Solved: Where to store custom toolbar?

I wrote a macro to automate a repetitive task (re-sizing pictures that I paste in from Excel).

I want to have this macro available regardless of what presentation I'm working on and to add a custom button to my toolbar to run it. Is there an equivalent of the old Excel standby of saving the macro in the Personal.xls workbook in the XLSTART folder? I couldn't find a way to hide the presentation (like I would in Excel under the Window menu), nor do I know where I would save the file in order to get it to open when I open PowerPoint.

I'm working in PowerPoint 97.

Thanks in advance.

Had to dig for PPT97. To accomplish your task you need to edit the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\Blank Presentation.pot template. This is the default used when starting Powerpoint. (Name and location are different for later versions)

Keep in mind that Powerpoint doesn't store custom toolbars, buttons, or menus with the presentation, but actually in a separate file named <username>.PCB. So unless you place the code to create the toolbar in the template, and then have a way to trigger the code, the user will not have the custom button.

Unfortunately, as I learned a couple of weeks ago, Powerpoint doesn't provide the ability to automatically execute a macro when opening a presentation. For that you have to create an add-in. See the Microsoft article http://support.microsoft.com/?id=163461 for creating a PPT97 add-in.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

James

James,
Thanks very much. I created an add-in and it works perfectly.

Now I can quit banging my head against the wall and get back to Excel where I have at least some idea what I'm doing.

Cool! I'll mark this one solved. I hope you continue using the site.

Cheers,
James