Custom XML Parts in Word Documents
- 4 minutes to read
You can embed arbitrary XML data (called custom XML parts) in documents in DOCX and DOC format. Custom XML parts are included in the document structure but are not visible in the document. Use the Document.CustomXmlParts property to obtain the collection of custom XML parts in code. You can create, modify or remove custom XML parts, obtain their content and display it in a document.
#Add a Custom XML Part
Method | Description |
---|---|
Custom |
Appends a new custom XML part to the collection. |
Custom |
Inserts a new custom XML part at the specified position in the collection. |
The code snippet inserts three custom XML parts into a document:
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using System.Xml;
// ...
using (RichEditDocumentServer wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
Document document = wordProcessor.Document;
document.AppendText("This document contains custom XML parts.");
// Add an empty custom XML part.
ICustomXmlPart xmlItem = document.CustomXmlParts.Add();
// Populate the XML part with content.
XmlElement elem = xmlItem.CustomXmlPartDocument.CreateElement("Employees");
elem.InnerText = "Stephen Edwards";
xmlItem.CustomXmlPartDocument.AppendChild(elem);
// Use a string to specify the content for a custom XML part.
string xmlString = @"<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""UTF-8""?>
<Employees>
<FirstName>Stephen</FirstName>
<LastName>Edwards</LastName>
<Address>4726 - 11th Ave. N.E.</Address>
<City>Seattle</City>
<Region>WA</Region>
<PostalCode>98122</PostalCode>
<Country>USA</Country>
</Employees>";
document.CustomXmlParts.Insert(1, xmlString);
// Add a custom XML part from a file.
XmlDocument xmlDoc = new XmlDocument();
xmlDoc.Load("Documents\\Employees.xml");
document.CustomXmlParts.Add(xmlDoc);
document.SaveDocument("Documents\\CustomXmlTestDoc.docx", DocumentFormat.Docx);
}
#Read Custom XML Parts
The collection’s Item
property uses a custom XML part’s index to obtain the corresponding item (the ICustomXmlPart object) from the collection. Use the CustomXmlPartDocument property to retrieve an XML document associated with the custom XML part obtained from the collection.
The following code snippet retrieves employee names from a custom XML part and displays them in the main document.
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit;
using DevExpress.XtraRichEdit.API.Native;
using System.Xml;
// ...
using (RichEditDocumentServer wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
Document document = wordProcessor.Document;
// Load a document.
document.LoadDocument("Documents\\CustomXmlParts.docx");
// Access a custom XML file stored in the document.
XmlDocument xmlDoc = document.CustomXmlParts[0].CustomXmlPartDocument;
// Retrieve employee names from the XML file and display them in the document.
XmlNodeList nameList = xmlDoc.GetElementsByTagName("Name");
document.AppendText("Employee list:");
foreach (XmlNode name in nameList)
{
document.AppendText("\r\n \u00B7 " + name.InnerText);
}
}
#Remove a Custom XML Part
Method | Description |
---|---|
Custom |
Removes a specific custom XML part from the collection. |
Custom |
Removes a custom XML part at the specified index from the collection. |
Custom |
Clears the entire collection. |
using (RichEditDocumentServer wordProcessor = new RichEditDocumentServer())
{
Document document = wordProcessor.Document;
document.AppendText("This document contains custom XML parts.");
// Add the first custom XML part.
string xmlString1 = @"<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""UTF-8""?>
<Employees>
<FirstName>Stephen</FirstName>
<LastName>Edwards</LastName>
</Employees>";
var xmlItem1 = document.CustomXmlParts.Add(xmlString1);
// Add the second custom XML part.
string xmlString2 = @"<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""UTF-8""?>
<Employees>
<FirstName>Andrew</FirstName>
<LastName>Fuller</LastName>
</Employees>";
var xmlItem2 = document.CustomXmlParts.Add(xmlString2);
// Remove the first item from the collection.
document.CustomXmlParts.Remove(xmlItem1);
// Use the RemoveAt method to remove an item at the specified position from the collection.
// document.CustomXmlParts.RemoveAt(0);
// Use the Clear method to remove all items from the collection.
// document.CustomXmlParts.Clear();
}