Problem

When working with a dynamically compiled aspx page (meaning that it does not have a code behind aspx.cs or aspx.vb page), the following error message may occur:

Compiler Error Message: BC30002: Type ‘WordTemplate’ is not defined

The error is thrown on the line that instantiates the WordTemplate object.

Solution

Note: Although the error message lists WordWriter, this applies to ExcelWriter as well.

Most customers have precompiled web applications or web sites, which means that the site is precompiled from Visual Studio with references to any necessary DLLs, including SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.ExcelWriter.dll or SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.WordWriter.dll. For more information on how to add OfficeWriter to a precompiled .NET application, see Adding OfficeWriter to your .NET Application.

However, if working with dynamically compiled pages, the references aren’t added ahead of time. The sample principles for precompiled applications apply here as well:

1. Make sure to import or include the SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.WordWriter (or SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.ExcelWriter) namespace.
2. Make sure to import the System.Web namespace because the ExcelWriter and WordWriter output options have a dependency on System.Web.
3. Make sure that SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.WordWriter.dll or SoftArtisans.OfficeWriter.ExcelWriter.dll is in the bin directory of the application. The alternative is to install the DLL into the GAC.