deploying a shared com add-in for office 2003 (visual ......building a simple shared com add-in for...

Deploying a Shared COM add-in for Office 2003 (Visual Studio 2008 SP1) [and how to

work around a known issue which causes the add-in to fail to load if KB908002 is not

installed.]

Office add-ins can target an application (or many applications if they are Shared COM Add-ins) or only a document.

The article http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hy7c6z9k.aspx (Office Solutions Development Overview) describes

the difference:

Choosing an Office Project Type

Visual Studio provides the following types of project templates for

Office development:

Document-level customizations. This type of solution is associated

with a specific document.

Application-level add-ins. This type of solution is associated with

the application itself.

To decide which of these project types is best for your solution, think

about whether you want your code to run only when a speci fic

document is open, or whether you want the code to be available

whenever the application is running. For more information about the

project templates, see Office Project Templates Overview.

The types of projects you can create depend on which Office

applications you have installed on the development computer. For

more information, see Features Available by Office Application and

Project Type.

Document-Level Customizations

Document-level customizations consist of an assembly that is

associated with a single document, workbook, or template in Microsoft

Office Word or Microsoft Office Excel. The assembly is loaded when

the associated document is opened. Features in customizations that

you create are available only when the associated document is open.

Customizations cannot make application-wide changes, such as

displaying a new menu item or Ribbon tab when any document is

open.

Visual Studio includes tools to help you create document-level

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hy7c6z9k.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8553caee.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa942839.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa942839.aspx

customizations. The document that you customize is hosted as a

design surface in Visual Studio, which enables you to design the

document by dragging and dropping controls onto it. Many other

Visual Studio features are available in document-level projects, such as

Windows Forms controls, drag-and-drop data binding, and an

integrated debugger.

For more information about customizations, see the following topics:

Getting Started Programming Document-Level Customizations for

Excel

Getting Started Programming Document-Level Customizations for

Word

Architecture of Document-Level Customizations

Application-Level Add-Ins

Application-level add-ins consist of an assembly that is

associated with a Microsoft Office application. Typically, the add-in

runs when the associated application is started, although users can

also load add-ins after the application is already running. Features in

add-ins that you create are available to the application itself,

regardless of which documents are open.

Visual Studio includes tools to help you create add-ins. Add-in projects

include an automatically generated class that represents the add-in.

This class provides properties and events you can use to access the

object model of the host application and run code when the add-in is

loaded and shut down. Many other Visual Studio features are available

in application-level projects, such as Windows Forms and an

integrated debugger.

For more information about add-ins, see the following topics:

Getting Started Programming Application-Level Add-Ins

Architecture of Application-Level Add-Ins

So what kind of project should you use? For our goal, we need to develop an application-level add-in.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f27xe9xb.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f27xe9xb.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zb7cf7a4.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zb7cf7a4.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zcfbd2sk.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms268878.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb386298.aspx

But wait… there are 2 possible kinds of application-level add-ins ! VSTO Add-ins or Shared COM Add-ins

* VSTO Add-ins

How do I get to them in Visual Studio?

Start Visual Studio > select the File menu> New Project > from the

Project Types window, select a programming language > expand

Office tree > select the application version > choose from either an

application level add-in (DLL);

* Shared COM Add-ins

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165620(VS.80).aspx

(Visual Studio Add-ins Versus Shared Add-ins);

A single Shared add-in can be loaded only into Microsoft Office

applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft

Visio, and Microsoft Excel.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa289518(VS.71).aspx

(Tips and Tricks: Building Microsoft Office Add-ins with Visual C# .NET

and Visual Basic .NET – because the same .DLL file is loaded for every

targeted Office application, you need to determine which one is

running in that instance: read this article to learn how do it);

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302901 (How to build an Office

COM add-in by using Visual C# .NET);

How do I get to them in Visual Studio?

Open Visual Studio and create a new project: go to Other Project

Types and find Extensibility. Select Shared Add-in type in a name

and click OK.

