Merge SP list data into a word document

Question

I'm looking for some guidance on creating a custom sharepoint list (not a document library) that will generate and populate a word document with the list item's meta data. the generated word document will appear as an attachment.

example

1. i browse to my custom list
2. i create a new item (fill in new item form within sharepoint)
3. when i click ok, a word document is generated based on my form data and attached to my list item.

I'm sure I will need to develop a custom feature to achieve this but i'd like to see if any out there has some guidance for me before i get started. thanks!

Answer 1

I think it is safe to say this will require custom code. I suggest adding an event receiver that generates the attachment programmatically. Word documents are a cab file containing various XML files which can be created programmatically, but it is not trivial.

I'm sure you have thought of all this already. One thing you may not have considered is making use of Word Automation Services, which can open, for example, an XML file and save as a Word document.