Turning Off the SDI in Word 2000

One of the most controversial changes introduced with Word 2000 is the switch from an MDI to an SDI for the program. MDI is an acronym for multiple document interface. Those who have used Word for a while know that you could open multiple documents, and then access different documents by using the Window menu. SDI is an acronym for single document interface. It means that the program can only open one document at a time. The result is that each document appears as a separate task on the taskbar.

Why was this change controversial? Other than the fact it represented a major change in how people worked, some people loved it and others hated it. Microsoft apparently got a lot of flack for their decision during the Word 2000 beta test period. It was strongly suggested that Microsoft make SDI an option so that those that hate it could stay with MDI and those that want it could go with SDI. Unfortunately, Microsoft said it couldn't be made an option because trying to program both approaches into the executables would have wrecked the way a lot of other parts of Word work under the hood. Microsoft claimed it had to be either SDI or MDI, but not both. Because their usability surveys pointed at greater acceptance for SDI, that was what we got.

Those who use Excel may not buy the "either or" scenario depicted in the last paragraph. After all, there is a setting in Excel that turns off MDI there. Actually, this is a bit deceiving. Excel has not implemented a true SDI approach. What it has done is added SDI emulation to an MDI program. Apparently the configuration setting in Excel turns the emulation on or off. According to Microsoft sources, "SDI can't be disabled in Word because it is the basis for the Word 2000 application and uses 'true' SDI. However, other applications that do not use 'true' SDI can disable it by removing the checkmark next to the option Windows in Taskbar. This option is located on the View tab in the Tools Options dialog box."

This means that there are no Registry settings or configuration settings that control the SDI vs. MDI appearance of Word. The SDI interface is hard coded, and cannot be turned off. Many people have tried to come up with ways around the SDI interface, but since the change is hard coded into Word, these workarounds tend to be kludgy, at best, requiring the use of undocumented VBA functions and system macros.