 Escape Hatches in MS's Covenant Not to Sue |date=December 4, 2005 |website=]}}</ref> and others such as ], (an attorney and lecturer at ]), endorsing it.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.zdnet.com/article/top-open-source-lawyer-blesses-new-terms-on-microsofts-xml-file-format/ | title = Top open source lawyer blesses new terms on Microsoft's XML file format | first = David | last = Berlind | date = November 28, 2005 | access-date = 2007-01-27 | publisher = ZDNet }}</ref>
=====DrawingML=====
]
DrawingML is the ] used in Office Open XML documents. Its major features are the graphics rendering of text elements, graphical vector based shape elements, graphical tables and charts.


Microsoft has added the format to their '']''<ref name="OSP">{{cite web | title = Microsoft Open Specification Promise | url = https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/dev_center/ms-devcentlp/1c24c7c8-28b0-4ce1-a47d-95fe1ff504bc | publisher = Microsoft | date = 2007-02-15 | access-date = 2015-04-18 }}</ref> in which
The DrawingML table is the third table model in Office Open XML (next to the table models in WordprocessingML and SpreadsheetML) and is optimized for graphical effects and its main use is in presentations created with PresentationML markup.
DrawingML contains graphics effects (like shadows and reflection) that can be used on the different graphical elements that are used in DrawingML.
In DrawingML you can also create 3d effects, for instance to show the different graphical elements through a flexible camera viewpoint.
It is possible to create separate DrawingML theme parts in an Office Open XML package. These themes can then be applied to graphical elements throughout the Office Open XML package.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://openxmldeveloper.org/articles/1970.aspx
| title=Open XML Explained e-book
| author=Wouter Van Vugt
| date=2007-08-13
| accessdate=2007-09-14
| publisher=Openxmldeveloper.org}}</ref>


<blockquote>Microsoft irrevocably promises not to assert any Microsoft Necessary Claims against you for making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or distributing any implementation to the extent it conforms to a Covered Specification </blockquote>
DrawingML is unrelated to the other ] such as ]. These can be converted to DrawingML to include natively in an Office Open XML document. This is a different approach to that of the ] format, which uses a subset of SVG, and includes vector graphics as separate files.


This is limited to applications which do not deviate from the ISO/IEC 29500:2008 or Ecma-376 standard and to parties that do not "file, maintain or voluntarily participate in a patent infringement lawsuit against a Microsoft implementation of such Covered Specification".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/ | title = Ecma formal publications | publisher = Ecma International|quote=Ecma Standards and Technical Reports are made available to all interested persons or organizations, free of charge and licensing restrictions}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.microsoft.com/Interop/osp/default.mspx | title = Microsoft Open Specification Promise | publisher = Microsoft.com}}</ref>
===Container structure===
The Open Specification Promise was included in documents submitted to ISO/IEC in support of the ECMA-376 fast-track submission.<ref name="JTC licensing">{{cite web|url=https://www.jtc1sc34.org/repository/0810c.htm |title=Licensing conditions that Microsoft offers for Office Open XML |publisher=Jtc1sc34.org |date=2006-12-20 |access-date=2009-05-19}}</ref>
{{main|Open Packaging Convention}}
Ecma International asserted that, "The OSP enables both open source and commercial software to implement ".<ref name="ecma-responses-pdf">{{cite web | url = http://www.ecma-international.org/news/TC45_current_work/Ecma%20responses.pdf | title = Microsoft Word&nbsp;— Responses to Comments and Perceived Contradictions.doc | access-date = 2009-09-16}}</ref>
Office Open XML documents are stored in ] (OPC) packages, which are ]s containing ] and other data files, along with a specification of the relationships between them.<ref name="ecma_tc45_white_paper">{{cite web
| url=http://www.ecma-international.org/news/TC45_current_work/OpenXML%20White%20Paper.pdf
| title=Office Open XML Overview
| author=Tom Ngo
| pages=6
| format=PDF
| publisher=Ecma International
| date=] ]
| accessdate=2007-01-23
}}</ref> Depending on the type of the document, the packages have different internal directory structures and names. An application will use the relationships files to locate individual sections (files), with each having accompanying metadata, in particular ] metadata.


==Versions==
A basic package contains an XML file called ''.xml'' at the root, along with three directories: ''_rels'', ''docProps'', and a directory specific for the document type (for example, in a .docx word processing package, there would be a ''word'' directory). The ''word'' directory contains the ''document.xml'' file which is the core content of the document.


The Office Open XML specification exists in several versions.
; .xml : This file describes the contents of the package. It also contains a mapping for file extensions and overrides for specific ]s.
; _rels : This directory contains relationships for the files within the package. To find the relationships for a specific file, look for the ''_rels'' directory that is a sibling of the file, and then for a file that has the original file name with a ''.rels'' appended to it. For example, if the content types file had any relationships, there would be a file called ''.xml.rels'' inside the ''_rels'' directory.
; _rels/.rel : This file is where the package relationships are located. Applications look here first. Viewing in a text editor, one will see it outlines each relationship for that section. In a minimal document containing only the basic ''document.xml'' file, the relationships detailed are ] and ''document.xml''.
; word/document.xml : This file is the main part for any Word document.


=== ECMA-376 1st edition (2006) ===
====Relationships====
The ECMA standard is structured in five parts to meet the needs of different audiences.<ref name="StandardECMA376" />
=====Relationship files in Office Open XML=====
;
An example relationship file (from word/_rels/document.xml.rels)
;Part 1. Fundamentals
:* Vocabulary, notational conventions and abbreviations
:* Summary of primary and supporting markup languages
:* Conformance conditions and interoperability guidelines
:* Constraints within the Open Packaging Conventions that apply to each document type
;
;Part 2. Open Packaging Conventions
:* The ] (OPC), for the package model and physical package, is defined and used by various document types in various applications from multiple vendors.
:* It defines core properties, thumbnails, digital signatures, and authorizations & encryption capabilities for parts or all of the contents in the package.
:* XML schemas for the OPC are declared as XML Schema Definitions (XSD) and (non-normatively) using ] (ISO/IEC 19757-2)
;
;Part 3. Primer
:* Informative (non-normative) introduction to WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, ] and Shared MLs, providing context and illustrating elements through examples and diagrams
:* Describes the custom XML data-storing facility within a package to support integration with business data
;
;Part 4. Markup Language Reference
:* Contains the reference material for WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, Shared MLs and Custom XML Schema, defining every element and attribute including the element hierarchy (parent/child relationships)
:* XML schemas for the markup languages are declared as XSD and (non-normatively) using RELAX NG
:* Defines the custom XML data-storing facility
;
;Part 5. Markup Compatibility and Extensibility
:* Describes extension facilities of OpenXML documents and specifies elements & attributes through which applications can operate across different extensions.


