By default, Microsoft Word 2007 and the new version 2010 create files in the .docx format. Therefore, unless you save files in compatibility mode, you will not be able to open those files in previous versions of MS-Word. Word 2003 will simply not recognize .docx files, and the result is an error message.
For translators, technical writers and other professionals dealing with distributed content creation and management such file format differences have some important implications. For example, it happens often that in times when multiple versions of file formats exist, a translator needs to be prepared to deal with all these versions, not just the newest version.
This does not only apply to Microsoft's file formats, just look at Adobe's ever-changing formats on anything from Framemaker to Photoshop.
Ideally, a file that is created in one version should remain in that version throughout the entire translation and editing process. But that is wishful thinking. Not everyone along the "food chain" is using the same tools or versions. Some reasons:
- Authoring software of different versions often cannot co-exist on the same computer;
- Having multiple versions of such software on different computers can lead to a breach of the licensing agreement if the newer version was obtained as an upgrade from the previous one;
- Sharing of common files between different versions of an authoring software is not always possible.
- For translators, translation memory software is expensive and most translators do not have the licenses to spare for each computer only to maintain compatibility.
This article will outline some of the options and issues when dealing with the file formats in older versions of Microsoft Office (Office XP, 2000, 2003) and the new 2007 and 2010 versions.
Files in Microsoft Office 2007's and 2010's native format are a combination of compression and XML. (You can test this by renaming a .docx file to .zip - opening the "zip" will reveal a number of XML files plus some other file formats). This applies to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files. To make identification a little easier and to indicate the XML nature of these files Microsoft has added an "x" to the file extension: "sample.doc" becomes "sample.docx",
To help with such file format changes, Microsoft is providing a tool in the form of a “Compatibility Pack”.
The Compatibility Pack for MS-Word allows you to open .docx files even though you don't have the current MS-Office 2007 or Office 2010. It also helps with .xlsx (MS-Excel 2007, 2010) and .pptx (MS-PowerPoint 2007, 2010) files.The tool is available for download, completely free of cost, through MS-Office Online service. The only requirement is that a previous version of any of these Office programs is installed on the computer.
After installing, the file converter allows opening files from different versions. The Microsoft knowledgebase article 924074 contains a list of file formats that can be opened, edited and saved.
However, when saving files, the converted file does not offer all services and options provided by Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010: in fact a number of services and options are restricted, or altered completely.
These restrictions include the following:
Themes - The themes are irreversibly converted to styles when you open a Word 2007 or 2010 file using the Compatibility Pack. This cannot be automatically corrected, even if you open the file later in the new versions of MS-Word.
Equations – This feature is new in MS-Word 2007 and 2010, and was not present in previous versions. So, if equations are displayed in text format, these may not show up correctly.
Content controls, bibliography, citations, placeholder text – These elements vary greatly in structure in Word 2007 and 2010 from previous versions. The Compatibility Pack automatically converts these into static text, in order to avoid visual anomalies.
Fonts – These are permanently and irreversibly changed to static formatting. If you open the file later in Word 2007, the fonts will not be automatically converted to another style.
Be aware of these changes before sending edited files back to your client and notify them if you needed to use the file converter.
In spite of these limitations, the Compatibility Pack is an invaluable tool that helps those who do not have MS-Word 2007 or newer to access .docx files. If you own a copy of MS-Office 2003 and have to work with .docx files on a regular basis, the Compatibility Pack may be your best bet.