XML continues to grow more pervasive as both a content and data management solution. It's simply astounding how quickly vendors and corporations are adopting XML as part and parcel of their technology stack. While many technology standards tend to fall into either the developer or the end-user camp, XML is becoming central to both groups. Programmers are using XML to manage data, and end users are leveraging it to manage content and display data. HyperVision's WorX SE is an XML add-in for Microsoft Word that brings XML technology down to the desktop end user.

Background
HyperVision Ltd. is a small Chicago-based company that has traditionally focused on structured authoring, workflow, and document management. HyperVision builds off-the-shelf software and offers professional services to customize its products for individual customers and applications. Founded in 1988 as a consulting services organization, HyperVision has worked with a number of large companies on a variety of projects. Over the past several years they've worked closely with the California Legislative Data Center on a large-scale project involving an advanced e-content solution. HyperVision's WorX SE is the commercial solution that grew out of this effort.

Getting Started with WorX SE
Hypervision's WorX SE product is an e-content authoring solution that works with Microsoft Word. With WorX SE and Word, authors can create both "valid" and "well-formed" XML documents. WorX SE allows you to work in real time within the Word environment and create XML using the visual tools or editing tools of the word processor. It builds on the concept that most users are comfortable formatting documents within Microsoft Word using Word styles. WorX translates these styles into XML documents by using stylesheets. HyperVision doesn't provide a download for WorX SE from their Web site, so you'll have to contact them directly if you want to trial the product. They sent me a link to a download kit for the complete WorX SE product in ZIP format. I was able to unzip the InstallShield kit and install the product in no time. As usual, I failed to look closely at the programs and files that were installed and ran into a few roadblocks getting started.

Installing WorX SE is really a two-part process. First you have to install the product, then you have to run through the Administration tutorial. After a few hiccups I realized that I needed to use the Administrator program to get WorX SE configured.

Working with WorX SE
The Administrator interface sets up the Word templates, Document Type Definitions (DTD), and stylesheets you'll need to get the most out of WorX SE. HyperVision doesn't position it as a tool for learning all about XML. The WorX Administrator Reference manual clearly states that use of the Administrator program requires a thorough understanding of XML and the DTD or schema that you plan to use.

WorX Administrator is a client-side program that manages the configuration of the templates and stylesheets. HyperVision provides a tutorial for the Administrator, and I found the interface relatively easy to work with. However, don't expect lengthy explanations within the tutorials as they're bare-bone documents. They're geared toward the "press this" and "type that" style of explanation. Before you can start working with documents, there are two tasks to follow in the Administrator interface. First, you need to set up a new document.

A WorX SE document is composed of a DTD file, a WorX SE template (to be used with Microsoft Word), a mapping file, and a stylesheet. I was able to configure the sample ProductInfo document type in just a few minutes. You can even derive a document type from a preexisting template by loading the Word document template into the WorX Administrator. I was able to crash the Administrator interface using this feature. This turned out to be one of my biggest complaints with WorX SE. The Administrator interface isn't tightly coded, and you can get yourself into a mess if you're not careful when filling in values for fields. For example, I misspelled one of the entries on the first panel for the "ProductInfo" template. When I noticed the error later on, I attempted to correct it and lost all my changes in the mapping panel. As a utility program this is not that big a deal, but the interface is clearly designed for power users who won't be intimidated by user-interface issues.

Once you have the document defined, then the real fun begins (see Figure 1).

WorX SE reads the DTD when you load it into the interface and builds an outline-style display for the DTD (see Figure 1). As the administrator, your task is to select each of the elements in the DTD and assign them to various Microsoft Word styles. This process is relatively straightforward and the interface appears to offer an extensive set of formatting capabilities. The tutorial even provides some examples of mapping Word tables, e-mail addresses, and URLs to XML elements. To use the WorX Administrator you'll definitely have to understand XML and the DTD you're working on. As an administrator this knowledge is expected, although typical users don't need this in-depth knowledge of XML and DTDs. However, for a typical user knowledge of Microsoft Word format styles is beneficial. Once you've created the new document type and the mapping interface, you're ready to work with WorX inside Word.

WorX for Word
WorX SE automatically creates a document template that you can apply to documents within Word. A separate WorX tutorial walks you through the process of working with a sample document within the Word environment. The WorX engine is built with VBA and is tightly integrated into Microsoft Word (see Figure 2).

The tutorial script is built around a document of "product information." If you follow all the administration functions properly, you should be able to extract an XML document from the data in the sample product document. This is really the whole purpose behind the WorX product - extracting XML data from word processing documents. As long as your users take a disciplined approach to applying the appropriate styles to elements within documents, WorX will operate just fine. The key is making sure that users follow the proper use of styles. For example, the tutorial maps the Product Name element to the Heading 1 style within a Word document. Thus every instance of Heading 1 within the selected document file will be interpreted as a Product Name. If you've set up the root element properly, WorX will extract a complete XML document from the data with different elements mapped to each style. The more disciplined your users are about a consistent use of styles, the better off you'll be. HyperVision provides a companion utility with WorX SE called the WorX Information Retriever. You can use the viewer to view and manipulate the structure of an XML document without affecting the contents of the document.

Summary
HyperVision's WorX SE offers a unique approach to extracting XML documents from word processing files. I'm not sure I'd consider using it for everyday XML file creation as it's not an XML editor per se, but it would be useful for document-centric clients. I can see how a government agency or a business with lots of document types and a heavy investment in word processing could leverage WorX to their advantage.

Platforms
WorX SE is available for Microsoft Word 2000 on Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows 2000 Professional and Server, and Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Server operating systems.