ACC: How to Display Microsoft PowerPoint Slides on a Form

Last reviewed: August 28, 1997
Article ID: Q149088
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

This article demonstrates how to display slides from Microsoft PowerPoint 7.0 or 97 on a form in Microsoft Access 7.0 or 97, respectively. This technique uses OLE Automation in Microsoft Access to open a PowerPoint presentation and to link to the first slide. Viewing other slides is accomplished by changing the SourceItem property, which enables you to link to different slides.

NOTE: This OLE-linking approach is the most viable method for viewing Microsoft PowerPoint slides on a form in Microsoft Access. It is not possible to use Automation to run a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation directly from an object frame control on a form.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

MORE INFORMATION

NOTE: You must have both Microsoft PowerPoint 7.0 or 97 and Microsoft Access 7.0 or 97 installed on your computer in order to use this technique. Also, you need to create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (.ppt) in order to use the technique described in this article. In steps 7 and 9, replace the file name

   C:\Msoffice\Powerpnt\Pptexample.ppt

with the name and path of your file.

The following example creates a form with an unbound object frame control and five command buttons for linking to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (.ppt) and for navigating through its slides.

To display Microsoft PowerPoint slides on a form, follow these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Access and create a new form in Design view.

  2. Add the following five controls to the form:

    command button:

              Name: insertShow
              Caption: Get Presentation
              Enabled: Yes
    
           command button:
              Name: frstSlide
              Caption: First Slide
              Enabled: No
    
           command button:
              Name: nextSlide
              Caption: Next Slide
              Enabled: No
    
           command button:
              Name: previousSlide
              Caption: Previous Slide
              Enabled: No
    
           command button:
              Name: lastSlide
              Caption: Last Slide
              Enabled: No
    
    

  3. Add an unbound object frame control to the form. In the Insert Object box, click the Create New button, select Bitmap Image as the Object Type, and then click OK. In the Bitmap Image box, click "Exit & Return to <formname>: Form" on the File menu. Note that the object frame appears as a blank space on the form.

  4. Display the property sheet for the unbound object frame, and then set its properties as follows:

    Unbound Object Frame:

              Name: pptFrame
              SizeMode: Zoom
              Enabled: Yes
              Locked: No
    
    

  5. On the View menu, click Code to open the form module.

  6. Add the following code to the General Declarations section:

    ' Initialize variables. Const FIRSTSLIDE = 256 Dim pptobj As Object Dim slideindex As Long, slidecount As Long

    Add an error handling procedure:

           Sub ErrHandler()
    
              Dim strError As String
              Dim errObj As Error
              strError = " "
              If DBEngine.Errors.Count > 0 Then
                 For Each errObj In DBEngine.Errors
                    strError = strError & Format$(errObj.Number)
                    strError = strError & " : " & errObj.Description
                    strError = strError & " (" & errObj.Source & ") . "
                    strError = strError & Chr$(13) & Chr$(10)
                 Next
                 MsgBox strError
              Else
                 MsgBox "Error: " & Err & " " & Error
              End If
    
           End Sub
    
    

  7. Click Form in the Object list and click Load in the Procedure list, and then add the following code:

    NOTE: Replace the file name "C:\Msoffice\Powerpnt\Pptexample.ppt" with the name and path of your Power Point Presentation file.

    Private Sub Form_Load()

              On Error GoTo Form_Load_Error
              Dim holder As Long, present As Object
    
              ' Start Microsoft Powerpoint and open an existing presentation.
              holder = Shell("c:\msoffice\powerpnt\powerpnt.exe")
              Set pptobj = CreateObject("PowerPoint.Application")
              Set present = pptobj.Presentations.Open _
                 ("c:\msoffice\powerpnt\pptexample.ppt")
    
              ' Determine the number of slides in the presentation.
              slidecount = present.Slides.Count - 1 + FIRSTSLIDE
    
              ' Close the presentation. Use only 1 of the following lines
              'Office 97 Syntax
              pptobj.Presentations _
                 ("c:\msoffice\powerpnt\pptexample.ppt").Close
              'Office 7.0 Syntax
              present.Close
              Set present = Nothing
              Exit Sub
    
           Form_Load_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  8. Click Form in the Object list and click Unload in the Proclist, and then add the following code:

    Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer) On Error GoTo Form_Unload_Error

              ' Close Powerpoint.
              pptobj.Quit
    
           Exit Sub
    
           Form_Unload_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  9. Click insertShow in the Object list and click Click in the Proc list, and then add the following code.

