Content Controls

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Building Word 2007 Document Templates Using

Content ControlsOffice 2007

Erika Ehrli, Lisa Wollin, Brian Jones, Microsoft Corporation

Applies to: 2007 Microsoft Office System, Microsoft Office Word 2007

Content controls are bounded and potentially labeled regions in a document that serve as containers for

specific types of content. Individual content controls can contain content such as dates, lists, or paragraphs

of formatted text. They enable you to create rich, structured blocks of content. Content controls enable you

to create templates that insert well-defined blocks into your documents. Content controls also build on the

custom XML support introduced in Microsoft Office Word 2003.

Whether you want to add or delete content controls or access and manipulate existing content controls,

you can do it with code.

Adding a Content Control

Use the Add method of the ContentControls collection to add a content control to a document. The

following example adds a date picker to the active document and sets the date value to the current date.VB

Copy

Sub AddDatePicker()

Dim objCC As ContentControl

Dim objDate AsDate

Set objCC = ActiveDocument.ContentControls _

.Add(wdContentControlDate)

objDate = Date

objCC.Range.Text = objDate

EndSub

You can use the same basic construction to add any of the different types of content controls to a

document.

Adding a Title to a Content Control

Use the Title property to add a title to a content control. This is text that users see, and it can help them to

know what type of data to enter into the content control. The following example adds a new plain-text

content control to the active document and sets the title, or display text, for the control.

VB

Copy


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Sub SetTitleForContentControl()


Set objCC = ActiveDocument.ContentControls _

.Add(wdContentControlText)

objCC.Title = "Please enter your name"

EndSub

Modifying Placeholder Text for a Content Control

Placeholder text is temporary text. It can be a simple one-word or two-word description (similar to the title)

or it can be a more thorough description (such as numbered steps). The way that you modify placeholder

text is the same regardless of the type of content control or the expected contents of the content control.

The following example adds a drop-down list to the active document, sets the placeholder text for the

control, and then fills the list with the names of several animals.

VBCopy

Sub SetPlaceholderText()


Set objCC = Selection.ContentControls _

.Add(wdContentControlComboBo x)

objCC.Title = "Favorite Animal"

objCC.SetPlaceholderText _

Text:="Please select your favorite animal"

'List entriesobjCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Cat"

objCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Dog"

objCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Horse"

objCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Monkey"

objCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Snake"

objCC.DropdownListEntries.Add "Other"

EndSub

Content controls enable you to create templates that insert well-defined blocks into your documents.

Content controls enable you to:

Specify structured regions in a template. Each structured region has its own unique ID so that you canread from and write to it. Examples of types of structured regions (or content controls) are combo

boxes, pictures, text blocks, and calendars.

Determine the behavior of content controls. Each content control takes up a portion of a documentand, as the template author, you can specify what each region does. For example, if you want a region


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of your template to be a calendar, you insert a calendar content control in that area of the document,

which automatically determines what that block of content does. Similarly, if you want a section of a

template to display an image, create a picture content control in that area. In this way, you can build a

template with predefined block types.

Restrict the content of content controls. You can restrict the content of each content control, so that itcannot be deleted or edited. This is useful if, for example, you have copyright information in a

template that the user should be able to read but not edit. You can also lock a template's content so

that a user does not accidentally delete portions of it. This makes templates more robust than in

previous versions.

Map the contents of a content control to data in a custom XML part that is stored with the document.For example, if you insert a document parts content control that contains a table of stock prices, you

can map the table cells to nodes in an XML file that contain the current stock prices. When the prices

change, an add-in can programmatically update the attached XML file, which is bound to each cell,

and the new, updated prices automatically appear in the table.

The easiest way to create a content control is through the user interface (UI) (although you can also create

them programmatically). To create a content control through the UI, select the text that you want to turn

into a content control and then choose the content control type you want from the content controls

section of the Developer ribbon. This creates a content control around the selected text.

Types of Content Controls

There are seven different types of content controls that you can add to a document, each of which is

represented in a new enumeration called WdContentControlType.

Table 1. Content controls in WdContentControlType

ControlDefinition

CalendarA date-time picker.

Building BlockEnables the user to choose from specified building blocks.

Drop-Down ListA drop-down list.Combo BoxA combo box.

PictureA picture.

Rich TextA block of rich text.

Plain TextA block of plain text.


