Microsoft is releasing software development kits for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, and the Microsoft Office Project 2007 platform on Jan. 23.

The kits, which provide a complete platform API reference, also give technical guidance and sample code to help developers create Office business applications, a Microsoft spokesperson told eWEEK.

These solutions allow employees to use their productivity applications like Office to access information they need from their organizations' back-end systems.

Resource Library:

The software development kits are in addition to the materials Microsoft has posted for developers about the Office system on MSDN, the spokesperson said.

Office 2007 will rock corporations' worlds. Click here to read more.

Microsoft has also created two new Wikis on MSDN, one for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and the other for SharePoint Server 2007, to encourage developers to chat with others who are using the technologies and share best practices.

The Redmond, Wash., software company has also finally decided on the official name for the new ribbon-based user interface in Office: the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface.

The UI is available to developers under a royalty-free license to encourage them to build applications that have the look and feel of the new 2007 Office applications, the spokesperson said.

Microsoft also plans to launch a new Groove-focused portal on MSDN later this quarter, while a series of free scenario-based Groove forms, known as Application Templates for Groove 2007, will also be made available on Office Online over the next few months.

Read more here about why SharePoint Server 2007 is a jack of all trades.

These forms will include sample code that developers can customize for organizations.

The scenarios include tools to identify open issues and critical tasks, keep track of contacts, review documents, create status reports, track billable time and assets, as well as manage bids and proposals, the spokesperson said.

Check out eWEEK.com's for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.