Editing Microsoft Office (section)

==Common features==
Most versions of Microsoft Office (including Office 97 and later) use their own [[widget toolkit|widget]] set and do not exactly match the native operating system. This is most apparent in Microsoft Office XP and 2003, where the standard [[Menu (computing)|menus]] were replaced with a colored, flat-looking, shadowed menu style.

The user interface of a particular version of Microsoft Office often heavily influences a subsequent version of Microsoft Windows. E.g.:-
* The [[toolbar]], colored [[Button (computing)|buttons]] and the gray-colored 3D look of Office 4.3 were added to Windows 95.
* The [[Ribbon (computing)|ribbon]], introduced in Office 2007, has been incorporated into several programs bundled with [[Windows 7]] and later.
* The flat, box-like design of Office 2013 (released in 2012) was replicated in [[Windows 8]]'s new UI revamp.

Users of Microsoft Office may access external data via connection-specifications saved in Office Data Connection (.odc) files.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DeMarco |first=Jim |title=Pro Excel 2007 VBA |publisher=Apress |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-59059-957-0 |location=Berkeley, California |page=361 |quote=External data is accessed through a connection file, such as an Office Data Connection (ODC) file (.odc)}}</ref>

Office, on all platforms, supports editing both server files (in real time) and offline files (manually saved) in recent years. The support for editing server files (in real time) was originally introduced (in its current form) after the introduction of [[OneDrive]] (formerly SkyDrive). But, older versions of Office also have the ability to edit server files (notably Office 2007).

Both Windows and Office used [[service pack]]s to update software. Office had non-cumulative [[Patch (computing)|service release]]s, which were discontinued after Office 2000 Service Release 1. Now, Windows and Office have shifted to predictable (monthly, semi-annual and annual) release schemes to update software.

Past versions of Office [[Easter eggs in Microsoft products|often contained Easter eggs]]. For example, Excel 97 contained a reasonably functional flight-simulator.