OpenXML Developer

Using Both the Strongly Typed Object Model and LINQ to XML in an Open XML Application

Eric White — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:45:02 GMT

Sometimes developers want to use the strongly-typed object model of the Open XML SDK in combination with code written using LINQ to XML. You may want to use functionality from PowerTools for Open XML (which is written using LINQ to XML), and you may want to write your code using the strongly typed OM. There are variations between the two approaches in how you get and set the contents of parts. If you don't take care of the mechanics properly, then you will make changes using one or the other...(read more)

Fine-Grained Control When Importing Content Using DocumentBuilder

Eric White — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:02:59 GMT

Recently I had a question about how to import the contents of one cell in one table into a cell in a different table in another document. As you probably know, moving content from one document to another in Open XML is complicated, because of interrelated markup. It isn't enough just to move the markup in the cell to the cell in the destination table; you need to also bring along any auxiliary information such as images, drawings, comments, and other such artifacts. DocumentBuilder addresses...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Starting Chapters on Odd Pages in WordprocessingML

Eric White — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:21:00 GMT

Scenario: You need to generate a document for a book, and you want each chapter to start on an odd-numbered page, so that the chapter title page is on the right-hand side of the binding. This question has been asked on the forum here at OpenXMLDeveloper.org , so I recorded a screen-cast explaining exactly how to accomplish this. Along the way, this screen-cast can serve to fill-in your knowledge about sections and headers. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. This screen-cast...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Writing a Custom Axis Method

Eric White — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:50:06 GMT

Sometimes the easiest way to accomplish a particular task is to write an axis method that returns just the elements in an Open XML document that you are interested in. Sometimes you want to write the axis method in a lazy fashion so that it performs as well as possible on large documents. You also may need to use some form or another of recursion as the easiest way to write your axis method. However, recursion and laziness are at odds. You can't write a method that uses 'yield return'...(read more)

Screen-Cast: WordprocessingML Tables Part 2

Eric White — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:13:00 GMT

This screen-cast continues our discussion about table markup in WordprocessingML. Going beyond the basic structure of tables, it discusses various issues about rendering. This screen-cast explains the w:cnfStyle element, and how it relates to the w:tblLook element. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. (Please visit the site to view this video)...(read more)

Screen-Cast: WordprocessingML Tables Part 1

Eric White — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:40:00 GMT

This screen-cast discusses table markup in WordprocessingML. It explains the basic structure of tables, and discusses how WordprocessingML table markup differs from HTML. The following screen-cast in this series (coming soon) examines various issues around table rendering. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. (Please visit the site to view this video)...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Complex Transforms of XML Elements

Eric White — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:13:31 GMT

This is the nineteenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. In this screen-cast, I discuss an interesting idiom / pattern for doing complex transforms of XML elements. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. To demonstrate this scenario, I write code to set the paragraph and character styles for specific paragraphs. (Please visit the site to view this video)...(read more)

Does Functional Programming Matter?

Eric White — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:39:37 GMT

A number of years ago, I gave a talk at a tech conference, and in the feedback, I received a ‘complaint’ that I didn’t really explain how I was writing the code that I was publishing as part of PowerTools for Open XML – code such as RevisionAccepter, ListItemRetriever, and HtmlConverter. Developers sometimes look at the code in those modules, and their reaction is “Huh????” The main problem with presenting those coding techniques was that I had one hour at that...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Why Do Transform Methods Return Object?

Eric White — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:11:28 GMT

This is the eighteenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. In this screen-cast, I discuss why the transform methods return object instead of some other type such as XObject, XElement, or XNode. The short answer is that sometimes the transform method needs to return a single element or node, and sometimes it needs to return a collection of elements or nodes. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. To demonstrate this scenario...(read more)

Open XML Markup Explorer App for Word 2013

Eric White — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:40:48 GMT

This screen-cast introduces a small Word 2013 "app" that enables you to select content in a Word document, click a button in a task pane, and see the markup for the selected content. Further, you can modify the markup in the task pane, click a button, and replace the selected content in the document with the markup. This functionality is pretty valuable to a developer new to Open XML development. You can explore the markup for a wide variety of Word document artifacts. It is also helpful...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Exploring the Structure of Embedded Spreadsheets in Word Documents

Eric White — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:00:30 GMT

Most users of Microsoft Office are aware that you can directly embed an Excel spreadsheet (XLSX) in a Word document (DOCX). In Open XML terms, the XLSX is stored in a binary part. In addition, there is an image of the view of that spreadsheet, also in its own separate part. This screen-cast shows how to unzip the DOCX, see where the embedded XLSX is, unzip the XLSX, change some markup in one of the worksheets, re-zip the XLSX, and re-zip the DOCX. Further, it is interesting to see where the image...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Transforming Attributes in Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML

Eric White — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:41:42 GMT

This is the seventeenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. In this screen-cast, we discuss transforming attributes. If you have been following along closely, you probably could imagine what this code looks like, but it is worthwhile to see this in action. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. To demonstrate this scenario, I write code to remove the RSID attributes from a WordprocessingML document. (Please visit the site...(read more)

