Word Addin/Word Template??

[DMc2007]

Hi all

Currently I need to redevelop a set of templates for Microsoft Office Word
2003.

The old method of creating these was to use a .dot file, add the various VBA
elements into the modules, add the user forms and distribute out to users.

The problem was essentially activation, because I found the Microsoft Word
User Defined Toolbars to be unreliable and restrictive, essentially because
i had ideas where the icons should appear and never could get them to go
there.

Now I have been looking at Visual Studio Tools for Office 2005 SE, and have
been playing around with various Project Types, which do I use?

I would like to use the Word 2003 Addin, what I would like to be able to do
with this is:

Create an addin that generates different Word File from a list of options
that the user selects from various UserForrms, the Word Documents will have
content from other Word Template Files.

Is this possible using the Word 2003 Addin option??

[Ian B]

Hi Dmc

Simple answer - yes. It should work well.
I'm not sure about Visual Studio but I have been working for many months on
a Word project using VB6.
With VB6 I create a dll which runs all the Word code for forms and other
manipulations.
This dll is then referenced by a shell template as an addin which is just
used to call the VB6 code in the dll and pass in parameters to dll.
Again, I can't speak for Visual Studio, but with VB6 I can develop and test
code very simply with VBA code, and with the proper references, paste this
code straight to the VB6 IDE (which is one reason why I stick with non .net
stuff).

Main advantages are:
No template bloat.
Simpler distribution of updates.
Code hidden.
Compiled code.

Possible disadvantage, depending on your application..
Forms generated in VB6 create some interesting focus problems when called
from Word and may need a bit of API manipulation..

Cheers

Ian B

Post by DMc2007
Hi all
Currently I need to redevelop a set of templates for Microsoft Office Word
2003.
The old method of creating these was to use a .dot file, add the various VBA
elements into the modules, add the user forms and distribute out to users.
The problem was essentially activation, because I found the Microsoft Word
User Defined Toolbars to be unreliable and restrictive, essentially because
i had ideas where the icons should appear and never could get them to go
there.
Now I have been looking at Visual Studio Tools for Office 2005 SE, and have
been playing around with various Project Types, which do I use?
I would like to use the Word 2003 Addin, what I would like to be able to do
Create an addin that generates different Word File from a list of options
that the user selects from various UserForrms, the Word Documents will have
content from other Word Template Files.
Is this possible using the Word 2003 Addin option??