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Xavier N
Posts: 11
Joined: 2023-09-27
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These observations concern Office (Excel, Powerpoint and Word) when no file is open (it's sometimes useful when features is not intended to be used on the active document). There are no worries when documents are opened...
A) About the pane used when calling native features in Office
The pane used in Office applications when calling a native functionality (eg: Pane Select, or Help> Comments/Contact Support) is a pane created using Office js technology (javascript add-in). When several panes are called, only one pane is displayed but tabs appear (icons) to the right of the pane. They can be detached..
- If you close the last open Office file: this pane is automatically closed in Excel but remains open in Powerpoint and Word
- If no file is open: such a pane can be created in Excel, Powerpoint or Word
B) About AdxTaskPane (custom taskpane) created using ADX
- If you close the last open Office file: this pane remains open in Powerpoint but is automatically closed in Excel and Word
- If no file is open: such a pane can be created in Powerpoint (1) but cannot be created in Excel or Word
C) About AdxExcelTaskPane, AdxPowerpointTaskPane, AdxWordTaskPane (advanced taskpane) created using ADX
- If you close the last Office file opened: such panes are automatically closed in Excel but remain open in Powerpoint and Word
- If no file is open: such a pane can be created in Powerpoint or Word but cannot be created in Excel
Could you confirm the previous observations... and indicate if any solution exist when no file is open to display a custom or advanced pane in Excel or a custom pane in Word ?
(1): indicating as window IntPtr.Zero (or (Powerpoint)Application.HWND) for AdxTaskPane instance for example
Regards,
Xavier |
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Posted 07 Apr, 2024 08:49:45
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Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express team
Posts: 18833
Joined: 2006-05-11
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Hello Xavier,
We confirm your observations.
What you see is a result of a internal difference between Office products. This difference roots in their past; it may have more that 20 years of age.
All CTPs are controlled by Office. Add-in Express provides your content for such a pane. The rest depends on the Office application.
As to Advanced panes, Add-in Express requires too many things to display such a pane: proper windows and windows chains, events that occur when these windows get created/resized/closed.
Can you explain what you try to achieve? Maybe it is possible to show some Ribbon control or a form in your scenario?
Regards from Poland (GMT+2),
Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader |
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Posted 17 Apr, 2024 13:28:41
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Xavier N
Posts: 11
Joined: 2023-09-27
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Hello Andrei
Thanks for your answer and your confirmation,
I was wondering if it was possible to display a pane when no document was open for all of these apps (xl, wd, pp). Typically a support/feature request... pane.
The new (tabbed) taskpane displayed for native feature (eg: Pane Select) or to display Office js addin feature may be displayed (or stay displayed) when no doc is open. And as it look like a custom (improved/derived) taskpane with a kind of TabControl integrated, i was wondering if Ms was using a kind of hook/workaround to get the window handle of the "no document application"... But anyway i'm not sure providing that handle would be sufficient...
I haven't found any question/answer concerning opening/maintaining a custom task pane open on stackoverflow (when no document is open)...
To complete a little.... MS for the creation of its revisited taskpane seems to have been inspired by what ADX offered with the advanced taskpanes and the possibility of hosting several panels in the same area... However, it is a pity that we cannot find any information on the new one... (i guess the logic of MS is to push towards the development of js addins - such ones allows you to benefit from this taskpane..)
No worry if no solutions exists (and i'v no doubt you searched them), i can always use a form as you suggest...
Thanks again for your investigation Andrei,
Regards
Xavier |
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Posted 18 Apr, 2024 05:43:17
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Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express team
Posts: 18833
Joined: 2006-05-11
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Hello Xavier,
When designing Add-in Express, there was no special goal to show (or not to show) an Advanced pane if there's no document open. Instead, *whenever* all conditions (in particular, window states) are met, a pane is shown if the developer allows this.
JS-based panes (=panes shown by JS-based add-ins), Custom Task Panes and Advanced panes are three different worlds. While Add-in Express controls Advanced panes, CTPs and JS-based panes are fully controlled by Office. With CTPs, developers are only allowed to issue a show/hide request. You cannot do anything with JS-based panes.
Regards from Poland (GMT+2),
Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader |
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Posted 18 Apr, 2024 08:21:44
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Xavier N
Posts: 11
Joined: 2023-09-27
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Hello Andrei,
To continue and perhaps conclude on CTP (Custom Task Panes) in Office now :
It seems, MS Office no longer uses original CTP to display its native functionalities since 2016. It now uses an enhanced version (displaying tabs=icons on its right) to display its own functionalities (eg: Office Pane Select, Office Help, Word styles manager, Powerpoint animation, Powerpoint designer, etc.) as well as the functionalities of JS add-ins (eg: Chat Gpt, Excel formula translator). In its 2013/2010 versions, Office displayed this using classic CTP (+several Office panes were then displayed side by side if I remember).
I imagine that the enhanced CTP version is a derivative version of the base CTP (and that it was developed using the same language - C++?). And was designed to display even if no document window is open - unlike the basic version of CTP which seems to have erratic behavior - i mean depending on the Office application (Wd, XL, PP. .)
Thanks again for your investigations Andrei,
Regards
Xavier |
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Posted 18 Apr, 2024 12:30:59
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Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express team
Posts: 18833
Joined: 2006-05-11
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You are welcome!
Regards from Poland (GMT+2),
Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader |
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Posted 19 Apr, 2024 08:50:27
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