topic Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level) in ArcObjects SDK Questions

ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

JakubSisak — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:25:41 GMT

This poses a problem for me since i would like to re-create my 9.3 VBA customizations. I cannot create a custom UI control that can be saved in the normal template.

WHY?

Source:
The customizations listed below are only ever saved at the document level; you cannot elect to save these customizations in your template.

* UI Controls added to any toolbar or menu
* Macros added as buttons to any toolbar or menu

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

RyanParchim — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:37:28 GMT

I was just wondering if this cusomization will ever be available again. It was nice to have some of the custom made tools just be in every mxd I open.

Also, if the tools are in python do they have the same issue (do they need to be loaded into every seperate mxd)?

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

marieducharme — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:11:45 GMT

Has anyone found a solution to this issues?

Yes,

I agree that this is a set-back in v10.

I used custom UI control quite a bit.

Perhaps ESRI will address?

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

JohnDunham — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:05:08 GMT

I notice that no one from ESRI has posted anything on this thread. I totally agree - I have several UI controls in 9.3.1 that are very important to my work. As it stands now, I won't switch to 10 until I can figure out a way around this. Sometimes I think that ESRI updates software without any input from the people who actually use it.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

JakubSisak — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:49:21 GMT

I notice that no one from ESRI has posted anything on this thread. I totally agree - I have several UI controls in 9.3.1 that are very important to my work. As it stands now, I won't switch to 10 until I can figure out a way around this. Sometimes I think that ESRI updates software without any input from the people who actually use it.

I have since converted nearly all customization into VB .Net Add-Ins and although there was a bit of a learning curve I have to say that that the Add-In structure completely replaced VBA customization. I use VS 2008 express (free version) and I believe that in many ways the new structure is a vast improvement over VBA.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

JeffersonFerreira_Ferreira — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:25:07 GMT

Hi all;

I hope some ESRI technical staff can solve this problem and post here for us. I have this problem too when trying to implement scripts into version 10. As our colleague above, we have many custom tools which depends on our work.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

AlexanderGray — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:56:41 GMT

You do realize that ArcGIS 10 is the last release of ArcGIS to support VBA? In ArcGIS 10.1,esri is phasing out support for VBA. Migrating VBA from 9.3 to 10 is pretty much a dead-end.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

RichardFairhurst — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:59:39 GMT

VBA is nearly dead and there is no going back to the template loading your cusotmizations. Add-Ins are enabled at the application level. After the initial double click of your add-in to install it, it should be able to contain an extension that can be auto enabled and add tools at ArcMap startup (although the help does not show how to do that it does have the ability to listen for the ArcMap startup event).

I have come close to that functionality, but decided my code would still use the extension dialog and customization mode at this point, since I have recently developed it and wanted the user to be able to shut it down if an undiscovered bug was in the code. Perhaps I will test the fully automated mode next week.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

RichardFairhurst — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:23:38 GMT

I just tested the autoload method of an Add-In ArcMap Application Extension. That mode causes the extension to automatically fires up at ArcMap start. From there the extension code could examine the configuration of ArcMap and if needed reconfigure ArcMap to include any buttons, tools, toolbars, menus, commands, dockable windows, etc that the programmer needed for their users. Admittedly, this is not as easily done as creating and storing a template map, but it does provide at least one method for acheiving the same end result that is not document based.

Re: ArcGIS 10 - VBA customization problem - UI Controls only local (Document level)

MindyWright — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 05:44:09 GMT

I just tested the autoload method of an Add-In ArcMap Application Extension. That mode causes the extension to automatically fires up at ArcMap start. ... Admittedly, this is not as easily done as creating and storing a template map, but it does provide at least one method for acheiving the same end result that is not document based.

I am struggling to keep the UI custom tools I built in my 9.3 mxds into my 10.0 mxds.
First problem is that I had to get an ESRI auth# for the VBA extension for 10.
Then, I notice "Application.Document" no longer gets the document, so I changed all those to ThisDocument, which allowed the .mxd to open the OpenDocument function correctly.
Some of my tools are still working. Some do not, because other ArcObjects have changed their methods or properties.
Where can I go for help?

I know nothing about Add-In appl extensions. Where can I find a programmer for hire that can convert my code from 9.3 to 10?