Scott Lock MVP, MCPD Managing Consultant Excella Consulting July 24 th , 2007

Special Thanks Frank LaVigne for developing the original slide deck and inspiration for demos

Frank LaVigne for developing the original slide deck and inspiration for demos

What exactly is VSTO? Pros & Cons of VSTO development Three Patterns of VSTO Projects Advantages of VSTO Over VBA Integration With Visual Studio XML Mapping in Excel Future of VSTO

What exactly is VSTO?

Pros & Cons of VSTO development

Three Patterns of VSTO Projects

Advantages of VSTO Over VBA

Integration With Visual Studio

XML Mapping in Excel

Future of VSTO

VSTO: V isual S tudio T ools for O ffice Provides design time integration with Microsoft Office Documents Allows .NET Code to Interoperate with Microsoft Office products It’s not your father’s VBA

VSTO: V isual S tudio T ools for O ffice

Provides design time integration with Microsoft Office Documents

Allows .NET Code to Interoperate with Microsoft Office products

It’s not your father’s VBA

Demo Automation client

Automation client

VSTO code is Managed Code Code is stored in a DLL file And not in the document More security options Can leverage existing .NET Libraries XML, Web Services, etc Additional Features Caching

VSTO code is Managed Code

Code is stored in a DLL file

And not in the document

More security options

Can leverage existing .NET Libraries

XML, Web Services, etc

Additional Features

Caching

Creating a VSTO Customization Project

Creating a VSTO Customization Project

Deployment Deployment model based on ClickOnce *Not “really” ClickOnce in VSTO 2005 Uses Manifests to version and locate assemblies Deployment Manifest – points to the most current version of the application Application Manifest – contains info on where the customization assembly is and host item classes to create

Deployment model based on ClickOnce

*Not “really” ClickOnce in VSTO 2005

Uses Manifests to version and locate assemblies

Deployment Manifest – points to the most current version of the application

Application Manifest – contains info on where the customization assembly is and host item classes to create

Deployment How it works… Workbook.xls Workbook.application (Embedded and File) Workbook.dll.manifest Workbook.dll C:deployworkbook_1.0.0.0 Workbook.dll.manifest Workbook.dll C:deployworkbook_1.0.0.1 Workbook.dll.manifest Workbook.dll C:deployworkbook_1.0.0.2

How it works…

Security Code Access Security is used to keep “evil” VSTO assemblies from executing “ Not Trusted” by default You must explicitly add the assembly in order to execute VSTO Add scripts for automated deployments Use intellimirror for network deployments to support disconnected machines Visual Studio automatically adds the CAS entry each time you run in debug

Code Access Security is used to keep “evil” VSTO assemblies from executing

“ Not Trusted” by default

You must explicitly add the assembly in order to execute VSTO

Add scripts for automated deployments

Use intellimirror for network deployments to support disconnected machines

Visual Studio automatically adds the CAS entry each time you run in debug

Data Caching XML Data Island used to cache data with workbook itself Rich object model available to access data ServerDocument.CachedData Full control over cache lifecycle or simple attribute based caching Any object that can be serialized can be cached Datasets Strings Arrays

XML Data Island used to cache data with workbook itself

Rich object model available to access data

ServerDocument.CachedData

Full control over cache lifecycle or simple attribute based caching

Any object that can be serialized can be cached

Datasets

Strings

Arrays

Publishing Attaching/Detaching customizations Caching Data

Publishing

Attaching/Detaching customizations

Caching Data

XML Support XML is supported using XML Maps Maps are schemas associated to a workbook Workbooks can contain multiple maps Elements and attributes are visually mapped to ranges in worksheet XML Data can be imported/exported Special object XMLList used for repeating elements

XML is supported using XML Maps

Maps are schemas associated to a workbook

Workbooks can contain multiple maps

Elements and attributes are visually mapped to ranges in worksheet

XML Data can be imported/exported

Special object XMLList used for repeating elements

Excel’s Built-In XML Mapping Capabilities Excel XML Toolkit Programmatically Accessing XML

Excel’s Built-In XML Mapping Capabilities

Excel XML Toolkit

Programmatically Accessing XML

Excel Object Model Application – Highest level Workbooks Worksheets Ranges Cells Access to these objects is through Interop wrapper classes Classes are extended by VSTO Ex. Microsoft.Office.Tools.Excel.Worksheet VSTO adds two additional range host controls NamedRange, XMLMappedRange

Application – Highest level

Workbooks

Worksheets

Ranges

Cells

Access to these objects is through Interop wrapper classes

Classes are extended by VSTO

Ex. Microsoft.Office.Tools.Excel.Worksheet

VSTO adds two additional range host controls

NamedRange, XMLMappedRange

Microsoft.Office.Tools.Excel vs. Microsoft Office.Interop.Excel Microsoft.Office.Tools extends native objects Data-binding Richer event models Extended objects added at design time are automatically created as host items and host controls Ex. Interop.Excel.Range does not have events, Tools.Excel.Range adds events. Host items are not created at run time. Are only Excel Native objects with no added features Native object access via the innerobject property

Microsoft.Office.Tools extends native objects

Data-binding

Richer event models

Extended objects added at design time are automatically created as host items and host controls

Ex. Interop.Excel.Range does not have events, Tools.Excel.Range adds events.

Host items are not created at run time.

Are only Excel Native objects with no added features

Native object access via the innerobject property

Demo Calling a Webservice Using Excel Objects

Calling a Webservice

Using Excel Objects

VSTO 2005 SE (Second Edition) released. Includes support for Office 2007 as well as Add-In templates for Visio RibbonX API for developing custom Office 2007 ribbons. VSTO Provides a Smart Client complement to MOSS Development.

VSTO 2005 SE (Second Edition) released.

Includes support for Office 2007 as well as Add-In templates for Visio

RibbonX API for developing custom Office 2007 ribbons.

Books Visual Studio Tools for Office by Eric Carter & Eric Lippert VSTO for Mere Mortals by Kathleen McGrath & Paul Stubbs Websites Office Zealot http:// www.officezealot.com MSDN Office Developer Center http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/default.aspx VSTO Developer Portal http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905533.aspx

Books

Visual Studio Tools for Office by Eric Carter & Eric Lippert

VSTO for Mere Mortals by Kathleen McGrath & Paul Stubbs

Websites

Office Zealot http:// www.officezealot.com

MSDN Office Developer Center http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/default.aspx

VSTO Developer Portal http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905533.aspx

Any questions?

Any questions?