Start powerpoint with addins disabled?

  • Thread starter Thread starter c mateland
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c mateland

Is it possible to launch ppt from code without starting addins?

With powerpoint closed, I launch a ppa file (2x click) that has an
Auto_Open procedure. It obviously starts ppt to run code. But that also
runs all the addins and their code first. I'd like it to run this ppa
code without allowing the other addins to run.

Is this possible?
 
C mateland said:
Is it possible to launch ppt from code without starting addins?

With powerpoint closed, I launch a ppa file (2x click) that has an
Auto_Open procedure. It obviously starts ppt to run code. But that also
runs all the addins and their code first. I'd like it to run this ppa
code without allowing the other addins to run.
Click to expand...

When PowerPoint starts (no matter how you started it) it loads all installed
add-ins. To prevent them from running, you'd need to uninstall them.

In theory, you could have your addin iterate through the addins collection and
uninstall all of them that are installed, but if you do this on any computers
but your own, I'd expect to get slapped silly by unhappy users. <g>
 
Steve said:
When PowerPoint starts (no matter how you started it) it loads all installed
add-ins. To prevent them from running, you'd need to uninstall them.

In theory, you could have your addin iterate through the addins collection and
uninstall all of them that are installed, but if you do this on any computers
but your own, I'd expect to get slapped silly by unhappy users. <g>
Click to expand...

But even if I just unloaded them and then loaded them back where users
wouldn't even notice, it'd all be for not because just running my ppa
starts the application, (if closed) which then runs their loaded ppa's
first before mine has a chance to unload thiers, right? Of course I
could hope they already have PowerPoint open, but I can't count on
that.

So I tried opening PowerPoint from Excel and saw that, sure enough, the
addins didn't load. But that was scary, because it actually removed one
addin. It was a pesky PDF-maker that I could never get rid of on this
corporate machine, no matter how I tried. Opening PowerPoint from Excel
sure did the trick! I don't know where that puppy went to, but it's
gone now. So, I don't think I want to putz around with opening
PowerPoint from Excel for the sake of disableing addins.

It looks like there's no way to do this, so I'll just have to be
careful in my strategy and make something work.

Thanks.
 
Sometimes the thing to do is back up and ask why.

You've determined that you need to unload addins or prevent them from running.

What problem are you trying to solve by doing this?
Maybe there's another way around it.
 
Well, it be nice to have an upgraded ppa, for example, replace another
ppa before it runs maybe. I'm just thinking of deployment/upgrading
strategies.

Actually, I think I'm burning too much energy thinking about this right
now. It's too hard to see that far ahead until I get more procedures
actually working and then it will be easier to understand what I'll
need.

One thing I did notice, however, that I could use some wisdom on is the
order ppa's run when they all have auto_open. It seems to be in
alphbetic order. Is that right? I need to watch that because I have a
few where one must run before the other.

Any insight or strategy on that or should I start another thread?

Thanks for the help, Steve.
 
Well, it be nice to have an upgraded ppa, for example, replace another
ppa before it runs maybe. I'm just thinking of deployment/upgrading
strategies.
Click to expand...

I'd build the upgrade facilities into an independent PPA and give each of your other
PPAs uniquely identifiable names.

Your update PPA loads, doesn't matter in what order, and iterates through the
Application.Addins collection looking for all of the addins whose names match your
unique naming scheme.

I assume you've got some kind of logic in mind to determine whether an update's
available, so I'll skip that bit, but when you determine that one's available, your
code unloads the old addin, loads the new and you're on your way.
One thing I did notice, however, that I could use some wisdom on is the
order ppa's run when they all have auto_open. It seems to be in
alphbetic order. Is that right? I need to watch that because I have a
few where one must run before the other.
Click to expand...

That seems to be the case. But I'd be nervous about relying on that.
If you need them to load in a certain order, perhaps you could have one "loader" addin
autoload; it then programmatically loads the other addins as needed. In fact, it
could do the file date/time checking or whatever to check for updates before it loads
the addins
 
Steve said:
That seems to be the case. But I'd be nervous about relying on that.
If you need them to load in a certain order, perhaps you could have one "loader" addin
autoload; it then programmatically loads the other addins as needed. In fact, it
could do the file date/time checking or whatever to check for updates before it loads
the addins
Click to expand...

I wrote all the ppas in to one larger ppa so I can control the order
procedures take place. But I wrote another ppa that first checks my
network for an updated version of the larger ppa. If it finds it, it
removes the first and installs the second.

I'm just having one frustration with a kill statement, for which I'll
start a new thread.
 
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