Automatically launch an EXE?

[Andrew Bates - Softrak Systems Inc.]

Hello all,

Is there any way to automatically launch an EXE from within a PPT presentation. I know about "action settings" and mouse - click / mouse over. However, I want an EXE to launch without any operator interaction required.

(FWIW - the EXE is a Camtasia video of an application running. I want to use the EXE form that that their Codec is used - the normal AVI viewer does not provide an adequate quality image.)

ANy suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Chirag]

You can do that with a little VBA and my free Event Generator add-in
available at http://officeone.mvps.org/addins.html

Identify the slide where the EXE should be launched and then use
ShellExecute() API to launch the executable like:

---
Private Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" _
Alias "ShellExecuteA" ( _
ByVal hwnd As Long, _
ByVal lpOperation As String, _
ByVal lpFile As String, _
ByVal lpParameters As String, _
ByVal lpDirectory As String, _
ByVal nShowCmd As Long) As Long

Sub OnSlideShowNextSlide(ByVal Wn As SlideShowWindow)
If Wn.View.Slide.SlideID = <mySlide> Then
ShellExecute 0, "open", <exe_file>, "", "", SW_SHOWNORMAL
End If
End Sub
---

- Chirag

PowerShow - View multiple shows simultaneously
http://officeone.mvps.org/powershow/powershow.html

"Andrew Bates - Softrak Systems Inc."

Hello all,

Is there any way to automatically launch an EXE from within a PPT

presentation. I know about "action settings" and mouse - click / mouse over.
However, I want an EXE to launch without any operator interaction required.

(FWIW - the EXE is a Camtasia video of an application running. I want to

use the EXE form that that their Codec is used - the normal AVI viewer does
not provide an adequate quality image.)

 

[PPTMagician]

Hi Andrew,

If you're VBA challenged (as I am), you can try this:
You can "insert" the application by clicking on insert,
object, create from file, find your .exe file and click
ok. It will create an icon that links to your
application. Click on the icon to select it, click on
Slide Show, Custom Animation, choose Add Effect (PPT 2002
or higher), Object Actions, Activate Contents. You can
then use timings to activate the file automatically
(with/after previous).

HTH,
Glenna

 

[Glen Millar]

Glenna,

I never saw that before!

--

Regards,

Glen Millar
Microsoft PPT MVP
http://www.powerpointworkbench.com/
Please tell us your ppt version, and get back to us here
Remove spaces from signature
Posted to news://msnews.microsoft.com

 

[Echo S]

You might try Chirag's options for that. There's a link to them at http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00406.htm

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com
presenter, PPT Live '04
Oct 10-13, San Diego http://www.powerpointlive.com

 

[Andrew Bates - Softrak Systems Inc.]

Hello again,

Well, I thought I'd give the VBA example a try, since I have (some) understanding about how all this works. However, when I tried to create a "viewer only" PPT, Powerpoint told me that macros and linked files wouldn't work in the viewer... (sigh). OK - back to the "insert object", but that message gets pretty tedious. Also, while I'm happy to change registry settings on my machine, I'm not sure that some prospect is going to be very happy if I try and do it on their machine!

I got the VBA example to work fine - but is there any way to distribute the resulting PPT and other files so that they can be just "viewed" - without having to run Powerpoint itself?

Somehow I think I'm going to end up using Camtasia to record the PPT builds, then integrate the program videos, then package it all up as one monstrous PPT. Either that or come up with some cute way of getting the user to "click" on the requisite icon to actually play the EXE... perhaps I'll spend an hour or so exploring that possibility...

All suggestions welcome - and thanks for all the help so far - I've learned LOTS

You might try Chirag's options for that. There's a link to them at http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00406.htm

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com
presenter, PPT Live '04
Oct 10-13, San Diego http://www.powerpointlive.com

Hi Glenna,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I NEVER would have figured that out, and have no idea how I might have "divined that" through the HELP system (such as it is).

Now, if I can only get rid of that annoying "some file might harm your computer message" that pops up just before the video is played.... <g>

Many thanks again

Andrew

 

[chug]

How do you get rid of that annoying 'some files might harm your computer
message'?

 

[Andrew Bates - Softrak Systems Inc.]

Hi Steve (and Chug),

Actually, I never got rid of the message, and, since the object of the
exercise was to be able to distribute these presentations to "show", I just
reverted to Camtasia.

PPT is happy to launch an EXE on your own machine under "Action Settings". I
created the video I wanted, and inserted in the necessary PPT. Then I ran the
PPT with Camtasia recording the screen. With some minor edits of the
resulting video, I was able to create both an EXE and a Flash video for
people to run combining the slide animations possible with PowerPoint and the
auto running demo of an application possible with Camtasia.

(I agree about that message Steve. Certainly you should be able to turn it
off if you trust the source -especially if the source is you!)

Thanks

Andrew

 

[Pam]

i dont understand all you are saying so i am not sure that is my problem. i
want to put a countdown clock on a powerpoint presentation. how do i do
that?

 

[Echo S]

For countdown clocks, see Clocks and timers for PowerPoint
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00081.htm