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Building Blocks Part IbyWord Team

on November 21

A cool new feature we have added in Word 2007 is the ability to reuse content easily in order to help you put together great looking documents.We call this feature building blocks. Building blocks are essentially parts of a document that can be reused. For example, a company logo with a

textual slogan can be stored as a reusable cover page.

Word 2007 provides a collection of common building blocks presented in visual galleries out of the box. All building block galleries use a rich

thumbnail image to preview content before inserting it, like many other features in Office. But each gallery is also a feature in its own right, for

example, cover pages will insert at the beginning of the document as expected, while headers go in the document header area and textboxes are

inserted in the page the cursor is in.

Here is a screenshot of the Cover Page gallery:
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Different Types of Building Blocks

Insert Tab:

Cover pages Headers Footers Page numbers Text boxes (pull quotes and sidebars) Quick parts (custom user blocks)


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EquationsReference Tab:

Table of Contents Bibliography

Page Layout Tab:

WatermarkHeader and Footer Contextual Tab:

Repeats the header, footer, page number, and quick parts galleries for convenienceThere are also a number of hidden galleries not shown by default, which can be used by template authors and solutions developers creating a

custom user interface. I will cover that in more detail in a later post.

Tomorrow, I will talk about inserting and swapping out building blocks in a document.

Let me know if you have any specific questions or comments that you would like me to address here or in future posts on building blocks.

Zeyad Rajabi
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Content ControlsVisual Studio 2010

Other Versions

Content controls provide a way for you to design documents and templates that have these features:

A user interface (UI) that has controlled input like a form. Restrictions that prevent users from editing protected sections of the document or template. For more

information, seeProtecting Parts of Documents by Using Content Controls . Data binding to a data source. For more information, seeBinding Data to Content Controls.

Applies to: The information in this topic applies to document-level projects and application-level projects

for Word 2007 and Word 2010. For more information, seeFeatures Available by Office Application and Project

Type.

For a related video demonstration, seeBinding Data to Word 2007 Content Controls Using Visual Studio

Tools for the Office System (3.0).

Overview of Content Controls

Content controls provide a UI that is optimized for both user input and print. When you add a content

control to a document, the control is identified by a border, a title, and temporary text that can provide

instructions to the user. The border and the title of the control do not appear in printed versions of the

document.

For example, if you want the user to enter a date in a section of your document, you can add a date picker

content control to the document. When users click the control, the standard date picker UI appears. You

can also set properties of the control to set the regional calendar that is displayed and to specify the date

format. After the user chooses a date, the UI of the control is hidden, and only the date appears if the userprints the document.

Content controls also help you do the following:

Prevent users from editing or deleting parts of a document. This is useful if you have information in adocument or template that users should be able to read but not edit, or if you want users to be able to

edit content controls but not delete them.

Bind parts of a document or template to data. You can bind content controls to database fields,managed objects in the .NET Framework, XML elements that are stored in the document, and other

data sources.
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In document-level projects, you can add content controls to your document at design time or at run time.

In application-level projects, you can add content controls to any open document at run time. For more

information, seeHow to: Add Content Controls to Word Documents.

Note

You can use content controls only in documents that are saved in the Open XML Format. You cannot use

content controls in documents that are saved in the Word 97-2003 document (.doc) format.

Types of Content Controls

There are nine different types of content controls that you can add to documents. Most of the content

controls have a corresponding type in theMicrosoft.Office.Tools.Wordnamespace. You can also use a

genericContentControl, which can represent any of the available content controls. For a walkthrough that

demonstrates how to use each of the available content controls, seeWalkthrough: Creating a Template By

Using Content Controls.

Building Block Gallery

A building block gallery enables users to select from a list ofdocument building blocks to insert into a

document. A document building block is a piece of content that has been created to be used multiple times,

such as a common cover page, a formatted table, or a header. For more information, see the

BuildingBlockGalleryContentControltype. For more information about building blocks, seeWhat's New for

Developers in Word 2007.

Check Box

A check box provides a UI that represents a binary state: selected or cleared. This type of content control is

available only in Word 2010.

Unlike the other types of content controls, the Visual Studio Tools for Office runtime does not provide a

specific type that represents a check box content control. In other words, there is no

CheckBoxContentControl type. However, you can still create a check box content control by adding a

genericContentControlto a document programmatically. For more information, seeCheck Box Content

Controls in Word 2010 Projects.

