Microsoft Releases Visual Studio Tools for Applications SDK

Microsoft has announced the release of a software development kit for its Visual Studio Tools for Applications tool set; the company also released a new Office Business Application Reference Application Pack.

Microsoft has announced the release of the Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications Software Development Kit.

KD Hallman, a general manager in the Visual Studio group of Microsoft's Developer Division, is slated to deliver a keynote on the afternoon of March 27 titled: "Visual Studio Everywhere: Tools for Office, Office Business Applications, and Custom Application Extensibility."

In that talk, Hallman is expected to discuss the new VSTA software development kit.

VSTA enables ISVs (independent software vendors) and enterprises to add application customization to their applications. Microsoft InfoPath 2007 has integrated VSTA, the company said.

In a post on Microsoft's VSTA blogs page, the company said: "You can see VSTA in action by designing an InfoPath form and pressing Alt-Shift-F12 to launch the VSTA development environment. Think of VSTA as the managed alternative to VBA [Visual Basic for Applications].

"VSTA and VBA can also run side by side within the same application so your users can create customizations in the language that makes sense for them."

Also on March 27, Microsoft announced the release of an OBA RAP (Office Business Application Reference Application Pack) for LOS (Loan Origination Systems) and a BizTalk Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization or "MISMO" Accelerator that supports the relevant industry-specific messaging standard, the company said.

The OBA RAP for LOS is the third in a series of technical resources that will help guide the development of OBAs.

The OBA RAP for LOS will provide architectural guidance and application building blocks, Microsoft officials said.

Copyright 2007 by Ziff Davis Media, Distributed by United Press International