Office 2013 addin development: C#, VB.NET, C++
Create Outlook, Excel, Word 2013 plugin

Office 2013 and Add-in Express™
100% compatibility. As usually.


Currently Microsoft is opening a new era by releasing to the market Windows 8, Visual Studio 2012 and Office 2013. But Microsoft is not the only one updating their tools and offerings. The new version of Add-in Express for Office and .net is out! It adds support for Microsoft Office 2013 and fits perfectly with all editions of Visual Studio 2012 and 2013 as well as with the previous versions of VS 2010, 2008 and 2005.

Professional extensions for Office 2013 - 2000 with a single code base!

Like all previous versions, the new generation of Add-in Express is based on one key idea � 100% compatibility with all Microsoft Office versions and applications. It is this approach that let our customers write version-neutral plug-ins for Microsoft Office 2013 Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other apps, extending the installation base throughout all available Office versions from 2000 to 2013. And we are set to keep up this tradition. Stay with us! :)

How to create add-ins for Office 2013 - 2003 with a single code base

The latest version of Add-in Express integrates perfectly with all versions of Visual Studio from 2005 to 2013 (C#, VB.NET, C++.NET) and supports all main applications of the Office 2013 - 2000 suites. So, now developers have a powerful framework to quickly create all types of extensions for all Microsoft Office versions and applications from prototype to final release, all with a single code base! Read more�

Outlook 2013 addin development in Visual Studio 2012 for beginners

This tutorial covers the main aspects of Outlook 2013 add-in development with Visual Studio and Add-in Express. It explains the basics of Outlook Application objects and custom Outlook forms, shows how to create your own ribbons, toolbars, regions, menus and work with different Outlook items. Read more�

Creating WiX Installer for Office add-ins on VS 2012 using Add-in Express 7.0

If you've switched to Visual Studio 2012, you might have noticed that Microsoft has removed all Visual Studio Installer project types. A good alternative is the WiX Toolset. This article provides detailed information on how to create a WiX installer for you Office add-ins in Visual Studio 2012 using the latest version 7 of Add-in Express for Office and .net. Read more�

Creating custom Outlook forms: Outlook 2013 form examples

This article will show you how easy it is to design and create your own custom Outlook 2013 forms and embed them inside the Outlook Explorer and Inspector windows. Read more�

Customizing Microsoft Outlook 2013 Ribbon

The Ribbon revolutionized the Office user interface when originally introduced in Office 2007. Using Visual Studio�s out-of-the-box tools, you can build custom ribbons for your solutions. BUT� Microsoft provides visual designers for a small subset of ribbon controls, meaning, you will need to write lots of XML to complete your customization. Add-in Express tools provide visual designers for all Office ribbon controls and ensures a true RAD experience. Read more�

Creating a shared ribbon for Office 2013 Word, Excel and PowerPoint

This article will show you how you can create a single Microsoft Office 2013 and 2010 ribbon and share it with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Using the Add-in Express framework, you can easily build a shared ribbon in a matter of minutes. Best of all, you can also quickly configure your controls to display (or not to display) in the Office host applications your add-in targets. Read more�

How to customize the Outlook 2013 inline response ribbon

Outlook 2013 introduced the Inline Response feature that allows us to reply to e-mails inline rather than opening a new Inspector window. This article demonstrates how you can add your own controls to its context ribbon. C# and VB.NET examples are available for download. Read more�

How to rebuild custom task panes to support Excel 2013 SDI

Outlook 2013 introduced the Inline Response feature that allows us to reply to e-mails inline rather than opening a new Inspector window. This article demonstrates how you can add your own controls to its context ribbon. C# and VB.NET examples are available for download. Read more�

How to avoid the add-in's slow start problem in Outlook 2013

The article explains how you can avoid the dreaded Red Bar of Slowness and the "A problem was detected with an add-in�" message in Outlook 2013. Read more�

Development for Office 2013 RT: Starter Kit

The article explains the meaning of "RT" and the difference between the usual Office 2013 and the RT version. Developers will find details on what kinds of customizations are supported. Read more�

Office 2013 Developer's Guide: questions and answers

In this Office 2013 Developer's Guide you will find answers to the following questions: What's new for Office 2013 developers? What are Office 2013 Apps and SharePoint 2013 Apps? What is the App Store and why should you care? Just what exactly is Napa and how does Visual Studio 2012 support Office & SharePoint 2013? You will also find links to essential developer downloads and code samples. Read more�

What's new in Outlook 2013 for Microsoft Office developers

Office 2013 brought with it some major changes. Apart from the new App Framework, the article takes a quick look at the following innovations: performance criteria for keeping Outlook 2013 add-ins enabled, coexistence with previous Outlook versions, Social Connector enhancements, custom weather service for the Weather Bar and inline response and other object model enhancements. Read more�

Outlook 2013 development - 7 questions developers should ask

In the article you will find answers to the following questions: What are Outlook 2013 Mail Apps and how you can build a Mail App for Answers to most topical questions regarding Outlook 2013 and Mail Apps development. What are Mail Apps and how you can build them? What is the silliest new feature or object in Outlook 2013? Read more�

Excel 2013 development � 7 questions developers should ask

7 most topical questions and answers for Excel 2013 developers about COM add-ins, content apps, task pane apps, Excel objects, useful tools and resources. Read more�

Word 2013 development � 7 questions developers should ask

What can developers do with Word 2013 Task Pane apps? Why doesn't Word 2013 support content apps? Are there any major concerns when upgrading extensions to support Word 2013? What tools do I need to get going and build some "Apps for Word" using the apps for Office model? You will find the answers in this article. Read more�

Radical redesign of Access 2013 and what it means for Office developers

With Access 2013, Microsoft is empowering the business end-user to build web applications. Access 2013-based apps now support devices all of shapes, sizes, and operating systems. The end result is a professional look with high degree of functionality without the need for code. If you need to implement some moderately complex business rules, you can utilize the new custom macro language. Read more�

Office UX guidelines for Excel 2013 content apps and Word 2013 task pane apps

Hands on guide on creating an Excel 2013 content app and Word 2013 task pane app in accordance with Microsoft Office 2013 UX guidelines. Sample Excel and Word apps are available for download. Read more�

UX guidelines to create Outlook 2013 mail apps

Hands-on example of UX guidelines to create mail apps for Office 2013 using the Napa development tools and Visual Studio 2012. Read more�

Creating an Outlook Mail App in Visual Studio 2012

The article demonstrates how to develop a mail app for Outlook 2013 that attaches notes to mail items. Read more�

Creating Excel Task Pane Apps

The article shows how to create a Task Pane App for Excel 2013 that allows users to select and insert a table from a library of templates. Read more�

Building Excel Content Pane Apps

All you need to know to create Excel content pane apps for Office 2013. C# example shows how to develop a Content App that searches Bing and includes the search results in an Excel file. Read more�

Developing a Word Task Pane App

An example of building a Word Task Pane app that allows you to select text within Word, translate the text, and view the translation results. Read more