Embedding PPT Presos in Word: can it be done?

[Markjef]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have some users who like to embed PowerPoint presentations in a Word document to create a master document that holds the collection of presentations in one space. The department creates minutes of presentations and meetings using word documents. Any PP presentations are embedded in the Word file so that they can be accessed from the Word file. They would like this simple, one document format to work on both Macs and Windows systems.

Unfortunately, this method works on WinOffice 2003, but not on MacOffice 2004. I suspect that this may have to do with the legacy OLE server function that is still part of WinOffice 2003. I understand that there is no support for OLE serving on any version on Mac PPT built after Office 2001. I suspect that there should be a way to do this, and was curious as to what workarounds folks have come up with around this issue.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have some users who like to embed PowerPoint presentations in a Word document to create a master document that holds the collection of presentations in one space. The department creates minutes of presentations and meetings using word documents. Any PP presentations are embedded in the Word file so that they can be accessed from the Word file. They would like this simple, one document format to work on both Macs and Windows systems.

Unfortunately, this method works on WinOffice 2003, but not on MacOffice 2004. I suspect that this may have to do with the legacy OLE server function that is still part of WinOffice 2003. I understand that there is no support for OLE serving on any version on Mac PPT built after Office 2001. I suspect that there should be a way to do this, and was curious as to what workarounds folks have come up with around this issue.

Hi,

Word 2008 supports embedded Excel documents, but not PowerPoint documents.

Excel 2008 supports embedded Word documents, but not PowerPoint documents.

PowerPoint 2008 supports embedded Word documents and Excel documents,
but not additional PowerPoint documents.

Does embedding offer anything more than putting presentations and Word
documents together in a folder and then linking them to each other?

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP


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[Markjef]

Embedding allows for all of the PPT slides to reside in a single Word document. Of course, these documents tend to get huge and can run the risk of data instability (since OLE is such an ancient technology and MS has not done anything with it in almost a decade).

That being said, the idea of the single document is the key factor for users (esp. former WinOfice users, who now feel like something has been taken from them).

The approach of putting all the PPT documents in a single folder and linking them to a Word master document is far less elegant. It is clumsier to do, and the resulting folder is less transportable. If this is being posted on a web share, like SharePoint or LiveLink, one would have to compress the folder (zip it) to keep all the contents together. There are more steps involved, which means there are more ways for things to go wrong.

Granted, there is far less risk of data corruption (since the resulting Word doc is much smaller in size) but that is small solace to the user, who now feel they have to do more work to get a sloppier end result (ironic, since doing things on a Mac tend to be more elegant, not less).

Is there a best practice around linking that could reduce the number of steps so that users could feel more confident with it? What is MS's recommended approach, since it looks like there is minimal interest in improving OLE, even on the WInOffice side?

 

[Markjef]

Note that although my original post referred to Office 2004, the same situation applies to Office 2008.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Word 2008 supports embedded Excel documents, but not PowerPoint documents.

Excel 2008 supports embedded Word documents, but not PowerPoint documents.

PowerPoint 2008 supports embedded Word documents and Excel documents,
but not additional PowerPoint documents.

So in short, PPT 2008 can act as an OLE client, but not as an OLE server.

Does embedding offer anything more than putting presentations and Word
documents together in a folder and then linking them to each other?

I can see where it would. Users would only have to keep track of one file
(not such a big deal for the originator, more of a big deal for those who
receive the file collection, particularly if the links break).

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

So in short, PPT 2008 can act as an OLE client, but not as an OLE server.


I can see where it would. Users would only have to keep track of one file
(not such a big deal for the originator, more of a big deal for those who
receive the file collection, particularly if the links break).

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

Hi,

OLE support in NeoOffice seems to be better. You can embed Microsoft
PowerPoint presentations in Writer. But, when you edit or play them,
they edit and play in Presenter, not PowerPoint as would be expected
from OLE.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP


WE NEED YOUR HELP!
The number of new Mac users has skyrocketed. That’s excellent. In this
forum all answers come from other users, not from Microsoft employees.
Please help answer questions.

If you see an unanswered question that you know the answer to, please
take just a moment to post the answer. Doing so speeds response time for
people who come here and need fast responses.

If you see an answer that might be wrong or that you can answer better,
hop right in and offer your thoughts. Don’t berate a wrong answer –
we’re all here trying to help each other.

Don’t bother with questions you’re not quite sure about or don’t know about.

Please take just a moment to help fellow Mac users. Your efforts will be
appreciated greatly - especially by those you help.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

OLE support in NeoOffice seems to be better. You can embed Microsoft
PowerPoint presentations in Writer. But, when you edit or play them,
they edit and play in Presenter, not PowerPoint as would be expected
from OLE.

In the weird and wonderful world o'OLE, that makes sense and is exactly what I
*would* expect.

The OLE server (the app that permits its documents to be embedded in documents
created by other apps) in that case would be NeoOffice, and it's always the OLE
server that "plays" embedded documents.

Since PPT isn't an OLE server, it won't ... uh ... play. <g>

Still, I hope that MS fixes this in the next version. Kinda red-face-making
when somebody else's app does a better job with your files than you do.

================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================