Work with Office Add-ins

Sometimes you might want to give access to interface controls that run code to modify documents. Aspose.Words API provides the WebExtensions namespace, which grants various classes to customize elements and attributes extending the XML vocabulary for representing Office Add-ins.

WebExtensions namespace can be conditionally divided into:

  • Objects for working with the task pane
  • Objects for working with web extensions

Using Task Panes

The task panes are interface surfaces that are displayed on the right side of the window in Microsoft Word. Task pane allows users to access interface controls that can run code to modify documents.

For example, using Aspose.Words API, you can add a task pane add‑in and customize its appearance.

Using Web Extensions

Web Extensions are tools that expand the capabilities of Office applications and interact with Office document content. Web Extensions provide additional functionality to Office clients for improving user experience.

Aspose.Words provides the ability to add Web Extensions of the Task Pane type using the WebExtension and TaskPane classes, and also allows you to customize the pane and extension properties.

The following code example shows how to create task panes and add to web extension task panes with basic properties: 

To see a list of task pane add‑ins, use the WebExtensionTaskPanes property.

The following code example shows how to get such a list of add‑ins:

FAQ

  1. Q: How can I add a task pane add‑in to a Word document using Aspose.Words?
    A: Create a WebExtension object, set its Type to TaskPane, and configure properties such as Id and Description. Add the web extension to the document via Document.WebExtensionList.Add(webExtension). Then create a TaskPane object, set its appearance properties (e.g., Width, Height, DockState), and add it to the web extension with webExtension.TaskPane.Add(taskPane).

  2. Q: How do I retrieve the list of task pane add‑ins that are already attached to a document?
    A: Use the Document.WebExtensionTaskPanes property, which returns a WebExtensionTaskPaneCollection. Iterate through this collection to read each task pane’s Id, Description, and other attributes.

  3. Q: Can I add more than one task pane to the same Word document?
    A: Yes. A document can contain multiple WebExtension objects, each with its own TaskPane collection. Simply create additional WebExtension instances and add their TaskPane objects to the document’s WebExtensionList.

Options and Appearance Word Document