Question

I have developed a PowerPoint add-in for versions 2003 and earlier that generates a custom commandbar/toolbar on install.

I have no difficulty removing this commandbar on uninstall, but because it uses the Auto_Close event to do so, it also deletes the toolbar every time PowerPoint closes, preventing the user from permanently customizing the commandbar’s position.

I’ve tried a conditional delete by checking if the add-in is registered or loaded, but Auto_Close seems to run before any unloading or deregistration.

Any ideas on how to delete the commandbar ONLY when the add-in is being uninstalled?

Sub Auto_Close()
Dim pptAddin As AddIn

    For Each pptAddin In AddIns
        If pptAddin.Name = "AddInName" And _
            pptAddin.Registered <> msoTrue Then
            Application.CommandBars("CommandBarName").Delete
        End If
    Next

End Sub

Answer 1

It’s a good idea to do what you’re doing – deleting your CommandBar when PowerPoint closes. That way if there is ever an error, your add-in doesn’t leave artifacts in the UI that don’t work.

For managing state though, many folks use GetSetting and SaveSetting for reading/writing to a sandboxed area in the Registry for VB/VBA programs. Look up the following functions on this page: GetSetting, SaveSetting, GetAllSettings, DeleteSetting. You can use these to manage your add-in’s CommandBar between PowerPoint instances. It’s relatively simple to use – here’s a tutorial for Excel that would apply equally to PowerPoint.