COM addin for Word (.NET Framework 1.0)

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With great trepidation I am about to attempt writing a COM addin for Word using .NET. The reason is that our marketing department wants to distribute a Word macro to our customers that will automatically create a document name and path at the bottom of any document before it prints. I’ve never done a COM addin but it appears that they are superior to a template file solution because they are easy for the user to install.

Any advice?

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There are a number of detailed step through examples with full code on the MSDN site – in addition to the quarterly subscription CDs. Most of these are reasonably well written. You might like to have a general look. HTH

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There are a number of detailed step through examples with full code on the MSDN site – in addition to the quarterly subscription CDs. Most of these are reasonably well written. You might like to have a general look. HTH

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I would have thought that the creation of a COM add in would have been easier in VB6 than in Word. We’ve just been through an exercise creating a COM add-in with .NET, but that’s because the entire site is moving towards .NET, and the backends were rewritten in .NET. There is more work involved. You will also need to put the .NET runtime environment on your target machines, which might make for a bigger job.

A template solution does not need to be that complex- it is possible to put templates in the startup path- but I’d be asking that question in the VBA forum rather than here.

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Thanks Geoff. Your point about having the runtime environment is a good one. I might try just doing it with a template addin.

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As an additional word of warning… I created a COM add-in for Word in .NET because I knew that eventually I’d be moving everything over to .NET — the issues we had with that add-in caused us to move forward much sooner than we had anticipated or wanted with a complete upgrade to O2003 and VSTO/.Net — though I could never find much documentation on it and no one could ever figure out why…. compatibility was a nightmare to maintain… the smallest things like adding an item to an array inside an existing function could cause a break in compability. When I did break it sometimes I would have to repoint all my templates to it, sometimes not. It was very inconsistent and not pretty to deal with.

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As an additional word of warning… I created a COM add-in for Word in .NET because I knew that eventually I’d be moving everything over to .NET — the issues we had with that add-in caused us to move forward much sooner than we had anticipated or wanted with a complete upgrade to O2003 and VSTO/.Net — though I could never find much documentation on it and no one could ever figure out why…. compatibility was a nightmare to maintain… the smallest things like adding an item to an array inside an existing function could cause a break in compability. When I did break it sometimes I would have to repoint all my templates to it, sometimes not. It was very inconsistent and not pretty to deal with.

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Using VB 6 is a much better way to go:

1. VB 6 compiled code is secure from prying eyes, VB .NET Code is not secure from prying eyes.
2. Most folkes already have the VB 6 runtimes installed, e.g., see http://www.standards.com/ThisAndThat/PageF…ageMonitor.html%5B/url%5D.
3. I’d keep away from usomg .NET with Office until Office is fully .NET-ized.

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Thank Howard and everyone else. I am also staying away from .NET for Office, at least for now.

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Thank Howard and everyone else. I am also staying away from .NET for Office, at least for now.

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Using VB 6 is a much better way to go:

1. VB 6 compiled code is secure from prying eyes, VB .NET Code is not secure from prying eyes.
2. Most folkes already have the VB 6 runtimes installed, e.g., see http://www.standards.com/ThisAndThat/PageF…ageMonitor.html%5B/url%5D.
3. I’d keep away from usomg .NET with Office until Office is fully .NET-ized.

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Thanks Geoff. Your point about having the runtime environment is a good one. I might try just doing it with a template addin.

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I would have thought that the creation of a COM add in would have been easier in VB6 than in Word. We’ve just been through an exercise creating a COM add-in with .NET, but that’s because the entire site is moving towards .NET, and the backends were rewritten in .NET. There is more work involved. You will also need to put the .NET runtime environment on your target machines, which might make for a bigger job.

A template solution does not need to be that complex- it is possible to put templates in the startup path- but I’d be asking that question in the VBA forum rather than here.

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