*************************************************************************

Important:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165620(VS.80).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa289518(VS.71).aspx

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302901

Please note that due to a flaw in our product, any Shared COM add-in built with Visual Studio 2010 and targeting

Office 2003 will not load on the client machine.

So what happens with the add-in? Answer: Nothing appears when you open the target application, you only notice

that the LoadBehavior gets set to 2.

If you use this article: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vsod/archive/2008/04/22/troubleshooting-com-add-in-load-

failures.aspx (Visual Studio Office Development (VSOD) Support Team: Troubleshooting COM Add-In load failures)

and enable Fusion Log Viewer, you will get these files (please note that these files are taken from the

<FusionLogPath>\NativeImage folder):

> ExplicitBind!FileName=(Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT.dll).HTM

*** Assembly Binder Log Entry ***

The operation was successful.

Bind result: hr = 0x0. The operation completed successfully.

Assembly manager loaded from:

c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\mscorwks.dll

Running under executable C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\WINWORD.EXE

--- A detailed error log follows.

=== Pre-bind state information ===

LOG: User = V-ICRISB13\Administrator

LOG: Where-ref bind. Location = C:\Program

Files\ms\Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPTSetup\

Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT.dll

LOG: Appbase = file:///C:/Program Files/Microsoft Office/OFFICE11/

LOG: Initial PrivatePath = NULL

LOG: Dynamic Base = NULL

LOG: Cache Base = NULL

LOG: AppName = WINWORD.EXE

Calling assembly : (Unknown).

===

WRN: Native image will not be probed in LoadFrom context. Native image will only be

probed in default load context, like with Assembly.Load().

> Extensibility, Version=7.0.3300.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a.HTM









http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vsod/archive/2008/04/22/troubleshooting-com-add-in-load-failures.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vsod/archive/2008/04/22/troubleshooting-com-add-in-load-failures.aspx


LOG: DisplayName = Extensibility, Version=7.0.3300.0, Cultu re=neutral,

PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a

(Fully-specified)






Calling assembly : Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT, Version=1.0.0.0,

Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null.

===

WRN: Native image will not be probed in LoadFrom context. Native image will only be

probed in default load context, like with Assembly.Load().

> mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089








LOG: Start binding of native image mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral,

PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089.

LOG: Start validating native image mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral,

PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089.

LOG: Bind to native image succeeded.

>Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null.HTM


The operation failed.

Bind result: hr = 0x80070002. The system cannot find the file specified.







LOG: DisplayName = Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT, Version=1.0.0.0,

Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null

(Fully-specified)






Calling assembly : (Unknown).

===

LOG: Start binding of native image Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT,

Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null.

WRN: No matching native image found.

…. And if you try to run a simple VBS script which tries to create an instance of the add-in, it will fail with the error

code: 8013141A.

What is the cause? How to fix this?

The issue occurs because the Extensibility.dll is not installed in the GAC on the end-user’s machine. Deploying KB

908002 and KB 907417 will fix this issue.

However KB 908002 will not install on a Visual Studio 2008 machine, as one of its prerequisite checks needs to

detect Visual Studio 2005! To find out what has to be done follow the steps below.

*************************************************************************



http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907417/


Building a simple Shared COM add-in for Word, Excel, PPT 2003

1. Open Visual Studio 2008. Go to File > New > Project. From the Project Types tree expand Other Project Types

and select Extensibility > Shared Add-in.

In the Project Name text box, input a string (ex: Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT).

2. In the first screen of the Shared Add-in Wizard, click Next > select Create an Add-in using Visual C# , and then

click Next > clear all of the selections except Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and then click Next > type a Name

and Description for the add-in, and then click Next > in the Choose Add-in Options screen, select "I would like my

Add-in to load when the host application loads" and “My add-in should be available to all users…”.

3. The wizard should offer to you a very basic COM add-in frame:

You can skip directly to step 4 or you can add a little more functionality to your code.

3.1 In a real-word application you would build a much more complex solution, but for our example, here is a sample

code in C# that detects which application is getting loaded and creates a custom menu with a “Hello World” button.

