How do I release an Office Add In to the Windows Store

0
votes

I've created an office add in using Visual Studio 2015. The add in works perfectly with MSProject in debug mode.

I've published the add in following the instructions here. So far so good.

Now I'd like to release it to the Microsoft Windows Store. I've logged into the Seller Dashboard and I pretty much fall at the first hurdle.

It asks for the app package manifest file. TBH I'm not sure which file it wants exactly, so I tried

  1. xxx.OfficeAddin.vsto file in the root of the "publish" directory
  2. xxx.OfficeAddin.dll.manifest in the publish/Application Files/xxx.OfficeAddin_1_0_0_2 directory
  3. xxx.OfficeAddin.vsto also within the publish/Application Files/xxx.OfficeAddin_1_0_0_2 directory

I assume it wants No2 but it didn't work so I tried them all. None of them work and all result in the same error:

Your manifest does not reference any supported Office Add-in namespace. The most recent version is http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/appforoffice/1.1.Learn More

Googling this error in quotes returns nothing, without quote - a load of unrelated results.

I'm completely stumped now - has anyone managed to do this?

1
c#office-addins
@Bart, the MS Office Store only allows Napa-based add-ins (web-based apps that have limited Office object model access). OP's code refers to OfficeAddin.vsto, which indicates a desktop-based add-in with access to the full MS Project object model. This MSDN article on Office and SharePoint Development in VS goes into great detail, but the gist is that VSTO add-ins cannot be deployed via the Office Store. They must be installed on the desktop. My answer below addresses Project Centennial, which may provide OP with a viable option. – joeschwa

1 Answers

4
votes

You cannot add VSTO desktop applications to the Windows store, but may be able to do so soon.

The Windows Store was designed for installing applications that would run in private sandboxes that would keep apps isolated (in case of issues) from your operating system and other applications. However, Desktop applications often have registry entries, dll dependencies, and other client-side requirements. Because the Windows Store cannot accommodate these OS-related and client-side requirements, desktop applications cannot currently be distributed via the Windows Store

Fortunately, Microsoft is finally addressing this issue. They are in the process of finalizing Project Centennial, which will allow one to convert desktop apps for distribution via the Windows Store. It does this by providing a separate registry for desktop apps and a way for dlls to function without hurting other applications.

As of this writing, Microsoft has withdrawn the preview version of their Project Centennial Desktop App Converter. I am hoping this is in preparation for releasing a stable version.

Will Project Centennial allow VSTO add-ins to be sold via the Windows Store? I am hopeful, but this is not certain. We should know more within the next couple of months, if not sooner.

Update: June 8, 2016

At Microsoft's dotnetConf 2016 John Sheehan stated that VSTO add-ins would not be supported in version 1 of Project Centennial. He added that plug-ins (his term) that leveraged other desktop technologies would be able to be converted by the Project Centennial Desktop App Converter some time after Project Centennial's initial release (now slated to be concurrent with Window 10's 1st anniversary release in July 2016). Mr. Sheehan did not elaborate on whether VSTO add-ins would specifically work with later versions of Project Centennial, but he did indicate that compatibility with software that leverages other desktop technologies is definitely on the Project Centennial road map.