Vertex42.com has released an Excel template gallery Addin powered by the Ribbon Commander framework. This VBA Ribbon Add-in (for Excel 2007 or later) lists over 300 Excel and Word professional templates, 95% of which are free to download.
The VBA Addin provides ways to browse templates using thumbnail images and keyword search. The custom Ribbon tab is updated dynamically using a proprietary cloud feed provided by Vertex42.com
Read more: http://www.vertex42.com/apps/template-gallery-add-in.html
The VBA Addin provides ways to browse templates using thumbnail images and keyword search. The custom Ribbon tab is updated dynamically using a proprietary cloud feed provided by Vertex42.com
Read more: http://www.vertex42.com/apps/template-gallery-add-in.html
With the power of the Ribbon Commander Framework, businesses are now able to easily create and maintain up-to-date ribbon add-ins for themselves and their customers. The Vertex42 template Excel add-in is just the latest example of how they are able to easily reach their customers and drive sales (or web traffic) from inside Excel's Ribbon tabs.
On this page: How the add-in is made
Vertex42 template thumbnail images shown in a Ribbon Gallery
Search options menu shown open
Search results in a Ribbon menu for 'budget' templates
Word templates shown in search results
How is made
How It Is Made
The Vertex42 template gallery add-in is not a static XML Ribbon customization. The game changing features offered in this VBA add-in are made possible by the Ribbon Commander framework.
The Addin's custom Ribbon tab is updated at runtime using two Vertex42 proprietary cloud feeds:
The Addin's custom Ribbon tab is updated at runtime using two Vertex42 proprietary cloud feeds:
- The XML feed offers descriptions for Ribbon buttons, galleries and control tooltips
- The image feed is used to download thumbnail images in a subfolder under the Downloads folder, as shown below:
Vertex42 assets are proprietary and owned by Vertex42 LLC. Unauthorized use of Vertex42 LLC feeds and icons is prohibited
The 'Vertex42 Assets' folder is created and populated with images the first time the add-in is run. The XML data feed is also stored in a file.
Every time the user clicks the Update button in the Ribbon, the stored XML file is compared with the XML data feed. If any existing template has been updated or if a new template has been added to Vertex42's collection, the local XML file is replaced by cloud data and any updated or new images are downloaded automatically.
After the update process has ended, usually within 1-2 seconds depending on your internet connection speed, the Vertex42 custom Ribbon tab is rebuilt instantly using the updated information. Excel users can preview the latest template images and information without having to reinstall the add-in, as would be the case with a static Ribbon add-in.
Every time the user clicks the Update button in the Ribbon, the stored XML file is compared with the XML data feed. If any existing template has been updated or if a new template has been added to Vertex42's collection, the local XML file is replaced by cloud data and any updated or new images are downloaded automatically.
After the update process has ended, usually within 1-2 seconds depending on your internet connection speed, the Vertex42 custom Ribbon tab is rebuilt instantly using the updated information. Excel users can preview the latest template images and information without having to reinstall the add-in, as would be the case with a static Ribbon add-in.
The custom Vertex42 tab is updated dynamically by clicking the update button, as the add-in is powered by Ribbon Commander
A notable feature offered by Ribbon Commander is the dynamic creation of Ribbon controls using VBA alone.
When users search Vertex42's entire collection for templates using a keyword (e.g 'loan', as shown below) the Results menu is populated with a template gallery and with any menu buttons required at runtime.
When users search Vertex42's entire collection for templates using a keyword (e.g 'loan', as shown below) the Results menu is populated with a template gallery and with any menu buttons required at runtime.
Search results in a Ribbon gallery for 'loan' templates
The Vertex42 Excel VBA add-in is bundled with the Ribbon Commander framework. The add-in is developed entirely in VBA. Please feel free to review the code (VBE password RC)
Ribbon Tip
Most add-ins launch a user-form to display 'about' information. Here is the Ribbon approach used:
The About control is a Ribbon gallery populated with one beautiful image and a button below it to display help text. Please note that any buttons added in Ribbon galleries are shown below gallery items (images), no matter the hierarchical order in which images and buttons were added in the gallery.
All custom Ribbon controls offer mouse hover tooltips, where additional information can be shown.
The About control is a Ribbon gallery populated with one beautiful image and a button below it to display help text. Please note that any buttons added in Ribbon galleries are shown below gallery items (images), no matter the hierarchical order in which images and buttons were added in the gallery.
All custom Ribbon controls offer mouse hover tooltips, where additional information can be shown.
download
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Vertex42 VBA addin powered by Ribbon Commander for Excel 2007 or later
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