Innovative Use of Open XML with SAP

Eric White — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:56:05 GMT

This is a guest post by Ronen Almog, showing an innovative use of Open XML with SAP. This Open XML application combines two of the main scenarios of Open XML: Document Generation, and Content Extraction. As a way to make it easier for SAP users to maintain certain data, this program generates some Open XML documents, the user then edits those documents, and then finally, the documents are parsed, their contents extracted, and the SAP database is updated. Enjoy! -Eric SAP systems are very popular...(read more)

Inserting an Image into a Bookmark in an OpenXML WordprocessingML Document

Eric White — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:06:00 GMT

Bookmarks provide a convenient way in WordprocessingML to provide insertion points for various items, such as text, images, etc. Previously, I have outlined how to programmatically retrieve and replace text within a bookmark. In a recent project, a client wanted to use bookmarks as insertion points for one or more images. Using with the replace bookmark text sample code as a starting point, I extended it to include image insertion. There are a number of additional steps to create an Open XML package...(read more)

Integrating Open XML Functionality in a PowerShell Script by using Managed Code via the Add-Type Cmdlet

Eric White — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:40:00 GMT

A question in a forum here at OpenXMLDeveloper.org clued me into a cool new way to add Open XML functionality into a PowerShell cmdlet - PowerShell 2.0 and above enable you to directly embed C# code in a PowerShell script using the Add-Type cmdlet. To use this cmdlet, you pass two arguments: A list of the fully qualified names of the assemblies that your C# code requires. A string containing the C# code. After calling the cmdlet, that type is available for your use in your PowerShell script. I've...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Removing Elements in Recursive Pure Functional Transforms (RPFT) of XML

Eric White — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:33:02 GMT

This is the sixteenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. In this screen-cast, we discuss the selective elimination of elements from the newly cloned XML tree. We are, in effect, 'removing' an element from the original XML tree in the newly created XML tree. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. To demonstrate this scenario, I remove proofing marks from a WordprocessingML document. I also show removal of comments...(read more)

How to Research Open XML PresentationML

Eric White — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:30:24 GMT

Recently, I received a question on one of forums here on OpenXMLDeveloper.org - how do you control the height for a table row, and also how to set the font size, background color, and etc. for a cell in a table in PresentationML. Rather than directly answer the question, I recorded a screen-cast that shows how to use the various tools to answer such questions for yourself. Once you have a good grasp of the tools, these things are pretty easy to research. So this screen-cast is called, How to Set...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Replacing Elements in Recursive Pure Functional Transforms (RPFT) of XML

Eric White — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:32:00 GMT

This is the fifteenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. In this screen-cast, we discuss transforming one particular element in an XML tree with a different element. We are, in effect, 'replacing' an element from the original XML tree with a new element in the newly created XML tree. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. To demonstrate this scenario, I transform a simple WordprocessingML document into an Html page...(read more)

All About PresentationBuilder, Part 3

bobm — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:01 GMT

The purpose of PresentationBuilder is to build a new Presentation document using selected slides from one or more existing Presentation documents. The challenge is to include all references to other parts, or parts of parts, as appropriate for the slides that are being copied. In this series of screen-casts, I will give details about how to get and build the code and also the technical details about how it works. Part 1 looks more closely at how to use PresentationBuilder and its support code. Part...(read more)

All About PresentationBuilder, Part 2

bobm — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:50:21 GMT

All About PresentationBuilder, Part 1

bobm — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:11:36 GMT

Screen-Cast: Images in WordprocessingML

Eric White — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 07:23:00 GMT

This screen-cast discusses images in WordprocessingML. It shows how you can explicitly control the size of the image, and the space taken up by the image.. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. (Please visit the site to view this video)...(read more)

Screen-Cast: Recursive Pure Functional Transformations - The Identity Transform

Eric White — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

This is the fourteenth screen-cast in a series on writing Recursive Pure Functional Transformations (RPFT) of XML. This is the first screen-cast in the series where we start to cover the actual transformations of XML. I know it has been a long haul to get to this point, but now we have the background to start talking about recursive pure functional transformations in earnest. Return to the Table of Contents of this screen-cast series. In this screen-cast, I cover some basic information, and then...(read more)

Quick Introduction to PresentationBuilder

bobm — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:27:35 GMT

This is a short (5 minute) introduction to the new PresentationBuilder. The purpose of PresentationBuilder is to build a new Presentation document using selected slides from one or more existing Presentation documents. The challenge is to include all references to other parts, or parts of parts, as appropriate for the slides that are being copied. In my next series of screen-casts about PresentationBuilder, I will give details about how to get and build the code and also the technical details about...(read more)

All About the stylesWithEffects Part in Open XML WordprocessingML Documents

Eric White — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:57:00 GMT

We've all seen the stylesWithEffects part in Open XML WordprocessingML documents. The following video shows why that part is there, and how it works. (Please visit the site to view this video)...(read more)