Later versions of the ECMA-376 standard are aligned and technically equivalent to the corresponding ISO standard.
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<Relationships
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/package/2005/06/relationships">
<Relationship Id="rId1"
Type="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/relationships/image"
Target="http://en.wikipedia.org/images/wiki-en.png"
TargetMode="External" />
<Relationship Id="rId2"
Type="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/relationships/hyperlink"
Target="http://www.wikipedia.org"
TargetMode="External" />
</Relationships>
</source>


=== ISO/IEC 29500:2008 ===
As such, images referenced in the document can be found in the relationship file by looking for all relationships that are of type <code><nowiki>http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/relationships/image</nowiki></code>. To change the used image, edit the relationship.
The ISO/IEC standard is structured into four parts:<ref name="StandardIS29500">{{cite web| url=https://www.iso.org/search.html?q=29500&hPP=10&idx=all_en&p=0&hFR%5Bcategory%5D%5B0%5D=standard| title=ISO search for "29500"| publisher=]| date=2009-06-05}}</ref> Parts 1, 2 and 3 are independent standards; for example, Part 2, specifying ], is used by other file formats including ] and ]. Part 4 is to be read as a modification to Part 1, which it requires.


A technically equivalent set of texts is also published by Ecma as ECMA-376 2nd edition (2008).
=====Hyperlink relations=====
The following code shows an example of inline markup for a hyperlink:


;
<source lang="xml">
;Part 1. Fundamentals & Markup Language Reference
<w:hyperlink r:id="rId2" w:history="1" xmlns:r="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships" xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main">
:Consisting of 5560 pages, this part contains:
</source>
:* Conformance definitions
:* Reference material for the XML document markup languages defined by the Standard
:* XML schemas for the document markup languages declared using ] and (non-normatively) ]
:* Defines the foreign markup facilities
;
;Part 2. Open Packaging Conventions
: Consisting of 129 pages, this part contains:
:* A description of the Open Packaging Conventions (package model, physical package)
:* Core properties, ]s and ]s
:* XML schemas for the OPC are declared using ] and (non-normatively) ]
;
;Part 3. Markup Compatibility and Extensibility
: Consisting of 40 pages, this part contains:
:* A description of ''extensions'': elements & attributes which define mechanisms allowing applications to specify alternative means of negotiating content
:* Extensibility rules are expressed using ]
;
;Part 4. Transitional Migration Features
: Consisting of 1464 pages, this part contains:
:* Legacy material such as compatibility settings and the graphics markup language ]
:* A list of syntactic differences between this text and ECMA-376 1st Edition


The standard specifies two levels of document & application conformance, ''strict'' and ''transitional,'' for each of WordprocessingML, PresentationML and SpreadsheetML, and also specifies applications' descriptions of ''base'' and ''full''.
In this example, the URL is represented by "rId2". The actual URL is in the accompanying relationships file, located by the corresponding "rId2" item. Linked images, templates, and other items are referenced in the same way.


===Compatibility between versions===
=====Embedded or linked media file relations=====
The intent of the changes from ECMA-376 1st Edition to ISO/IEC 29500:2008 was that a valid ECMA-376 document would also be a valid ISO 29500 Transitional document;<ref>{{cite web| url=http://idippedut.dk/post/2009/06/23/Re-introducing-onoff-values-to-ST-OnOff-in-OOXML-Part-4.aspx| title=Re-introducing on/off-values to ST-OnOff in OOXML Part 4| access-date=2009-09-29| archive-date=2009-06-26| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626065627/http://idippedut.dk/post/2009/06/23/Re-introducing-onoff-values-to-ST-OnOff-in-OOXML-Part-4.aspx| url-status=dead}}</ref> however, at least one change introduced at the BRM—refusing to allow further values for xsd:boolean—had the effect of breaking backwards-compatibility for most documents.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.adjb.net/post/OOXML-and-Office-2007-Conformance-a-Smoke-Test.aspx| title=OOXML and Office 2007 Conformance: a Smoke Test| access-date=2009-09-29| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428091855/http://www.adjb.net/post/OOXML-and-Office-2007-Conformance-a-Smoke-Test.aspx| archive-date=2010-04-28| url-status=dead}}</ref> A fix for this had been suggested to ]/WG 4, and was approved in June 2009 as a recommendation for the first revision to Office Open XML.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://kikaku.itscj.ipsj.or.jp/sc34/open/1239.pdf| title=Minutes of the Copenhagen Meeting of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34/WG4| date=2009-06-22| access-date=2009-09-29| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512224125/http://kikaku.itscj.ipsj.or.jp/sc34/open/1239.pdf| archive-date=2014-05-12| url-status=dead}} page 15</ref>
Pictures can be embedded or linked using a tag:


Applications capable of reading documents compliant to ECMA-376 Edition 1 would regard ISO/IEC 29500-4 Transitional documents containing ] dates as corrupt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kikaku.itscj.ipsj.or.jp/sc34/wg4/archive/sc34-wg4-2011-0173.zip |format=PDF |title=ISO/IEC 29500-4:2008/Draft Amd2:2011 - Draft - Information technology — Document description and processing languages — Office Open XML File Formats — Part 4: Transitional Migration Features - AMENDMENT 2 |date=2011-03-02 |access-date=2011-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512232105/http://kikaku.itscj.ipsj.or.jp/sc34/wg4/archive/sc34-wg4-2011-0173.zip |archive-date=2014-05-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<source lang="xml">
<v:imagedata w:rel="rId1" o:title="example" />
</source>

This is the reference to the image file. All references are managed via relationships. For example, a document.xml has a relationship to the image. There is a _rels directory in the same directory as document.xml, inside _rels is a file called document.xml.rels. In this file there will be a relationship definition that contains type, ID and location. The ID is the referenced ID used in the XML document. The type will be a reference schema definition for the media type and the location will be an internal location within the ZIP package or an external location defined with a URL.

==Structure of the standard==
To aid the reader's understanding, the Office Open XML specification contains both normative material and informative material. It is structured in five parts to meet the needs of different audiences.<ref name="StandardECMA376" />

*'''Part 1: Fundamentals'''
**Vocabulary, notational conventions and abbreviations
**Summary of primary and supporting markup languages
**Conformance conditions and interoperability guidelines
**Constraints within the Open Packaging Conventions that apply to each document type

*'''Part 2: Open Packaging Conventions'''
**Defines the Open Packaging Conventions (package model, physical package)
**Defines core properties, ]s and ]s
**XML schemas for the OPC are declared as ] (XSD) and (non-normatively) using ] (ISO/IEC 19757-2)

*'''Part 3: Primer'''
**Informative (non-normative) introduction to WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, VML and Shared MLs, providing context and illustrating elements through examples and diagrams
**Describes the custom XML data storing facility within a package to support integration with business data

*'''Part 4: Markup Language Reference'''
**Contains the reference material for WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, Shared MLs and Custom XML Schema, defining every element and attribute including the element hierarchy (parent/child relationships)
**XML schemas for the markup languages are declared as XSD and (non-normatively) using RELAX NG
**Defines the custom XML data storing facility

*'''Part 5: Markup Compatibility and Extensibility'''
**Describes extension facilities of OpenXML documents and specifies elements and attributes by which applications with different extensions can interoperate
**Extensibility rules are expressed using ] (ISO/IEC 19757-4)

