PowerPoint VBA Object API

Question

<RANT>

I have no idea who created the Object API for PowerPoint, but whoever did that did a very poor job.

Where I in charge of doing that, I'd provide far more options for VBA users to interact with the shapes.

My motto would be, if you can do it interactively, you MUST be able to do it in VBA.

</RANT>

Answer 1

You said: “Microsoft wants VBA to go away.”

You know what's worst? As far as I know the VBA IDE was a fork from the VB4 or VB5 IDE, while still in development, because the IntelliSense dropdown list (which was a new feature back then) has a rendering bud that do not erase the focus rectangle when you move the selection up or down and it moves beyond the small number of items displayed.

I first saw this bug when I was using VBA in Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0.

The about box of Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0a

Answer 2

If a property is read-only, it can't be changed with VBA. You can only read the existing status of a node.

Answer 3

Microsoft wants VBA to go away, and to that end they refuse to add new features to the object model.

You let them know of your displeasure by choosing File>Feedback>Send a Frown. Describe the problem. Including a specific example of a command that is missing from the object model might help. Submitting the report sends it to the PowerPoint programming team. They are unlikely to reply.

Answer 4

I posted here.

Just trying to hide a SmartArtNode.

It freaking has a property that says it a node can be hidden in the data model, even if the property is ready only in the node itself.

Answer 5

>> My motto would be, if you can do it interactively, you MUST be able to do it in VBA.

I couldn't agree more, and this has been the song several of us have been singing to the PPT devs for years.

Unfortunately, The New Shiny Thing is Office apps, made of HTML, CSS & javascript. VBA and the PPT OM haven't gotten much, if any, attention for the last several versions. This despite the fact that the New Shiny Thing is in no way able to do the things we can do in VBA, though what little it can do, it can do across all the various platforms PPT can run on, and can be distributed through the Office store, provided tribute is paid to MS for the privilege.

Ah. Well, that was *my* rant. Coming back to earth, what do you need to do with PPT shapes that isn't available in VBA. Maybe somebody here knows a workaround.