About XML lists

Note  XML features, except for saving files in the XML Spreadsheet format, are available only in Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 and Microsoft Office Excel 2003.

XML lists are similar in appearance and functionality to Excel lists. An XML list is an Excel list that has been mapped to one or more XML elements. Each column in the XML list represents an XML element.

Create an XML list

An XML list is created by performing either of the following actions:

• Selecting As an XML list in the Open XML dialog box when opening an XML data file.
• Dragging one or more repeating elements from the XML Source task pane to the worksheet.

When you create an XML list by opening an XML file or dragging repeating XML elements onto a blank area of a worksheet, the XML element names are automatically used as column headings for the list. You can change the column headings to any heading that you want. However, the XML element names are always used when you export data from the mapping.

Use Formulas in an XML List

You can use formulas in columns mapped to XML elements with an XML Schema Definition (XSD) data type that Excel interprets as a number, date, or time. Just as in an Excel list, formulas in an XML list are filled down the column when new rows are added ot the list. See XML Schema Definition (XSD) data type support for more information about how Excel supports XSD data types.

Hide the Border of an XML List

By default, XML Lists are displayed with a border. To turn off the border, click List on the Data menu, and then click Hide Border of Inactive Lists.

Note  This setting affects all Excel lists, XML lists, and single-mapped cells in the workbook. You cannot hide the border of a particular XML list.