==Licensing==
===Reasonable and Non Discriminatory===
] provides specifications that "can be freely copied by all interested parties without restrictions".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.ecma-international.org/memento/index.html
|title=What is Ecma International
|Publisher=Ecma International}}</ref> Under the , participating and approving member organisations are required to make available their patent rights on a ] (RAND) basis. While making patent rights available on a RAND basis is considered a common minimum patent condition for a standard, international standardization has a clear preference for royalty-free patent licensing. That is why Microsoft, a main contributor to the standard, provided a ''Covenant Not to Sue''<ref>{{cite web
| title=Microsoft Covenant Regarding Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/office/xml/covenant.mspx
| publisher=Microsoft
| accessdate=2006-07-11
}}</ref> for its patent licensing. The covenant received a mixed reception, with some (like the ] blog) identifying problems<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20051202135844482
| title=2 Escape Hatches in MS's Covenant Not to Sue
| accessdate=2007-01-29
| publisher=Groklaw
}}</ref> and others (such as ], an attorney and lecturer at Stanford Law School) endorsing it.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2192
| title=Top open source lawyer blesses new terms on Microsoft’s XML file format
| first=David
| last=Berlind
| date=] ]
| accessdate=2007-01-27
| publisher=ZDNet
}}</ref>

===Open Specification Promise===
{{main|Open Specification Promise}}

Microsoft also added the format to their '']''<ref name="OSP">{{cite web
| title=Microsoft Open Specification Promise
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/interop/osp/default.mspx
| publisher=Microsoft
| date=2006-09-12
| accessdate=2007-04-22
| }} </ref> in which
<blockquote>Microsoft irrevocably promises not to assert any Microsoft Necessary Claims against you for making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or distributing any implementation to the extent it conforms to a Covered Specification</blockquote>

subject to certain restrictions. Office Open XML can therefore be used under the ''Covenant Not to Sue'' or the ''Open Specification Promise''.

The Open Specification Promise was included in documents submitted to ISO in support of the Ecma 376 fast track submission.<ref name="JTC licensing"></ref>
Ecma International asserted that, "The OSP enables both open source and commercial software to implement ."<ref name="ecma-responses-pdf"></ref>

In support of the licensing arrangements Microsoft commissioned an analysis from the London legal firm Baker & Mckenzie.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.bakernet.com/NR/rdonlyres/CC54A6B6-79E8-4E0D-B290-C836D5F70867/0/OpenXML.pdf
| title=Standardization and Licensing of Microsoft’s Office Open XML Reference Schema
| author=Baker & McKenzie
| publisher= Baker & Mckenzie
| accessdate=2007-02-01
| year=2006
| month=June}}</ref>

Several standards and OSS licensing experts expressed support in 2006 of the OSP. A 2006 article in Cover Pages quotes ], an attorney and lecturer at Stanford Law School, as saying,
<blockquote>"I'm pleased that this OSP is compatible with free and open source licenses."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2006-09-12-a.html
| title=Microsoft's Open Specification Promise Eases Web Services Patent Concerns.
| date=2006-09-12
| publisher=xml.coverpages.org}}</ref> </blockquote> In 2006 <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.computerbuyer.co.uk/buyer/news/93789/microsoft-promises-to-hang-patent-fire-over-web-services.html
| title=Microsoft promises to hang patent fire over web services
| date=2006-09-12}}</ref> </blockquote>, ]; a lawyer and member of the board of the Software Freedom Law Center, and former employee of Linux vendor ]; has said,

<blockquote>"Red Hat believes that the text of the OSP gives sufficient flexibility to implement the listed specifications in software licensed under free and open source licenses. We commend Microsoft’s efforts to reach out to representatives from the open source community and solicit their feedback on this text, and Microsoft's willingness to make modifications in response to our comments."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/interop/osp/default.mspx#EOHAC
| title=Microsoft Open Specification Promise}}</ref></blockquote>

Standards lawyer Andy Updegrove said in 2006 the Open Specification Promise was

<blockquote>"what I consider to be a highly desirable tool for facilitating the implementation of open standards, in particular where those standards are of interest to the open source community."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.devsource.com/c/a/Architecture/Microsoft-Promises-Not-to-Sue-over-Web-Services-Specs/
| title=Microsoft Promises Not to Sue over Web Services Specs
| author=Peter Galli
| date=2006-09-12}}</ref></blockquote>
On March 12, 2008 the ], which provides services to protect and advance free software and open source software, has warned of problems with the Open Specification Promise as it relates to OOXML and the ] (GPL).<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.softwarefreedom.org/news/2008/mar/12/osp-gpl/
| title=Software Freedom Law Center Publishes Analysis of Microsoft's Open Specification Promise new article
| publisher= Software Freedom Law Center
| date=March 12, 2008}}</ref> In a published analysis of the promise it states that<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.smartmoney.com/news/pr/index.cfm?story=PR-20080312-002366-1529
| title=Software Freedom Law Center Publishes Analysis of Microsoft's Open Specification Promise
| publisher= Business Wire
| date=March 12, 2008}}</ref>
:*"Because of this narrow definition of the covered specifications, no future versions of any of the specifications are guaranteed to be covered under the OSP."<ref name="Software Freedom Law Center report" />
:*"Any code that implements the specification may also do other things in other contexts, so in effect the OSP does not cover any actual code, only some uses of code."<ref name="Software Freedom Law Center report" />
:*"...it permits implementation under free software licenses so long as the resulting code isn't used freely."<ref name="Software Freedom Law Center report" />
:*"The OSP cannot be relied upon by GPL developers for their implementations not because its provisions conflict with GPL, but because it does not provide the freedom that the GPL requires." <ref name="Software Freedom Law Center report">{{cite web
| url=http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2008/osp-gpl.html
| title=Microsoft's Open Specification Promise: No Assurance for GPL
| publisher= Software Freedom Law Center
| date=March 12, 2008}}</ref>

With Ecma International publishing the specification for free and patents made irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis through the Open Specification Promise, Office Open XML conforms to all characteristics {{Fact|date=May 2008}} of the ].<ref name="IEF">{{cite web
|url=http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/3761
| title=European Interoperability Framework for pan-European eGovernment Services
| author=IDABC - European eGovernment Services
| date=2004
| accessdate=2007-07-30 }}</ref>

==Standardization==
{{main|Standardization of Office Open XML}}

Microsoft's ] is currently an ] standard (Ecma-376, approved on ] ]). The specification entered ] standardization within ]/] as '''DIS 29500''' (Draft International Standard 29500).<ref>, Information technology -- Office Open XML file formats</ref> In a round of voting by ISO/IEC national body members in September 2007, the draft text, which at that time was approximately 6000 pages, was not approved as an ]. A ] has amended the text, and a final decision has been reached on its approval at the end of March 2008, based on the 6000-page text + approximately 2000 pages of proposed amendments, and a promise to add 1400 more pages of XML-format documentation.

