How to call/Invoke a VSTO generated addin(DLL) from an EXE

Question

I have created a VSTO Word Addin. It has generated a DLL file. I don't want to deploy that as an EXE. But I want to use a C# application(EXE) to call or invoke this VSTO dll. Is this possible? If possible how do I implement?

Please note that I don't want to deploy my Addin as an EXE. I only want my VSTO addin to remain as a DLL and then to be called from an EXE.

I have tried the below approach with no luck.

1) WordAddIn.ThisAddIn addin = new WordAddIn.ThisAddIn(null, null);

Here the WordAddin is the VSTO dll.

2) Using Reflection
Assembly newAssembly = Assembly.LoadFile("C:...bin\\Debug\\WordAddin.dll");

Type[] types = newAssembly.GetExportedTypes();
Type entryType = newAssembly.GetType("ThisAddin");
object o = Activator.CreateInstance(types[0], true);

I get 'No parameterless constructor defined for this object.' in this case.

Unable to go further!. Kindly suggest.

Very hard to see the point, VSTO was designed to make it easy to write add-ins for Office programs. So that the Office program can use your code. If you want to write a class library that you call from your *own* EXE then there's just no point whatsoever in using VSTO. — Hans Passant, Mar 12 '14 at 10:45

score 0 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:05

VSTO is for purely for customizing MS Office via add-ins; there is no sane way to use this with your .Net exe. For extending your own .Net exe with add-ins see the following resources:

How to call/Invoke a VSTO generated addin(DLL) from an EXE

1 Answers1