Quick Access Toolbar loses non-Microsoft buttons

[Francine]

I am at a client site and we are experiencing something that I had not
actually anticipated occurring. I was hoping to get a solution to this, if
possible.

My client has several additional Ribbons. They are for such applications
like Hummingbird DM (a document management system), Nuance PDF, a
macro/template application.

Users would like to be able to add buttons from some of these ribbons that
they most frequently use to the Quick Access Toolbar. When in Word, you can
right-click on a button and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" - for
Microsoft and non-Microsoft buttons.

They stay on the QAT until we exit Word. Once we go back into Word, the
non-Microsoft buttons have disappeared from the QAT. What is THAT about? If
Microsoft doesn't want you to add to the QAT, why not grey out the option
when right-clicking on the button within a group?

Is there something we are doing wrong on the setup? The buttons do not
disappear if they are Microsoft functions, just non-Microsoft functions.

Yes, these applications have been written for Word 2007.

Any insights? I am not able to find much on this at all.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Francine,

Do you know which QAT destination you're saving the changes in and if this only happens to Commands you are adding from these add-in
Ribbon tabs, or is it for any regular Word 2007 command as well?

Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) entries can be saved in at least 3 basic locations.

1. The default for 'all files' is to save it in the standalone Word.QAT file.
2. The currently opened document.
3. Word templates.

For the third one the basic method is to open the template, make the changes then save and close the template. When the template is
either
(a) The attached Document Template (Alt, T, I)
or
(b) A loaded Global Template or add-in (also Alt, T, I)

If you're using Roaming Profiles, the .QAT files do not, as the default, roam.

With custom ribbons, see if you get the same result using
Office Button=>Word Options=>Customize
and locating the item you want added to the QAT.

If these are COM Add-ins and the QAT item is stored in the default Word.QAT file, it will only appear on the Quick Access Toolbar if
the COM Add-in is listed as an Active Application Add-in (Alt, F, I, A, A)

Also check the Trust Center settings for Add-ins and for the Message Bar (to get prompted if an add-in/content) is blocked.

Some add-ins have a habit of being a bit territorial/predatory in regards to entries from other add-ins or templates and have been
known to keep things from being updated, and it's also possible that there is a restriction on the folder that holds the .QAT files
to prevent them from being changed, or that resets(reloads) the default one at each login or on Word startup.

==================
I am at a client site and we are experiencing something that I had not
actually anticipated occurring. I was hoping to get a solution to this, if
possible.

My client has several additional Ribbons. They are for such applications
like Hummingbird DM (a document management system), Nuance PDF, a
macro/template application.

Users would like to be able to add buttons from some of these ribbons that
they most frequently use to the Quick Access Toolbar. When in Word, you can
right-click on a button and select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" - for
Microsoft and non-Microsoft buttons.

They stay on the QAT until we exit Word. Once we go back into Word, the
non-Microsoft buttons have disappeared from the QAT. What is THAT about? If
Microsoft doesn't want you to add to the QAT, why not grey out the option
when right-clicking on the button within a group?

Is there something we are doing wrong on the setup? The buttons do not
disappear if they are Microsoft functions, just non-Microsoft functions.

Yes, these applications have been written for Word 2007.

Any insights? I am not able to find much on this at all.

Thank you for your assistance. <<
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Francine]

Bob --

Thank you for your reply. I will check further on Tuesday when I go back
into my client's office - but to answer your one question - this ONLY happens
to NON-Microsoft buttons. Microsoft Word (or Excel or Powerpoint) buttons
always stick.

My client is using roaming profiles. I can be at a computer in their office
- make changes to the QAT (and WOrd and non-Word functions) - and simply
close Word, come back into Word and the Word functions stick and the non-Word
functions are gone - all within 2 minutes, at the same computer. So, while
they may be roaming, they haven't really roamed in that 2 minutes. (if that
makes sense). It is also perplexing that if this was truly a .QAT roaming
issue - how would the Microsoft buttons added stick and the non-Microsoft
buttons NOT stick? It would seem that if this was a roaming issues - NONE of
the buttons would stick.

What is deceiving is that the "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" option is not
greyed out, so it leads users to think it will work.

It sounds like this might be a file location issue?
I know that they are not being saved to the document.
I also know that they are not being saved into a template.
When a user modifies their own QAT, they are saving into the .QAT.

Let me ask this:

It sounds like that ALL buttons SHOULD stick if they are being saved to the
..QAT, correct? That is kind of what I am getting from your reply - that this
isn't really a Microsoft proprietary issue, correct?

As I said, I will check this out on Tuesday when I go in to get a better
feel of the other applications.

Thank you SO much for your reply. I hope we can get to the bottom of this
and solve what could be a wonderful feature for my client.

Francine

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Francine,

From your description, yes, the 'button' should be going into the Word.QAT file. So check that there is only one. Also try saving
3 buttons on the Quick Access toolbar in a single session, an Office one, then your custom one and then another Office one, then
close Word and open the QAT file in Internet Explorer (it's XML) and see if your entry is there. Then restart Word and close it
again and recheck Word.QAT.

=================
Bob --

Thank you for your reply. I will check further on Tuesday when I go back
into my client's office - but to answer your one question - this ONLY happens
to NON-Microsoft buttons. Microsoft Word (or Excel or Powerpoint) buttons
always stick.

