Relocating my AddIn

[Ed Sowell]

I have written VBA functions nad menus that operate on a Workbook to be used
by another person. I packaged the VBA stuff as an AddIn so when I update it
I can just send him a new Addin .xla file without having to synchronize my
working .xls file with his .xls file that hass all the most current data.
This has been in place for some time now and it has all worked fine. I just
send him a new .xla file and tell him to put in the same directory where his
..xls file is. All of this was developed under XP Pro and using Office 2003.

More resently, I changed my development platform to Vista and Office 2007. I
have also written a second AddIn that has some optional features I don't
want integrated with the original AddIn.

Now, to the problem. Vista/Office 2007 insists on saving the new aAddIn .xla
file in my Users.Ed/AppData/Mictosoft directory, which is hidden so I cna't
even find it in Windows Explores. I did find that I could get to it but when
I try to copy it some place else so I can send it to my user I discover
thhat all I can create elsewhere is a shortcut, which I can hardly port to
another machine. Any changes I make to the new addin are made to the copy it
keeps in the hidden directory.

How can I force Excel/VBA to save the new addin in a place where I can get
my hands on it?

TIA

Ed

 

[Chip Pearson]

How are you distributing and installing the xla on the users'
machines? You can tell the user to save the file you distribute to a
specific directory, or you can create a VBS install script (or even a
SetUp.exe install program) to move your add-in to the appropriate
location.

Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
Excel Product Group
Pearson Software Consulting, LLC
www.cpearson.com
(email on web site)

 

[Ed Sowell]

Thanks, Chip.

Well, there really aren't very many users. Actually, only one other than me.
I set up membership records for a car club while I was the membership
person. I've since rolled the task over to another member who has far less
computer experience than me, and no programming knowledge at all. I of
course found lots of deficiencies in what I had done once he started using
it and doing strange things that I would never do, so I have been working on
making it more user friendly and bullet proof.

So, now to your specific question. I just sent him the .xls file with all
the records and the .xla file with the VBA functions, menus, etc. and tell
him to put them in the sam directory. For some reason I had no trouble with
that method till I switched over to Vista/Office 2007 and tried to add a
second .xla file. As I said, it seems I can no longer use that method
because I can't get my hands on the actual .xla file to send!

Regarding a VBS installation script or a installation .exe, I think I would
have the same probelm. If I can'tt get Excel to save the second addin
project anyplace other than in the User hidden AppsData directory structure,
how am I going to do it programmatically?

I have the feeling I'm missing something here....

BTW, what tool would I use to create an setup.exe? I have and old
InstallShield Lite around somewhere, but it's probably not going to run very
well on Vista, or target a Vista machine for the installation if I build the
setup on my XP machine.

Ed

 

[Ed Sowell]

Found a way to do it. Here is a summary:

Excel 2007 under Vista seems to save XLA files in
C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns which is a hidded directory. To
send it to another computer
I have to first get at it. Only way I've found is to do a Search for
JOCCheck.xla on C:. This will bring up a SHORTCUT to it in Recent items
folder.
Clicking on Properties will reveal that the Target of the shortcut is
C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\AddIns\JOCCheck.xla, which is the
actual file.
Click on Open file location, then select the file and do a CTRL-C to copy,
then paste to the wanted location, e.g., C:\JOC\Membership. It can then be
moved to the other machine and into the desiered directory. . On that
machine, go to the AddIns dialog, browse to the same directory and select
the addIn.xla.

Ed