Leveraging Office Business Applications (OBAs) with VSTO 3.0 in Visual Studio 2008

1. Visual Studio 2008 and the Office Development Platform Karim Erradi Senior Consultant karim.erradi@readify.net http://aerradi.spaces.live.com/

2. Agenda • Office Business Applications (OBA) • VSTO 3.0 • Common OBA Patterns • OBA as a Reach Channel • Document Integration • Document Centric Workflows

3. Office Business Applications (OBA) • Unlock value from existing Line-of-Business (LOB) systems • makes these systems more accessible • Makes information actionable by information workers through the familiar Office Applications Microsoft Office System Line-of-Business Applications OBAs

4. Opportunities For OBA • Eliminates multiple application interfaces used to access business data • Reduces user learning curve • Improves decision making, and saves time and money

5. Enables developers to create & extend OBAs • Enables developers to leverage key Office UI features and support collaboration and workflow • Enables developers to leverage existing programming skills

6. Client Platform Investments • Open XML File Format • Enhanced add-in model • Customizable User Interface • Custom ribbon & task panes • Word • Content Controls and XML binding • Excel • BI functions, server support • Outlook • Form Regions • InfoPath • Server support, managed object model Ribbon Core Features Task Pane Application add-in Databases Web Services

7. #1: Office Application as Reach Channel

8. Intelligent Documents • Custom ribbons can expose additional custom functionality in the Office 2007 clients allowing users to access LOB data

9. Integrating LOB Systems with OBAs • Familiar UI • Reach Extension Microsoft Office Clients SharePoint • Mediated LOB • Data Access • Enterprise Search LOB Systems Custom LOB Systems Siebel SAP Microsoft Dynamics

10. Expand the “Ribbon” Use full power of Office Excel Task Pane linked to business data

11. Extend the Office Ribbon • New Look and Feel for Office UI • Replaces Command Bars in “the big 5” Office apps • Enables you to: • Customize tabs • Add to built-in tabs • Remove tabs, groups, controls • Add to Office menu • Override built-in UI Group Tab Control Ribbon

12. Extend the Office Ribbon • Visual Ribbon Designer • VSTO 3 Adds full-blown visual designer support • A more robust programming layer Property Grid Ribbon Control Toolbox Design Surface

13. Create Custom Task Panes • VSTO simplifies and speeds up task pane UI design process with visual designers and .NET hookup • Two Types • Document level • Associated with a specific Word or Excel document • Application add-in • not associated with individual doc

14. DemoCustom Task Panes • Build with WinForm controls • Can be triggered from Ribbon Standard Windows User Control

15. #2: Document Integration

16. Word Documents The Challenge • Information Workers create valuable data in Word documents – this data is usually unstructured and difficult to leverage The Solution Word Content Controls combines the best of both worlds – free form Word and the ability to programmatically access data.

17. Open XML File Format • User view: • Single Office “file” • Developer view: • Zip Package of document parts • Document Parts • Each part is a discrete component • Can add, extract and modify individual parts without using Office programs • Corruption of any part would not prohibit the file from opening • Data/View Separation - Office XML data store

18. Word 2007 Content Controls • Information Worker • Friendly end user exposure of structured content • Ensures that your structure stays in the document • Developer • New ways of creating and managing structured documents • Support for XML Mapping • Program against the controls

19. DemoCreating Dynamic Word Documents using Open XML and Visual Studio 2008

20. #4: Document Centric Workflows

21. Document Centric Workflow • Documents stored in SharePoint Library can trigger a workflow • Business data can be delivered or captured using InfoPath forms

22. WorkFlow Life Cycle

23. You can start the workflow from Office client applications or the Web browser Starting the workflow creates an instance of the workflow The workflow instance is tied to the document or item Starting the Workflow Built-in Office dialog to start a workflow Office Menu

24. Office “business bar” Displays when workflow tasks are pending Result of communication between Office and SharePoint Is a launch point for further workflow interaction Interacting in Office The business bar

25. DemoCreating a SharePoint Workflow Built-in Office dialog to start a workflow Office Menu

26. Deployment The Challenge • Deploying Office applications used to be either a difficult task The Solution ClickOnce deployment. Offline access via the ClickOnce Cache Improved security model

27. Key Takeaways • OBAs are a new breed of application thatbridge LOB data and Information Workers gap • VSTO 3.0 and VS 2008 – Premiere developer toolset forOBAs • You can customize and extend the Office client using VSTO • You can also integrate WCF, WPF, LINQ and other technologies • Call to action: an opportunity to specialize!

28. Resources • Office Business Applications Developer Portal • http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905528.aspx • OBA Central • http://www.obacentral.com/default.aspx • Visit the VSTO Developer Center • http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/tool/vsto/default.aspx • VSTO Forum • http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=16

29. Thanks Karim Erradi karim.erradi@readify.net http://aerradi.spaces.live.com/