How to handle PowerPoint events with Visual C# .NET

This article demonstrates how to automate PowerPoint and handle events using Visual C# .NET.

With Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, you cannot use delegates to sink events with Microsoft PowerPoint 2002. PowerPoint uses the IDispatch interface to fire events. To correctly sink the events, the Visual C# .NET application must use the IConnectionPointContainer and IConnectionPoint interfaces. The receiving application must also know the DISPIDs of the events to sink. These DISPIDs are not listed in PowerPoint's type library, but are listed in the sample code below for reference.

Create the Sample C# Automation Client

1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio .NET. On the File menu, click New and then click Project. Under Project types click Visual C# Projects, then click Windows Application under Templates. Form1 is created by default.
2. Add a reference to the Microsoft PowerPoint Object Library. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the Project menu, click Add Reference.
   2. On the COM tab, locate Microsoft Powerpoint 10.0 Object Library, and then click Select.NOTE: If you have not already done so, it is recommended that you download, and then install the Microsoft Office XP Primary Interop Assemblies (PIAs). For more information about Office XP PIAs, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
      328912  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328912/ ) INFO: Microsoft Office XP PIAs Are Available for Download
   3. Click OK in the Add References dialog box to accept your selection.
3. On the View menu, click Toolbox to display the Toolbox and add two buttons and a list box to Form1.
4. In sequence, double-click Button1, Button2, and Form1.
5. In the code window, replace the following code

   private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   
   }
   
   private void button2_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   		
   }
   
   private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   
   } 
   					

   with:

   private UCOMIConnectionPoint m_oConnectionPoint;
   private int m_Cookie;
   private PowerPoint.ApplicationClass oPPT;
   
   
   private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   	// QI for IConnectionPointContainer.
   	UCOMIConnectionPointContainer oConnPointContainer = (UCOMIConnectionPointContainer) oPPT;
   	// Get the GUID of the EApplication interface.
   	Guid guid=typeof(PowerPoint.EApplication).GUID;
   
   	// Find the connection point.
   	oConnPointContainer.FindConnectionPoint(ref guid,out m_oConnectionPoint);
   	// Call Advise to sink up the connection.
   	m_oConnectionPoint.Advise(this,out m_Cookie);
   }
   
   [DispId(2001)]
   public void WindowSelectionChange(PowerPoint.Selection Sel)
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("WindowSelectionChange");
   }
   
   [DispId(2002)]
   public void WindowBeforeRightClick(PowerPoint.Selection Sel,bool Cancel) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("WindowBeforeRightClick");
   }
   
   [DispId(2003)]
   public void WindowBeforeDoubleClick(PowerPoint.Selection Sel,bool Cancel) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("WindowBeforeDoubleClick");
   }
   
   [DispId(2004)]
   public void PresentationClose(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationClose");
   }
   
   [DispId(2005)]
   public void PresentationSave(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationSave");
   }
   
   [DispId(2006)]
   public void PresentationOpen(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationOpen");
   }
   
   [DispId(2007)]
   public void NewPresentation(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("NewPresentation");
   }
   
   [DispId(2008)]
   public void PresentationNewSlide(PowerPoint.Slide Sld) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationNewSlide");
   }
   
   [DispId(2009)]
   public void WindowActivate(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres,PowerPoint.DocumentWindow Wn) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("WindowActivate");
   }
   
   [DispId(2010)]
   public void WindowDeactivate(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres,PowerPoint.DocumentWindow Wn) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("WindowDeactivate");
   }
   
   [DispId(2011)]
   public void SlideShowBegin(PowerPoint.SlideShowWindow Wn) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideShowBegin");
   }
   
   [DispId(2012)]
   public void SlideShowNextBuild(PowerPoint.SlideShowWindow Wn) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideShowNextBuild");
   }
   
   [DispId(2013)]
   public void SlideShowNextSlide(PowerPoint.SlideShowWindow Wn) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideShowNextSlide");
   }
   
   [DispId(2014)]
   public void SlideShowEnd(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideShowEnd");
   }
   
   [DispId(2015)]
   public void PresentationPrint(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationPrint");
   }
   
   [DispId(2016)]
   public void SlideSelectionChanged(PowerPoint.SlideRange SldRange) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideSelectionChanged");
   }
   
   [DispId(2017)]
   public void ColorSchemeChanged(PowerPoint.SlideRange SldRange) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("ColorSchemeChanged");
   }
   
   [DispId(2018)]
   public void PresentationBeforeSave(PowerPoint.Presentation Pres,bool Cancel) 
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("PresentationBeforeSave");
   } 
   
   [DispId(2019)]
   public void SlideShowNextClick(PowerPoint.SlideShowWindow Wn,PowerPoint.Effect nEffect)
   {
   	this.listBox1.Items.Add("SlideShowNextClick");
   }
   
   private void button2_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   	m_oConnectionPoint.Unadvise(m_Cookie);
   	System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(oPPT);
   	GC.Collect();
   }
   
   private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
   {
   	//Create an instance of PowerPoint.
   	oPPT = new PowerPoint.ApplicationClass();
   
   	// Show PowerPoint to the user.
   	oPPT.Visible = Microsoft.Office.Core.MsoTriState.msoTrue;	
   } 
   					

6. Add the following to the using section at the top of the code window:

   using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
   					

7. Test the program. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Press F5 to build and run the program. PowerPoint is started.
   2. Click Button1 to set up the event sinks.
   3. Create a new presentation in PowerPoint.
      
      The WindowActivate, NewPresentation, PresentationNewSlide and WindowSelectionChange events fire.
   4. Save the presentation.
      
      The PresentationSave event fires.
   5. Close the presentation.
      
      The PresentationClose event fires.
   6. Activate Form1 in the program. The events that were triggered by PowerPoint and handled by the program appear in the list box.
   7. Click Button2 to disconnect the event sinks.
   8. Close Form1.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information on Office Automation, see the following Microsoft Office Development support site: