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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?

Percy
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    @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](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d2tx7z6d.aspx) 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 May 27 '16 at 01:02

1 Answers1

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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.

joeschwa
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  • Thanks @joeschwa - great answer - It's a bit frustrating. So the situation is that I want to allow people to upload MSProject data directly from MSProject to a web service. I've create a Project Add-in to do this and it works but I wanted to get it on the store. Do you know of another way to create the same functionality (with a button in MSProject) where I would be able to add it to the Windows store? Also, just what type off apps can be added to the windows store? – Percy May 27 '16 at 09:39
  • what is the difference between the info on this link https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ff075782-1303-4517-91cc-b3d730e9b9ae(Office.15).aspx and what I am trying to do? – Percy May 27 '16 at 13:50
  • A while back MS complicated things by renaming apps for Office (created using HTML/Javascript) to Office add-ins. VSTO add-ins (C#/VB.NET) are also referred to as Office add-ins. The link in your comment @Rick refers to HTML/Javascript apps that can be sold via the Office Store to extend Office functionality, but with limited access to what an Office program can already do. MS Project HTML add-ins can only be created in a task pane format and are predisposed to interfacing with SharePoint and Project Server. [More information here](http://dev.office.com/docs/add-ins/project/project-add-ins). – joeschwa May 27 '16 at 15:23
  • As of this writing, only Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications can be placed in the Windows Store. So until Project Centennial gets launched, there is no facility @Rick for placing Desktop apps within the Windows Store. You can try to re-architect your current app using HTML/Javascript for distribution via the Office Store (as described in my previous comment), but my instinct from what little I know of your project is that this may be too limited for your purpose. Failing that, Project Centennial, when it arrives, would be the only possible option for Windows Store distribution. – joeschwa May 27 '16 at 15:33