Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
73 lines (49 loc) · 4.85 KB

Release-Notes.md

File metadata and controls

73 lines (49 loc) · 4.85 KB
Raw

Book release notes

Updates to the book are free for all existing readers (which is what lean-publishing, and the concept of an evergreen book, is all about!). Simply go to https://leanpub.com/user_dashboard/library, select the book, and download your newly-updated copy!

For any issues or topic requests, please file an issue on http://buildingofficeaddins.com/issues.

 

Version 1.6 (August 26, 2017) [261 pages]

  • Major re-structuring of the book, splitting out the former chapters 5 & 6 -- which were bursting at the seams -- into a bunch of smaller chapters. Also streamlined the rest of the book, moving topics that were less immediately-necessary (e.g., API versioning) further towards the back of the book, to make it faster to get started.
  • As part of the getting-started chapter, added a section for my recommendations of "The optimal dev environment"
  • Expanded the section on "Handling errors.
  • Added "Recap: the four basic principles of Office.js" to the chapter on core Office.js topics.
  • Added runnable Script Lab snippets to "Canonical code sample: reading data and performing actions on the document" (including a refactored version that splits the task into multiple subroutines, and a plain ES5 JavaScript variant).

 

Version 1.5 (August 2, 2017) [249 pages]

  • By popular demand, added a massively-detailed (15+ pages) and example-filled section on "Using objects outside the "linear" Excel.run or Word.run flow (e.g., in a button-click callback, in a setInterval, etc.)". Its subsections include:
    • Re-hydrating an existing Request Context: the overall pattern, proper error-handling, object.track, and cleanup of tracked objects]
    • A common, and infuriatingly silent, mistake: queueing up actions on the wrong request context
    • Resuming with multiple objects
    • Why can't we have a single global request context, and be one happy family?
  • Addressed a couple of small reader-reported issues.

 

Version 1.4 (July 19, 2017) [232 pages]

  • Added a detailed section for how to check whether an object exists (e.g., whether there's a worksheet by a particular name, whether two ranges intersect, etc). The section also talks about the powerful but unusual "null object" pattern, used in methods and properties suffixed with *OrNullObject.
  • Added a section with links to "API documentation resources".
  • Addressed a couple of small reader-reported issues.

 

Version 1.3 (May 23, 2017)

  • Added an entire section devoted to the PropertyNotLoaded error.
  • Added info about Script Lab, a playground tool to easily try out code samples described in this book
  • Addressed a variety of small reader-reported issues.

 

Version 1.2  (Feb 20, 2017)

  • Added a topic on the different flavors of Office 2016 / Office 365 -- and the practical implications for developers.
  • Added a topic on API Versioning and Requirement Sets.
  • Greatly expanded the "TypeScript-based Add-ins" topic, adding instructions for the updated Yeoman generator.
  • Added a topic for attaching the debugger to Add-ins (breakpoints, DOM explorer, etc.)
  • Added a link to the book's companion Twitter account.
  • Addressed a number of other reader-reported issues.

 

Version 1.1  (Jan 22, 2017)

  • Re-pivoted the book around TypeScript and the async/await syntax. Moved the JS-specific content to a separate Appendix
  • Added an information-packed JavaScript & TypeScript crash-course, tailored specifically at Office.js concepts, for those who are new to the world of JS/TS.
  • With TypeScript now a first-class citizen of the book, added "Getting started with building TypeScript-based Add-ins" (section 3.2). I expect to continue to expand this section in future releases.
  • Added an in-depth explanation of the internal workings of the Office.js pipeline and proxy-object model. See "Implementation details, for those who want to know how it really works" (section 5.5).
  • Re-arranged, edited, and added to the content of the "Office.js APIs: Core concepts" chapter (chapter 5).
  • Added links to downloadable code samples, for a few of the larger samples.
  • Addressed a variety of smaller feedback items.

 

Updates are free for existing readers

Updates to the book are free for all existing readers (which is what lean-publishing, and the concept of an evergreen book, is all about!). Simply go to https://leanpub.com/user_dashboard/library, select the book, and download your newly-updated copy!

If you haven't purchased the book yet, you can do so at https://leanpub.com/buildingofficeaddins.