--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherSplitMenuColorsRecord.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherSplitMenuColorsRecord.java	(revision )
@@ -99,6 +99,21 @@ 
                 "";
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public String toXml(String tab) {
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<RecordId>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(RECORD_ID)).append("</RecordId>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Version>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getVersion())).append("</Version>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Instance>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getInstance())).append("</Instance>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Color1>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(field_1_color1)).append("</Color1>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Color2>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(field_2_color2)).append("</Color2>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Color3>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(field_3_color3)).append("</Color3>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Color4>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(field_4_color4)).append("</Color4>\n");
+        builder.append(tab).append("</").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+
     public int getColor1()
     {
         return field_1_color1;
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/EscherAggregate.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/record/EscherAggregate.java	(revision )
@@ -329,7 +329,19 @@ 
 
 		return result.toString();
 	}
-
+    
+    public String toXml(String tab){
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getRecordName()).append(">\n");
+        for ( Iterator iterator = getEscherRecords().iterator(); iterator.hasNext(); )
+        {
+            EscherRecord escherRecord = (EscherRecord) iterator.next();
+            builder.append( escherRecord.toXml(tab+"\t") );
+        }
+        builder.append(tab).append("</").append(getRecordName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+
 	/**
 	 * Collapses the drawing records into an aggregate.
 	 */
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherBSERecord.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherBSERecord.java	(revision )
@@ -330,6 +330,28 @@ 
                 "  Extra Data:" + '\n' + extraData;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public String toXml(String tab) {
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<RecordId>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(RECORD_ID)).append("</RecordId>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Version>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getVersion())).append("</Version>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Instance>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getInstance())).append("</Instance>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<BlipTypeWin32>").append(field_1_blipTypeWin32).append("</BlipTypeWin32>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<BlipTypeMacOS>").append(field_2_blipTypeMacOS).append("</BlipTypeMacOS>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<SUID>").append(field_3_uid == null ? "" : HexDump.toHex(field_3_uid)).append("</SUID>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Tag>").append(field_4_tag).append("</Tag>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Size>").append(field_5_size).append("</Size>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Ref>").append(field_6_ref).append("</Ref>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Offset>").append(field_7_offset).append("</Offset>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Usage>").append(field_8_usage).append("</Usage>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Name>").append(field_9_name).append("</Name>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Unused2>").append(field_10_unused2).append("</Unused2>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Unused3>").append(field_11_unused3).append("</Unused3>\n");
+        builder.append(tab).append("</").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Retrieve the string representation given a blip id.
      */
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherDggRecord.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherDggRecord.java	(revision )
@@ -142,6 +142,21 @@ 
 
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public String toXml(String tab) {
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<RecordId>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(RECORD_ID)).append("</RecordId>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Version>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getVersion())).append("</Version>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Instance>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getInstance())).append("</Instance>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<ShapeIdMax>").append(field_1_shapeIdMax).append("</ShapeIdMax>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<NumIdClusters>").append(getNumIdClusters()).append("</NumIdClusters>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<NumShapesSaved>").append(field_3_numShapesSaved).append("</NumShapesSaved>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<DrawingsSaved>").append(field_4_drawingsSaved).append("</DrawingsSaved>\n");
+        builder.append(tab).append("</").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+
     public int getShapeIdMax() {
         return field_1_shapeIdMax;
     }
