Create an Excel Add In Application in C#

Question

I'd like to create an Excel Add In. But I want it to have a special behavior.

Then problem is that the Excel Add In I developed stays within Excel. Even when I run a normal Excel instance from Windows...

So what I want, to be more precise, is to have an Excel add in that will only appear in the Excel's ribbon when launched by my own C#_made application.

How should I do that ?

The behavior would be :

Run my C# application
My C# application calls a new Excel's instance
My C# application adds a new tab (and its elements) to the ribbon of this Excel's instance
My C# application adds actions binded to the tab's elements
Excel's instance is being closed > Remove all added components, functions, methods, ...
Close my C# appliclation

Look around in the Excel.Application for some way of toggling currently active add-ins. Since there is something like that in the actual application, I'm assuming there's something like the same in the C# interop. I'll help you more later if you haven't solved it, currently in a rush.. :) Good luck! — Anders Arpi
– Anders Arpi, Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 8:36

A T · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-20 09:33:27Z

1

Here's a nice tutorial for you: http://www.add-in-express.com/free-addins/net-excel-addin.php

Edit:

Have you considered just disabling the addin, then reenabling it whenever you launch the app with a server that runs in the background and when excel is closed, disables the addin?

Here's some unload code I found here:

private void UnloadBadAddins(bool unloadAddin)
{
    const string badAddin = "iManage Excel2000 integration (Ver 1.3)";

    foreach(Office.COMAddIn addin in this.ExcelApp.COMAddIns)
    {
        if (addin.Description.ToUpper().Contains(badAddin.ToUpper()))
        {
            if (addin.Connect == unloadAddin)
            {
                addin.Connect = !unloadAddin;
                return;
            }
        }
    }
}

edited Jan 20, 2012 at 9:33

answered Jan 20, 2012 at 8:43

A T

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3 Comments

Anders Arpi Over a year ago

I don't think you properly read his question. He's asking how to enable a specific functionality in Excel through interop, not how to create/use addins in general.

A T Over a year ago

Edited to better answer question. :)

Jsncrdnl Over a year ago

It worked great ! That's exactly what I wanted ! Thank you both !

Anders Arpi · Accepted Answer · 2012-01-20 09:24:48Z

1

I have found the following two properties on the Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.Application class:

var excel = new Application();
excel.AddIns
excel.AddIns2

Maybe these can help you programmatically add/remove addins during your application run?

answered Jan 20, 2012 at 9:24

Anders Arpi

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