Office Outlook 2007 C# add-in built with Visual Studio 2010: InvalidManifestException

Question

I can't figure out how to get a C# add-in built with VS 2010 working on Outlook 2007. Outlook doesn't load it, i get this error:

Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Runtime.InvalidManifestException An unexpected element "description" was found in the XML.

The plugin "per se" it's ok, since someone before me got it working here at work, even if there were problems with it (sometimes this plugin's button disappeared).

I tried even to overwrite the manifest of my build with the manifest of the working version, but i get another InvalidManifestException.

I installed vsto30, vsto40 and primary interop assembly (PIA) for office 2007. I tried both using a visual studio setup project and the setup.exe generated by the Publish wizard.

I even tried to create a new "Office 2007" project in VS2010, and i still get the same InvalidManifestException.

Update: Following more carefulyl the steps, i get this Exception: InvalidDeploymentException: Exception reading manifest from file:///C:/Provaaddin/SmartOutlookAddIn/SmartOutlookAddIn.dll.manifest: the manifest may not be valid or the file could not be opened. ---> System.Deployment.Application.InvalidDeploymentException: Deployment manifest is not semantically valid. ---> System.Deployment.Application.InvalidDeploymentException: Deployment manifest requires < deployment > section.

Answer 1

Ok, solved.

Thank you to SliverNinja for the link. There were another couple of my errors:

1-it seems it didn't like to be placed in program files folder

2-i have had to re-include dlls that the msdn guide suggested me to exclude in the setup project

3-i had added the |vstolocal string in the registry key, but i hadn't redirected the manifest to .vsto file