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Dynamics 365 Community / Forums / Customer experience | Sales, Customer Insights,... / Creating Word Template...
Customer experience | Sales, Customer Insights,...
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Creating Word Templates with Mac - XML Mapping not supported

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Posted on by CU21031511-0 6
Hi,
 
I am trying to create a custom Word template for Dynamics 365 Sales CRM. On Windows, I know this is done via the Developer Tab → XML Mapping Pane, where you insert content controls. But since XML Mapping is missing on Mac, I am trying to manually edit the XML inside the .docx file.
 
I am able to open the XML data in VS code, but I don't know how it is possible to add them to the word template without xml mapping. (I tried simply copying the filed tags in the Word, uploading it in Dynamics, but it didn't map the values when I downloaded the template for a contact). 
 
I don't want to use VM on my mac. Because it is for my workplace and I am looking for a solution that can be useful for all employees.
 
I appreciate any ideas and help!
 
Categories:
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Dynamics 365 Sales
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  • Suggested answer
    Daivat Vartak (v-9davar) Profile Picture
    Daivat Vartak (v-9d... 7,835 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at
    Creating Word Templates with Mac - XML Mapping not supported
    Hello CU21031511-0,
     

    You've correctly identified the core challenge: the absence of the XML Mapping Pane on macOS Word makes the standard Dynamics 365 Word template customization process impossible. Manually editing the XML directly is a valid approach, but you need to understand the structure and how Dynamics 365 expects the content controls to be defined.

    Understanding the XML Structure:

    When you create a Word template in Dynamics 365, the system generates XML tags within the document that correspond to the fields you want to display. These tags are embedded within "customXml" parts of the .docx file.

    Manual XML Editing Steps (macOS):

    1. Unzip the .docx File:

      • Rename the .docx file to .zip.
      • Unzip the archive. 

    2. Locate the customXml Folder:

      • Navigate to the customXml folder within the unzipped archive. 

    3. Identify the Relevant XML File:

      • Look for an XML file with a name like item1.xml or similar. This file contains the data mapping information. 

    4. Open the XML File in VS Code:

      • Open the XML file in VS Code. 

    5. Understand the Structure:

      • You'll see elements like <a:dataBinding>, <a:xpath>, and <a:prefixMappings>. These elements define the mapping between the XML data and the Word content controls.
      • The xpath attribute is crucial. It specifies the path to the field in the Dynamics 365 data source. 

    6. Add Your Custom Field Mappings:

      • To add a new field mapping, you need to add a new <a:dataBinding> element.

      • Example:
         

        • Replace fieldname with the logical name of your Dynamics 365 field.
        • Replace r:id="rId1" with a unique ID for the relationship. 
         

    7. Create Content Controls in document.xml:

      • Go back to the unzipped folder, and navigate to word/document.xml.
      • Open document.xml in VS Code.
      • Add a <w:sdt> element (Structured Document Tag) to the location where you want the field to appear.

      • Example:

           
         
        • Replace fieldname with the logical name of your Dynamics 365 field.
        • Ensure the w:xpath value matches the a:xpath value in item1.xml.
        • The w:id must be unique. 

    8. Re-zip the Files:

      • Select all the files and folders in the unzipped archive.
      • Create a new .zip archive. 

    9. Rename to .docx:

      • Rename the .zip archive to .docx. 

    10. Upload to Dynamics 365:

      • Upload the modified .docx file to Dynamics 365 as a Word template.

        •  

      11.  

    Important Considerations:

    • Logical Names: Ensure that you use the correct logical names of the Dynamics 365 fields.
    • XML Namespaces: Pay attention to the XML namespaces.
    • Testing: Thoroughly test the template after uploading it to Dynamics 365.
    • Complexity: Manually editing XML is complex and error-prone.
    • Consistency: This method is not ideal for large scale deployments to many employees, due to the complexity.

      •  

    Alternatives (For Better User Experience):

    1. Windows VM:

      • While you mentioned avoiding VMs, it's the most reliable and supported way to create Dynamics 365 Word templates.
      • You could set up a shared VM for your team. 

    2. Third-Party Tools:

      • Explore third-party tools that simplify Dynamics 365 Word template creation.
      • Some tools provide a user-friendly interface for mapping fields. 

    3. Power Automate (Limited):

      • Power Automate could be used to generate the desired word document, however, it does not use the same method as the built in word templates. 

      4.  

    Key Recommendations:

    • Use a Windows VM if possible: It's the most straightforward and reliable approach.
    • If you must manually edit XML, proceed with caution and thorough testing.
    • Explore third-party tools for a more user-friendly experience.
     
    If my answer was helpful, please click Like, and if it solved your problem, please mark it as verified to help other community members find more. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.
     
    My response was crafted with AI assistance and tailored to provide detailed and actionable guidance for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 query.
     
    Regards,
    Daivat Vartak
  • CU21031511-0 Profile Picture
    CU21031511-0 6 on at
    Creating Word Templates with Mac - XML Mapping not supported
     
    Thanks a lot for your response,
     
    So the problem is, I don't want to add a new tag, but want to use the existing tags in the word document that I downloaded from D365. 
     
    So I read the item1.xml in VS code. Now I want to add the following content to my template:

    """
    Hi,
     
    This is a test report for contact named: fullname
     
    """
     
    So the tag for a contact's full name is "fullname" and I add the above text to the word document but when I upload it in Dynamics and the download it again for a contact, it doesn't catch the full name for the contact. (I modified the same .docx that I downloaded from Dynamics with all the xml data in it)

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