Combo Box

A combo box displays a list of items that users can select. Unlike a drop-down list, the combo box enables

users to add their own items. For more information, see theComboBoxContentControltype.

Date Picker

A date picker provides a calendar UI for selecting a date. The calendar appears when the end user clicks the

drop-down arrow in the control. You can use regional calendars and different date formats. For more

information, see theDatePickerContentControltype.

Drop-Down List
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A drop-down list displays a list of items that users can select. Unlike a combo box, the drop-down list does

not let users add or edit items. For more information, see theDropDownListContentControltype.

Group

A group control defines a protected region of a document that users cannot edit or delete. A group controlcan contain any document items, such as text, tables, graphics, and other content controls. For more

information, see theGroupContentControltype.

Picture

A picture control displays an image. You can specify the image at design time or run time, or users can click

this control to select an image to insert in the document. For more information, see the

PictureContentControltype.

Rich Text

A rich text control contains text or other items, such as tables, pictures, or other content controls. For more

information, see theRichTextContentControltype.

Plain Text

A plain text control contains text. A plain text control cannot contain other items, such as tables, pictures, or

other content controls. In addition, all of the text in a plain text control has the same formatting. For

example, if you italicize one word of a sentence that is in a plain text control, all the text inside the control is

italicized. For more information, see thePlainTextContentControltype.

Generic Content Control

A generic content control is aContentControlobject that can represent any of the available types of content

controls. You can change aContentControlobject to behave like a different type of content control by using

theTypeproperty. For example, if you create aContentControlobject that represents a plain text control,

you can change it at run time so that it behaves like a combo box.

You can createContentControlobjects only at run time, not at design time. For more information, seeHow

to: Add Content Controls to Word Documents .

Common Features of Content Controls

Most content controls share a set of members that you can use to perform common tasks. The following

table describes some of the tasks that you can perform by using these members.

For this task: Do this:

Get or set the text that is displayed in the control. Use the Text property.

Note

ThePictureContentControland
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ContentControltypes do not have this

property.

Get or set the temporary text that is displayed in the control until a

user edits the control, the control is populated with data from a

data source, or the control's contents are deleted.

Use the PlaceholderText property.

Note

ThePictureContentControltype does

not have this property.

Get or set the title that is displayed in the border of the content

control when the user clicks it.

Use the Title property.

Remove the control from the document automatically after the user

edits the control. (The text in the control remains in the document.)

Use the Temporary property.

Run code when the user clicks in the content control, or when the

cursor is moved into the content control programmatically.

Handle theEnteringevent of the

control.

Run code when the user clicks outside the content control, or when

the cursor is moved outside the content control programmatically.

Handle theExitingevent of the

control.

Run code after the content control is added to the document as a

result of a redo or undo operation.

Handle theAddedevent of the

control.

Run code just before the content control is deleted from the

document.

Handle theDeletingevent of the

control.

Protecting Parts of Documents By Using Content Controls

When you protect a part of a document, you prevent users from changing or deleting the content in that

part of the document. There are several ways you can protect parts of a document by using content

controls.

If the area you want to protect is inside a content control, you can use properties of the content control to

prevent users from editing or deleting the control:

The LockContents property prevents users from editing the contents. The LockContentControl property prevents users from deleting the control.
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If the area you want to protect is not inside a content control, or if you want to protect an area that

contains content controls and other types of content, you can put the whole area in aGroupContentControl.

Unlike other content controls, aGroupContentControlprovides no UI that is visible to the user. Its only

purpose is to define a region that users cannot edit.

Note

If you create aGroupContentControlthat contains embedded content controls, the embedded content

controls are not automatically protected. You must use the LockContents property of each embedded

control to prevent users from editing their contents.

For more information about how to use content controls to protect parts of documents, see How to: Protect

Parts of Documents by Using Content Controls .

Binding Data to Content Controls

You can display data in documents by binding a content control to a data source. When the data source is

updated, the content control reflects the changes. You can also save changes back to the data source.

Content controls provide the following data binding options:

You can bind content controls to database fields or managed objects by using the same data bindingmodel as Windows Forms.

You can bind content controls to elements in pieces of XML (also named custom XML parts) that areembedded in the document.

For an overview of binding host controls in Office solutions to data, see Binding Data to Controls in Office

Solutions.