In the Solution Explorer, right-click Project References then go ahead and add the Office Interop libraries for Word,

Excel and Power Point (make sure you select the 11.0.0.0 versions!):

3.2 Paste the following code:

namespace Addin_WD_XL_PPT_Test

{

using System;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using Extensibility;

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

using MSWord = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word;

using MSExcel = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel;

using MSPPT = Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint;

using Microsoft.Office.Core;

using System.Reflection;

#region Read me for Add-in installation and setup information.

// When run, the Add-in wizard prepared the registry for the Add-in.

// At a later time, if the Add-in becomes unavailable for reasons such as:

// 1) You moved this project to a computer other than which is was originally

created on.

// 2) You chose 'Yes' when presented with a message asking if you wish to

remove the Add-in.

// 3) Registry corruption.

// you will need to re-register the Add-in by building the

Addin_WD_XL_PPT_TestSetup project,

// right click the project in the Solution Explorer, then choose install.

#endregion

/// <summary>

/// The object for implementing an Add-in.

/// </summary>

/// <seealso class='IDTExtensibility2' />

[GuidAttribute("4C072E47-09B9-4794-B210-D57DA6329111"),

ProgId("Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT.Connect")]

public class Connect : Object, Extensibility.IDTExtensibility2

{

private MSWord.Application wordApp;

private MSExcel.Application excelApp;

private MSPPT.Application pptApp;

private object addInInstance;

//CommandBarPopup topLevelPopupMenuItem = null;

CommandBarButton btn = null;

CommandBar menuBar;

_CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler btnHandler;

Object missing = Missing.Value;

public Connect()

{

}

private void BuildMenu_Word()

{

try

{

menuBar = (CommandBar)wordApp.CommandBars.Add("Test",

missing, missing, true);

// by-default the newly added commandbar is invisible !

menuBar.Visible = true;

btn =

(CommandBarButton)menuBar.Controls.Add(MsoControlType.msoControlButton,

missing, missing, missing, missing);

btn.Caption = "MyButton";

btn.FaceId = 59;

btnHandler = new

_CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler(OnClick_ButtonWd);

btn.Click += btnHandler;

}

catch (Exception e)

{

MessageBox.Show(e.StackTrace + "\r\n" + e.Source + "\r\n" +

e.Message);

}

}

private void OnClick_ButtonWd(CommandBarButton ctrl, ref bool cancel)

{

MessageBox.Show("Hello World - Word!");

}

private void BuildMenu_Excel()

{

try

{

CommandBars oCommandbars =

(CommandBars)excelApp.GetType().InvokeMember("CommandBars",

BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, excelApp, null);

menuBar = (CommandBar)oCommandbars.Add("Test", missing,

missing, true);


btn =




btn.FaceId = 59;

btnHandler = new

_CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler(OnClick_ButtonXl);


MessageBox.Show("Excel menu Built!");

}

catch (Exception e)

{


e.Message);

}

}

private void OnClick_ButtonXl(CommandBarButton ctrl, ref bool cancel)

{

MessageBox.Show("Hello World - Excel!");

}

private void BuildMenu_PPT()

{

try

{

CommandBars oCommandbars =

(CommandBars)pptApp.GetType().InvokeMember("CommandBars",

BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, pptApp, null);

menuBar = (CommandBar)oCommandbars.Add("Test", missing,

missing, true);

// by-default the newly added commandbar is invisible !


btn =




btn.FaceId = 59;

btnHandler = new

_CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler(OnClick_ButtonPPT);


MessageBox.Show("PPT menu Built!");

}

catch (Exception e)

{


e.Message);

}

}

private void OnClick_ButtonPPT(CommandBarButton ctrl, ref bool cancel)

{

MessageBox.Show("Hello World - PPT!");

}

public string GetOfficeVersion()

{

string sVersion = String.Empty;

switch (wordApp.Version.ToString())

{

case "7.0": sVersion = "95";

break;


break;


break;

case "10.0": sVersion = "2002";

break;

case "11.0": sVersion = "2003";

break;

case "12.0": sVersion = "2007";

break;

case "14.0": sVersion = "2010";

break;

default: sVersion = "Too Old!";

break;

}

return sVersion;

}

public void OnConnection(object application,

Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst, ref System.Array

custom)

{

if (application is MSWord.Application)

{

wordApp = (MSWord.Application)application;

BuildMenu_Word();

}

if (application is MSExcel.Application)

{

excelApp = (MSExcel.Application)application;

BuildMenu_Excel();

}

if (application is MSPPT.Application)

{

pptApp = (MSPPT.Application)application;

BuildMenu_PPT();

}

addInInstance = addInInst;

}

/// <summary>

/// Implements the OnDisconnection method of the IDTExtensibility2

interface.