On April 2nd, 2008, ISO officially published that the DIS 29500 has been approved for acceptance as an ISO/IEC Standard following a JTC 1 fast tracking standardization process which was marred by dishonest behavior in the Microsoft camp which has resulted in ongoing criminal investigations in some countries.<ref name="ISOIECapproval" /> In accordance with the JTC 1 directives the Project Editor will now create the final text for scrutiny by ITTF and when this is complete the text will be published as '''ISO/IEC 29500'''. No existing implementation appears to conform to the future ISO standard and still unpublished format. Microsoft Office 2007 currently conforms to the pre-ISO ECMA standard version, although Microsoft has said they will base their products on the ISO/IEC version of the specification.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.microsoft.com/interop/letters/ChrisCapOpenLetter.mspx | title = An Open Letter from Chris Capossela, Senior Vice President, Microsoft Office | accessdate = 2008-04-25}}</ref>.


==Application support== ==Application support==
{{Main|List of software that supports Office Open XML}}
:''The list here is not exhaustive. A More exhaustive list of supporting/partial implementations of Office Open XML can be found on .''
Some older versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office are able to read and write <code>.docx</code> files after installation of the free compatibility pack provided by Microsoft,<ref name="omso">{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=32858|title=Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats (Version 3)|publisher=Microsoft|date=2007-06-18|access-date=2018-06-23}}</ref> although some items, such as equations, are converted into images that cannot be edited.<ref>. Office.microsoft.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.</ref>


Starting with ], the Office Open XML file formats have become the default file format<ref name="microsoft.com">{{cite web | url = http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/may08/05-21ExpandedFormatsPR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases | title = Microsoft Expands List of Formats Supported in Microsoft Office | publisher = Microsoft | access-date = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> of ].<ref name="courierpress.com">{{cite web | url = http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/oct/24/microsofts-future-lies-somewhere-beyond-the/ | title = Microsoft's future lies somewhere beyond the Vista by Evansville Courier & Press | publisher = Courierpress.com | access-date = 2009-05-19 | archive-date = 2014-07-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140710192710/http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/oct/24/microsofts-future-lies-somewhere-beyond-the/ | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu">{{cite web | url = http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1795 | title = Rivals Set Their Sights on Microsoft Office: Can They Topple the Giant? - Knowledge@Wharton | publisher = Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu | access-date = 2009-05-19}}</ref> However, due to the changes introduced in the Office Open XML standard, Office 2007 is not wholly in compliance with ISO/IEC 29500:2008.<ref name="notOOXML">{{cite web | author = Andy Updegrove | url = http://consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080521092930864 | title = Microsoft Office 2007 to Support ODF&nbsp;— and not OOXML | date = 21 May 2008 | publisher = ConsortiumInfo.org | access-date = 2009-05-19 | archive-date = 2008-05-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080523233233/http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080521092930864 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
===Implementation ===
] includes support for opening documents of the ISO/IEC 29500:2008-compliant version of Office Open XML, but it can only save documents conforming to the ''transitional'', not the ''strict'', schemas of the specification.<ref name="docx23">{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/04/iso-ooxml-convener-microsofts-format-heading-for-failure.ars |title=ISO OOXML convener: Microsoft's format "heading for failure" |date=2 April 2010 |publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref name="docx22">{{cite web
No application as yet supports the DIS 29500 specification of OOXML, although Microsoft has stated that ] (due 2009) will be the first version of Microsoft Office to do so.<ref></ref> No plans for support of DIS 29500 in ] have been announced.<ref> (David Worthington, ''SDTimes'', 21 May 2008)</ref>
|url=http://www.adjb.net/post/Microsoft-Fails-the-Standards-Test
|title=Microsoft Fails the Standards Test
|work=Where is an end of it?
|last=Brown
|first=Alex
|publisher=Alex Brown's weblog
|date=31 March 2010
|access-date=23 June 2018
}}</ref> Note that the intent of the ISO/IEC is to allow the removal of the transitional variant from the ISO/IEC 29500 standard.<ref name="docx22"/> ] and later fully support ISO/IEC 29500 Strict,<ref name="Office 2013 File Formats">{{cite web |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/office-2013-resource-kit/cc179191(v=office.15) |title=XML file name extension reference for Office 2013 |website=Office 2013 Resource Kit |publisher=Microsoft |date=26 December 2016 }}</ref> but do not use it as the default file format because of backwards compatibility concerns.<ref name="Office 2016 file formats">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000401.shtml|title=XLSX Strict (Office Open XML), ISO 29500-1:2008-2016|website=]|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref>


The Ecma 376 specification of Office Open XML is the default format in Microsoft Office 2007. The ability to read and write Office Open XML format is, however, not limited to Microsoft Office; other office products are also able to read & write this format:
* ] for Online, Mobile and Desktop apps are able to open and save Office Open XML files.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2 November 2020|title=Collabora Online 6.4.0-released|url=https://www.collaboraoffice.com/press-releases/collabora-online-6-4-0-released/}}</ref>
* ] is able to read and write <code>DOCX</code> and <code>XLSX</code> files in its word processor & spreadsheet applications.
* ] is able to open and save Office Open XML files.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url = http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/LibreOffice_OOXML|title = LibreOffice OOXML|access-date = 22 March 2012}}</ref>
* ] from version 3.0 can import Office Open XML files but not save them.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/3.0/#Microsoft_Office_2007_Import_Filters|title = OpenOffice.org 3.0 New Features|date = 2008-10-13|access-date = 2009-10-24}}</ref> Version 3.2 improved this feature with read support even for password-protected Office Open XML files.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/3.2/|title = OpenOffice.org 3.2 New Features|year = 2010|access-date = 2010-11-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/13/openoffice_review| title=OpenOffice 3.2 - now with less Microsoft envy| author=Scott Gilbertson| date=13 February 2010| access-date=18 Feb 2013| publisher=The Register| quote=the ability to open password-protected Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.openoffice.org/development/releases/3.2.0.html| title=3.2.0 (build OOO320_m12) - Release Notes| access-date=18 Feb 2013| quote=Import of password protected Microsoft Office XML files }}</ref>
* The ] fork of OpenOffice could also write OOXML files.
* ] from version 2.2 and later was able to import OOXML files.
* ] is able to import Office Open XML files.
* ], an OpenOffice.org fork for OS X can import, supported saving to OOXML in 2017, NeoOffice was discontinued in 2024.
* ], Online and Desktop editors compatible with OOXML and ] files


