Add-ins Tab

If you have any third party add-ins installed then these will be displayed on an additional Add-Ins tab.
This tab will contain any commands that were previously added to menus or toolbars.
Two groups will be displayed one called "Menu Commands" and one called "Custom Toolbars".
Changes made to toolbars and menus using the old method will appear on an Add-ins tab.
Any menu customisations will appear in a group called "Menu Commands"
Any existing commandbar or toolbar customisations will appear on a group called "Toolbar Commands"
Any new toolbars that are created will appear in a group called "Custom Toolbars".

Menu Commands

Anything added to the menus

example of VBA code in commandbars
equivalent in ribbon and SS

Toolbar Commands

Anything added to the toolbars

Custom Toolbars

Any custom toolbars

User Interface Guidelines

When creating a customised user interface it is important to always be aware that there might be other add-ins, documents or templates also installed.

• Never use startfromscratch

• Never make any changes to the Quick Access Toolbar

• Never modify existing or buil-in functionality

• Mark you additional commands clearly so users know where they have come from.

• If there is a conflict between two different add-ins then the last one loaded wins.

The built-in groups cannot be modified
Never change the visibility of any commands but just disable them instead.

Avoid customising existing built-in tabs.
Avoid hiding tabs and groups.

You cannot add controls to a built-in group (instead add a new group to the built-in tab and customise this new group).

Common Problems

• Click Event Fires Twice

An event fires for every toolbar that contains that button

• Doesn't fire or only fires initially

Scope problems with how the button has been defined, class module, module scope etc

No tear off toolbars

OnAction

Even if your add-in is not demand-loaded, it is a good idea to set this property in your code, in case you later change the load behavior for the add-in.

CtlButton.OnAction = "!<ProgID>" 
CtlButton.OnAction = "!<BetterUtilitiesExcel.Connect>" 

The programmatic identifier is the sub key that is created for the add-in in the registry.

Adding Commands

Tag -
Parameter
OnAction
Caption
etc etc

Using Tag

How to create transparent icons ?

If you are creating custom commandbar controls for Office 2003 or Office 2007 then it is best to use the Picture and Mask properties

Picture and Mask

These two new properties were added to the CommandBarButton in Office 2002.
Picture and Mask can also support gradients in Office 2003 running on Windows XP using themes.

.Picture = Worksheets(1).Shapes(2).Picture 

Everything you want displayed in the foreground must be in black in the mask
Everything you want transparent in the background must be in white in the mask.

These properties cannot be used if the toolbar has been protected.
You must remove the toolbar protection before these properties can be used.

Visual Studio Image Editor

MS Picture Manager

You cannot create pictures or create transparency.