How to Assign Shortcut Key to Buttons created via VSTO Excel Add In
Today, I was asked how to assign a shortcut key to buttons created in VSTO Excel 2007 Add In, like “Ctrl+Shift+B”. Unfortunately, in VSTO, it is not supported to assign a shortcut key to buttons directly. We can only do it in VBA module.
As I described in another article in my blog, we have two ways to create buttons in VSTO SE project. One way is adding a CommandBar and CommandBarControl. Excel will put the button in, by default, Add-ins Tab->Custom Toolbars Group. Another way is using Ribbon support item provided by VSTO SE. We will customize our Ribbon button in Ribbon.xml file, and implement their call back functions in Ribbon.cs.
As to the first way, it is easy for us to make a VBA module call a button’s corresponding method. We should get the button’s handle and invoke its Execute() method. With above done, we can assign a shortcut key to the VBA module. Every time we press the our defined shortcut key, Excel will call the VBA module, and the VBA module will perform the button’s Execute() method.
But as to the second way, life becomes dark because, we cannot get the button’s handle any longer. After a lot of thinking, the ComAddInAutomationService flashes into my brain. Yeah, that is the trick! I will post the specific steps about how to achieve that as following. But if you want have a better understanding about the reason why and the way how it works, I recommend you to read an article written by Andrew Whitechapel(The senior program manager in Microsoft VSTO team). Here is the link: http://blogs.msdn.com/andreww/archive/2007/01/15/vsto-add-ins-comaddins-and-requestcomaddinautomationservice.aspx
OK. The following is my solution step by step:
1. I create an Excel Add In named ExcelAddIn using VSTO SE and Excel 2007
2. I add a Ribbon support Item to my project. Modify the ribbon.xml like the following:
<customUI xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/01/customui">
<ribbon>
<tabs>
<tab id="CustomTab" label="My Menu" visible ="true">
<group id="MyGroup" label="My Group">
<button id="BlueUL" label="Blue UL" size="normal" onAction="MyModule" />
</group>
</tab>
</tabs>
</ribbon>
</customUI>
3. Using the following call back to react the button’s onAction event: (We will implement addinUtilities.CallBlueUl later)
public void MyModule(Office.IRibbonControl control)
{
switch (control.Id)
{
case "BlueUL":
Globals.ThisAddIn.addinUtilities.CallBlueUl();
break;
default:
break;
}
}
4. Add an interface named IAddinUtilities in the project. Make it look like:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using Office = Microsoft.Office.Core;
using Excel = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel;
namespace ExcelAddIn
{
[ComVisible(true)]
[Guid("B523844E-1A41-4118-A0F0-FDFA7BCD77C9")]
[InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsDual)]
public interface IAddinUtilities
{
void CallBlueUl();
}
}
5. Add a Class named AddinUtilities to our project, and make it implement the interface IAddinUtilities, codes like:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using Excel = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel;
using Office = Microsoft.Office.Core;
namespace ExcelAddIn
{
[ComVisible(true)]
[ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.None)]
public class AddinUtilities : IAddinUtilities
{
public void CallBlueUl()
{
Excel.Range range = Globals.ThisAddIn.Application.Selection as Excel.Range;
range.Borders[Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeBottom].LineStyle = Excel.XlLineStyle.xlContinuous;
range.Borders[Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeBottom].Weight = Excel.XlBorderWeight.xlThin;
range.Borders[Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeBottom].ColorIndex = 7;
}
}
}
6. In ExcelAddIn Class, we override the RequestComAddInAutomationService() to return a new instance of the Class we created above. And make the field as public, which makes the call in step 3 can be compiled.
public partial class ThisAddIn
{
public AddinUtilities addinUtilities; //note the public
protected override object RequestComAddInAutomationService()
{
if (addinUtilities == null)
{
addinUtilities = new AddinUtilities();
}
return addinUtilities;
}
}
7. Compile and run the project. The Excel application shows up. Click Developer Tab->Code Group->Macros Button. In pop up window, you type the Macro Name you want. Typically, we use CallBlueUl here. And then click Button Create.
8. The Microsoft Visual Basic IDE pops up, and copy the following codes into the module, and make it look like:
Sub CallBuleUl()
Dim addin As Office.COMAddIn
Dim automationObject As Object
Set addin = Application.COMAddIns("ExcelAddin")
Set automationObject = addin.Object
automationObject.CallBlueUl
End Sub
9. Close the Microsoft Visual Basic IDE. Again, we click Developer Tab->Code Group->Macros Button. In the pop up window, we click Button Options….Press B with the hold of Shirt. You will see the Shortcut key is assigned as Ctrl+Shift+B.(We can only assign Ctrl+Shift shortcut key, but not Ctrl+Alt). Click OK.
10. Save the workbook as an Excel Add-In. To do this, you can choose the file type to be Excel Add-In(*.xlam) in Save As dialog. Typically, the name is Book1.xlam. Do not change the default location of the Book1.xlam
11. Click Office Button->Excel Options->Add-Ins Tab, choose Excel Add-ins, click Go. In the pop up Add-Ins Window, check the box Book1, and then click OK.
12. Select a few cells and press Ctrl+Shift+B. Color of the bottom of the range will be changed to pink. (It seems the color index 7 is pink, however, that it not related to topic here and does not matter)
That’s all! Oh, it is 10:30 already. Time to go home! A nice day!