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#1
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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. |
#2
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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. |
#3
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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. |
#4
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.misc
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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. |
#5
Posted to microsoft.public.excel.misc
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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. |
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