    NOTE: Replace the file name "C:\Msoffice\Powerpnt\Pptexample.ppt" with the name and path of your PowerPoint Presentation file.

    Private Sub insertShow_Click()

              On Error GoTo insertShow_Click_Error
    
              ' Make object frame visible and enable "navigation" buttons.
              pptFrame.Visible = True
              frstslide.Enabled = True
              lastslide.Enabled = True
              nextslide.Enabled = True
              previousslide.Enabled = True
    
              ' Specify OLE Class, Type, SourceDoc, SourceItem and other
              ' properties.
              With pptFrame
                 'Use only 1 of the followin lines of code
                 .Class = "Microsoft Powerpoint Slide" 'Office 97 Syntax
                 .Class = "powerpoint.slide.7" 'Office 7.0 syntax
                 .OLETypeAllowed = acOLELinked
                 .SourceDoc = "c:\msoffice\powerpnt\pptexample.ppt"
                 .SourceItem = FIRSTSLIDE
                 .Action = acOLECreateLink
              End With
    
              ' Set slide index to the first slide.
              slideindex = FIRSTSLIDE
              frstSlide.setfocus
              insertShow.enabled=false
    
              Exit sub
    
           insertShow_Click_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  10. Click frstSlide in the Object list and click Click in the Proc list, and then add the following code:

    Private Sub frstSlide_Click()

              On Error GoTo frstSlide_Click_Error
    
              ' Set SourceItem property to first slide and create a link.
              With pptFrame
                 .SourceItem = FIRSTSLIDE
                 .Action = acOLECreateLink
              End With
    
              slideindex = FIRSTSLIDE
    
              Exit Sub
    
           frstSlide_Click_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  11. Click nextSlide in the Object list and click Click in the Proc list, and then add the following code:

    Private Sub nextSlide_Click()

              On Error GoTo nextSlide_Click_Error
    
              ' Determine if current slide is last slide.
              If slideindex < slidecount Then
                 slideindex = slideindex + 1
    
                 ' Set SourceItem property to next slide and create a link.
                 With pptFrame
                    .SourceItem = slideindex
                    .Action = acOLECreateLink
                 End With
              Else
                 MsgBox "This is the last slide."
              End If
    
              Exit Sub
    
           nextSlide_Click_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  12. Click previousSlide in the Object list and click Click in the Proc list, and then add the following code:

    Private Sub previousSlide_Click()

              On Error GoTo previousSlide_Click_Error
    
              ' Determine if current slide is first slide.
              If slideindex > FIRSTSLIDE Then
                 slideindex = slideindex - 1
    
                 ' Set SourceItem property to previous slide and create a link.
                 With pptFrame
                    .SourceItem = slideindex
                    .Action = acOLECreateLink
                 End With
              Else
                 MsgBox "This is the first slide."
              End If
    
              Exit Sub
    
           previousSlide_Click_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  13. Click lastSlide in the Object list and click Click in the Proc list, and then add the following code:

    Private Sub lastSlide_Click()

              On Error GoTo lastSlide_Click_Error
    
              ' Set SourceItem property to previous slide and create a link.
              With pptFrame
                 .SourceItem = slidecount
                 .Action = acOLECreateLink
              End With
    
              slideindex = slidecount
    
              Exit Sub
    
           lastSlide_Click_Error:
              ErrHandler
              Exit Sub
           End Sub
    
    

  14. Close and save the form module.

  15. Switch the form to Form view, and then click the insertShow ("Get Presentation") button.

REFERENCES

For more information about using Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95 and Automation, please see the following article here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q133789
   TITLE     : WT1229: Getting Started Controlling PowerPoint
               Through OLE
Keywords          : AutoGnrl kbinterop IntpOleA
Technology        : kbole
Version           : 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto


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Last reviewed: August 28, 1997
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