/// Receives notification that the Add-in is being unloaded.

/// </summary>

/// <param term='disconnectMode'>

/// Describes how the Add-in is being unloaded.

/// </param>

/// <param term='custom'>

/// Array of parameters that are host application specific.

/// </param>


public void OnDisconnection(Extensibility.ext_DisconnectMode

disconnectMode, ref System.Array custom)

{

}

/// <summary>

/// Implements the OnAddInsUpdate method of the IDTExtensibility2

interface.

/// Receives notification that the collection of Add-ins has changed.

/// </summary>



/// </param>


public void OnAddInsUpdate(ref System.Array custom)

{

}

/// <summary>

/// Implements the OnStartupComplete method of the IDTExtensibility2

interface.

/// Receives notification that the host application has completed loading.

/// </summary>



/// </param>


public void OnStartupComplete(ref System.Array custom)

{

}

/// <summary>

/// Implements the OnBeginShutdown method of the IDTExtensibility2

interface.

/// Receives notification that the host application is being unloaded.

/// </summary>



/// </param>


public void OnBeginShutdown(ref System.Array custom)

{

}

}

}

Please note that you must replace the line highlighted in yellow ([GuidAttribute("4C072E47-09B9-4794-B210-

D57DA6329111"), ProgId("Test2003SharedCOMAddIn_Wd_XL_PPT.Connect")] ) with the GUID and ProID generated by

your Visual Studio Wizard.

4. Compile the code.

_

_

Building a the Shared COM add-in setup project

We will use a little trick: add KB 908002 to the Visual Studio setup project prerequisites list (even though this hotfix

would not deploy if executed as a stand-alone file as it is expecting Visual Studio 2005 on the target machine). But if

we extract the contents of the .EXE using commandline parameters or retrieve the installed package from a machine

already having VS 2005, then we can add it into our 2008 version.

1. First we must ensure that the Extensibility.DLL is getting installed into the GAC on the end-user’s machine.

Download the vs2005-Kb908002-enu-x86.exe file from here, place it in a temporary folder (like C:\Test) and open a

CMD prompt. Next, run the following command to extract its contents:

C:\Test\vs2005-kb908002-enu-x85.exe /T:”C:\Test” /C

2. The .exe will be unpacked into 3 sub-components. We need to further unpack this .MSI archive:

C:\Test>msiexec /a bootstrapper.msi /qb TARGETDIR=”C:\Test\tst”



3. Please navigate to C:\Test\tst\SDK\BootStraper\Packages\ and copy the folder KB908002.

4. Navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A\Bootstrapper\Packages and place the

extracted KB908002 folder there.

5. Open Visual Studio 2008 (in case it was already working, please restart the application) and edit the Setup Project’s

prerequisites.

As you can see this KB will also install KB 907417.

6. The KB908002 should now become available in the list. Please select its check-box and re-build your solution. Also

make sure Visual Studio Tools for the Office system 3.0 Runtime entry is selected in the Prerequisites list and also

that the Microsoft Office 2003 Primary Interop Assemblies is installed on the test machine.

7. Deploy the add-in on a new test environment. The Shared COM add-in should load fine.

Execute the Setup.exe (do not run the .MSI file as it will simply install the add-in and the prerequisites will not get

deployed).

If everything works according to plan, you should you should see this Hello World message!

The End.

I hope you enjoyed my article.

For any questions, feel free to add a comment.

deploying a shared com add-in for office 2003 (visual ......building a simple shared com add-in for...

Documents