PPT2007: VSTO PPT addin to allow D&D of images to placeholders

[dpomt]

I would like to use D&D to fill a placeholder with an image, the image should
not be embedded but linked.
Since there is not D&D event in VBA/VSTO, I thought about writing a VSTO
addin. The addin would have to accomplish the following three tasks:

1) subclass PPT child window (assign window handle of "paneClassDC"/"Slide"
to subclass) in order to handle WM_DROPFILES message (as proposed by Ji Zhou
[MSFT] similarly for handling Word D&D).

2) determine if drop target is a placeholder (using mouse position)
3) if drop target is a placeholder, set its content to the dropped image.


Is this a feasible approach?

Concerning 2):
Any ideas how could this be achieved?

Concerning 3):
How can I set programmatically (VBA/VSTO) a linked image as content of a
placeholder?
I am able to set text to a placeholder, e.g.
mySlide.Shapes.PlaceHolders(1).TextFrame.TextRange = "Some text", but I did
not find any possibility to set the placeholders content to an image.



Any suggestions are warmly welcome.
Best regards
dpomt

 

[Jialiang Ge [MSFT]]

Hello dpomt,

Ji Zhou is not in office from today to the end of the week. I am backing up
his threads.

I just tested the WM_DROPFILES message (proposed by Ji) in PowerPoint.
PowerPoint's windows do not expose the message so that we can follow Ji's
solution to handle D&D in PowerPoint. I'm looking for the alternatives, and
will report back as soon as possible.

In addition, would you please let me know the urgency level of this case?
Is this D&D feature critical to your business?

Best Regards,
Jialiang Ge ([email protected], remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support

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[dpomt]

Hello Jialing,

thanks for the followup.

In addition, would you please let me know the urgency level of this case?
Is this D&D feature critical to your business?

The D&D feature is critical because I definitly need that feature for a
customers solution. However, my request is unhasty. I would be more than
happy if I get some proposals how I could achieve my requested functionality
before christmas.

Thanks for your help,
dpomt

 

[Jialiang Ge [MSFT]]

Hello dpomt2

Here is an update. I'm still researching the case though no solution is
found yet. Never should I give up! I have forwarded the question to the
PowerPoint product group and expect that they could have some ideas.

Regards,
Jialiang Ge ([email protected], remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support

=================================================
Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
(e-mail address removed).

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
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[dpomt]

Hello Jilang,

thanks for the update.
I am looking forward to the response of the PPT product group.

Best regards,
dpomt

 

[Jialiang Ge [MSFT]]

Hello dpomt2

I introduced this discussion thread to the PowerPoint product group. They
feel that a better understanding of the customer's intent/motivation can
help them understand if they've got a design flaw in the PowerPoint Object
Model ( e.g., if this scenario resonates with a number of customers ) or
not. They hope that you could describe in detail why you (or your customer)
would like to use D & D to fill a placeholder with an image, and the image
should not be embedded but linked. What's the business impact if it cannot
be achieved in the current PPT Object Model? The product group will
evaluate the scenario and may provide further suggestions.

Thanks
Jialiang Ge ([email protected], remove 'online.')
Microsoft Online Community Support

=================================================
Delighting our customers is our #1 priority. We welcome your comments and
suggestions about how we can improve the support we provide to you. Please
feel free to let my manager know what you think of the level of service
provided. You can send feedback directly to my manager at:
(e-mail address removed).

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
=================================================

 

[dpomt]

Hello Jialang,

thanks for your reply.
Sure I can describe the scenario where this feature is necessary. I would
prefer not to post this here to the newsgroup but mail it to you or the
product group directly, hence I will write you an email - hope that is ok.

Thanks and best regards
dpomt