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherContainerRecord.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherContainerRecord.java	(revision )
@@ -255,6 +255,26 @@ 
                 + children.toString();
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public String toXml(String tab) {
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<recordName>").append(getRecordName()).append("</recordName>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<isContainer>").append(isContainerRecord()).append("</isContainer>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<version>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getVersion())).append("</version>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<instance>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getInstance())).append("</instance>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<recordId>0x").append(HexDump.toHex(getRecordId())).append("</recordId>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<numchildren>").append(HexDump.toHex(_childRecords.size())).append("</numchildren>\n");
+        for ( Iterator<EscherRecord> iterator = _childRecords.iterator(); iterator
+                .hasNext(); )
+        {
+            EscherRecord record = iterator.next();
+            builder.append(record.toXml(tab+"\t"));
+        }
+        builder.append(tab).append("</").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+
     public <T extends EscherRecord> T getChildById( short recordId )
     {
         for ( EscherRecord childRecord : _childRecords )
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherRecord.java	(revision 1311869)
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/ddf/EscherRecord.java	(revision )
@@ -297,4 +297,21 @@ 
     {
         _options = fVersion.setShortValue( _options, value );
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @param tab - each children must be a right of his parent
+     * @return
+     */
+    public String toXml(String tab){
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append(tab).append("<").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<Options>").append(_options).append("</Options>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("\t").append("<RecordId>").append(_recordId).append("</RecordId>\n")
+                .append(tab).append("</").append(getClass().getSimpleName()).append(">\n");
+        return builder.toString();
+    }
+    
+    public String toXml(){
+        return toXml("");
+    }
 }
--- src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/dev/BiffDrawingToXml.java	(revision )
+++ src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/dev/BiffDrawingToXml.java	(revision )
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@ 
+package org.apache.poi.hssf.dev;
+
+import org.apache.poi.ddf.EscherRecord;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.model.InternalWorkbook;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.record.*;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFPatriarch;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFWorkbook;
+import org.apache.poi.poifs.filesystem.POIFSFileSystem;
+
+import java.io.*;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Utility for representing drawings contained in a binary Excel file as a XML tree
+ * @author Evgeniy Berlog
+ * date: 10.04.12
+ */
+public class BiffDrawingToXml {
+    
+    public static void main(String[] params) throws IOException {
+        FileOutputStream test = new FileOutputStream("D:\\temp\\test.xml");
+        FileInputStream inp = new FileInputStream("D:\\temp\\workbook.xls");
+        writeToFile(test, inp);
+    }
+
+    public static void writeToFile(FileOutputStream fos, InputStream xlsWorkbook) throws IOException {
+        POIFSFileSystem fs = new POIFSFileSystem(xlsWorkbook);
+        HSSFWorkbook workbook = new HSSFWorkbook(fs);
+        InternalWorkbook internalWorkbook = getInternalWorkbook(workbook);
+        DrawingGroupRecord r = (DrawingGroupRecord) internalWorkbook.findFirstRecordBySid( DrawingGroupRecord.sid );
+        r.decode();
+
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+        builder.append("<workbook>\n");
+        String tab = "\t";
+        List <EscherRecord>escherRecords = r.getEscherRecords();
+        for (EscherRecord record : escherRecords){
+            builder.append(record.toXml(tab));
+        }
+        int sheetCount = workbook.getNumberOfSheets();
+        for(int i=0; i < sheetCount; i++)  {
+            builder.append(tab).append("<sheet").append(i).append(">\n");
+            builder.append(getHSSFPatriarchBoundAggregate(workbook.getSheetAt(i).getDrawingPatriarch()).toXml(tab + "\t"));
+            builder.append(tab).append("</sheet").append(i).append(">\n");
+        }
+        builder.append("</workbook>\n");
+        fos.write(builder.toString().getBytes());
+        fos.close();
+    }
+
+    private static EscherAggregate getHSSFPatriarchBoundAggregate(HSSFPatriarch patriarch) {
+        Field boundAggregateField = null;
+        try {
+            boundAggregateField = patriarch.getClass().getDeclaredField("_boundAggregate");
+            boundAggregateField.setAccessible(true);
+            return (EscherAggregate) boundAggregateField.get(patriarch);
+        } catch (NoSuchFieldException e) {
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    private static InternalWorkbook getInternalWorkbook(HSSFWorkbook workbook) {
+        Field internalSheetField = null;
+        try {
+            internalSheetField = workbook.getClass().getDeclaredField("workbook");
+            internalSheetField.setAccessible(true);
+            return (InternalWorkbook) internalSheetField.get(workbook);
+        } catch (NoSuchFieldException e) {
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+}