add-in Archives - Page 4 of 6 - The PowerPoint Blog

Delete a File That Refuses to Delete with “Unlocker”

I just wrapped up a quick project where I created a custom installer that created a folder, added presentations and videos, added shortcuts and an uninstaller. All pretty standard stuff, but I always test everything to make certain all works before a client distributes it. Well, I discovered an error with my coding. Actually all ran perfect except the uninstaller did not uninstall… hmmm, not good. I figured out the problem, edited the code and all worked perfect on my next test. Time to send to client – yeah!

Maybe it is because my main production computer is still running Windows XP (although there are several Vista Ultimate computers here and I am running Windows 7 on a my Office 2010 test computer), but the folder from my first test install (the one where the uninstaller errored out)would not delete. Every time I attempted to delete I ended up with some message like this:

Then I remembered this little (265k install) application that I installed long ago and is just waiting to be used. Unlocker does exactly what it says. It unlocks a file, or folder full of files this time, and allows me to delete it – yeah!

It is a handy utility that is a solution to otherwise frustrating occurrences. Oh, and it’s free (donation option). Here’s the Unlocker website.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-09-16T09:46:00-07:00August 26th, 2009|Software/Add-Ins|

Inspect Document (Hidden Elements)

There are ways to end up with mystery stuff on slides. Items that cannot be seen, edited or deleted by normal means – invisible elements. One add-in that I have used extensively is PPTXtreme’s Soft Shadow. It has provided photoshop quality shadow effects to PowerPoint since XP. The coding behind it is incredible too. To allow an object to be restored to its original, non-shadowed, state it turns the original shape invisible. So it is there, but not really there. The Soft-Shadow add-in has a great set of management tools to remove unneeded invisible elements (especially to keep file from becoming large).

So, for our purposes I am using the Soft-Shadow add-in to create an invisible element on a slide to discuss the Inspect Document INVISIBLE ON-SLIDE CONTENT feature.

Here is my sample slide. I inserted a circle autoshape and then applied the drop shadow with the PPTXtreme Soft-Shadow add-in.

Open the Document Inspector (OFFICE BUTTON >> PREPARE >> INSPECT DOCUMENT)and have it check for INVISIBLE ON-SLIDE CONTENT.

It reports there is a hidden object on slide #1 (the one I purposefully added).

After running the clear option, reinspect and now the presentation has no extraneous mystery items!

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-09-16T10:05:00-07:00July 17th, 2009|Tutorial|

Where are ‘Macro Security Settings’ in PPT 2007?

When installing add-ins in PowerPoint, the macro security settings need to be lowered from the default setting of HIGH to MEDIUM or LOW. But how do you do this in PowerPoint 2007?

First the names have changed and second the where you find them is a bit difficult if you are not familiar with the new Ribbon layout.

1. Click the circle Office button in the upper left corner.
2. Click on POWERPOINT OPTIONS.

3. Go to TRUST CENTER in the left column.
4. Click on TRUST CENTER SETTINGS.

5. Adjust to needed setting, click OK and exit PowerPoint to save setting.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T12:17:07-07:00December 5th, 2008|Tutorial|

Insert Slide in PPT 2007

QUESTION:
What is missing from the INSERT TAB in PowerPoint 2007?

ANSWER:
The INSERT SLIDE BUTTON.

WHERE DID IT GO?
The User Interface team must have thought this was a common and valuable tool, so they placed it on the “Home”/Draw tab.

Although this works, it really does not make sense, as the insert tab is, well, to insert things.

SOLUTION:
Steve over at PPTools created a little, FREE, add-in that does this:

Now the home/draw tab AND the insert tab have the insert slide button!

You can read how to install and download the tiny add-in here.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T12:36:09-07:00September 19th, 2008|Tutorial|

PPTPlex – A New View of Presentations!

Okay, this is some pretty cool stuff! Microsoft Labs (kind of an R-&-D group that releases software that MS makes no guarantees about or support for) has made a PPT 2007 add-in that changes the way you think about slide navigation.

Imagine one slide having a dozen very very small thumbnail images of other slides and then those slides having even smaller thumbnail images of more slides. View the first slide, click on a thumbnail and zoom into it. Go through the slides in order or zoom back out to go to a different topic/section!

This one is easier to see explained, so click here for movie overview. I will be experimenting with PPTPlex this week and should have a few samples posted.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T12:43:59-07:00August 20th, 2008|Software/Add-Ins|

XOBNI is Great!

If you are an Outlook user like me for email (my 12 year old daughter has no use for email that is not web-based on accessible from any connection or phone). I think this is a must have tool, and I am in good company as Mr. Bill Gates recently extolled its usefullness!

Xobni is “inbox” spelled backwards. It runs along side Outlook, without touching any of its files (very important to me) and is viewed in a new column. It adds information about who is emailing you, how to contact them, who you have mutually emailed, threaded conversations and more.

By far my favorite feature is the ‘Files Exchanged’ area that shows all of the attachments that person has sent me – which means no more hunting through old emails for that logo!

It is FREE and works! Look at it here.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T12:47:35-07:00August 1st, 2008|Software/Add-Ins|

JRuler Onscreen Ruler

In PowerPoint, Photoshop, Word and many other applications you can turn on a ruler to confirm size, alignment, etc. Enter the very cool JRuler application!

Here we can see the PPTBlog banner is 740px wide.

– JRuler is a free download (download here).

– It does not need to be installed (just launch the .exe any time)

– It can be stretched to any length (maximum is your screen resolution)

– It floats on top of all applications and windows

– Hint: right-click on it for a number of additional tools and options. Open the JRuler.htm file included in the download for full details

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T12:54:07-07:00June 23rd, 2008|Software/Add-Ins|

Trouble with Flash Player…

So I recently went through some issues installing a PowerPoint add-in. It relies on Flash, but did not recognize it was already installed. In troubleshooting I found a couple of nice tools from Adobe and lots of information on the Flash Player.

For me it turned out that I needed to register the flash player with the add-in, which was a solution provided on their website. But should you need to take further steps here are a few useful tools:

What version is installed?
– Click here to go to this website and it will run a system check and tell you exactly what version and build of Flash player is installed on your computer.

How do I remove it?
– Click here to download Adobe’s Flash Removal Tools.

– Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-11-17T13:12:14-07:00April 7th, 2008|Resource/Misc, Software/Add-Ins|

I Don’t Want Black Letterbox Bars!

So the display monitor for your presentation is not a “standard” resolution and you want don’t want to have black letterbox bars while your presentation is shown. The best option is to adjust the page size of the presentation to a height and width that matches the display size. But what do you adjust the page size too?

If you want to avoid the higher math needed, you can use a free little application created by Austin Myers over at Plays For Certain. The “Calculate PowerPoint Slide Size” does exactly what it says. Input the pixel size of the display, click the calculate button, and it does all the math for you, providing 3 page setup options that guarantee the presentation will fill every one of those pixels.