Digital signatures for embedded code

Generating a digital signature of an entire embedded code project is provided while maintaining certain exclusion areas so that a productivity application can incorporate application-specific information into the embedded code project without hampering the digital signature. A tree structure of data may be serialized into a data stream. The tree structure may include multiple branches and one or more elements identified as an exclusion area. A digital signature of the data stream may be created and included in a document associated with the tree structure.