Issue with Microsoft.Office.Core method signatures

Question

I am getting the following error when compiling a Boo project which uses interop:

textbox = _ActiveWorkSheet.Shapes.AddTextbox(MsoTextOrientation.msoTextOrientationHorizontal, left, top, width, height)

The best overload for the method 'Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Shapes.AddTextbox(Microsoft.Office.Core.MsoTextOrientation, single, single, single, single)' is not compatible with the argument list '(Microsoft.Office.Core.MsoTextOrientation, single, single, single, single)'. (BCE0017)

As you can see the signatures are the same, the issue seems to be recognising MsoTextOrientation.

I installed PIA for 2010, can add a reference to COM "Microsoft Office 14.0 Object Library", and can import the Microsoft.Office.Core namespace from it. It just falls apart at the method signature.

I am using boo compiler version 0.9.1.3287, as embedded in Sharpdevelop 3.2.1.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

OK,

It turns out there are two ways of bringing the Microsoft.Office.Core namespace into the project:

1. Import "Microsoft Office 14.0 Object Library" from COM (shows up as "Office" in your references)
2. Import "office" from the GAC (shows up as "office" in your references)

I don't know why it's listed as just "office" in the GAC Add reference list instead of "Microsoft.Office.Core". That's why I missed it and ended up looking in COM instead, and seeing the namespace imported fine I thought it was all OK...

I don't know enough about how identical namespaces from different assemblies are handled, but is it a possibility that the types are flagged as not being compatible is just a boo/Sharpdevelop issue? I'd expect a lot more people to have this issue is it happened with visual studio/C#...