Using the Windows Forms Data Binding Model

Most content controls support the simple data binding model that Windows Forms uses. Simple data

binding means that a control is bound to a single data element, such as a value in a column of a data table.

For more information, seeData Binding and Windows Forms .

In document-level projects, you can bind data to content controls by using the Data Sources window in

Visual Studio. For more information about how to add data-bound content controls to documents, see How

to: Populate Documents with Data from a Database andHow to: Populate Documents with Data from Objects .

The following table lists the content controls that you can bind to each data type in the Data Sources

window.

Data type Default content control Other content controls that can be bound to this data type

Boolean

Byte

PlainTextContentControl BuildingBlockGalleryContentControl

ComboBoxContentControl
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Char

Double

Enum

Guid

Int16

Int32

Int64

SByte

Single

String

TimeSpan

UInt16

UInt32

UInt64

DatePickerContentControl

RichTextContentControl

DateTime DatePickerContentControl BuildingBlockGalleryContentControl

ComboBoxContentControl

PlainTextContentControl

RichTextContentControl

Image

Bytearray

PictureContentControl None

In document-level and application-level projects, you can bind a content control to a data source

programmatically by using theAddmethod of theDataBindingsproperty of the control. If you do this, pass

in the string Text to thepropertyName parameter of theAddmethod. The Text property is the default data

binding property of content controls.

Content controls also support two-way data binding, in which changes in the control are updated to the

data source. For more information, seeHow to: Update a Data Source with Data from a Host Control .

Note
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.char.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.char.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.double.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.double.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.enum.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.enum.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.guid.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.guid.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.sbyte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.sbyte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.single.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.single.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.string.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.string.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.datetime.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.datetime.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.buildingblockgallerycontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.buildingblockgallerycontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.comboboxcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.comboboxcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.plaintextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.plaintextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.drawing.image.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.drawing.image.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.byte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.byte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.picturecontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.picturecontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.ibindablecomponent.databindings.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.ibindablecomponent.databindings.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.ibindablecomponent.databindings.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bybtbt99.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bybtbt99.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bybtbt99.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bybtbt99.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.ibindablecomponent.databindings.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.controlbindingscollection.add.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.picturecontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.byte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.drawing.image.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.plaintextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.comboboxcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.buildingblockgallerycontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.datetime.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.datepickercontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.uint16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.string.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.single.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.sbyte.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int64.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int32.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.int16.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.guid.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.enum.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.double.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.char.aspx


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Content controls do not support complex data binding. If you bind aDropDownListContentControlor

ComboBoxContentControlto a data source by using the Windows Forms data model, users will see only a

single value when they click the control. If you want to bind these controls to a set of data values that users

can choose from, you can bind these controls to elements in a custom XML part.

Binding Content Controls to Custom XML Parts

You can bind some content controls to elements in custom XML parts that are embedded in the document.

For more information about custom XML parts, seeCustom XML Parts Overview.

To bind a content control to an element in a custom XML part, use the XMLMapping property of the

control. The following code example demonstrates how to bind aPlainTextContentControlto the Price

element under the Product node in a custom XML part that has already been added to the document.

C#

VB

Copy

plainTextContentControl1.XMLMapping.SetMapping("/Product/Price", String.Empty, nul

l);

For a walkthrough that demonstrates how to bind content controls to custom XML parts in more detail, see

Walkthrough: Binding Content Controls to Custom XML Parts .

When you bind a content control to a custom XML part, two-way data binding is automatically enabled. If a

user edits text in the control, the corresponding XML elements are automatically updated. Similarly, if

element values in the custom XML parts are changed, the content controls that are bound to the XML

elements will display the new data.

You can bind the following types of content controls to custom XML parts:

ComboBoxContentControl DatePickerContentControl DropDownListContentControl PictureContentControl

PlainTextContentControl

Data Binding Events for Content Controls

All content controls provide a set of events that you can handle to perform data-related tasks, such as

validating that the text in a control meets certain criteria before the data source is updated. The following

table lists the content control events that are related to data binding.

Task Event

Run code just before Word automatically updates the text in a content control that is

bound to a custom XML part.

ContentUpdating
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Run code just before Word automatically updates data in a custom XML part that is

bound to a content control (that is, after the text in the content control changes).

