Melody's VSTA Blog

Using VSTA to Create Office Documents Through XML

Melody — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:06:00 GMT

With the introduction of LINQ to XML and the OpenXml formatting of Office 2007 documents it is incredibly easy to use VSTA to import and export data from a host application to an Office document and vice versa. One benefit of using OpenXml (or for Excel straight xml as well) is that this can be performed without installing Office or using the office API's, which allows this processing to be done on servers as well as desktops.

A new sample is available showing how to export ShapeApp shape data into Word and Excel using VSTA v 2 and taking advantage of the easy to use LINQ to XML with Visual Basic.

To download the sample add-ins, click here. To go to the download page, click here.

From the Xml Office AddIn Instructions:

Office 2007 introduced a new storage method for Office document. The new documents are actually packages- they are zip files of xml documents. To explore one of these packages, change the extension to .zip and explore it like any other zip file, or download the package explorer tool from CodePlex to explore and edit the package without unzipping or using Office. This new document packaging format makes it very easy to import or export data between a host and an Office document.

Two add-ins for ShapeAppCSharp (VSTA v 2) are available demonstrating how to save ShapeApp data into a Word or Excel document. The SaveToWord add-in uses the Open Xml Format SDK to add data to the main document (document.xml) of the Word package (System.IO.Packaging could be used instead with minor modifications). The SaveToExcel add-in uses straight Xml instead of OpenXml to get data into Excel because it is far easier to work with straight Xml in Excel. Excel can save and open Xml documents without worrying about packaging. Visual Basic was used to write both add-ins because Visual Basic works better than C# with LINQ to XML.

From the ShapeAppCSharp_SaveToWord add-in:

'This method populates the word document with ShapeAppData

Public Sub SetMainDocumentContent(ByVal part As MainDocumentPart)

Const name As String = "Name: "

Const size As String = "Size: "

Const loc As String = "Location: "

Const color As String = "Color: "

'query the shapes in the first drawing using LINQ to XML

Dim docBodyData = From shape In Me.Document.Drawings(0).Shapes _

Select _

<w:body>

<w:p><w:r><w:t><%= name & shape.Name %></w:t></w:r></w:p>

<w:p><w:r><w:tab/></w:r><w:r><w:t>

<%= size & shape.Size.Height.ToString() & ", " & shape.Size.Width.ToString() %>

</w:t></w:r></w:p>

<w:p><w:r><w:tab/></w:r><w:r><w:t>

<%= loc & shape.Location.X.ToString() & ", " & shape.Location.Y.ToString() %>

</w:t></w:r></w:p>

<w:p><w:r><w:tab/></w:r><w:r><w:t>

<%= color & shape.Color.A.ToString() & ", " & shape.Color.R.ToString() & ", " & _

shape.Color.B.ToString() & ", " & shape.Color.G.ToString() %>

</w:t></w:r></w:p>

</w:body>

'to get the xml stuff from word- create a new doc, add dummy data as a place holder

' in the format you want to export it, then copy the xml from the document.xml part

' of the package. Remove the dummy data and insert the LINQ query.

Dim docXml = <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>

<w:document xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main">

<%= docBodyData %>

</w:document>

'save the xml to the main document part of the word package

Dim stream As StreamWriter = New StreamWriter(part.GetStream(FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write))

docXml.Save(stream)

End Sub

Resources:

· Open Xml Format SDK

· The PackageExplorer tool from CodePlex. Click on the V3.0.0 RC1 link to start the download.

· The MSDN article "How to: Create an Office Open XML Package by Using the Open XML API"

· The MSN video “How Do I Create Excel Spreadsheets using LINQ to XML?”

Determining the Build Path of a Project

Melody — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:04:00 GMT

In seamless non-destructive debugging scenarios (macro recording and running) the host application must keep track of the latest version of the “macro” project assembly. The IDE offers the user many opportunities to change settings like the active configuration or the output path which can make it difficult for the host to find the latest version of the assembly.

