Add-in Setup Issue

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Add-in Setup Issue
No add-in seen in Outlook after setup on a client machine 
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13
I have built a complex add-in that works perfectly on the development machine.

The setup runs without error on targeted client machines, but no add-in is available to Outlook.

I have read everything I can find on the forum, but have found nothing that seems to be configured incorrectly.

Products and tools are as follows:

Add-in Express Version: 2.2.1752.1437.
Windows XP Pro - Version 5.1.2600 SP2 Build 2600
Outlook 2003 - Version 11.8002.6568 (SP2) - (part of Office Pro 2003)
Visual Studio .NET 2003 - Version 7.1.3088
.NET Framework 1.1 - Version 1.1.4322 SP1
.NET Framework Hotfix (KB886903)
Language: C#

Visual Studio 2005 has never been installed on any of the machines.

The client machines are also running Outlook 2003.

After setup on a client, no add-in is available to Outlook, and any attempt to "Add" any of the installed DLLs to Outlook results in the message, "<path> is not a valid Office Add-in".

You suggested in an earlier dialog we had, that I create this project without the C++ shim. Might that be the problem?

I added an existing shim project to this one, and set the ShimProgID accordingly. The addin still works on the development machine, but when setup on a client machine, Outlook sees nothing.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim
Posted 11 Apr, 2006 15:03:22 Top
Sergey Grischenko


Add-in Express team


Posts: 7235
Joined: 2004-07-05
Hi Jim.

Could you please update your ADX version up tp 2.3.1757?
Then you need to read the VSSetup.doc file from the ADX installation package that contains step by step instructions on how you can create the setup project for ADX based add-ins in VS.
Posted 12 Apr, 2006 05:03:22 Top
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13
Will do, Sergey.
Posted 12 Apr, 2006 08:13:06 Top
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13
The upgrade and the setup instructions had the following effects:

This is a setup without the C++ shim.

1. After Setup on a client PC, Outlook now sees and loads the add-in command bar when it starts.

2. But, in both the IDE (Debug mode) and on a client machine, as soon as Outlook starts, the command bar appears, then this error appears, "Error occured in the code of the add-in". None of the add-in's startup code or button clicks work. Every action returns the same error message.

How might the upgrade cause all of the code to fail? I saw nothing in readme.txt or the whatsnew.txt that suggested why the code would no longer work. If anything comes to mind, please let me know, and I will continue to experiment with other versions of dependencies, etc.

Thank you again,

Jim
Posted 12 Apr, 2006 11:12:25 Top
Sergey Grischenko


Add-in Express team


Posts: 7235
Joined: 2004-07-05
Hi Jim.

Please click on the Details button in the error message dialog. You will see the detailed information about the error.
Posted 12 Apr, 2006 18:06:38 Top
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13
There is no Details button.

The title of the dialog is "Error", and there is one "OK" button.



Posted 12 Apr, 2006 21:24:10 Top
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13
After my upgrade to ADX version 2.4.1757, and total code failure, I pulled up a backup of the project and opened it in VS 2003.

I did a rebuild in Debug mode, and everything once again worked fine in Outlook.

As before, I then did a build in Release mode, and again everything now fails in Outlook.

Now if I rebuild in Debug mode, everything remains broken. None of the add-in code runs. I receive only "Error occured in the code of the add-in" messages at startup and upon all button clicks.

So here is my question; After an ADX upgrade, what changes in a "Release" build that could break all of the code thereafter? Is it something I can fix manually?

Jim

Posted 13 Apr, 2006 05:06:21 Top
Sergey Grischenko


Add-in Express team


Posts: 7235
Joined: 2004-07-05
Hi Jim.

Please add a breakpoint to the add-in code and run it in the debug mode.
I am sure you will find a cause of the error.
Also, please check the .\bin\Debug and .\bin\Release folders of your add-in project. Probably you have AddinExpress.MSO.dll locally in that folders. If so, please remove this assembly.
Posted 13 Apr, 2006 05:14:46 Top
Sergey Grischenko


Add-in Express team


Posts: 7235
Joined: 2004-07-05
Jim, could you please check the Release folder as I mentioned above?
Posted 13 Apr, 2006 05:29:07 Top
Jim Kimbrough




Posts: 17
Joined: 2006-02-13

No, AddinExpress.MSO.dll is not in either \bin\Debug, or \bin\Release.

I cannot use breakpoints in the code in Debug mode. None of the add-in code is now running, so none of the breakpoints can be reached. I get the "Error occured in the code of the add-in" message as soon as Outlook starts, and None of the debug breakpoints are ever reached.

I also get the "Error occured in the code of the add-in" message if I try to do "Unregister ADX Project". It seems like something at the very MOMENT OF INITIALIZATION is causing the add-in to fail completely.

I need your help on this one!

Jim
Posted 13 Apr, 2006 06:33:45 Top