[Tutor] MS office data to XML w/ Python?

[Lee Gray]

Hello,

I have just started exploring Python and really like it so far.  I'd like to 
ask for some pointers on a project.

I chose Python because I was looking for a cross-platform language to create 
an application to store my music collection.  Currently it is in an Excel 
spreadsheet and an Access database (the original idea was to put all the 
spreadsheet data, plus more detail, into the database, but I lost interest in 
Access and never finished).  My main goal is to escape Windows and MS Office, 
but I'd still like to read the data when I have to use Windows, so I was 
going to store the data in XML (which will give me an excuse to learn that 
technology as well!). 

I originally started to write the app in VBScript using DHTML with Internet 
Explorer (as an HTA - HTML Application), simply because that's what I know 
best, then once I got my data into XML, I'd work on a new application in 
another language.  Well, I got fed up with fighting that language/technology 
combination and started looking at Python.

So... if you're still with me, my questions are:

1. Is there already a Python application out there that I can modify that 
simply stores data in XML?

2. Is there a Python app/utility that I can modify that can translate Access 
and/or Excel to XML?  (I'd rather not input all my new data by hand, but I'll 
only have to do it once, so I don't really feel like writing this part!)

3. Do you have any other suggestions for a complete Python newbie to get 
started on this?

Thanks very much,

Lee