User hides Outlook toolbar

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User hides Outlook toolbar
How can I stop a custom toolbar appearing every time Outlook opens 
Mike VE




Posts: 170
 Joined: 2007-09-09
I have two custom toolbars - one in the Outlook Explorer and the other in the ReadMail Inspector. I want them to respond to users who use the View > Toolbars command to hide the toolbar. I have managed this with the Inspector Toolbar by storing the value of the Visible property in the Inspector Close event and setting it in the Inspector Activate event.

However, I can not get it to work with the Explorer toolbar. It re-appears every time Outlook starts. In the AddinBeginShutDown event the toolbar's visible property reads as True even though it has been hidden with the View > Toolbars menu.

Using your excellent BuiltIn Control Scanner the Visible property reads True whether the toolbar is showing or not.

What am I missing? :?:
Posted 17 Apr, 2009 14:30:50 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19138
 Joined: 2006-05-11
Hello Mike,

The Explorer command bar component is context-sensitive so you need to change its context properties rather than Visible. Say, you can hide the toolbar if you set this.adxOlExplorerCommandBar1.ItemTypes = AddinExpress.MSO.ADXOlExplorerItemTypes.olUnknownItem;

Please see the project I developed today on a similar question - www.add-in-express.com/files/projects_pub/as/MyAddin120.zip. If you stiil need some help, please let me know.


Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 17 Apr, 2009 15:10:06 Top
Mike VE




Posts: 170
 Joined: 2007-09-09
Hi Andrei

Thanks - the sample project really helped. For the record here's how I used what you showed me. The toolbar is called PrintPage1ExplorerToolbar and I have a setting in My.Settings called LastChangedVisibility.

A module level boolean to store the Explorer's visibility. 
Friend LastChangedVisibility As Boolean


Save the visibility setting in the CommandBarsUpdate event 
Private Sub adxOutlookEvents_CommandBarsUpdate(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles adxOutlookEvents.CommandBarsUpdate

        If Not PrintPage1ExplorerToolbar.Visible = LastChangedVisibility Then

            'If execution cames here then the toolbar visibility has just been changed - probably by the user clicking View - Toolbars
            LastChangedVisibility = PrintPage1ExplorerToolbar.Visible
            My.Settings.ShowExplorerToolbar = LastChangedVisibility
            My.Settings.Save()

        End If
    End Sub


And set the visibility in the AddinStartupComplete event 
Me.PrintPage1ExplorerToolbar.Visible = My.Settings.ShowExplorerToolbar
Posted 18 Apr, 2009 05:13:56 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19138
 Joined: 2006-05-11
You are welcome, Mike!


Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 20 Apr, 2009 05:38:38 Top