Other office products that offer import support for the Office Open XML formats include:
For older versions of Office (2000, XP and 2003) a compatibility pack is provided.<ref>{{cite web
* ] (included with ])
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466
* ]
| title=Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats (Version 3)
* ]
| publisher=Microsoft
* ]
| date=2007-06-18
* ]
| accessdate=2007-09-04 }}</ref> It is available for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and newer operating systems.<ref></ref> The compatibility pack does not require Microsoft Office, but does require Microsoft Windows. It can be used as a standalone converter with products that read Office's older binary formats, such as ].<ref>{{cite web
* ]
| url=http://www.oooninja.com/2008/02/office-compatibility-pack-review.html
* ]
| title=Office Compatibility Pack Review
* ]
| publisher=OpenOffice.org Ninja
* ]
| date=2008-02-06
| accessdate=2008-02-26}}</ref>
* ] supports the Office Open XML format.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Office-2008-for-Mac/dp/B000WR2F2M/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1199396007&sr=8-4
| title=Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
| author=Amazon }}</ref> For older versions of Office on the Mac, a beta release of the Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter is available.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ab66b5bf-37c3-41bb-945e-784782fc582c&DisplayLang=en
|title=Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 0.21 (Beta)
|publisher=Microsoft
|date=2008-03-06}}</ref> Microsoft had previously advised users of Office 2007 to save their files in the old Office binary format.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.msdn.com/macmojo/archive/2006/12/05/converters-coming-free-and-fairly-fast.aspx
| title=Converters Coming! Free and (Fairly) Fast.
| author=sherjo
| publisher=The Office for Mac Team Blog
| date=]
| accessdate=2007-03-18}}</ref>
*] has released version X4 of their Corel ] Office edition that includes extensive support for Office Open XML.<ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1151523326841
| title=WordPerfect Office X4, Do more with words, numbers and ideas
| publisher=Corel
| accessdate=2008-04-18}}</ref>
* ] 6.1 supports Office Open XML on ].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=4b106c1f-51e2-42f0-ba32-69bb7e9a3814
| title=Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1: Upgrade for Microsoft Office 2007 file formats
| publisher=Microsoft
| date=]
| accessdate=2007-11-29}}</ref>
*].'s ] '08 suite has read-only support for Office Open XML word processing, spreadsheet and presentation file formats in ], ] and ] (respectively).<ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/#compatible
| title= Apple - iWork - Pages
| accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.apple.com/iwork/numbers/#compatibility
| title= Apple - iWork - Numbers
| accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url= http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/#share
| title= Apple - iWork - Keynote
| accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref>
*]'s ] supports Office Open XML in OS X Leopard.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/12/8702/
| title = OS X leopard Text Edit to Support Office 2007?
| publisher = uneasysilence
| accessdate = 2007-02-14}} </ref>
* ]'s ] has read-only support for Office Open XML attachments to email.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iPhone_User_Guide.pdf#page=48
| title="iPhone User's Guide"
| format=PDF
| publisher=Apple, Inc. }}</ref>
* ]'s MapForce includes support for data integration based on the OOXML spreadsheet data format.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.altova.com/Version2008R2_042908.html
| title=Altova Announces Version 2008 Release 2 of its Software Product Line
| accessdate=2008-04-29}}</ref>
* ]'s StyleVision adds Word 2007 (OOXML) capabilities to its graphical stylesheet design tool.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.altova.com/StyleVisionOOXML_v2008r2_050108.html
| title=Altova Adds Word 2007 (OOXML) Capabilities to its Graphical Stylesheet Design Tool and Cuts the Price to Ease Adoption
| 2008-05-01}}</ref>
* ]'s DiffDog supports detailed differencing for OOXML and ZIP archive file pairs.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.altova.com/Version2008R2_042908.html
| title=Altova Announces Version 2008 Release 2 of its Software Product Line
| accessdate=2008-04-29}}</ref>
* The online ] supports Office Open XML word processing files, and will support spreadsheets and presentation files in the future.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://product.thinkfree.com/Docxsupport.html
| title=Power Edit MS Word 2007 (DOCX) Support
| accessdate=2007-10-09}}</ref>
*] has limited SpreadsheetML support.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric/announcements/1.8/gnumeric-1.8.shtml
| title=Gnumeric 1.8 is Here!
| publisher=www.gnome.org
| accessdate=2008-01-28}}</ref>
*], a mobile office suite for ] and ], supports Office Open XML.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.quickoffice.com/
| title=QuickOffice}}</ref>
* ]' DocumentsToGo for ] supports Office Open XML documents.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/premium/index.html
| title="DocumentsToGo for PalmOS Premium Edition"
| publisher=Dataviz}}</ref>
* Datawatch supports Office Open XML spreadsheets in its report ] tool Monarch v9.0.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.datawatch.com/datawatch/news.asp?display=detail&id=128
| title=Datawatch Announces Availability of Monarch V.9.0; Supports Microsoft Windows Vista and Extends Excel Capabilities
| Author=Datawatch
| Publisher=Datawatch.com
| date=]}}</ref>
* Intergen has released a ] plugin that allows Office Open XML word processing files to be viewed within a web browser.<ref></ref>
* ] supports Office Open XML when used with the .<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.oooninja.com/2008/01/openxml-translator-odf-converter-11.html
| title=odf-converter 1.1 released
| author =andrew z
| date=]
| publisher=OpenOffice.org Ninja}}</ref> The translator works with SuSe Linux, some versions of (K)ubuntu and Novell OpenOffice.org 2.3 for ]. It can be used from the command line.<ref name="commandline"></ref>
* The Mac OS X-based ] office suite has supported Office Open XML since version 2.1.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://trinity.neooffice.org/index.php
| title=NeoOffice 2.2.1 for Mac OS X Released
| date=]
| accessdate=2007-10-09
| publisher=trinity.neooffice.org}}</ref>
* Online word processor ] has added support for Office Open XML Wordprocessing files.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.zoho.com/writer/zoho-writer-update-docx-support-thesaurus-group-sharing-more/
| title=Zoho Writer Update: DocX Support, Thesaurus, Group Sharing & More
| author=Raju Vegesna
| date=]}}</ref>
* Xpertdoc Studio is a document merge and assembly product which generates Office Open XML Wordprocessing files from any platform supporting DotNet or the Java language.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.Xpertdoc.com
| title=Xpertdoc support for OpenXML
| author=Francis Dion
| date=]}}</ref>


== See also ==
===Filters and converters===
* ]
* ] includes xmlfilter which is the code that OpenOffice.org 3 will use to process Office Open XML files, and xmlfilter is completely different than OdfConverter<ref>{{cite web
* ]
| url=http://www.oooninja.com/2008/02/word-2007-docx-converter-oxygenoffice.html
* ]
| title=OxygenOffice as a Word 2007 (.docx) converter
* ]
| publisher=OpenOffice.org Ninja
| date=2008-02-25
| accessdate=2008-02-26}}</ref>. This filter however is only for importing OOXML files not for exporting them.
* ''docXConverter'' by ] Ltd. converts from WordprocessingML to ] (RTF) and from SpreadsheetML to ] (CSV). docXConverter can be used to transfer WordprocessingML data to other applications that read RTF data such as Word 97.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.panergy-software.com/products/docxconverter/features.html
| title=docXConverter - Features
| publisher=panergy
| accessdate=2007-01-31}}</ref>
* Microsoft and Sonata Software created a plugin to convert Office Open XML text documents to ] XML, a and open standard format used for creating spoken document for disabled people. <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/daisy/
| title=Easily Translate Open XML to DAISY XML Standards
| publisher=openxmlcommunity.org
| acessdate=2008-05-15}}</ref>
* ] supports direct ] view of Office Open XML files. Found files can be viewed directly in a converted HTML view.<ref>
{{cite web
| url=http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/archive/2008/01/17/google-support-for-open-xml-formats.aspx
| title=Google support for Open XML formats
| author=Brian Jones
| date=2008-01-17}}</ref>


