Add custom XML parts to documents by using VSTO Add-ins

You can store XML data in the following types of documents by creating a custom XML part in a VSTO Add-in:

• A Microsoft Office Excel workbook.

• A Microsoft Office Word document.

• A Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation.

  For more information, see Custom XML parts overview.

  Applies to: The information in this topic applies to application-level projects for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. For more information, see Features available by Office application and project type.

To add a custom XML part to an Excel workbook

1. Add a new CustomXMLPart object to the CustomXMLParts collection in the workbook. The CustomXMLPart contains the XML string that you want to store in the workbook.

   The following code example adds a custom XML part to a specified workbook.

   C#

   private void AddCustomXmlPartToWorkbook(Excel.Workbook workbook)
   {
       string xmlString =
           "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" ?>" +
           "<employees xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples\">" +
               "<employee>" +
                   "<name>Karina Leal</name>" +
                   "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" +
                   "<title>Manager</title>" +
               "</employee>" +
           "</employees>";
   
       Office.CustomXMLPart employeeXMLPart = workbook.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString, missing);
   }
   

   VB

   Private Sub AddCustomXmlPartToWorkbook(ByVal workbook As Excel.Workbook)
       Dim xmlString As String = _
           "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8"" ?>" & _
               "<employees xmlns=""http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples"">" & _
                   "<employee>" & _
                       "<name>Karina Leal</name>" & _
                       "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" & _
                       "<title>Manager</title>" & _
                   "</employee>" & _
               "</employees>"
   
       Dim employeeXMLPart As Office.CustomXMLPart = _
           workbook.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString)
   End Sub
   

2. Add the AddCustomXmlPartToWorkbook method to the ThisAddIn class in a VSTO Add-in project for Excel.

3. Call the method from other code in your project. For example, to create the custom XML part when the user opens a workbook, call the method from an event handler for the WorkbookOpen event.

To add a custom XML part to a Word document

1. Add a new CustomXMLPart object to the CustomXMLParts collection in the document. The CustomXMLPart contains the XML string that you want to store in the document.

   The following code example adds a custom XML part to a specified document.

   C#

   private void AddCustomXmlPartToActiveDocument(Word.Document document)
   {
       string xmlString =
           "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" ?>" +
           "<employees xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples\">" +
               "<employee>" +
                   "<name>Karina Leal</name>" +
                   "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" +
                   "<title>Manager</title>" +
               "</employee>" +
           "</employees>";
   
       Office.CustomXMLPart employeeXMLPart = document.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString, missing);
   }
   

   VB

   Private Sub AddCustomXmlPartToActiveDocument(ByVal document As Word.Document)
       Dim xmlString As String = _
           "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8"" ?>" & _
               "<employees xmlns=""http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples"">" & _
                   "<employee>" & _
                       "<name>Karina Leal</name>" & _
                       "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" & _
                       "<title>Manager</title>" & _
                   "</employee>" & _
               "</employees>"
   
       Dim employeeXMLPart As Office.CustomXMLPart = _
           document.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString)
   End Sub
   

2. Add the AddCustomXmlPartToDocument method to the ThisAddIn class in a VSTO Add-in project for Word.

3. Call the method from other code in your project. For example, to create the custom XML part when the user opens a document, call the method from an event handler for the DocumentOpen event.

To add a custom XML part to a PowerPoint presentation

1. Add a new CustomXMLPart object to the Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint._Presentation.CustomXMLParts collection in the presentation. The CustomXMLPart contains the XML string that you want to store in the presentation.

   The following code example adds a custom XML part to a specified presentation.

   C#

   private void AddCustomXmlPartToPresentation(PowerPoint.Presentation presentation)
   {
       string xmlString =
           "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" ?>" +
           "<employees xmlns=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples\">" +
               "<employee>" +
                   "<name>Karina Leal</name>" +
                   "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" +
                   "<title>Manager</title>" +
               "</employee>" +
           "</employees>";
   
       Office.CustomXMLPart employeeXMLPart = 
           presentation.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString, missing);
   }
   

   VB

   Private Sub AddCustomXmlPartToPresentation(ByVal presentation As PowerPoint.Presentation)
       Dim xmlString As String = _
           "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8"" ?>" & _
               "<employees xmlns=""http://schemas.microsoft.com/vsto/samples"">" & _
                   "<employee>" & _
                       "<name>Karina Leal</name>" & _
                       "<hireDate>1999-04-01</hireDate>" & _
                       "<title>Manager</title>" & _
                   "</employee>" & _
               "</employees>"
       Dim employeeXMLPart As Office.CustomXMLPart = _
           presentation.CustomXMLParts.Add(xmlString)
   End Sub
   

2. Add the AddCustomXmlPartToPresentation method to the ThisAddIn class in a VSTO Add-in project for PowerPoint.

3. Call the method from other code in your project. For example, to create the custom XML part when the user opens a presentation, call the method from an event handler for the Microsoft.Office.Interop.PowerPoint.EApplication_Event.AfterPresentationOpen event.

Robust programming

For simplicity, this example uses an XML string that is defined as a local variable in the method. Typically, you should obtain the XML from an external source, such as a file or a database.

Related content

• Custom XML parts overview
• How to: Add custom XML parts to document-level customizations