To make it more complicated, when the advanced build configurations are not shown the build path is dependent on the context of the build (this mirrors Visual Studio). Specifically, if the user starts debugging with F5, the project builds to the debug configuration output path; however, if the user builds through the menu the project builds to the release output path. Very complicated.

The good news is there are a couple of events a host can hook into through DTE.BuildEvents which can be used to determine the build location. These events are the OnBuildProjConfigBegin and OnBuildProjConfigDone events (you should only need to hook into one of these). Below is code from a modified ShapeAppCSharp sample (this will work for VSTA v 1 and v 2) which catches these events and outputs the configuration and build path for the macro project.

private void EnsureIDE()

{

if (this.dte == null)

{

try

{

IDTEProvider dteProvider = (IDTEProvider)new

VSTADTEProviderClass();

this.dte = (EnvDTE.DTE)dteProvider.GetDTE("ShapeAppCSharp", 0);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(this.dte != null);

}

catch

{

// If DTEProvider does not work, try co-creating DTE instead.

object objDTE = new DTE();

this.dte = (EnvDTE.DTE)objDTE;

}

// Save a copy of the event sync locations so they don't get

// garbage collected.

this.buildEvents = dte.Events.BuildEvents;

this.solutionEvents = dte.Events.SolutionEvents;

this.dteEvents = dte.Events.DTEEvents;

this.buildEvents.OnBuildDone += new

EnvDTE._dispBuildEvents_OnBuildDoneEventHandler(BuildEvents_OnBuildDone);

this.solutionEvents.AfterClosing += new

EnvDTE._dispSolutionEvents_AfterClosingEventHandler(solutionEvents_AfterClosi

ng);

this.dteEvents.OnBeginShutdown += new

EnvDTE._dispDTEEvents_OnBeginShutdownEventHandler(dteEvents_OnBeginShutdown);

this.buildEvents.OnBuildProjConfigBegin += new

EnvDTE._dispBuildEvents_OnBuildProjConfigBeginEventHandler(buildEvents_OnBuil

dProjConfigBegin);

this.buildEvents.OnBuildProjConfigDone += new

EnvDTE._dispBuildEvents_OnBuildProjConfigDoneEventHandler(buildEvents_OnBuild

ProjConfigDone);

}

void buildEvents_OnBuildProjConfigDone(string Project, string ProjectConfig,

string Platform, string SolutionConfig, bool Success)

{

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\n Try OnBuildProjconfigDone");

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\t ProjectConfig " + ProjectConfig);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\t SolutionConfig " + SolutionConfig);

GetAssemblyPath(macroProject);

}

void buildEvents_OnBuildProjConfigBegin(string Project, string ProjectConfig,

string Platform, string SolutionConfig)

{

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\n Try OnBuildProjConfigBegin");

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\t ProjectConfig " + ProjectConfig);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\t SolutionConfig " + SolutionConfig);

GetAssemblyPath(macroProject);

}

static string GetAssemblyPath(EnvDTE.Project vsProject)

{

string fullPath = vsProject.Properties.Item("FullPath").Value.ToString();

string outputPath =

vsProject.ConfigurationManager.ActiveConfiguration.Properties.Item("OutputPat

h").Value.ToString();

string outputDir = Path.Combine(fullPath, outputPath);

string outputFileName =

vsProject.Properties.Item("OutputFileName").Value.ToString();

string assemblyPath = Path.Combine(outputDir, outputFileName);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n\n Try #");

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n ActiveConfig: " +

vsProject.ConfigurationManager.ActiveConfiguration.ConfigurationName);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n fullPath: " + fullPath);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n outputPath: " + outputPath);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n outputDir: " + outputDir);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n outputFileName: " + outputFileName);

System.Diagnostics.Debug.Write("\n assemblyPath: " + assemblyPath);

return assemblyPath;

}

ProjectGen Gotcha: Updating the Host Item Name when using a Project Descriptor File as Input

Melody — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:48:00 GMT

On the third screen of ProjectGen there is an item to fill in titled “Host item name”. This item is used in two places in the project descriptor file and three places in projects based off the template:

Project template descriptor file:	Projects based off the template:
Host Item Name	Main code file
Host Item Name	Startup Class
PrimaryCookie	PrimaryCookie (MainCode.designer.xml file)

In VSTA v 1 the host does not need to be aware of any of these.

