Helpful Content Links for Getting Started with Office Development

Article
12/07/2009

I’m often asked for helpful content links for content around VBA, Microsoft Office Backstage view, and Ribbon. Here’s a collection:

VBA

Video

Title	URL
Visual Basic for Applications Overview	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/isv/bb190543.aspx
Getting Started with VBA in Office 2010	https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698470
Getting Started with VBA in Excel 2010	https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698471
Getting Started with VBA in Outlook 2010	https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698472
Getting Started with VBA in PowerPoint 2010	https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698473
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=Office+Visual+Basic+for+Applications+development

User Scenarios

Title	URL
Office Business Application for Sales Proposal Document Management	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc185135.aspx
Northwind Office Business Application	https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/OBANorthwind
FabriKam, a Microsoft Office System Solutions Learning Platform	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa203058%28office.11%29.aspx
Creating an Organization Chart using a List of Employees	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140203%28office.10%29.aspx
More Articles	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905352.aspx

Basic Solution Ingredients

Title	URL
Microsoft Office/Visual Basic Programmer’s Guide	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa141393%28office.10%29.aspx
Advanced Microsoft Office Documents Inside Out: VBA Primer	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd721892.aspx
Developing Office Applications Using VBA	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140980%28office.10%29.aspx
Taking the Office System Further with VBA and Open XML Formats	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd547378.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=Office+Visual+Basic+for+Applications

Enabling the Tools

Title	URL
Microsoft Office Excel Programming Inside Out: Chapter 20: Creating Advanced User Forms	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa192538%28office.11%29.aspx
Creating Word Templates Programmatically	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb266219.aspx
XML and Microsoft Office Excel: Creating an Expense Report Template	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa203717%28office.11%29.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=Office%20Visual%20Basic%20for%20Applications%20%22user%20form%22%20controls&ac=8

Understand How to Make the Application Do Things through Code

Title	URL
Developers Guide to the Excel Application Object	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978780.aspx
Developers Guide to the Excel 2007 Range Object	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978779.aspx
Super-Easy Guide to the Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Object Model	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa203714%28office.11%29.aspx
How Do I… in Excel	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb257110.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=Visual%20Basic%20for%20Applications%20%22Office%20object%20model%22&ac=8

Add Code

Title	URL
Using VBA to Access Document Content in the 2007 Office System	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd630624.aspx
Take Control of Microsoft Word Through Events	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140279%28office.10%29.aspx
Ten Tips for Microsoft Office VBA Library Development	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa164019%28office.10%29.aspx
Extending Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with a Single Line of VBA Code	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd535470.aspx
Programming Concepts: Custom Classes and Objects	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa140954%28office.10%29.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=Office%20Visual%20Basic%20for%20Applications%20code%20sample&ac=8

Backstage View

Video

Title	URL
Extending the Office 2010 Backstage View and Other UI	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/ee722027.aspx
Customizing the Backstage view and Ribbon UI in Office 2010	https://blogs.msdn.com/johnrdurant/archive/2009/10/27/customizing-the-backstage-view-and-ribbon-ui-in-office-2010.aspx
Adding Event Code to Microsoft Office Backstage View Customizations	https://blogs.msdn.com/johnrdurant/archive/2009/10/28/adding-event-code-to-microsoft-office-backstage-view-customizations.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Refinement=68&Query=Backstage&ir=1

Extensibility Level

Title	URL
Architecture of Document-Level Customizations	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zcfbd2sk.aspx
Architecture of Application-Level Add-Ins	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb386298.aspx
VSTO: Creating Your First Application-Level Add-in for Word	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc442946.aspx
Developing Add-ins (XLLs) in Excel	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa730920.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=Office%20document%20application%20extensibility%20add-in&ac=8

Ribbon

Video

Title	URL
Developer Overview of the User Interface for Microsoft Office System	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa338198.aspx
Customizing the Office Fluent Ribbon for Developers	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa338198.aspx
Automating a Word Document Using Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Office System SE Ribbon Support	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb426919.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=office+ribbon+fluent+ui+overview

User Scenarios

Title	URL
Extend The Office System With Your Own Ribbon Tabs and Controls	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163469.aspx
RibbonGadgets Sample: Ribbon Gadgets Application	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb982410.aspx
Outlook Sample: Ribbon Extensibility Add-In	https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=11ab93bf-48dc-4f73-8f6b-62b4482a92bc&displaylang=en
More Articles	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905352.aspx

Basic Ingredients

Title	URL
Ribbon Overview	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb386097%28VS.100%29.aspx
Ribbon Extensibility Overview	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa942866%28VS.80%29.aspx
Automation an Application from Controls on the Ribbon	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa942955%28VS.80%29.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=office+ribbon+fluent+ui

Define the User Interface Using XML Markup

Title	URL
Adding Custom Dyanmic Menus to the Office Fluent User Interface	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb462634.aspx
Hiding Groups on the Office Fluent Ribbon Using a Toggle Button	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb545350.aspx
Programmatically Customizing the Office Fluent User Interface	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb335359.aspx
Extend The Office 2007 Office System With Your Own Ribbon Tabs And Controls	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163469.aspx
Adding Custom Buttons to the 2007 Office Fluent User Interface	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb410115.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=office+ribbon+fluent+ui+designer

Add Code

Title	URL
Customizing the Office Fluent User Interface with Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Second Edition	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb410108.aspx
Customizing the Office Fluent Ribbon for Developers	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa338202.aspx
Customizing the Ribbon in Outlook	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb226712.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US/?Query=office+ribbon+fluent+ui+code+sample

Extensibility Level

Title	URL
Architecture of Document-Level Customizations	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/zcfbd2sk.aspx
Architecture of Application-Level Add-Ins	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb386298.aspx
VSTO: Creating Your First Application-Level Add-in for Word	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc442946.aspx
Developing Add-ins (XLLs) in Excel	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa730920.aspx
More Articles	https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Search/en-US?query=Office%20document%20application%20extensibility%20add-in&ac=8

MSDN Developer Resources

Title	URL
Office Developer Resources	https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9698691
Word Developer Center	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905482.aspx
Excel Developer Center	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905411.aspx
Outlook Developer Center	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905455.aspx
MSDN Office Development Library	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726434.aspx

Product and Solutions Information

Title	URL
Office Online	https://www.microsoft.com/office
Office Business Applications Center	https://www.obacentral.com
Excel Developer Center	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905411.aspx
Outlook Developer Center	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/aa905455.aspx
MSDN Office Development Library	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726434.aspx