RibbonX: Customizing the Office 2007 Ribbon

Chapter 1. An Introduction to the Office User Interface

When you open Office 2007, you are welcomed by a totally new user interface (UI). Although the new UI brings immediate productivity improvements to new Office users, it can take a few days or weeks for experienced Office users to adapt to and become fluent with the new interface. But it is definitely worth the investment to get up to speed with the new UI, particularly the Ribbon. Knowing what to expect and understanding the logic behind the Ribbon will make life much easier.

This chapter is designed to familiarize you with the Ribbon so that you can understand how to work with it from the perspective of an end user as well as from the perspective of a power user and developer. There are such dramatic changes to the UI that we highly recommend that even power users and developers read through this introductory chapter. It provides an important foundation, as it explains the Ribbon's background.

As you are preparing to work through the examples, we encourage you to download the companion files. The source code and files for this chapter can be found on the book's web site at www.wiley.com/go/ribbonx.

What Is the Ribbon and Why Does It Exist?

Office 2007 has been given a face-lift! And what a makeover! For those who got used to the old toolbars, the new UI can be a tremendous shock. However, as you learn the new interface, you will start to appreciate its benefits and, hopefully, embrace it as we and countless of others have done. ...