How to make Ms-Access Add-ins? [duplicate] - ms-access

Question

This question already has an answer here:
Develop MS Access 2016 AddIn (Ribbon / VSTO) with Visual Studio 2015
(1 answer)
Closed 3 years ago.
I searched a lot for docs to make add-ins for Microsoft Access, Microsoft Docs Access don't have a way to make an add-ins, even visual studio for office developer add-ins don't have Ms-Access Template,
Can I make add ins for Ms-Access?, if so can someone reference a link for how to do that?

Answer 1

Well, you can go to all the trouble to create VSTO add-ins, but if you just need to call + use some .net code from Access, then why bother with all that work?
Just create a COM object in .net, and you can then use + call that code from Access VBA with ease.
So, create a .net class.
Force the project to x86. (assuming access x32)
Check the box [] register for COM inter-op. (this is only required on your development computer).
You also under assembly need to check the box:
[x] Make assembly COM visible
However, above is set by default. So really only ONE check box setting is required here for all of this to work on your part.
Now, just create a class in .net, say like this:
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
<ClassInterface(ClassInterfaceType.AutoDual)>
Public Class Class1
Private m_Company As String = ""
Public Function MyHello()
MsgBox("Hello world")
End Function
Public Property Company As String
Get
Return m_Company
End Get
Set(value As String)
m_Company = value
End Set
End Property
End Class
In Access, you can now set a reference to the .net class (tools->references in VBA editor).
Of course, once you have this all working, you change your code to late binding in VBA as all good developers do.
With the above class, then in VBA, you see that even intel-sense works for the .net class methods and properties.
So in VBA, note this screen shot:
Note how all of the subs/functions appear as methods of the object in VBA.
So, calling + consuming .net code you write is rather easy and FAR less code then attempting to setup a VSTO add in.
In fact, I recommend the above not only for Access, but for word, Excel etc.
So the above is oh so much less work then messing around with the tools and setup to create an office add-in.
The end result is with VERY simple coding in .net, such code can be consumed by VBA + Access. And the added bonus is that such code can also with great ease be used in Excel, Word and even windows VBS script files. In fact FoxPro, or even say sage 300 accounting system can thus directly consume your .net code in their provided programing languages. So any language or system that supports COM objects (ActiveX) can thus use the above simple add-in.
In other words, the code you write and create can now be used by all of office with ease, and you don’t have to wire up a messy add-in for each office program.
So, to save world poverty and starving children, just create simple class in .net, and consume it from Office as per above.
About the only issue is now distribution. You have to supply the one .dll from .net, and execute regasm on the target machine for this to work. However, that is a one line batch file, and if you using any kind of installer, such installers have provisions for executing (registering) the .net object via regasm anyway. If you created a true office add-in, you will STILL be required to build and setup an installer – and that installer can be a lot of work as compared to a very simple regasm command to register the .net object.
And if you really want to make this simple, you can side load .net and not even have to register the .net object.
At the end of the day the above super simple class example works just fine in Access + VBA, and works with less work and hassle then it will take you to get some VSTO add-in template working with office.