StoreUpdating

Run your own code to validate the contents of the control according to custom criteria. Validating

Run code after the contents of the control have been successfully validated. Validated

Limitations of Content Controls

When you use content controls in your Office projects, be aware of the following limitations.

Behavior Differences Between Design Time and Run Time

Many of the limitations that Microsoft Office Word imposes on content controls at run time are not

enforced at design time. When you design the UI of a document-level solution in Visual Studio, be sure to

modify content controls only in ways that are supported at run time.

If you modify a content control at design time in a way that the control does not support at run time, the

Visual Studio designer will not alert you of the unsupported changes. However, when you debug or run the

project, or if you save and then reopen the project, Word will display an error message and request

permission to repair the document. When you repair the document, Word removes all unsupported content

and formatting from the control.

For example, Word does not prevent you from adding a table to a PlainTextContentControlat design time.

However, becausePlainTextContentControlobjects cannot contain tables at run time, Word will display an

error message when the document is opened.

Also note that many properties that define the behavior of content controls have no effect at design time.

For example, if you set the LockContents property of a content control to True at design time, you can still

edit text in the control in the Visual Studio designer. This property only prevents users from editing the

control at run time.

Event Limitations

Content controls do not provide an event that is raised when the user changes text or other items in the

control. For example, there is no event that is raised when a user selects a different item in a

DropDownListContentControlorComboBoxContentControl.

To determine when a user edits the contents of a content control, you can bind the control to a custom

XML part, and then handle theStoreUpdatingevent. This event is raised when the user changes the contents

of a control that is bound to a custom XML part. For a walkthrough that demonstrates how to bind a

content control to a custom XML part, seeWalkthrough: Binding Content Controls to Custom XML Parts .

Check Box Content Controls in Word 2010 Projects

Word 2010 introduced a new type of content control that represents a check box. However, the VisualStudio Tools for Office runtime does not provide a corresponding CheckBoxContentControl type for you
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to use in Office projects. To create a check box content control in a Word 2010 project, use the

AddContentControlmethod to create aMicrosoft.Office.Tools.Word.ContentControlobject, and pass the

wdContentControlCheckBoxvalue to the method to specify a check box content control. The following code

example demonstrates how to do this.

C#

VB

Copy

this.Paragraphs[1].Range.InsertParagraphBefore();

this.Paragraphs[1].Range.Select();

Microsoft.Office.Tools.Word.ContentControl checkBoxControl1 =

this.Controls.AddContentControl("checkBoxControl1", Word.WdContentControlType.

wdContentControlCheckBox);

// The following line of code compiles in projects that target the .NET Framework

4, but it does not compile

// in projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5.

checkBoxControl1.Checked = true;

// In projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5, use the following code.

checkBoxControl1.InnerObject.Checked = true;

Note

TheCheckedproperty ofMicrosoft.Office.Tools.Word.ContentControlobjects can be used directly only in

projects that target the .NET Framework 4. In projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5, you must use the

InnerObjectproperty to access theCheckedproperty of the underlying

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ContentControlobject. For more information, seeProgrammatic Limitations of

Host Items and Host Controls.

See Also
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.wdcontentcontroltype.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.wdcontentcontroltype.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrolbase.innerobject.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrolbase.innerobject.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://void%280%29/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178779.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrolbase.innerobject.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.contentcontrol.checked.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.wdcontentcontroltype.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.contentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addcontentcontrol.aspx


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TasksHow to: Add Content Controls to Word Documents

Walkthrough: Creating a Template By Using Content Controls

ConceptsAutomating Word by Using Extended Objects

Programmatic Limitations of Host Items and Host Controls

Other ResourcesData in Office Solutions

Binding Data to Controls in Office Solutions
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How to: Add Content Controls to Word DocumentsVisual Studio 2010

Other Versions

In document-level Word projects, you can add content controls to the document in your project at design

time or at run time. In application-level Word projects, you can add content controls to any open document

at run time.

Applies to: The information in this topic applies to document-level projects and application-level projectsfor Word 2007 and Word 2010. For more information, seeFeatures Available by Office Application and Project

Type.

This topic describes the following tasks:

Adding content controls at design time Adding content controls at run time in a document-level project Adding content controls at run time in an application-level project

For information about content controls, seeContent Controls.

