Importing external XML Data

[ZAK]

I have data in the form of data tables stored in and being passed around in
XML using WFC but being serailised as XML files.

I would like to simply show this data via a Word template. Formatting the
data into Word tables, this would very much a kin to using word as a
reporting tool.

I have looked at varoius examples but I can't find anything without
droppping into code that can take an XML file , transform it into a word
table. I prefer to find a way that user can modify the look and feel without
having to resort to code.

It would be great to use a custom control combox to vary what is displayed
in the table, I have seen examples of combo bxes that can change an image
but not a table.

In searching I come across a lot in Word 2003 but not so many tools for
2007, is there a reason for this ?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

I have looked at varoius examples but I can't find anything without

droppping into code that can take an XML file , transform it into a word
table. I prefer to find a way that user can modify the look and feel without
having to resort to code.

I don't think you can avoid code either.

AFAIK the only /built-in/ features that let you insert transformed XML are
a. the INCLUDETEXT field. Although it has some XML-related features
they are staggeringly badly documented, to the point where it is
impossible to see what the field is supposed to be able to do, and I
suspect the facility that is there is the result of an abandoned
experiment rather than any serious attempt to provide a useful feature.
The field syntax makes it far too hard for non-techie end users anyway.
b. "open an XML document via a transform". If you are have good XSLT
skills I suppose it might be possible to write a more general-purpose
transform that could transform any simple XML file into a tabular format
(I have only ever done stuff that knows what columns are in the source
document). If you could do that, then I guess you could write a variety
of such transforms and and wrap them inside a dialog for the user. But
that's more code, and I'm not sure the mechanics would be straightforward.

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk