I am trying to distribute my Outlook Add-In to the rest of the company.
I'm using Visual Studio 2008 Professional and Outlook 2003. In VS I used an installed template for Outlook 2003. It created a solution with BOTH a project and an installer.
I use the project and created an Add-In. It works GREAT on my PC in development. Now, I want to distribute it. Here's where things go haywire. The nice little installer they provide DOESN'T ACTUALLY WORK.
The installer runs and places the files where they are to go, but the add-in doesn't run. Instead it gets errors about not having permissions. The installer didn't automatically set the security settings for you.
No problem. You just have to set those settings... right? But no where can I find a simple list of those settings.
I've been to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb332051.aspx a thousand times from almost every possible link on the web. I've read every Microsoft paper that I can find on VSTO add-Ins. Unfortunately everything seems to reference some magic script... "Just include the sample code..."
[rant] IF A SECTION OF CODE OR AN ENTIRE SOLUTION IS REQUIRED TO DISTRIBUTE YOUR CODE IT IS NOT SAMPLE!! IT IS REQUIRED !!! [/rant]
There. I feel better.
Since I installed VS2008, I don't have the directory:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office SE Resources\Samples
No problem, right? Just DL it from microsoft. I've downloaded every "vstor.exe" that I can get my hands on. They all offer to "repair or uninstall" my current installation, but no matter what I choose, the vstor.exe crashes.
HELP!!!
I just want to know what I need to do (the manual steps, if necessary!!!!!) to get my friggin app distributed.
No magic "include this gizmo". No fifty-thousand page diatribes.
Anyone know how this is ACTUALLY done?!
I got it to work.
I was able to get a "sample code" update from Microsoft that allowed me to follow the walk-through.
I still think that's utterly ridiculous to HAVE to use sample code to easily distribute your app. However it is working at the moment.
The link I used was given to me by anonymous use on a different board. Whoever you are THANK YOU!!!!
Here is the link I was given:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=6991E869-8D5B-45F4-91E7-B527BD236F4C&displaylang=en
This allowed me to actually get my hands on that mysterious "sample" code even though I use VS2008 Professional.
Related
I have tried to create a package for a VSTO addin using windows installer in Visual Studio 2013 but having no success. By that I mean I can create a exe and msi by using the Visual Studio Installer Setup Wizard and selecting everything as default, which seems to all run ok when installed but I don't get my addin appear anywhere in Word (I have looked in File-Options-Addins- com addins/dissabled addins).
I have spent quite a lot of time googling to find some instructions but with no success. Can anyone please help me by either writting some instuctions on here or pointing me to a link where someone has already done it?
Can I point out, I know how to create a package using Installsheild instead but I was having a few issues with that, so wanted to try this instead. So please don't suggest that as an approach, or wix.
You don't mention which version of Word you're using. Traditionally, this has been a nightmare - but I would guess that the most horrible things has been fixed in more recent versions of Office. In particular I'm thinking of the "KB908002" which had to be applied during setup (don't know if that is the case still).
One thing that may be forgotten is that you are required to install the "Microsoft Primary Interop Assemblies" (PIA) on the target machine, and that you have to apply the correct PIA depending on which version of Office you have on the target machine.
Anyway, this article http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vsod/archive/2008/04/22/troubleshooting-com-add-in-load-failures.aspx will give you quite a few ideas. Specifically, enabling the Fusion logging which has help me way back.
Good luck!
I'm writing a project in Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, which used to work completely fine until that moment, when I decided to install MS Chart Control in order to create a diagram in my project.
This didn't work (error "failed to register activex control" when dragging the tool into the form; although I registered everything successfully as an administrator) and many hours googling myself through forums made it clear to me, that this seems to be a general bug. At least I couldn't find a solution.
So now, I removed the tool MS Chart Control again, but still, I get error messages, when I build my project. After reinstalling Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition completely and removing all references that pointed on the MS Chart Library, I managed to delete some of them.
However three errors still remain, when I build the project. All of them of the same kind:
"Cannot write to the output file "C:...\Visual Studio 2008\Projects\Test\Test\obj\Debug\Test.Form1.resources".
Access to the path 'C:...\Visual Studio 2008\Projects\Test\Test\obj\Debug\Test.Form1.resources' is denied."
(same thing with two other files in the Debug-folder)
I again spent several hours searching through forums, but could not find a helpful answer. I already tried reinstalling everything again as well as rebooting windows and emptying the bin.
I also made sure, that the folder properties of 'Debug' are set on 'full access'.
Still, Visual Basic can not write on these files anymore.
I would be very grateful for any answer. Please note, that I am not an expert, neither on programming nor on computer-troubleshooting, so I would be happy about generally understandable (step-by-step) answers.
Many thanks in advance!
Regards,
c.
I just found out, that it works, if I open Visual Basic Studio as an administrator.
Strange, because a month ago, it always worked fine and I don't think I have changed anything about the folder or datas properties.
Anyway.... that solved the problem, I guess.
Few question about VSTO project I don't understand:
Registration - unlike native Office Plugin, where I've an installation project, how does the deployment work in managed add-in? After building the project, I do have the necessary entries in the registry that define the plugin (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins...). Where is the code that perform this registration?
Also, why in the HKCU? I'd like the plugin to be defined for all users (in HKLM). How do I change that?
How does Visual Studio know to start Outlook, when I press F5? In the property page for the project, under the debugging tab, the 'Start Option' is set to 'Start project'. Who tells Visual Studio that starting the project means starting Outlook?
Looking for more materials about VSTO. Can you recommend a resource?
A few answers
1. Basically the same for a managed project except that the Reg entries point to the .MANIFEST file, which in turn identifies the dll of the addin assembly.
Ohhh. this is a LONG story, there's lots of info on the web about it. Google "registering an addin for all users".
Short version is that it's possible, but requires some really weird and difficult to explain registry shinanigans.
If you've created an Outlook addin property, then by virtue of that project type, VS knows what to do on start.
I've never found a good definitive source for vsto material. Google's been my best friend for that kind of info. Andrew Coates has a pretty decent list here though
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/acoat/archive/2007/08/02/vsto-resources.aspx
I have no explicit information but currently I'm working through http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff937654.aspx which so far has been a great source of information. Please let me know if this worked out for your Outlook project.
When I try to start my visual basic to open a project it doesnt seem to be working and keep prompting a error 'VB6EXT.OLB' could not be register. What does that mean? Need helps on this matter, thanks
Just Right Click on VB6.exe and CLick On Run As Administrator..
Hope It works
VBE6EXT.OLB is the Visual Basic for Applications Extensibility Library. That filename seems to indicate that you're dealing with version 5.3, which apparently shipped with Microsoft Office 2000. It would seem your VB6 project is an Office Automation project then?
Google turns up the following links, which may be helpful:
BUG: Interface methods in the VBA Extensibility Library (VBE) are changed
PRB: Visual Studio Setup program may include Office OLB files in setup list
Neither seems to directly answer your question, but they seem like a good place to start.
Since Visual Basic 6 (and Microsoft Office 2000 as well) hit end-of-life well before Windows Vista was released, there may be a fundamental conflict between them. You might be better off trying to develop your application on an older version of Windows.
This just happened to me (literally seconds ago) and I came HERE first stop.
I was looking for THE answer. As it happened, MS-Office 2010 offered to repair the problem...
... and, skeptically, I accepted.
To my astonishment I was soon greeted by my FAVOURITE splash screen in the world - I've got my Rubberduck
Anyway, I'm relieved the Auto Fix worked...
I am developing an Isolated Shell that caters to "designers/special content creators" performing specific tasks, using the Shell. As they operate on files, they need to be able to use TFS for source control. This is mainly due to the fact that Developers will also operate on the same files from TFS but using Visual studio 2008.
After looking and searching I still could not find Team Explorer to be available to Shell.
Asking on MSDN forums, lead me to the answer that "this is not supported yet in the Isolated Shell". Well, then the whole point of giving away a shell is not justified, if you want to use a source control system for your files. The idea is not to recreate everything and develop tool windows etc using the TFS provider API.
The Visual Studio Extensibility book by Keyven Nayyeri has an example, which only goes so far into this problem of adding a sc provider.
Has anyone worked on developing Visual Studio 2008 Isolated Shell applications/environment? Please provide comments, questions - anything that you have to share apart from the following threads, which I've already participated in.
Threads from MSDN forums:
Team Explorer for Isolated Shell
Is it possible to use Team Explorer in VS Shell Isolated?
Thanks for your answer. Yes you are right, we will acquire CALs for users without having to buy them Visual Studio, that's the direction we will be taking.
But I am yet to figure out how to make Team Explorer available to such users, inside Shell. So I am looking to find out the technical details of how that can be done.
I mean, I have a user, he installs my VS Shell application, he has no VStudio Team system on his machine. Now if I acquire CAL for TFS and install Team Explorer, do you think it will be automatically available in the VS Shell app?
Any ideas? have you worked on making this happen?
Thanks
It sounds like you are trying to allow the "special content creators" save files in TFS Source Control without having to buy them a license to a Visual Studio Team Edition -- correct me if I'm wrong.
If that's the case, unfortunately I believe that you can't quite do that. Your users still need a Client Access License ("CAL") to access TFS.
I think that you can acquire just CALs for your users without having to buy Visual Studio for them (I presume for less than a full blown Visual Studio would cost). At that point, you can just distribute to them the Team Explorer, which is a VS shell with nothing but TFS access components. That is available in your TFS server media.
I found this via Google. You might want to review it to decide your best options:
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Licensing White Paper
The only exception to the CAL rules I'm aware of is access to Work Items. Assuming properly licensed servers, anyone in your organization can create new Work Items or view and update existing ones created by them, using the Work Item Web Access component.
Just stumbled on this question, it might still be relevant to you.
You have the option of including the AnkhSVN (http://ankhsvn.open.collab.net/) packages and load it into your Isolated Shell. While there are some issues around it, with Subversion support, you could use SvnBridge to access TFS repositories. This might bring you a little bit closer to the process you are trying to achieve.