Simple Custom Ribbons have no effect - What am i missing?

[Dal Jeanis]

I don't appear to be able to get custom ribbons to work at all on my work machine - I've downloaded Albert Kallal's example database and also the example that's supposed to work for 2007 and 2010 from http://www.accessribbon.de/en/?Downloads:32

I've also created the simplest possible custom ribbons (startfromscratch and nothing else), set the ribbon for the database from the options panel, restarted the database multiple times - and never managed to get any visible change to the ribbons displayed by Access.

The test databases have all been run from a trusted location.



I have verified there are references to :
* Visual Basic For Applications
* Microsoft Access 14.0 Object library
* OLE automation
* Microsoft Office 14.0 Object library

Access 2010 is happy to let me manually customize the ribbons, but no database level programmed UI changes seem to take effect.

Is there some other security setting (MS Access over Windows 7) that will silently prevent ribbons from taking effect?

[ssanfu]

Is there some other security setting (MS Access over Windows 7) that will silently prevent ribbons from taking effect?

No, no other security. It's just that Micro$oft has *really* changed the menu system.

For several months I have been trying to modify the ribbon in Excel 2010 for an ex-employer. Actually a friend still working there asked for help.

I started out the same as you - did a lot of searching on the net, followed Albert Kallal's example, and found another site with an XML editor for the ribbon, read a lot of other sites. Really struggled. I finally bought the book "RibbonX" and have read through Chapter 5. Eureka!! I have pierced the void!! Well I can see a little light. (I just hope it is not the train wreck coming.)

The book covers ribbons for Word, Excel and Access. Access ribbons is mostly the same, with some commands having different names.

I would highly recommend getting the book.

My $0.02

[Dal Jeanis]

Thanks, Steve. I may invest in that.

Well, I found that security settings could have caused this problem, except that I'd be able to detect it because I wouldn't be able to manually change the ribbons either, per Table 2. Administrative Policies for UI customization on this page -
https://www.accessforums.net/subscription.php?do=viewsubscription&daysprune=-1folderid=all

... In addition, Quick Access Toolbar and Ribbon customizations originating from documents or templates are not loaded when these documents are opened. Users will be unable to Import a Customization file (*.exportedUI)....

Since I am able still to export and import customization files, that is not the issue.

[ssanfu]

Dal,
Have you seen this article by Albert Kallal?
"Some code to tame the Office Ribbon for Access"
http://www.kallal.ca/Ribbon/ribbon.htm

Be sure and visit the link at the bottom of the article.

[Dal Jeanis]

I have been informed that this is probably the result of corporate policies, which are intentionally set to be "invisible" - and provide the maximum possible frustration for black hats. The fact that it also discomforts silver hats like me is irrelevant.