How to: Add Commands to Office Shortcut Menus

This example demonstrates how to add a command to a shortcut menu in Word by using an application-level add-in. The shortcut menu appears when you right-click a document.

Add the following code to the ThisAddIn class in an application-level add-in project for Word.

Example

Private MyApplication As Word.Application
Private WithEvents myControl As Office.CommandBarButton
Private customTemplate As Word.Template

Private Sub ThisAddIn_Startup _
(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Startup

    MyApplication = Me.Application

    GetCustomTemplate()
    RemoveExistingMenuItem()
    AddMenuItem()

End Sub 

Private Sub GetCustomTemplate()
    Dim TemplatePath As String = Environment.GetFolderPath _
        (Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments) + "\MyCustomTemplate.dot" 
    Try
        MyApplication.AddIns(TemplatePath).Installed = True 
    Catch ex As Exception
        MyApplication.AddIns.Add(TemplatePath, True)
    End Try
    customTemplate = MyApplication.Templates.Item(TemplatePath)
End Sub 

Private Sub RemoveExistingMenuItem()

    Dim contextMenu As Office.CommandBar = _
    MyApplication.CommandBars("Text")

    MyApplication.CustomizationContext = customTemplate

    Dim control As Office.CommandBarButton = contextMenu.FindControl _
        (Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton, System.Type.Missing, _
         "MyMenuItem", True, True)

    If Not (control Is Nothing) Then
        control.Delete(True)
    End If 

End Sub 


Private Sub AddMenuItem()

    MyApplication.CustomizationContext = customTemplate

    Dim menuItem As Office.MsoControlType = _
        Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton

    myControl = CType(MyApplication.CommandBars("Text").Controls.Add _
       (menuItem, 1, True), Office.CommandBarButton)

    myControl.Style = Office.MsoButtonStyle.msoButtonCaption
    myControl.Caption = "My Menu Item"
    myControl.Tag = "MyMenuItem"
    customTemplate.Saved = True 

End Sub 


Sub myControl_Click(ByVal Ctrl As Microsoft.Office.Core.CommandBarButton, _
                    ByRef CancelDefault As Boolean) Handles myControl.Click

    System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("My Menu Item clicked")

End Sub

private Word.Application myApplication;
private Office.CommandBarButton myControl;
private Word.Template customTemplate; 

private void ThisAddIn_Startup(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
    myApplication = this.Application;

    GetCustomTemplate();
    RemoveExistingMenuItem();
    AddMenuItem(); 
}
private void GetCustomTemplate()
{
    object TemplatePath = Environment.GetFolderPath
        (Environment.SpecialFolder.MyDocuments) + 
        "\\MyCustomTemplate.dot";
    object install = true; 
    if (myApplication.AddIns.get_Item(ref TemplatePath).Installed != true)
    {
        myApplication.AddIns.Add(TemplatePath.ToString(), ref install);
    }
    customTemplate = myApplication.Templates.get_Item(ref TemplatePath); 
}

private void RemoveExistingMenuItem()
{
    Office.CommandBar contextMenu = myApplication.CommandBars["Text"];
    myApplication.CustomizationContext = customTemplate;

    Office.CommandBarButton control = 
        (Office.CommandBarButton)contextMenu.FindControl
        (Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton, missing,
        "MyMenuItem", true, true);

    if ((control != null))
    {
        control.Delete(true);
    }

}

private void AddMenuItem()
{
    myApplication.CustomizationContext = customTemplate;
    Office.MsoControlType menuItem = 
        Office.MsoControlType.msoControlButton;

    myControl = 
        (Office.CommandBarButton)myApplication.CommandBars["Text"].Controls.Add
        (menuItem,missing, missing, 1, true);

    myControl.Style = Office.MsoButtonStyle.msoButtonCaption;
    myControl.Caption = "My Menu Item";
    myControl.Tag = "MyMenuItem";

    myControl.Click += 
        new Microsoft.Office.Core._CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler
            (myControl_Click);

    customTemplate.Saved = true;

}

void myControl_Click(Microsoft.Office.Core.CommandBarButton Ctrl, 
    ref bool CancelDefault)
{
    System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("My Menu Item clicked");
}

Robust Programming

You must set the Tag property of your controls when you add event handlers. Office uses the Tag property to keep track of event handlers for a specific CommandBarControl. If the Tag property is blank, the events are not handled properly.

Declare your menu variables at the class level instead of inside the method where they are called. This ensures that the menu variables will remain in scope as long as the application is running. Otherwise, the item is removed by garbage collection, and your event handler code stops working.

For Word solutions, set the CustomizationContext property of the Application object to the same document or template every time that you add or remove a command.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create Office Toolbars Programmatically

Walkthrough: Creating Shortcut Menus for Bookmarks

How to: Add Custom Menus and Menu Items to Outlook

How to: Add Custom Icons to Toolbar and Menu Items

Concepts

Office UI Customization

The Variable missing and Optional Parameters in Office Solutions