VSTO For Dummies

Chapter 5. Building Word Add-Ins

In This Chapter

• Working with the new Ribbon

• Creating add-ins

• Using the Word event model

• Combining the Ribbon and custom Task panes

In this chapter, we dive into the world of Word add-ins and explain advanced topics, such as events, Ribbons, and custom Task panes. (For more on how add-ins extend the functionality of Office applications, see Chapter 2.)

Getting Used to the Ribbon

If you're new to Word 2010, the first thing you probably noticed was the Ribbon. The Ribbon replaced the menus and toolbars everyone was used to in previous versions of Microsoft Office. The Ribbon displays common commands related to your current working context. For example, say that you're writing a document using an older version of Word that doesn't have the Ribbon. Even though your document doesn't contain any tables, the table formatting menu is still visible, as well as other menus and toolbars.

Why would you have all those menus and toolbars cluttering the user interface and shrinking your workspace if you're not using even half of those commands? That's where the Ribbon comes into play.

With the help of the Ribbon, the Office user interface was decluttered — because menus and toolbars are replaced with Ribbon tabs and groups. The table formatting commands aren't cluttering your workspace anymore, and the Ribbon tab that contains table formatting commands is only visible when you're working on a table. Don't get scared by this radically different user interface; you'll get ...