Change CmmandBars in a Single Instance Only?

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Bruce Hutfless - 21 Aug 2004 02:01 GMT

Help!

Assumming, vb.Net, VSTO, and Office Pro 2004 ---

How do I modify which CommandBars are visible in only my instance instead of
all instances.

Now, Let my explain, assumming a vb.Net Windows Forms application which
creates and instance if the Word.Application object and then a instance of
Word.Document object from a template, how do effect changes to the
Commandbar for this instance only.

For example, if I create an instance of Word.Application, and I make a
change to any of the CommandBars, (e.g., "Standard"), and I as a user lauch
another instance of Word (Start, Programs,Microsoft Office, Word 2003) it
too will have it's toolbar modified. This is not the behavior I want to
occur. I want only my instance of Word to display different CommandBars.

Any ideas of help would be greatly appreciated.

I have code samples if that becomes necessary.

I'm trying to migrate and Vb 6 Office Add-in to VST0, in the past I wrote C
DLL's that hooked specific Word messages to modify the behavior of word. I
believe that other corporate / enterprise users are going to what the same
kind of thing.

Regards,

Bruce Hutfless
SchoolKiT Internationa

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"Paul Cornell [MS]" - 24 Aug 2004 00:33 GMT

It sounds like you are trying to automate Word from a Windows Forms
application. If you use a VSTO Word application, you can modify toolbars on
that document instance only. You can also interact with a Windows from from
a VSTO application.

For examples (they're Excel, but you'll get the idea), see "Walkthrough:
Creating Custom Menu Items in Excel" at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_vsto200
3_ta/html/odc_VSTCommBar.asp?frame=true and "Walkthrough: Collecting Data
Using a Windows Form" at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_wrcore/h
tml/wrwlkUsingWinFormToObtainUserInput.asp?frame=true.

Regards,
Paul Cornell
Documentation Manager
Microsoft Developer Division User Education
------------------------------------
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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Bruce Hutfless - 24 Aug 2004 17:29 GMT

Paul,

Thanks for responding, I will investigate the links you provide and see if
that anwers my question.

You are correct in the I am trying to automate Word froma Windows Forms
application. (Office 2003 Pro).

My understanding is that a VSTO application is either a document or a
template, rather than a Windows Forms.

Since, the previous "add-in dll' (Office 8 & 9 (Word)) which had to be built
for each version of Office, is the basis of a content publishing tools.

I would love to see the Word Document Window exposed as a control much like
Internet Explorer's shdocvw.dll with all methods and events exposed. Maybe
some day!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Regards,

Bruce Hutfless
Chief Engineer
SchoolKiT International
http://www.schoolkit.com

> It sounds like you are trying to automate Word from a Windows Forms
> application. If you use a VSTO Word application, you can modify toolbars
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.

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Bruce Hutfless - 31 Aug 2004 00:28 GMT

Paul,

After, almost a week nothing works correctly, there is no document context
available in VSTO.

For, example, build VSTO Word Document project in the Document_Open and
Document_Close add commandBar.

Launch project Debug Run (F5).

Now from Windows XP GUI choose Start->All Programs->Microsoft
Office->Microsoft Office Wored 2003

and commandbar "Standard" is missing.

Dosn't matter whether I use Document or template I get the same result. For
that matter I get the same thing in Excel.

Do you or any body at Microsoft have working code?

Here the Document_Open() function

' Called when the document is opened.

Private Sub ThisDocument_Open() Handles ThisDocument.Open

ThisApplication.Visible = False

For Each oCommandBar As Office.CommandBar In ThisDocument.CommandBars

If oCommandBar.Name = "Standard" Then

oCommandBar.Enabled = False

End If

Next

ThisApplication.Visible = True

End Sub

And the Document_Close() Function

' Called when the document is opened.

Private Sub ThisDocument_Open() Handles ThisDocument.Open

ThisApplication.Visible = False

For Each oCommandBar As Office.CommandBar In ThisDocument.CommandBars

If oCommandBar.Name = "Standard" Then

oCommandBar.Enabled = True

End If

Next

ThisApplication.Visible = True

End Sub

Regards,

Bruce Hutfless

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Michael Whalen - 31 Aug 2004 00:57 GMT

In your original message, you were trying to set the properties of the
command bars for a single instance of a Word document. Have you tried
setting the context of the application to the current document? The default
is normal.dot, so any changes will get stored there and reappear the next
time you launch Word. Try adding:

ThisDocument.Application.CustomizationContext =
ThisDocument.Application.ActiveDocument

before making any changes to the command bars and see if that helps your
case.

