Any examples of Using Chromium Embedded Framework winforms browser control in Custom Task Pane?

[Paul Harrington]

Hi,

I am looking for any examples of an ExcelDNA-based CTP that uses one of the dontnet bindings to the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). I played around with the sample winforms application in chromiumfx and it seems very easy to use. Prior to integrating it in with my Excel-DNA based CTP (which is working great since Govert fixed the problem with code-signed XLLs and high trust center settings), I wanted to check in this group if anyone had tried this and if there are any gotchas? 

thanks in advance,

pjjH

[James Webster]

Did you have any success with this? It doesn't appear to be possible due to this CefSharp issue;

https://github.com/cefsharp/CefSharp/issues/351

[Paul Harrington]

No, while doing some research I found the same issue report and got scared off. I will see if I can get something working on top of Xilium.Cefglue but I am busy with other stuff at the moment.

[Paul Harrington]

I just saw this issue on the chromiumfx repo and it looks encouraging: it appears that someone got a browser control working within Excel (and it looks from the screenshot like it is using ExcelDNA  (the "Show CTP" button in the ribbon))

https://bitbucket.org/chromiumfx/chromiumfx/issues/91/browser-doesnt-render-in-an-excel-addin-on

[Ron]

I have tried different projects around CEF for .Net recently, and it is quite hard to get something work.

I was able to build ChromiumFX and Xilium but the displays were wrong and unusable. I tried a 3rd one (I forgot the name, sorry) which works only if loaded from the main app domain, so not compatible with ExcelDna. 

Awesomium worked fine, but is not open source and not free. I am not sure whether it is actively supported anymore.

In the end, I was able to do everything I wanted from the WebBrowser class (WPF). Do you have any good reason for not using it and for preferring Chromium?

I know that the WebBrowser does not accept more than 6 web socket connections. This can be changed in registry, but in Local Machine. The MSDN says that it can be overriden in Current User but it didn't work when I tried. Anyway, if you only want your control to communicate with your add-in, and if the add-in is hosting it, then there are apis to send/receive string messages from C# to JavaScript and vice-versa.

I am quite focusing on that matter now, so I would be happy to get your experience and share mine.

Regards,

Ron

[Arsalan Younus]

Hi Paul,

Hope you are good.

Can you please give me a sample of code how you put ChromiumFx in a VSTO Addin in Excel. Actually, I also have to use it in CTP in Excel but didn't find anything helpful anywhere on the internet.

I tried to get it run myself but my Win app gets closed as soon as I initialize ChromiumBrowser.

Hoping to get a feedback from you soon, I am in urgency.

Thanks

[Gareth Hayter]

An alternative is to use Sciter: https://sciter.com/

There are C# bindings: https://github.com/MISoftware/SciterSharp

I currently use the WebBrowser control in my add-ins, but am considering moving to Sciter.

Kind regards,
Gareth.

[Arsalan Younus]

Hey Gareth,

I am searching a free browser control. WebBrowser uses Internet Explorer which does not allow videos from local path and I have to run videos from local path means that is exist on my hard drive.

Thanks