In VSTA v 2, the startup class is used when loading add-ins and the PrimaryCookie is used in DPM scenarios.

ProjectGen offers the option of using a project descriptor file as input instead of manually entering all of the information. This is where the Gotcha comes in. If you use a project template descriptor file as input for ProjecGen and change the host item name on the third screen, in the new project template descriptor file and the resulting template only the host item name will be updated. The PrimaryCookie will remain unchanged.

Workarounds:

1) Manually change the PrimaryCookie in the project template descriptor file before use as input for ProjectGen. Then use the descriptor file as input- no additional steps are required.

2) Manually change the PrimaryCookie attribute in the xml designer file for the main code file. To do this:

a. Create the template with ProjectGen

b. Extract the templates (both CSharp and VB).

c. Open the xml designer file for the main code file (MainCode.designer.xml).

d. Update the PrimaryCookie attribute of the HostItem element.

e. Save the file.

f. Zip the updated template (zip the items individually- do not zip the folder which contains them).

g. Place the template in the ProjectTemplateLocation if not already there.

h. Run setup for the host.

CLS-Compliant Warning in VB Add-ins

Melody — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:01:00 GMT

In the ShapeAppSamples for VSTA v 1, Visual Basic add-ins build with a warning that "'AppAddIn' is not CLS-compliant becuase it derives from 'Application', which is not CLS-compliant."; however, for VSTA v 2, the warning is gone.

What does it mean?
What does it do?
Why is it there?
What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?
How do you make it go away?

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, 42, set the CLSCompliant attribute to false.

Justification- between VSTA v 1 and v 2 changes were made to ProjectGen so that projects created with project templates created by ProjectGen by default have this attribute set to false.

You can set this attribute at many different levels. ProjectGen in VSTA v 2, by default, sets the entry point's partial class in the MainForm.Designer.vb CLSCompliantAttribute to false. In the sample add-ins included with the ShapeApp samples, both the assembly level and designer partial class level attributes are set to false.

If you would like to get rid of the warning for a VSTA v 1 VB add-in, follow these steps:
1) Show all the hidden files- with the project open, in the ProjectExplorer, select the "ShowAll" icon located between the "Properties" and "Refresh" icons.

2) Set the assembly level attribute to false- in the ProjectExplorer, expand the node next to "My Project". Directly under "My Project" the file AssemblyInfo.vb should be available. In this file, locate the attribute and change it from true to false.

<Assembly: CLSCompliant(True)> (change to) <Assembly: CLSCompliant(False)>

3) Set hte class level attribute to false- in the Project Explorer, expand the node next to AppAddIn.vb (or whatever the main code file is called), then expand the node below AppAddIn.Designer.xml. Beneath this node you will find AppAddIn.Designer.vb with the Partial Class definition. Change the attribute in this class to include CLSCompliant set to false.

<Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Contract.EntryPointAttribute(0)>

(change to)

<Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Contract.EntryPointAttribute(0), Global.System.CLSCompliant(False)>

It is sufficient to do either step 2 or step 3, but if you like to go overboard go ahead and do both. If you would like to change a template to ensure the warning does not show up, change the AssemblyInfo.vb file and follow the directions on how to update a project template. You can change and include the AppAddInDesigner.vb file, but it is more difficult because by default this file is created when the project is created, not included in the template (write to vstasupport@summsoft.com for directions on this).