Excel Add In Deployment
 

Hello,

I've written my first Excel Add In and am delivering it to a customer site
tomorrow. Initially I planned to have each user copy the Add In to their own
computer but now I'm wondering if I should deliver the Add In to a location
on their LAN and have users install it by browsing to the LAN location from
the Add In manager. This latter approach would seem to make re-deployment of
subsequent versions much easier.

Is the LAN based approach for an Excel Add In typical? Any downsides that I
should consider?

thank you.

Excel Add In Deployment
 

So everyone is going to be connected to the same addin on the
network? I can see how that could cause problems because of sharing
violations and also the chance that one user could muck up the code
somehow and that code would trickle down to all the users of the
addin. I simply create an install package when deploying addins. I
use InnoSetup to create the install package. I use a separate
worksheet for installation of the addin which is executed once the
install is complete. The code used in the Open event of this workbook
is something like below. The addin is then installed without the user
having to interact in any way, other than to click Enable Macros if
necessary.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Dim wBook As Workbook
On Error Resume Next
Set wBook = Workbooks("addin_name.xla")
start:
'close book if open
If Not wBook Is Nothing Then _
Workbooks("addin_name.xla").Close
'uninstall if installed
If AddIns("addin_name").Installed = True Then _
AddIns("addin_name").Installed = False
'install add-in
AddIns.Add FileName:="C:\addin_name", _
CopyFile:=True
AddIns("addin_name").Installed = True
Set wBook=Nothing
ThisWorkbook.Close False
End Sub

Exton wrote:
Hello,

I've written my first Excel Add In and am delivering it to a customer site
tomorrow. Initially I planned to have each user copy the Add In to their own
computer but now I'm wondering if I should deliver the Add In to a location
on their LAN and have users install it by browsing to the LAN location from
the Add In manager. This latter approach would seem to make re-deployment of
subsequent versions much easier.

Is the LAN based approach for an Excel Add In typical? Any downsides that I
should consider?

thank you.

Excel Add In Deployment
 

JW,
Thanks for your quick and thorough reply.

I don't understand the file sharing violations issue that you mention and
that concerns me greatly. I'm less concerned about any user changing the
code as the code will be password protected.
The beauty of the LAN approach is that the end user need do nothing at all.
An administrator at the customer site could simply copy a new version of the
Add In to the LAN and end users would automatically all get the new version.
At least, that's how I envision it working.



"JW" wrote:

So everyone is going to be connected to the same addin on the
network? I can see how that could cause problems because of sharing
violations and also the chance that one user could muck up the code
somehow and that code would trickle down to all the users of the
addin. I simply create an install package when deploying addins. I
use InnoSetup to create the install package. I use a separate
worksheet for installation of the addin which is executed once the
install is complete. The code used in the Open event of this workbook
is something like below. The addin is then installed without the user
having to interact in any way, other than to click Enable Macros if
necessary.
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Dim wBook As Workbook
On Error Resume Next
Set wBook = Workbooks("addin_name.xla")
start:
'close book if open
If Not wBook Is Nothing Then _
Workbooks("addin_name.xla").Close
'uninstall if installed
If AddIns("addin_name").Installed = True Then _
AddIns("addin_name").Installed = False
'install add-in
AddIns.Add FileName:="C:\addin_name", _
CopyFile:=True
AddIns("addin_name").Installed = True
Set wBook=Nothing
ThisWorkbook.Close False
End Sub

Exton wrote:
Hello,

I've written my first Excel Add In and am delivering it to a customer site
tomorrow. Initially I planned to have each user copy the Add In to their own
computer but now I'm wondering if I should deliver the Add In to a location
on their LAN and have users install it by browsing to the LAN location from
the Add In manager. This latter approach would seem to make re-deployment of
subsequent versions much easier.

Is the LAN based approach for an Excel Add In typical? Any downsides that I
should consider?

thank you.

Excel Add In Deployment
 

Charles Williams has an add-in manager on his web site
(http://decisionmodels.com/downloads.htm#addload). This includes an ability
to handle upgrades from a central location.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"Exton" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I've written my first Excel Add In and am delivering it to a customer site
tomorrow. Initially I planned to have each user copy the Add In to their
own
computer but now I'm wondering if I should deliver the Add In to a
location
on their LAN and have users install it by browsing to the LAN location
from
the Add In manager. This latter approach would seem to make re-deployment
of
subsequent versions much easier.

Is the LAN based approach for an Excel Add In typical? Any downsides that
I
should consider?

thank you.

Excel Add In Deployment
 

Thank you Jon. Your answer and the answer above from JW were both very
helpful. I've downloaded the downloader from Charles Williams and am looking
at it now.

thx.

"Jon Peltier" wrote:

Charles Williams has an add-in manager on his web site
(http://decisionmodels.com/downloads.htm#addload). This includes an ability
to handle upgrades from a central location.

- Jon
-------
Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Tutorials and Custom Solutions
Peltier Technical Services, Inc. - http://PeltierTech.com
_______


"Exton" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I've written my first Excel Add In and am delivering it to a customer site
tomorrow. Initially I planned to have each user copy the Add In to their
own
computer but now I'm wondering if I should deliver the Add In to a
location
on their LAN and have users install it by browsing to the LAN location
from
the Add In manager. This latter approach would seem to make re-deployment
of
subsequent versions much easier.

Is the LAN based approach for an Excel Add In typical? Any downsides that
I
should consider?

thank you.