F
funnybroad
Compatibility mode in Office 2007 behaves differently across the applications
(Word, Excel & PowerPoint). Is this by design, or is this a Microsoft
oversight? Will it be addressed in an update or do we have to wait for the
next release of Office?
It would be nice from an end-user training perspective if they could behave
the same, especially when dealing with the same features (like SmartArt).
The following illustrates the difference in Compatibility Mode behavior
between Word and Excel using the same new feature (SmartArt) as an example:
In Word 2007 & Excel 2007, set your default save/as option to the 97-2003
format.
Start a new document in each app with Office Button / New.
Note the differences in the [Compatibility Mode] indicator:
Word: No indicator. You must save the new doc in 97-2003 format
before you will see [Compatibility Mode].
Excel: Because you set your default save/as option to the 97-2003
formats, you will always see the [Compatibility Mode] indicator when you
start a new workbook. It will be there until you 1) save in the new format
and then 2) close and re-open the file.
Now insert a SmartArt object in each new file you just started. Save each
file in the legacy 97-2003 format, but keep the files open:
Note the ability to continue modifying the SmartArt object after saving to
legacy 97-2003 format, but keeping the file open:
Word: You can’t. You must save the file to the new 2007 .docx
format. But in this case, you don’t have to close it and re-open it to be
able to modify the SmartArt object again.
Excel: You can. No matter what format you save in, you can keep
modifying the object using Smart/Art if you keep the file open.
Now close each file in the legacy formats, and re-open them.
Note the ability to continue modifying the SmartArt object after saving the
file in Legacy format, closing, then re-opening:
Word: You can’t. You have to save the file again to the new 2007
..docx format, CLOSE IT, then re-open it again before you can modify the
SmartArt object again.
Excel: You can immediately begin modifying the SmartArt object
using the new feature.
Now save each file containing the SmartArt objects to the new formats (.docx
& .xlsx).
With the 2003 -->2007 compatibility pack installed, open each file in the
new formats in Word 2003 and Excel 2003.
Note the behavior differences upon opening:
Word: You get a notice regarding compatibility, but the file opens
as normal.
Excel: You get a notice regarding compatibility, BUT the file opens
in “read-only mode to protect the original fileâ€. To modify this file in
Excel 2003, you have to save it to another location, or save it to a new
filename.
Now without making any modifications to the SmartArt image in the 2003 apps,
save each file back to the new formats (.docx & .xlsx). Then open each file
in Word 2007 and Excel 2007.
Note the differences in the [Compatibility Mode] indicator, and the ability
to modify the SmartArt Object:
Word: [Compatibility Mode] indicator is on, and SmartArt Object is
not editable until you save the file again in the new format, close it, and
re-open it.
Excel: [Compatibility Mode] indicator is not on, however, you can
immediately begin modifying the SmartArt object using the new feature.
(Word, Excel & PowerPoint). Is this by design, or is this a Microsoft
oversight? Will it be addressed in an update or do we have to wait for the
next release of Office?
It would be nice from an end-user training perspective if they could behave
the same, especially when dealing with the same features (like SmartArt).
The following illustrates the difference in Compatibility Mode behavior
between Word and Excel using the same new feature (SmartArt) as an example:
In Word 2007 & Excel 2007, set your default save/as option to the 97-2003
format.
Start a new document in each app with Office Button / New.
Note the differences in the [Compatibility Mode] indicator:
Word: No indicator. You must save the new doc in 97-2003 format
before you will see [Compatibility Mode].
Excel: Because you set your default save/as option to the 97-2003
formats, you will always see the [Compatibility Mode] indicator when you
start a new workbook. It will be there until you 1) save in the new format
and then 2) close and re-open the file.
Now insert a SmartArt object in each new file you just started. Save each
file in the legacy 97-2003 format, but keep the files open:
Note the ability to continue modifying the SmartArt object after saving to
legacy 97-2003 format, but keeping the file open:
Word: You can’t. You must save the file to the new 2007 .docx
format. But in this case, you don’t have to close it and re-open it to be
able to modify the SmartArt object again.
Excel: You can. No matter what format you save in, you can keep
modifying the object using Smart/Art if you keep the file open.
Now close each file in the legacy formats, and re-open them.
Note the ability to continue modifying the SmartArt object after saving the
file in Legacy format, closing, then re-opening:
Word: You can’t. You have to save the file again to the new 2007
..docx format, CLOSE IT, then re-open it again before you can modify the
SmartArt object again.
Excel: You can immediately begin modifying the SmartArt object
using the new feature.
Now save each file containing the SmartArt objects to the new formats (.docx
& .xlsx).
With the 2003 -->2007 compatibility pack installed, open each file in the
new formats in Word 2003 and Excel 2003.
Note the behavior differences upon opening:
Word: You get a notice regarding compatibility, but the file opens
as normal.
Excel: You get a notice regarding compatibility, BUT the file opens
in “read-only mode to protect the original fileâ€. To modify this file in
Excel 2003, you have to save it to another location, or save it to a new
filename.
Now without making any modifications to the SmartArt image in the 2003 apps,
save each file back to the new formats (.docx & .xlsx). Then open each file
in Word 2007 and Excel 2007.
Note the differences in the [Compatibility Mode] indicator, and the ability
to modify the SmartArt Object:
Word: [Compatibility Mode] indicator is on, and SmartArt Object is
not editable until you save the file again in the new format, close it, and
re-open it.
Excel: [Compatibility Mode] indicator is not on, however, you can
immediately begin modifying the SmartArt object using the new feature.