==References==
===Other products===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
*] ], an XML editor for modeling, editing, transforming, and debugging XML technologies supports Office Open XML file formats<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.altova.com/OOXML_060407.html
| title=Altova XMLSpy Now Supports New ECMA Office Open XML File Formats
| publisher=Altova
| accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref>
*] ] Professional 16, an ] and Document Conversion Software, was the first desktop OCR application to provide native support for the Office Open XML standard.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.nuance.com/news/pressreleases/2007/20070731_op16.asp
| title=Nuance Unveils OmniPage Professional 16
| publisher=Nuance Communications
| accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref>


==Further reading==
=== Planned and beta software ===
{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
{{future software}}
* {{cite web
|url = https://www.ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-376/
|title = Standard ECMA-376: Office Open XML File Formats; 1st edition (December 2006) and 2nd edition (December 2008)
|work = ECMA Standards
|publisher = ]
|access-date = 21 October 2010
}}
* {{cite web
|url = https://www.iso.org/committee/45374/x/catalogue/
|title = JTC 1/SC 34 - Document description and processing languages
|work = ]
|publisher = ]
|access-date = 21 October 2010
}}
* {{cite web
|url = https://www.iso.org/iso/faqs_isoiec29500
|title = FAQs on ISO/IEC 29500
|work = ISO News and Media
|publisher = ]
|access-date = 21 October 2010
}}
* {{cite web
|url=http://www.adjb.net/post/Microsoft-Fails-the-Standards-Test
|title=Microsoft Fails the Standards Test
|work=Where is an end of it?
|last=Brown
|first=Alex
|publisher=Alex Brown's weblog
|date=31 March 2010
|access-date=23 June 2018
}}
* {{cite book
|title = Office 2003 XML: Integrating Office with the Rest of the World
|chapter = Chapter 2: The WordprocessingML Vocabulary
|chapter-url = http://oreilly.com/catalog/officexml/chapter/ch02.pdf
|first1 = Evan
|last1 = Lenz
|first2 = Mary
|last2 = McRae
|first3 = Simon
|last3 = St.Laurent
|publisher = ]
|date = May 2004
|isbn = 978-0-596-00538-2
|url-access = registration
|url = https://archive.org/details/office2003xml00simo
}}
* {{cite web
|url = https://wiki.openoffice.org/search/?title=Documentation/FAQ/General/How_do_I_open_Microsoft_Office_2007_files%3F
|title = How do I open Microsoft Office 2007 files?
|work = OpenOffice.org Wiki
|publisher = Oracle
|date = 7 September 2009
|access-date = 21 October 2010
}}
* {{cite web
|url = http://katana.oooninja.com/w/reference_sample_documents
|title = Reference and sample documents
|work = OpenOffice.org Ninja
|date = 8 December 2008
|access-date = 21 October 2010
|archive-date = 24 October 2010
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101024174349/http://katana.oooninja.com/w/reference_sample_documents
|url-status = dead
}}
* {{cite journal
|url = https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1201708
|ssrn = 1201708
|title = Lost in Translation: Interoperability Issues for Open Standards - ODF and OOXML as Examples
|journal = ]
|publisher = Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc
|date = September 2008
|last1 = Shah
|first1 = Rajiv C.
|last2 = Kesan
|first2 = Jay P.
}}
{{Refend}}


==External links==
*] will support Office Open XML in the forthcoming 3.5 release, currently in alpha, which is aiming for a summer release.<ref>
{{Commons category|OOXML}}
{{cite web
*
| url=http://poi.apache.org/
| title=Office Open XML Support
| publisher=Apache POI
| accessdate=2008-04-14}}</ref>
* Office Open XML ], containing a set of ] libraries to create and manipulate OOXML files programmatically, will be shipped by ]. Currently available in a technology preview (CTP) release, version 1.0 will be released in May 2008.<ref name="ooxmlsdkroadmap" /> The shipping version of the SDK will incorporate the changes made to the OOXML specification made during the current ISO/IEC standardization process.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9068198
| title=Microsoft releasing OOXML SDK
| date=2008-03-12
| author=Eric Lai
|Publisher=Computerworld}}</ref> Version 2 of the OOXML SDK will support validating OOXML documents against the OOXML schema, as well as searching in OOXML documents.<ref name="ooxmlsdkroadmap">{{cite web
| url = http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2008/03/13/open-xml-sdk-roadmap.aspx
| author = Doug Mahugh
| publisher = MSDN Blogs
| title = Open XML SDK roadmap
| accessdate = 2008-03-23}}</ref>
*] 3.0 alpha supports Office Open XML.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.oooninja.com/2008/03/openofficeorg-30-new-features.html
| title=OpenOffice.org 3.0's new features, an early look
| date=2008-03-19
| author=Andrew Z}}</ref>
*] (UOF) Open Source Translator is being developed by ] and partners to convert from OOXML to UOF and vice versa.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://uof-translator.sourceforge.net/
| title=UOF OpenXML Translator
| date=2008-04-15}}</ref>


{{ISO standards}}
==Criticism==
{{Ecma International Standards}}
The ] (EC) will look at evidence submitted by ] concerning alleged interoperability problems relating to OOXML, and anti-competitive practices in the schools software market in Britain.<ref name="Register_slaps">{{cite news |title=EC slaps Becta complaint on the Microsoft evidence pile |url=http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/05/14/becta_ec_indirect_investigation/ |publisher='']''
{{Microsoft Office}}
|date=2008-05-14 |accessdate=2008-05-15 }}</ref>
{{Office document file formats}}
Microsoft, whose products use the current version of Office Open XML, has not committed to use the specification for any length of time. According to a Techworld article, "to organisations that need a well-defined, XML-based format to manage huge numbers of documents that may be archived for decades, this is important. These customers want a standard that Microsoft will promise to use - even if it's not convenient for the company's plans."<ref>{{cite web
{{Document markup languages}}
|url=http://www.techworld.com/storage/features/index.cfm?featureid=3685&pagtype=all
{{Authority control}}
|title=Microsoft won't commit to the open document standard it's pushing so hard}}</ref>


]
The ODF Alliance UK Action Group says that with ] there exists already an ISO-standard for Office files and that two competing standards are against the very concept of a standard.<ref name="FSMcriticism">{{cite web
]
| url=http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/odf_ooxml_technical_white_paper
]
| title= ODF/OOXML technical white paper
]
| publisher=Free Software Magazine
]
|date=2 Mai 2007}}</ref>
Further, they argue that the Office Open XML file-format is heavily based on Microsoft's own ] and is thus not vendor-neutral, and that it has inconsistencies with existing ISO standards (time and date format, color codes, etc.)<ref name="FSMcriticism" />

===Specific criticism===
* Use of ] and the transitional-use-only ] instead of ] recommendation ].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://reddevnews.com/features/article.aspx?editorialsid=2356
| title= The X Factor
| publisher=reddevnews.com
|date=October 2007}}</ref> VML did not become a W3C recommendation.<ref></ref>
* Use of ] instead of ] recommendation ].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Microsoft-Office-dumped-by-Science-and-Nature/0,130061733,339278690,00.htm
| title=Microsoft Office dumped by Science and Nature
| publisher=ZDNet Asia
| date=18 June 2007}}</ref>
* Office Open XML does not define a macro language, leaving this aspect to be application-defined.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/14110D406CB0AB11CC2574050004FA06
| title= Microsoft New Zealand’s director of innovation puts the case for a new standard
| publisher=Computerworld
| date=13 March 2008}}</ref>
* The standard is long, with the version submitted to ISO comprising 6546 pages. Google alleges that this length is unnecessary, saying that the ] specification is 867 pages in length and achieves the same goals.<ref name="GooglesPositiononOOXML">{{cite web
| url=http://www.odfalliance.org/resources/Google%20XML%20Q%20%20A%20(2).pdf
| title=Googles position on OOXML}}</ref> That coupled with the fast track standardization process, Google claims, reduces the review time per page ratio.<ref name="GooglesPositiononOOXML" />
* A comparison of some specific items in the format specification documents of Office Open XML and OpenDocument formats is used to claim disharmony within the Office Open XML format.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.robweir.com/blog/2008/03/disharmony-of-ooxml.html
| title= Disharmony of OOXML
| author=Rob Weir
| date=14 March 2008}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ]
* ]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* , Microsoft's site for developers
* Microsoft's site for customers and partners
* {{PDFlink||1.22&nbsp;]<!-- application/pdf, 1282611 bytes -->}}
* , How do I open Microsoft Office 2007 files? Article by OpenOffice.org
*, ISO Standards, ] Information technology, SC 34
*, ISO's FAQ site on DIS 29500
*, the website containing all technical comments submitted prior to the BRM
* , contains a file with fairly complex formatting and can be used to quick check compatibility of an implementation

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Latest revision as of 11:23, 28 December 2024

Family of document file formats "docx" redirects here. For other uses, see docx (disambiguation). Not to be confused with OpenDocument, Open Office XML, or Microsoft Office XML formats.
Office Open XML
Office Open XML Document
The OOXML Document icon, as appears on the Microsoft OneDrive web service
Filename extension .docx, .docm
Internet media type application/vnd.
openxmlformats-officedocument.
wordprocessingml.
document
Developed byMicrosoft, Ecma, ISO, IEC
Initial release7 December 2006; 18 years ago (2006-12-07)
Latest release4th edition
26 October 2016; 8 years ago (2016-10-26)
Type of formatDocument file format
Extended fromXML, DOC, WordProcessingML
StandardECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
Open format?Yes
WebsiteECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500-1:2016
Office Open XML Presentation
Filename extension .pptx, .pptm
Internet media type application/vnd.
openxmlformats-officedocument.
presentationml.
presentation
Developed byMicrosoft, Ecma, ISO, IEC
Initial release7 December 2006; 18 years ago (2006-12-07)
Latest release3rd edition
29 June 2011; 13 years ago (2011-06-29)
Type of formatPresentation
Extended fromXML, PPT
StandardECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
Open format?Yes
WebsiteECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500:2016
Office Open XML Workbook
Filename extension .xlsx, .xlsm
Internet media type application/vnd.
openxmlformats-officedocument.
spreadsheetml.
sheet
Developed byMicrosoft, Ecma, ISO, IEC
Initial release7 December 2006; 18 years ago (2006-12-07) (as Microsoft Open XML)
Latest release3rd edition
29 June 2011; 13 years ago (2011-06-29)
Type of formatSpreadsheet
Extended fromXML, XLS, SpreadsheetML
StandardECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500
Open format?Yes
WebsiteECMA-376, ISO/IEC 29500:2016

Office Open XML (also informally known as OOXML) is a zipped, XML-based file format developed by Microsoft for representing spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents. Ecma International standardized the initial version as ECMA-376. ISO and IEC standardized later versions as ISO/IEC 29500.

Microsoft Office 2010 provides read support for ECMA-376, full support for ISO/IEC 29500 Transitional, and read support for ISO/IEC 29500 Strict. Microsoft Office 2013 and later fully support ISO/IEC 29500 Strict, but do not use it as the default file format because of backwards compatibility concerns.

Background

In 2000, Microsoft released an initial version of an XML-based format for Microsoft Excel, which was incorporated in Office XP. In 2002, a new file format for Microsoft Word followed. The Excel and Word formats—known as the Microsoft Office XML formats—were later incorporated into the 2003 release of Microsoft Office.

Microsoft announced in November 2005 that it would co-sponsor standardization of the new version of their XML-based formats through Ecma International as "Office Open XML". The presentation was made to Ecma by Microsoft's Jean Paoli and Isabelle Valet-Harper.

Standardization process

Main article: Standardization of Office Open XML

Microsoft submitted initial material to Ecma International Technical Committee TC45, where it was standardized to become ECMA-376, approved in December 2006.

This standard was then fast-tracked in the Joint Technical Committee 1 of ISO and IEC. After initially failing to pass, an amended version of the format received the necessary votes for approval as an ISO/IEC Standard as the result of a JTC 1 fast-tracking standardization process that concluded in April 2008. The resulting four-part International Standard (designated ISO/IEC 29500:2008) was published in November 2008 and can be downloaded from the ITTF. A technically equivalent set of texts is published by Ecma as ECMA-376 Office Open XML File Formats—2nd edition (December 2008); they can be downloaded from their website.

The ISO/IEC standardization of Office Open XML was controversial and embittered, with much discussion both about the specification and about the standardization process. According to InfoWorld, "OOXML was opposed by many on grounds it was unneeded, as software makers could use OpenDocument Format (ODF), a less complicated office software format that was already an international standard." The same InfoWorld article reported that IBM (which supports the ODF format) threatened to leave standards bodies that it said allow dominant corporations like Microsoft to wield undue influence. The article further says that Microsoft was accused of co-opting the standardization process by leaning on countries to ensure that it got enough votes at the ISO/IEC for Office Open XML to pass, although it does not specify exactly who accused Microsoft.

Licensing

Under the Ecma International code of conduct in patent matters, participating and approving member organizations of ECMA are required to make their patent rights available on a reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) basis.

Holders of patents which concern ISO/IEC International Standards may agree to a standardized license governing the terms under which such patents may be licensed, in accord with the ISO/IEC/ITU common patent policy.

Microsoft, the main contributor to the standard, provided a covenant not to sue for its patent licensing. The covenant received a mixed reception, with some like the Groklaw blog criticizing it, and others such as Lawrence Rosen, (an attorney and lecturer at Stanford Law School), endorsing it.

Microsoft has added the format to their Open Specification Promise in which

Microsoft irrevocably promises not to assert any Microsoft Necessary Claims against you for making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or distributing any implementation to the extent it conforms to a Covered Specification

This is limited to applications which do not deviate from the ISO/IEC 29500:2008 or Ecma-376 standard and to parties that do not "file, maintain or voluntarily participate in a patent infringement lawsuit against a Microsoft implementation of such Covered Specification". The Open Specification Promise was included in documents submitted to ISO/IEC in support of the ECMA-376 fast-track submission. Ecma International asserted that, "The OSP enables both open source and commercial software to implement ".

Versions

The Office Open XML specification exists in several versions.

ECMA-376 1st edition (2006)

The ECMA standard is structured in five parts to meet the needs of different audiences.

