How to automate PowerPoint by using Microsoft Foundation Classes in Visual C++ 5.0 and in Visual C++ 6.0

  // method 'MyMethod' not emitted because of invalid return type or    parameter type
				

Steps to create the PowerPoint presentation with macros

1. Start Microsoft PowerPoint and create a new presentation with three blank slides.
2. Press ALT+F11 to start the Visual Basic Editor.
3. From the Insert menu, click Module to insert a module in the new presentation.
4. Add the following code to the module.

      Sub ChangeBackColor()  'Change backcolor of slides 1, 2 and 3
       With ActivePresentation.Slides.Range(Array(1, 2, 3))
           .FollowMasterBackground = msoFalse
           .Background.Fill.ForeColor.SchemeColor = ppAccent2
       End With
      End Sub
   
      Sub ChangeText(vArray As Variant)
       'Add a text box to each slide and use the text from the
       'array passed into this procedure
       Dim s As Slide
       For i = 1 To ActivePresentation.Slides.Count
           With ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes.AddTextbox( _
                           msoTextOrientationHorizontal, 186#, 54#, 336#, 36#)
               .TextFrame.TextRange.Text = vArray(i - 1)
               .TextFrame.TextRange.Font.Size = 60
           End With
       Next
      End Sub
   						

5. Save the presentation as one of the following, and then close PowerPoint:
   • In PowerPoint 2007, save the presentation as a Macro-enabled Presentation (*.pptm) by using a file name such as C:\Pres.pptm.
   • In PowerPoint 2003 and in earlier versions of PowerPoint, save the presentation as a Presentation (*.ppt) by using a file name such as C:\Pres.ppt.

Steps to create the MFC application

1. Create a new MFC dialog box based application named AutoPPT.
2. From the View menu (or press CTRL+W), select the Class wizard, and then follow these steps:
   1. Click the Automation tab.
   2. Click Add Class, and then click From Type Library.
   3. Locate the PowerPoint library, and then add the PowerPoint Type Library:
      • For PowerPoint 2007, add Msppt.olb.
      • For PowerPoint 2003, add Msppt.olb.
      • For PowerPoint 2002, add Msppt.olb.
      • For PowerPoint 2000, add Msppt9.olb.
      • For PowerPoint 97, add Msppt8.olb.
3. Select the dialog box with the resource ID IDD_AUTOPPT_DIALOG. Add a button to the dialog box, and then add the following code to the handler for that button.

      _Application	oApp;
      if(!oApp.CreateDispatch("Powerpoint.Application"))
      {
           AfxMessageBox("Could not get Powerpoint application.");
           return;
      }
      oApp.SetVisible(TRUE);
   
   
      //Get the Presentations collection and open a presentation
      Presentations oPresSet(oApp.GetPresentations());
      CString strFilename;
      //For PowerPoint 2007, change the file name to "c:\\pres.pptm"
      strFilename = "c:\\pres.ppt";
      _Presentation oPres(oPresSet.Open(strFilename, // Filename
                                        true,        // Readonly
                                        false,       // Untitled
                                        true         // WithWindow
                         ));
   		
      //*************** How to Run PowerPoint Macros *********************
   
      // Run "ChangeBackColor" macro in the presentation -- note that the
      // "ChangeBackColor" macro requires no arguments
   
      {
          COleVariant vOpt((long)DISP_E_PARAMNOTFOUND, VT_ERROR);
          static BYTE parms[] = 
               VTS_BSTR  VTS_VARIANT;
          LPCTSTR lpszMacroName = "Pres.ppt!ChangeBackColor";
   
          oApp.InvokeHelper(0x7e6, DISPATCH_METHOD, VT_EMPTY, NULL,  parms,
                            lpszMacroName, //Macro Name
                            &vOpt          //No arguments, for example, ignore
                           );
      }
   			
   
      // Run "ChangeText" macro in the presentation;
      // The macro requires three arguments -- the first two are strings
      // and the last one is a long	
   		
      {
   
           COleSafeArray saArgs;  //Create a 1-dimensional array with three 
                                  //elements
   
           DWORD numElements[1];
           numElements[0]= 3;	
           saArgs.Create(VT_VARIANT, 1, numElements);	
           long index[1];
           VARIANT v;
   
           index[0]=0;		//Fill 1st element
           CString sName("ABC");
           VariantInit(&v);
           v.vt= VT_BSTR;
           v.bstrVal = sName.AllocSysString();
           saArgs.PutElement(index, &v);
           SysFreeString(v.bstrVal);
           VariantClear(&v);
   
           index[0]=1;		//Fill 2nd element
           CString sCompany("XYZ");
           VariantInit(&v);
           v.vt= VT_BSTR;
           v.bstrVal = sCompany.AllocSysString();
           saArgs.PutElement(index, &v);
           SysFreeString(v.bstrVal);
           VariantClear(&v);
   
           index[0]=2;		//Fill 3rd element
           VariantInit(&v);
           v.vt = VT_I4;
           v.lVal=123;
           saArgs.PutElement(index, &v);
           VariantClear(&v);
   
           static BYTE parms[] = 
                VTS_BSTR  VTS_VARIANT;
           LPCTSTR lpszMacroName = "Pres.ppt!ChangeText";
           oApp.InvokeHelper(0x7e6, DISPATCH_METHOD, VT_EMPTY, NULL, parms,
                             lpszMacroName,   //Macro Name
                             (VARIANT*)saArgs //Array of macro parameters 
                            );
   
           saArgs.Detach();
      }
   
   						

   Note If you wrapped the classes in the PowerPoint 2002 type library, add an additional argument (false) to the call for the Open method.
4. Add the appropriate include statement for the Powerpoint header file.

   #include "msppt8.h" // use msppt9.h for 2000 or msppt.h for 2002, 2003, and 2007
   					

5. Add the following line of code to the beginning of the CAutoPPTApp::InitInstance() function.

        AfxOleInit();
   						

6. Compile and Run. Select the button you added to the dialog box to run the automation code. Once the code completes, PowerPoint will remain visible so that you can observe the changes to the presentation made by the macros.

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