My client is using roaming profiles. I can be at a computer in their office
- make changes to the QAT (and WOrd and non-Word functions) - and simply
close Word, come back into Word and the Word functions stick and the non-Word
functions are gone - all within 2 minutes, at the same computer. So, while
they may be roaming, they haven't really roamed in that 2 minutes. (if that
makes sense). It is also perplexing that if this was truly a .QAT roaming
issue - how would the Microsoft buttons added stick and the non-Microsoft
buttons NOT stick? It would seem that if this was a roaming issues - NONE of
the buttons would stick.

What is deceiving is that the "Add to Quick Access Toolbar" option is not
greyed out, so it leads users to think it will work.

It sounds like this might be a file location issue?
I know that they are not being saved to the document.
I also know that they are not being saved into a template.
When a user modifies their own QAT, they are saving into the .QAT.

Let me ask this:

It sounds like that ALL buttons SHOULD stick if they are being saved to the
..QAT, correct? That is kind of what I am getting from your reply - that this
isn't really a Microsoft proprietary issue, correct?

As I said, I will check this out on Tuesday when I go in to get a better
feel of the other applications.

Thank you SO much for your reply. I hope we can get to the bottom of this
and solve what could be a wonderful feature for my client.

Francine >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Francine]

Bob:

When I do this on Tuesday - what I am going to learn if a) all the buttons
are there or b) only the Office buttons are there?

I am just trying to gather enough info for Tuesday's testing.

Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it.

Francine

 

[Francine]

Bob:

One more thing. I decided to test this with my own personal computer before
I get into my client's office. I searched for the Word.QAT, of course, found
it. When I double-click to open it and select IE per your suggestion, it
looks like it is about it open it, but then I get into this loop of whether I
want to OPEN or SAVE the file over and over again - never opening up the
file. I did add a few more buttons to my own QAT and then closed Word, so it
wasn't open when I tried.

Any suggestions?

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Francine,

If you don't have .QAT as a file type association in Windows, set to open in IE or an editor program, you may want to make a copy of
the Word.QAT file and add .xml to the name (Word.QAT.xml) and then open it with Internet Explorer. It will list the controls
(buttons) in the QAT in a structured, printable format.

mso:NameofCommand entries are MS Office built in.
msox: are separators of QAT groups.
x1: would be 1st external (add-in) linked item
x2: the next item

The tests would be to see if
(a) The expected entries are there and how they are constructed, compared to other entries). [Word can erase or modify entries
that don't conform].

(b) In each QAT entry is visible= set to "true"
(there are several not-visible (false) entries in a default QAT that could be context sensitive.

(c) Check to see if the entries are in the
<mso:sharedControls> section of the QAT or another section.

(d) Check the date and time before you start Word, after you add your buttons and close Word then again after close Word after not
making changes and seeing if your entries are still there.

Are the items that you're adding tied to macros from the add-ins?

================
Bob:

One more thing. I decided to test this with my own personal computer before
I get into my client's office. I searched for the Word.QAT, of course, found
it. When I double-click to open it and select IE per your suggestion, it
looks like it is about it open it, but then I get into this loop of whether I
want to OPEN or SAVE the file over and over again - never opening up the
file. I did add a few more buttons to my own QAT and then closed Word, so it
wasn't open when I tried.

Any suggestions? >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Francine,

I mentioned earlier the Trust Center settings. If you have are adding items to the Quick Access Toolbar for an Add-in and in
Office Button=>Word Options=>Trust Center=>Trust Center Settings=>Addins
you have, for example, required Add-ins to be from a Trusted Publisher, and your add-in doesn't meet that 'rule' set there, then all
of the related x1: x2: add-in entries on the QAT are erased when it is opened when Word starts.

As the QAT is an editable XML text file, it's a way to help keep your Word installation a bit more secure from unintended outside
meddling.

=================
Bob:

One more thing. I decided to test this with my own personal computer before
I get into my client's office. I searched for the Word.QAT, of course, found
it. When I double-click to open it and select IE per your suggestion, it
looks like it is about it open it, but then I get into this loop of whether I
want to OPEN or SAVE the file over and over again - never opening up the
file. I did add a few more buttons to my own QAT and then closed Word, so it
wasn't open when I tried.

Any suggestions? >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Francine]

Hi again, Bob:

You asked me: "Are the items that you're adding tied to macros from the
add-ins?"

I have no doubt that with some of the add-ins that there are macros tied to
them/it.
Does this change anything you have told me or is there something additional
I should consider because of this?

Thanks again
Francine

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Francine,

You may want to check all of the settings in the Trust Center, rather than just those for Add-Ins as to what is disabled/enabled or
Trusted/left to chance

If the client is using Hummingbird I'm assuming they're setup by IT admin folks. You may also want to check with them to see what
policy settings they have or scripts they're using on startup of any Word or other Office app session initialization.

===============
Hi again, Bob:

You asked me: "Are the items that you're adding tied to macros from the
add-ins?"

I have no doubt that with some of the add-ins that there are macros tied to
them/it.
Does this change anything you have told me or is there something additional
I should consider because of this?

Thanks again
Francine >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*