Adding Content Controls at Design Time

There are several ways to add content controls to the document in a document-level project at design time:

Add a content control from the Word Controls tab of the Toolbox. Add a content control to your document in the same manner you would add a native content control

in Word.

Drag a content control to your document from the Data Sources window. This is useful when you wantto bind the control to data when the control is created. For more information, see How to: Populate

Documents with Data from ObjectsandHow to: Populate Documents with Data from a Database .

Note

Your computer might show different names or locations for some of the Visual Studio user interface

elements in the following instructions. The Visual Studio edition that you have and the settings that you use

determine these elements. For more information, seeVisual Studio Settings.

To add a content control to a document by using the Toolbox
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1. In the document that is hosted in the Visual Studio designer, put the cursor where you want to addthe content control, or select the text that you want the content control to replace.

2. Open the Toolbox and click the Word Controls tab.3. Add the control one of the following ways:

Double-click a content control in the Toolbox.or

Click a content control in the Toolbox and then press the ENTER key.or

Drag a content control from the Toolbox to the document. The content control is added atthe current selection in the document, not at the location of the mouse pointer.

Note

You cannot add aGroupContentControlby using the Toolbox. You can only add aGroupContentControlin

Word, or at run time.

Note

Visual Studio does not provide a check box content control in the Toolbox for Word 2010 projects. To add

a check box content control to the document, you must create aContentControlobject programmatically.

For more information, seeContent Controls.

To add a content control to a document in Word

1. In the document that is hosted in the Visual Studio designer, put the cursor where you want to addthe content control, or select the text that you want the content control to replace.

2. On the Ribbon, click the Developer tab.

Note

If the Developer tab is not visible, you must first show it. For more information, seeHow to: Show the

Developer Tab on the Ribbon.

3. In the Controls group, click the icon for the content control that you want to add.

Adding Content Controls at Run Time in a Document-Level

Project
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You can add content controls programmatically to your document at run time by using methods of the

Controlsproperty of the ThisDocument class in your project. Each method has three overloads that you can

use to add a content control in the following ways:

Add a control at the current selection.

Add a control at a specified range. Add a control that is based on a native content control in the document.

Dynamically created content controls are not persisted in the document when the document is closed.

However, a native content control remains in the document. You can recreate a content control that is

based on a native content control the next time the document is opened. For more information, see Adding

Controls to Office Documents at Run Time .

Note

To add a check box content control to a document in a Word 2010 project, you must create a

ContentControlobject. For more information, seeContent Controls.

To add a content control at the current selection

Use aControlCollectionmethod that has the name Add (where control class is the classname of the content control that you want to add, such asAddRichTextContentControl), and that has a

single parameter for the name of the new control.

The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(String)method to

add a newRichTextContentControlto the beginning of the document. To run this code, add the code to

the ThisDocument class in your project, and call the AddRichTextControlAtSelection method from the

ThisDocument_Startup event handler.

C#

VB

Copy

private Microsoft.Office.Tools.Word.RichTextContentControl richTextControl1;

privatevoid AddRichTextControlAtSelection()

{


this.Paragraphs[1].Range.Select();
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richTextControl1 = this.Controls.AddRichTextContentControl("richTextContro

l1");

richTextControl1.PlaceholderText = "Enter your first name";

}

To add a content control at a specified range

Use aControlCollectionmethod that has the name Add (where control class is the nameof the content control class that you want to add, such asAddRichTextContentControl), and that has a

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.Rangeparameter.

The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(Range, String)method to add a newRichTextContentControlto the beginning of the document. To run this code, add

the code to the ThisDocument class in your project, and call the AddRichTextControlAtRange method

from the ThisDocument_Startup event handler.

C#

VB

Copy


privatevoid AddRichTextControlAtRange()

{


richTextControl2 = this.Controls.AddRichTextContentControl(this.Paragraphs

[1].Range,

"richTextControl2");


}
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To add a content control that is based on a native content control


Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ContentControl parameter.

The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(ContentControl,

String)method to create a newRichTextContentControlfor every native rich text control that is in the

document. To run this code, add the code to the ThisDocument class in your project, and call the

CreateRichTextControlsFromNativeControls method from the ThisDocument_Startup event handler.

