Office Module (Rich Text Editor, Spreadsheet Editor, PDF Viewer)

• Jul 15, 2025
• 2 minutes to read

The Office Module integrates the following DevExpress controls into an XAF application:

Platform	Rich Text Editor	Spreadsheet Editor	PDF Viewer (CTP)
Blazor	DxRichEdit	Not supported	DxPdfViewer
WinForms	RichEditControl	SpreadsheetControl	PdfViewer
Web Forms	ASPxRichEdit	ASPxSpreadsheet	Not supported

Tip

Try out the Office Module in the MainDemo.NET.EFCore demo application that ships with XAF. Refer to Detail Views of the following business objects: Note (Rich Text Editor), Resume (PDF Viewer). You can find the demo in the following folder: %PUBLIC%\Documents\DevExpress Demos 25.1\Components\XAF\MainDemo.NET.EFCore.

Add the Office Module to Your Application

To enable the Office module in your application follow the steps below:

1. Install NuGet packages that contain the Office module:
   • DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office
   • DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office.Blazor
   • DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office.Win

2. Navigate to the MyApplication.Blazor.Server\Startup.cs file (for Blazor) or MyApplication.Win\Startup.cs file (for WinForms) and call the AddOffice (for Blazor) / AddOffice (for WinForms) method:

   ASP.NET Core Blazor

   using DevExpress.ExpressApp.ApplicationBuilder;
   using DevExpress.ExpressApp.Blazor.ApplicationBuilder;
   using DevExpress.Persistent.BaseImpl.EF;
   // ...
   public class Startup {
      // ...
       public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services) {
           // ...
           services.AddXaf(Configuration, builder => {
               builder.UseApplication<YourSolutionNameBlazorApplication>();
               builder.Modules
                   // ...
                   .AddOffice(options => {
                       options.RichTextMailMergeDataType = typeof(RichTextMailMergeData);
                   })
               // ...
           });
           // ...
       }
   }
   

   Windows Forms

   using DevExpress.ExpressApp.ApplicationBuilder;
   using DevExpress.ExpressApp.Win.ApplicationBuilder;
   using DevExpress.Persistent.BaseImpl.EF;
   // ...
   public class ApplicationBuilder : IDesignTimeApplicationFactory {
       public static WinApplication BuildApplication(string connectionString) {
           var builder = WinApplication.CreateBuilder();
           builder.UseApplication<YourSolutionNameWindowsFormsApplication>();
           builder.Modules
               // ...
               .AddOffice(options => {
                   options.RichTextMailMergeDataType = typeof(RichTextMailMergeData);
               })
           // ...
       }
       // ...
   }
   

XAF offers other methods to integrate the Office Module into a newly created or existing application. For more information, refer to the following topic: Register a Built-in XAF Module.

Add and Customize Office Components

Refer to the following help topics for details on how to work with the office components:

Rich Text Editor

• Use Rich Text Documents in Business Objects
• Access and Customize Rich Text Editor Controls
• Mail Merge

Spreadsheet Editor

• Use Spreadsheet Documents in Business Objects
• Access the Spreadsheet Editor Controls
• Customize the Spreadsheet Editors

PDF Viewer

• Use PDF Documents in Business Objects (CTP)
• Access and Customize PDF Viewer Controls (CTP)

Office Module Components

Modules

Platform	Module	NuGet package
Platform-agnostic	OfficeModule	DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office
ASP.NET Core Blazor	OfficeBlazorModule	DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office.Blazor
Windows Forms	OfficeWindowsFormsModule	DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office.Win
ASP.NET Web Forms	OfficeAspNetModule	DevExpress.ExpressApp.Office.Web

On Linux, the Office Module for Blazor might need extra libraries: Use Office File API on Linux - Prerequisites.

Application Model Extensions

The Office Module extends the Application Model with the following properties:

Module	Extended node	Property
OfficeModule	IModelMember	IModelRichTextFormatSettings.DocumentStorageFormat IModelSpreadsheetPropertyEditorSettings.EnableFormulaBar
OfficeWindowsFormsModule	IModelColumn	IModelRichTextColumn.CustomHeight
	IModelPropertyEditor	IModelWinOfficeMenuManagerSettings.MenuManagerType
OfficeAspNetModule	IModelPropertyEditor	IModelWebRichTextPropertyEditorHeightSettings.CustomHeight IModelWebRichTextPropertyEditorSettings.MenuManagerType IModelWebSpreadsheetPropertyEditorSettings.CustomHeight IModelWebSpreadsheetPropertyEditorSettings.MenuManagerType