Microsoft hat den ersten CTP für VSTO (Visual Studio Tools for Office) für Office 12 (2007?) zum Download freigegeben.

The Excel XML Toolbox for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 provides many useful tools for working with XML in Excel.

This toolbox helps developers in a number of ways:

Working with Custom-defined XML Schema

• Reload schema into workbooks while preserving cell mappings.
• Build a schema or add to an existing schema, directly from Excel.
• View the schema for XML maps stored within workbooks.

Working with XML and the Excel Object Model

• Quickly refresh all XML maps with bound data sources.
• Refresh XML maps with bound data sources and persist cell formulas for mapped cells.
• Use a new XML Range Properties tool to view XML mapped cell properties and to copy the XPath or Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) statement to the Clipboard.
• View the exportable XML data without exporting.

Working with SpreadsheetML

• Quickly save the workbook as SpreadsheetML.
• View the SpreadsheetML for the active workbook.

Shortcuts and More

• Quickly open and close the XML Source task pane.
• Turn on and off the borders for XML mapped cells.
• Import and export XML.

Barry Garvin hat eine Liste von Dokumenten zu VSTO 2005 für Outlook zusammengestellt.

"The .NET Show: Smart Clients" zeigt, wie cool Smart Client Entwicklung mit Visual Studio 2005 und Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Beta (VSTO 2005) wird. Ich bin begeistert.

Allerdings stellt sich hier für mich die Frage nach der Existenzberechtigung klassischer Web-Anwendungen...