C#

VB

Copy

private System.Collections.Generic.List

richTextControls;

privatevoid CreateRichTextControlsFromNativeControls()

{

if (this.ContentControls.Count


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Microsoft.Office.Tools.Word.RichTextContentControl tempControl =

this.Controls.AddRichTextContentControl(nativeControl,

"VSTORichTextControl" + count.ToString());

richTextControls.Add(tempControl);

}

}

}

Adding Content Controls at Run Time in an Application-LevelProject

You can add content controls programmatically to any open document at run time by using an application-

level add-in. To do this, generate aDocumenthost item that is based on an open document, and then use

methods of theControlsproperty of this host item. Each method has three overloads that you can use to

add a content control in the following ways:

Add a control at the current selection. Add a control at a specified range. Add a control that is based on a native content control in the document.

Dynamically created content controls are not persisted in the document when the document is closed.

However, a native content control remains in the document. You can recreate a content control that is

based on a native content control the next time the document is opened. For more information, see

Persisting Dynamic Controls in Office Documents .

For more information about generating host items in application-level projects, see Extending Word

Documents and Excel Workbooks in Application-Level Add-ins at Run Time.

Note

To add a check box content control to a document in a Word 2010 project, you must create a

ContentControlobject. For more information, seeContent Controls.

To add a content control at the current selection

Use aControlCollectionmethod that has the name Add (where control class is the classname of the content control that you want to add, such asAddRichTextContentControl), and that has a

single parameter for the name of the new control.
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The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(String)method to

add a newRichTextContentControlto the beginning of the active document. To run this code, add the

code to the ThisAddIn class in your project, and call the AddRichTextControlAtSelection method from

the ThisAddIn_Startup event handler.

C#

VB

Copy


privatevoid AddRichTextControlAtSelection()

{

Word.Document currentDocument = this.Application.ActiveDocument;

currentDocument.Paragraphs[1].Range.InsertParagraphBefore();

currentDocument.Paragraphs[1].Range.Select();

// Use the following line of code in projects that target the .NET Framewo

rk 4.

Document extendedDocument = Globals.Factory.GetVstoObject(currentDocumen

t);

// In projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5, use the following line

of code.

// Document extendedDocument = currentDocument.GetVstoObject();

richTextControl1 = extendedDocument.Controls.AddRichTextContentControl("ri

chTextControl1");


}

To add a content control at a specified range
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Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.Rangeparameter.

The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(Range, String)

method to add a newRichTextContentControlto the beginning of the active document. To run thiscode, add the code to the ThisAddIn class in your project, and call the AddRichTextControlAtRange

method from the ThisAddIn_Startup event handler.

C#

VB

Copy


privatevoid AddRichTextControlAtRange()

{

Word.Document currentDocument = this.Application.ActiveDocument;

currentDocument.Paragraphs[1].Range.InsertParagraphBefore();

// Use the following line of code in projects that target the .NET Framewo

rk 4.

Document extendedDocument = Globals.Factory.GetVstoObject(currentDocumen

t);

// In projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5, use the following line

of code.

// Document extendedDocument = currentDocument.GetVstoObject();

richTextControl2 = extendedDocument.Controls.AddRichTextContentControl(

currentDocument.Paragraphs[1].Range, "richTextControl2");


}
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.range.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.range.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398254.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398254.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398254.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398254.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.interop.word.range.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspx


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To add a content control that is based on a native content control


Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.ContentControl parameter.

The following code example uses theControlCollection.AddRichTextContentControl(ContentControl,

String)method to create a newRichTextContentControlfor every native rich text control that is in a

document, after the document is opened. To run this code, add the code to the ThisAddIn class in

your project.

C#

VB

Copy

private System.Collections.Generic.List

richTextControls;

privatevoid Application_DocumentOpen(Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.Document D

oc)

{

if (Doc.ContentControls.Count > 0)

{

// Use the following line of code in projects that target the .NET Fra

mework 4.

Document extendedDocument = Globals.Factory.GetVstoObject(Doc);

// In projects that target the .NET Framework 3.5, use the following line of code.

// Document extendedDocument = Doc.GetVstoObject();

richTextControls = new System.Collections.Generic.List

();

int count = 0;
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.richtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398678.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.addrichtextcontentcontrol.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.tools.word.controlcollection.aspx


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foreach (Word.ContentControl nativeControl in Doc.ContentControls)

{

if (nativeControl.Type ==

Microsoft.Office.Interop.Word.WdContentControlType.wdContentControlRi

Content Controls

Documents

Transcript of Content Controls