Customised Ribbon

mamies · #1 02-21-2019, 05:24 PM

Hi,

I have inherited a system that has a customised tab inside the normal.dotm. This seemed to work well however with an update that has been rolled out in O365 this tab has stopped working.

I have just gone to replace the tab using the customise ribbon section inside word but it appears that I can't link Individual Autotext Entries, Styles, Individual Macros and the likes.

Just wondering if someone can give me some pointers in either getting the ribbon back (we are looking to get rid of it in around 6 months anyway) or recreating it within the customise ribbon section.

Thanks,

Charles Kenyon · #2 02-21-2019, 05:32 PM

Start here:

You do not want your customizations stored in the normal template. i have mine in a separate Global Template. It works with Word 2007-2019.

mamies · #3 02-21-2019, 06:25 PM

Thanks for your response Charles.

I have actually read these resources looking for the solution.

I can access the custom tab using an older version of Office such as 2013 when I replace the normal but it all of a sudden stopped working for 2016. I was hoping I was missing a tick box or something but haven't been able to find anything.

Thanks,

Charles Kenyon · #4 02-22-2019, 02:02 PM

You need to find where your custom tab is stored.

Least likely: normal.dotm

It could be in the Word.OfficeUI file or in a separate template. The Word.OfficeUI file is not a file that transfers to other systems and includes default-location QAT modifications.

You can export ribbon modifications within the Word version that created the Word.OfficeUI file. That export file can be imported into another system. I have never tried doing it between versions.

mamies · #5 02-26-2019, 01:28 AM

Thanks for your reply mate.

The only reason I think that it is in the Normal is because the company when sets up a user they only copy the normal to the PC and it applies.

I notice that when I copy my normal (that isn't working on Word O365) to my home PC running Word 2013 it comes back up.

I then thought about exporting the ribbon tab but it doesn't show up on the customise ribbon list.

mamies · #6 02-26-2019, 02:05 AM

I have just changed the normal.dotm to normal.zip and was able to see the tab definitions in the CustomUI.xml that was in it

mamies · #7 02-26-2019, 02:42 AM

My CustomUI is below if anyone can help.

Code:

<customUI xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/01/customui">
  <ribbon>
    <tabs>
      <tab id="Reporttemplate" label="Report" insertBeforeMso="TabInsert">
		<group id="Headings" label="Headings">
			<button id="H1" screentip="Apply Heading 1 (Alt+1)" supertip="Applies the Heading 1 style which with automatically put a page break in before the heading." label="Heading 1" size="normal" onAction="H1" /> 
			<button id="H2" screentip="Apply Heading 2 (Alt+2)" supertip="Applies the Heading 2 style." label="Heading 2" size="normal" onAction="H2" /> 
			<button id="H3" screentip="Apply Heading 3 (Alt+3)" supertip="Applies the Heading 3 style." label="Heading 3" size="normal" onAction="H3" /> 
			<button id="H4" screentip="Apply Heading 4 (Alt+4)" supertip="Applies the Heading 4 style." label="Heading 4" size="normal" onAction="H4" /> 
			<button id="H5" screentip="Apply Heading 5 (Alt+5)" supertip="Applies the Heading 5 style. Heading 5 does not have numbering." label="Heading 5" size="normal" onAction="H5" /> 
		</group>
		<group id="Tables" label="Tables">
			<button id="T1" screentip="1 column table (T1+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 1 column table." label="T1" size="normal" onAction="T1" /> 
			<button id="T2" screentip="2 column table (T2+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 2 column table." label="T2" size="normal" onAction="T2" /> 
			<button id="T3" screentip="3 column table (T3+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 3 column table." label="T3" size="normal" onAction="T3" /> 
			<button id="T4" screentip="4 column table (T4+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 4 column table." label="T4" size="normal" onAction="T4" /> 
			<button id="T5" screentip="5 column table (T5+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 5 column table." label="T5" size="normal" onAction="T5" /> 
			<button id="T6" screentip="6 column table (T6+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 6 column table." label="T6" size="normal" onAction="T6" /> 
			<button id="T7" screentip="7 column table (T7+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 7 column table." label="T7" size="normal" onAction="T7" /> 
			<button id="T8" screentip="8 column table (T8+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 8 column table." label="T8" size="normal" onAction="T8" /> 
			<button id="T9" screentip="9 column table (T9+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 9 column table." label="T9" size="normal" onAction="T9" /> 
			<button id="T10" screentip="10 column table (T10+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a formatted 10 column table." label="T10" size="normal" onAction="T10" /> 
		</group>
		<group id="Misc" label="Misc">
			<button id="insertlandscapepg" supertip="Inserts a landscape page with page breaks before and after and formatted header and footer." label="Insert Landscape Page" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Landscape_Page" /> 
			<button id="insertheader" screentip="Insert Header" supertip="Inserts the report header. Your cursor must be active in the header before clicking." label="Insert Header (you must be in your header)" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Header" /> 
			<button id="insertfooter" screentip="Insert Footer" supertip="Inserts the report footer. Your cursor must be active in the footer before clicking." label="Insert Footer (you must be in your footer)" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Footer" /> 		</group>
		<group id="Appendix" label="Appendix">
			<button id="inserttitlepg" supertip="Inserts an Appendix title page, only following an existing title page." label="Insert Appendix Title Page" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Appendix_Title_Page" /> 
			<button id="inserttextbetween" supertip="Inserts a page ready for text between Appendix title pages. Your cursor must be active on the end of the title page before the location you require the text page inserted. The footer page reference will need adjusting depending on the appendix lettering." label="Insert Appendix Text (between Title Pages)" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Appendix_Text_Between" />
 			<button id="inserttextend" supertip="Inserts a page ready for text after the final Appendix title page. Your cursor must be active on the end of the title page before the location you require the text page inserted. The footer page reference will need adjusting depending on the appendix lettering." label="Insert Appendix Text (after the final Title Page)" size="normal" onAction="Insert_Appendix_Text_End" />
		</group>
		<group id="Plates" label="Plates">
			<button id="insertplatereport" screentip="Insert single plate location (P1+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a single plate location, within the body of the report text, ready for insertion of a plate. Plate will be autoadjusted to fit table." label="Insert single plate location (report)" size="normal" onAction="P1" /> 
			<button id="insertplate" screentip="Insert single plate location (AP1+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a single plate location ready for insertion of a plate. Plate will be autoadjusted to fit table." label="Insert single plate location (app)" size="normal" onAction="AP1" /> 
			<button id="insertplates" screentip="Insert double plate location (AP2+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a double plate location ready for insertion of plates. Plates will be autoadjusted to fit table. The width is set to allow for two plates and two lines each of text to a page" label="Insert double plate location (app)" size="normal" onAction="AP2" /> 
		</group>
		<group id="Figures" label="Figures">
			<button id="F1" screentip="Insert single figure location (F1+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a single figure location ready for insertion of a figure. Figure will be autoadjusted to fit table." label="Insert single figure location" size="normal" onAction="F1" /> 
			<button id="F2" screentip="Insert double figure location (F2+'F3')" supertip="Inserts a double figure location ready for insertion of figures. Figures will be autoadjusted to fit table." label="Insert double figure location" size="normal" onAction="F2" /> 
			<button id="insertFTOC" supertip="Inserts a figure table of contents. Locate your cursor after the existing table of contents for tables before clicking." label="Insert a Figure Table of Contents" size="normal" onAction="Insert_TOC_Figures" /> 
		</group>
      </tab>
    </tabs>
  </ribbon>
</customUI>

Charles Kenyon · #8 02-26-2019, 06:16 AM

Normal.dotm should not be shared nor should it be copied from one version to another.
Your customizations should be stored in a separate global template.

Sorry to sound like a broken record.

I see nothing wrong with the XML shown. It is set using the Word 2007 schema but that should work. Thank you for showing it in formatted form.

Are you using the Custom UI Editor? It would help.

Charles Kenyon · #9 02-26-2019, 06:24 AM

Try changing to 2009/07 instead of 2006/01 for your schema.
I added it to a template and it displayed fine.

00 deleteme 1.png

(It was the Custom UI Editor that told me to change the schema.)

mamies · #10 02-26-2019, 03:26 PM

Thanks for your help Charles.

Mate, I think you have just helped me sort it. When I used that Custom UI Editor it would give me a validation error when I changed the schema. I would then revert it back because I assumed it wouldn't work.

I just ignored this error and it now works. I will now put it in its own template and put into the Word Startup folder.

Thanks heaps for your patience.

Charles Kenyon · #11 02-26-2019, 08:47 PM

You are welcome.

Welcome to the world of Ribbon customization.
Having your custom tab in another template will make it much more portable.

The Custom UI Editor would not accept the 2006/01 schema for me because I was working with a Word 2019 template. If I had saved the template in Word 2007 or 2010 compatibility mode, I'm confident it would have.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
too many clicks with ribbon - ribbon content disappears	Rewster	Word	2	05-12-2017 08:19 AM
Error when using customised button	kennethc	Word	2	03-20-2014 09:46 AM
How to import the customized ribbon to Word without overwriting the existing Ribbon?	SharonSh	Word VBA	0	09-26-2013 11:47 PM
Customised style set	Sonja	Word	3	05-09-2011 03:30 PM
Excel 2010 Ribbon look like 2007's Ribbon	esotop	Excel	0	03-22-2011 07:05 PM