Part 1. Fundamentals
  • Vocabulary, notational conventions and abbreviations
  • Summary of primary and supporting markup languages
  • Conformance conditions and interoperability guidelines
  • Constraints within the Open Packaging Conventions that apply to each document type
Part 2. Open Packaging Conventions
  • The Open Packaging Conventions (OPC), for the package model and physical package, is defined and used by various document types in various applications from multiple vendors.
  • It defines core properties, thumbnails, digital signatures, and authorizations & encryption capabilities for parts or all of the contents in the package.
  • XML schemas for the OPC are declared as XML Schema Definitions (XSD) and (non-normatively) using RELAX NG (ISO/IEC 19757-2)
Part 3. Primer
  • Informative (non-normative) introduction to WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, VML and Shared MLs, providing context and illustrating elements through examples and diagrams
  • Describes the custom XML data-storing facility within a package to support integration with business data
Part 4. Markup Language Reference
  • Contains the reference material for WordprocessingML, SpreadsheetML, PresentationML, DrawingML, Shared MLs and Custom XML Schema, defining every element and attribute including the element hierarchy (parent/child relationships)
  • XML schemas for the markup languages are declared as XSD and (non-normatively) using RELAX NG
  • Defines the custom XML data-storing facility
Part 5. Markup Compatibility and Extensibility
  • Describes extension facilities of OpenXML documents and specifies elements & attributes through which applications can operate across different extensions.

Later versions of the ECMA-376 standard are aligned and technically equivalent to the corresponding ISO standard.

ISO/IEC 29500:2008

The ISO/IEC standard is structured into four parts: Parts 1, 2 and 3 are independent standards; for example, Part 2, specifying Open Packaging Conventions, is used by other file formats including XPS and Design Web Format. Part 4 is to be read as a modification to Part 1, which it requires.

A technically equivalent set of texts is also published by Ecma as ECMA-376 2nd edition (2008).

Part 1. Fundamentals & Markup Language Reference
Consisting of 5560 pages, this part contains:
  • Conformance definitions
  • Reference material for the XML document markup languages defined by the Standard
  • XML schemas for the document markup languages declared using XSD and (non-normatively) RELAX NG
  • Defines the foreign markup facilities
Part 2. Open Packaging Conventions
Consisting of 129 pages, this part contains:
  • A description of the Open Packaging Conventions (package model, physical package)
  • Core properties, thumbnails and digital signatures
  • XML schemas for the OPC are declared using XSD and (non-normatively) RELAX NG
Part 3. Markup Compatibility and Extensibility
Consisting of 40 pages, this part contains:
  • A description of extensions: elements & attributes which define mechanisms allowing applications to specify alternative means of negotiating content
  • Extensibility rules are expressed using NVDL
Part 4. Transitional Migration Features
Consisting of 1464 pages, this part contains:
  • Legacy material such as compatibility settings and the graphics markup language VML
  • A list of syntactic differences between this text and ECMA-376 1st Edition

The standard specifies two levels of document & application conformance, strict and transitional, for each of WordprocessingML, PresentationML and SpreadsheetML, and also specifies applications' descriptions of base and full.

Compatibility between versions

The intent of the changes from ECMA-376 1st Edition to ISO/IEC 29500:2008 was that a valid ECMA-376 document would also be a valid ISO 29500 Transitional document; however, at least one change introduced at the BRM—refusing to allow further values for xsd:boolean—had the effect of breaking backwards-compatibility for most documents. A fix for this had been suggested to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34/WG 4, and was approved in June 2009 as a recommendation for the first revision to Office Open XML.

Applications capable of reading documents compliant to ECMA-376 Edition 1 would regard ISO/IEC 29500-4 Transitional documents containing ISO 8601 dates as corrupt.

Application support

Main article: List of software that supports Office Open XML

Some older versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office are able to read and write .docx files after installation of the free compatibility pack provided by Microsoft, although some items, such as equations, are converted into images that cannot be edited.

Starting with Microsoft Office 2007, the Office Open XML file formats have become the default file format of Microsoft Office. However, due to the changes introduced in the Office Open XML standard, Office 2007 is not wholly in compliance with ISO/IEC 29500:2008. Office 2010 includes support for opening documents of the ISO/IEC 29500:2008-compliant version of Office Open XML, but it can only save documents conforming to the transitional, not the strict, schemas of the specification. Note that the intent of the ISO/IEC is to allow the removal of the transitional variant from the ISO/IEC 29500 standard. Microsoft Office 2013 and later fully support ISO/IEC 29500 Strict, but do not use it as the default file format because of backwards compatibility concerns.

The ability to read and write Office Open XML format is, however, not limited to Microsoft Office; other office products are also able to read & write this format:

  • Collabora Online for Online, Mobile and Desktop apps are able to open and save Office Open XML files.
  • SoftMaker Office 2010 is able to read and write DOCX and XLSX files in its word processor & spreadsheet applications.
  • LibreOffice is able to open and save Office Open XML files.
  • Apache OpenOffice from version 3.0 can import Office Open XML files but not save them. Version 3.2 improved this feature with read support even for password-protected Office Open XML files.
  • The Go-oo fork of OpenOffice could also write OOXML files.
  • KOffice from version 2.2 and later was able to import OOXML files.
  • Calligra Suite is able to import Office Open XML files.
  • NeoOffice, an OpenOffice.org fork for OS X can import, supported saving to OOXML in 2017, NeoOffice was discontinued in 2024.
  • OnlyOffice, Online and Desktop editors compatible with OOXML and OpenDocument files

Other office products that offer import support for the Office Open XML formats include:

See also

References

  1. "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document". www.iana.org. IANA. 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  2. Klaus-Peter Eckert; Jan Henrik Ziesing; Ucheoma Ishionwu. "Document Interoperability: Open Document Format and Office Open XML" (PDF). Fraunhofer Verlag. p. 90.
  3. "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation". www.iana.org. IANA. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. "vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet". www.iana.org. IANA. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  5. "The Document Foundation, LibreOffice and OOXML". The Document Foundation. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  6. "Overview of the XML file formats in Office 2010". Office 2010 Resource Kit. Microsoft. 5 August 2011.
  7. ^ "XML file name extension reference for Office 2013". Office 2013 Resource Kit. Microsoft. 26 December 2016.
  8. ^ "XLSX Strict (Office Open XML), ISO 29500-1:2008-2016". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  9. Brian Jones (2007-01-25). "History of office XML formats (1998–2006)". MSDN blogs. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  10. "Microsoft Co-Sponsors Submission of Office Open XML Document Formats to Ecma International for Standardization". Microsoft. 2005-11-21.
  11. Casson and Ryan, Open Standards, Open Source Adoption in the Public Sector, and Their Relationship to Microsoft’s Market Dominance
  12. Microsoft hands over Office XML specs to Ecma
  13. "Slides presented by the TC45 committee to Ecma International". Archived from the original on 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  14. "Ecma International approves Office Open XML standard". Ecma International. 2006-12-07.
  15. "ISO/IEC DIS 29500 receives necessary votes for approval as an International Standard". ISO. 2008-04-02.
  16. ISO/IEC (2008-11-18). "Publication of ISO/IEC 29500:2008, Information technology—Office Open XML formats". ISO. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
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