SubscribeRibbonCustomizer: First Alpha version
Today, I am releasing the first alpha version of my RibbonCustomizer add-in. As it is alpha, it still has bugs. Some of which are listed as known issues. For a discussion of this add-in, see my RibbonCustomizer overview post.
In this alpha version, you can use it to swap groups among tabs, create your own tabs and remove any existing MS group or tab. In addition to that, you can also load any RibbonX XML file.
The RibbonCustomizer add-in will appear on the View tab in Excel, PowerPoint and Word, but on the Add-in tab in Access and Outlook. In its current form, it doesn’t show you actual labels for tabs and groups (the labels you see normally in the Ribbon UI), but rather the internal Microsoft IDs (the idMso’s of RibbonX). This is a limitation only for this release and will be different in the final version. In Excel, you’ll actually see labels for some tabs & groups. The main feature of the add-in is to provide you with a UI to customize the ribbon.
In addition to that, you can use it to load any arbitray RibbonX file into any of the ribbon applications. This is not only useful for Office users who want a specific customization currently not supported yet, but also for developers who want to see what a particular RibbonX file will look like when loaded.
The RibbonX package file format is not an Office file format. It is rather a file format used by my add-in. With a normal RibbonX XML file, it is not possible to ensure that the RibbonX is actually being loaded into the right application. The RibbonX package file includes a check to ensure that users can only use it in the correct application. I see its usefuleness in distributing customizations via websites. The format is currently undocumented and still subject to change.
This is an alpha version. Therefore, please do not install it in a production environment. Please make sure to follow the installation instructions.
You can download it from my Office 2007 customization page.
Please post all issues and bugs as comments to this post.
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:59
Patrick,
I downloaded your Ribbon Customizer this morning and have been playing around with it a little in Excel. So far it works fine. I have some questions regarding future additions: (1) would it be possible to save a customization as a scheme?, (2) do you forsee being able to recognize tabs and groups that are not part of the actual program? For example, I have been working with a RibbonX addin that allows me to call macros that I previously set up with special toolbars in Excel 2003. Obviously, right now your Customizer doesn’t recognize that tab and the groups I have set up in it. Is the ability to recognize them outside of the scope of what you plan to do?
Thank you for the time and effort you have invested in this addin to date.
Bill Painter
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:31
Hi Bill,
1) take a look at \Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\pschmid.net\RibbonCustomizer. In there you’ll find the appropriate customization as RibbonX package file.
2) Office 2007 doesn’t support anything like this. There might be a way to do at least a partial job of this with future beta versions, but that remains to be seen. If there is, it’ll be a topic on my blog.
August 2nd, 2006 at 13:56
Patrick,
I found the ExcelWorkbook.ribx package file in the folder you mentioned. Being a non-programmer I assumed that I could make a copy of that file with a different name in the same folder and then restart Excel and create another customized ribbon, which would be saved as ExcelWorkbook.ribx. I did this and when I restarted Excel again the newest customization loaded. When I looked at the customization schemes/more dialog I saw both packages listed. However, the customization schemes flyout listed “Default” twice under the “Packages” section. Am I missing something or should the two items in the flyout have different names relating to the file names.
August 2nd, 2006 at 16:32
Bill,
actually, no. The name is stored inside the ExcelWorkbook.ribx file, and it says “Default” there. They should be listed in two different sections in that submenu though?
If you want it to be listed with a different name, then change the extension to zip, open it and edit package.xml. Then change it back to ribx.
August 9th, 2006 at 17:54
I downloaded and installed the file, but nothing appears in either Word or Excel ( I have not tried others). Just wondered if you might have an idea as to why the customise ribbon does not apear. Many thanks
Roy
August 9th, 2006 at 18:17
Roy,
Word Options, Add-Ins. Does it show the add-in as loaded? If not, load it and see if you have it then.
Patrick
September 18th, 2006 at 17:37
Looking at the TR2 changes I suspect that RibbonX is broken wrt TR2. Any thoughts on when you might have an update? Know you’ve been busy helping others with TR2 issues, which is more important right now.
September 18th, 2006 at 17:53
P Cause,
RibbonX is completely broken from Beta 2 to B2TR. I actually don’t know when I will have an update. Fixing the add-in is currently not highest on my priority list. I would say don’t expect anything before next week.
Patrick
October 18th, 2006 at 2:01
[…] If you simply don’t want to learn RibbonX, don’t have the time to learn it or consider XML to be out of your league, but still want to able to customize the Ribbon, you will have to turn to third parties. One of those third parties would be myself, as I am working on an add-in called RibbonCustomizer that allows a user to customize the Ribbon with a simple to use UI directly in an Office program. I made an alpha-version of the program available for Beta 2 (it won’t work with B2TR or RTM), and will provide the final version closer to the release of the OEM and retail versions of Office 2007. In the meantime, you can read an overview of RibbonCustomizer. […]
April 18th, 2007 at 20:39
Hi Patrick,
Are there options to a) move and b) remove the ribbon? I liked being able to fully customise the workspace in previous versions. This seemed to me to be a fundamental principle of windows, and I’m surprised they have removed a big option for customers. On a laptop with a horizontal screen, you want to move everything to the side so as to have a clearer workspace.
Martin Gifford.
April 18th, 2007 at 22:13
Martin,
the ribbon cannot be moved. You can “remove” it with a VBA statement though.
Patrick