Replace text with URL in Word document using Open XML

Question

Hello
I have problems with a project where I want to replace som tagged text in a Word document with a clickable URL.
The sample code below uses a word document which contains the text [Webpage].
Here is the code with the problem:

Imports DocumentFormat.OpenXml
Imports DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging

Public Class Form1
    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

        MsgBox(processDocument("C:\temp\testdoc.docx", "[Webpage]", "Google", "https://www.google.com"), MsgBoxStyle.ApplicationModal + vbOKOnly, "Text replace test")

    End Sub

    Private Function processDocument(ByVal tDocFilename As String, ByVal tagText As String, ByVal replText As String, ByVal replURL As String) As String


        Using doc As WordprocessingDocument = WordprocessingDocument.Open(tDocFilename, True)
            Dim mainPart As DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging.MainDocumentPart = doc.MainDocumentPart

            Dim textPLaceList As IEnumerable(Of Wordprocessing.Text) = mainPart.Document.Descendants(Of Wordprocessing.Text)()

            Try
                For Each textPlaceHolder As Wordprocessing.Text In textPLaceList
                    Dim parent = textPlaceHolder.Parent
                    If (TypeOf parent Is Wordprocessing.Run) Then
                        If textPlaceHolder.Text.Contains("[") And textPlaceHolder.Text.Contains("]") Then
                            Dim tmpHyperlink As New DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing.Hyperlink
                            tmpHyperlink.Anchor = replText
                            tmpHyperlink.DocLocation = replURL
                            tmpHyperlink.InsertBefore(Of Wordprocessing.Hyperlink)(tmpHyperlink, textPlaceHolder.Parent)
                            textPlaceHolder.Remove()
                            Exit For
                        End If
                    End If
                Next
                processDocument = "OK"
            Catch ex As Exception
                processDocument = "Could not replace text in document (" & ex.Message & ")"
            End Try

        End Using

    End Function

End Class

When I try to use InsertBefor or InsertAfter I get an error telling me that the "state" och the object is incorrect.
What does that mean?

Regards Peter Karlström

Answer 1

After a tip from cheong00 I discovered I had approached this task in the wrong way.

This is how it should be done:

Imports DocumentFormat.OpenXml
Imports DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing
Imports DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging

Public Class Form1
    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

        MsgBox(processDocument("C:\temp\testdoc.docx", "[Webpage]", "Google", "https://www.google.com"), MsgBoxStyle.ApplicationModal + vbOKOnly, "Text replace test")

    End Sub

    Private Function processDocument(ByVal tDocFilename As String, ByVal tagText As String, ByVal replText As String, ByVal replURL As String) As String

        Using doc As WordprocessingDocument = WordprocessingDocument.Open(tDocFilename, True)
            Dim mainPart As DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging.MainDocumentPart = doc.MainDocumentPart

            Dim textPLaceList As IEnumerable(Of Wordprocessing.Text) = mainPart.Document.Descendants(Of Wordprocessing.Text)()

            Try
                For Each textPlaceHolder As Wordprocessing.Text In textPLaceList
                    Dim parent As Wordprocessing.Paragraph = textPlaceHolder.Parent.Parent
                    If (TypeOf parent Is Wordprocessing.Paragraph) Then
                        If textPlaceHolder.Text.Contains("[") And textPlaceHolder.Text.Contains("]") Then
                            Dim newParagraph As Paragraph = getURLParagraph(mainPart, replText, replURL)
                            parent.Parent.InsertBefore(Of Wordprocessing.Paragraph)(newParagraph, parent)
                            textPlaceHolder.Remove()
                            Exit For
                        End If
                    End If
                Next
                processDocument = "OK"
            Catch ex As Exception
                processDocument = "Could not replace text in document (" & ex.Message & ")"
            End Try

        End Using

    End Function

    Private Function getURLParagraph(ByVal mainPart As MainDocumentPart, ByVal urlLabel As String, ByVal urlText As String) As Paragraph

        Dim urlExists As Boolean
        Dim hRelation As HyperlinkRelationship = Nothing

        Dim uri As System.Uri = New Uri(urlText)

        For Each hRel As HyperlinkRelationship In mainPart.HyperlinkRelationships
            If (hRel.Uri = uri) Then
                urlExists = True
                hRelation = hRel
                Exit For
            End If
        Next

        Dim relationshipId As String
        If Not urlExists Then
            Dim rel As HyperlinkRelationship = mainPart.AddHyperlinkRelationship(uri, True)
            relationshipId = rel.Id
        Else
            relationshipId = hRelation.Id
        End If

        Dim newParagraph As Paragraph = New Paragraph(New Hyperlink(New ProofError() With {
        .Type = ProofingErrorValues.GrammarStart
    }, New Run(New RunProperties(New RunStyle() With {
        .Val = “Hyperlnk”}), New Text(urlLabel))) With {
        .History = OnOffValue.FromBoolean(True),
        .Id = relationshipId
    })
        Return newParagraph

    End Function
End Class

Hope this is of some help to others.

Regards
Peter Karlström

Answer 2

When textPlaceHolder.Parent is a Run, .InsertBefore/InsertAfter will fail. (Note that although I link to an issue page of OpenXML SDK, this is the limitation of Word format and I think you know too as I see your code is also trying to evade that)

See if replacing textPlaceHolder.Parent in the second parameter with parent.Parent will help.