Michael Whalen
Software Developer, Customer Solutions Team, VSTO
----------
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

> Paul,
>
[quoted text clipped - 73 lines]
> > For examples (they're Excel, but you'll get the idea), see "Walkthrough:
> > Creating Custom Menu Items in Excel" at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_vsto200

> > 3_ta/html/odc_VSTCommBar.asp?frame=true and "Walkthrough: Collecting Data
> > Using a Windows Form" at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_wrcore/h

> > tml/wrwlkUsingWinFormToObtainUserInput.asp?frame=true.
> >
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> > rights.

Reply to this Message

Bruce Hutfless - 03 Sep 2004 01:52 GMT

Michael,

I've worked the CommandBar issues and that is working correctly, however I
still have a nagging problem.

Question: How do I delete the "Normal.dot" template?

Assume the following code:

' Start Word.

ThisApplication = New MSWord.Application

ThisDocument = ThisApplication.Documents.Add(Template:="C:\Source
Code\Dev\WFBruce\MyNormal.dot")

For Each oTmpl As MSWord.Template In ThisApplication.Templates

If oTmpl.Name = "Normal.dot" Then

'======> what goes here to delete Normal.dot from templates
collection? <===============

End If

Next

ThisDocument.SaveAs("C:\Source Code\Dev\WFBruce\MyDocument.doc")

ThisDocument = ThisApplication.Documents.Open("C:\Source
Code\Dev\WFBruce\MyDocument.doc")

ThisDocument.Application.CustomizationContext =
ThisDocument.Application.ActiveDocument()

For Each oCommandBar As Office.CommandBar In ThisApplication.CommandBars

If oCommandBar.Name = "Standard" Then

oCommandBar.Enabled = False

End If

Next

It has take me awhile, but this the last major hurdle.

I've got all of the events wired, and I can launch and close Word from my
Windows.Forms based vb.Net Visual Studio .Net 2003 project correctly.

I just need to remove all reference to Normal.dot and then I'm on my way.

Any help woould be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Bruce Hutfless
Chief Engineer
SchoolKiT International
web: http://www.schoolkit.com
email: bhutfless@schoolkit.com

> In your original message, you were trying to set the properties of the
> command bars for a single instance of a Word document. Have you tried
[quoted text clipped - 112 lines]
>> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> > rights.

Reply to this Message

Michael Whalen (MS) - 07 Sep 2004 19:31 GMT

I'm not sure how to do that - I'll see what I can find out. I'm curious as
to why you'd want to get rid of the normal.dot template. Are you basing your
document on another template? If you don't want to use normal.dot, then why
don't you create the document based on the template you want to use?

Your questions seem to be more about the Word Object Model and not about
VSTO - the problems you're having would be the same whether you're using
VSTO or VBA to customize your document. Have you considered asking these
questons in a more appropriate newsgroup? Perhaps someone at
microsoft.public.officedev will have better information about the specifics
of the Word OM.

Michael Whalen
Software Developer, Customer Solutions Team, VSTO
----------
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

> Michael,
>
[quoted text clipped - 158 lines]
> >> > "Walkthrough:
> >> > Creating Custom Menu Items in Excel" at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_vsto200

> >> > 3_ta/html/odc_VSTCommBar.asp?frame=true and "Walkthrough: Collecting
> > Data
> >> > Using a Windows Form" at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dv_wrcore/h

> >> > tml/wrwlkUsingWinFormToObtainUserInput.asp?frame=true.
> >> >
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> >> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> >> > rights.

Reply to this Message

Bruce Hutfless - 07 Sep 2004 23:19 GMT

Michael,

I you see my code below; I'm trying to create a document with my own
template!

How, Word is attaching the Normal.dot and storing changes in Normal.dot
rather than my template.

Therefore, I need to remove Normal.dot from my document before I say it.

If there is a better way to create a dcoument based solely on
"MyTemplate.dot", I'm all ears.

Regards,

Bruce Hutfless
Chief Engineer
SchoolKiT International
web: http://www.schoolkit.com
email: bhutfless@schoolkit.com

> I'm not sure how to do that - I'll see what I can find out. I'm curious as
> to why you'd want to get rid of the normal.dot template. Are you basing
[quoted text clipped - 201 lines]
>> >> > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> >> > rights.

Reply to this Message

Cindy M -WordMVP- - 29 Mar 2005 21:50 GMT

Hi Bruce,

> How, Word is attaching the Normal.dot and storing changes in Normal.dot
> rather than my template.
>
> Therefore, I need to remove Normal.dot from my document before I say it.

If you use the Documents.Add method and specify a template name, your
document will be based on and attached to that template.

However, Word also has the concept of GLOBAL templates, that act as native
Addins. The Normal.dot template is ALWAYS available in Word, there's no
way to change that; you can't delete it; you can't unload it. Other
templates might also be loaded as Addins, in the UI you can see and manage
this list in Tools/Templates and Addins.

WHY is the normal.dot bothering you?

-- Cindy

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