Tutorial Navigation | Previous: Part 6: Converting VBA ArcObjects to CS

Now that you have converted your ArcMap VBA utility to an Add-In, you don’t have to do anything else to use it on your own system. It will be available in ArcMap even when not running from a Visual Studio debug session because the build process copied the Add-In to the folder where ArcGIS expects Add-Ins.

Resources

Files

VBA_to_CS_Tutorial.esriAddIn (23 KB) (digitally signed Add-In)

Video Demonstrations

The following videos are also linked from the relevant sections below. (opens in a new browser window or tab)

Install Add-In into ArcMap (duration 0:38)

Managing Add-Ins

Add-Ins can be viewed, added and deleted with the Add-In Manager, launched from the Customize menu:

To remove an Add-In, you should use the Add-In Manager. It is also possible to simply delete the Add-In file and its containing AddInID folder.

Version 10.0 Add-Ins are stored (and discovered) by default in a local user folder:

Windows Vista/7:
C:\Users\<user>\Documents\ArcGIS\AddIns\Desktop10.0\{<AddInID>}\addin_name.esriaddin

Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Documents\ArcGIS\AddIns\Desktop10.0\{<AddInID>}\addin_name.esriaddin

It is also possible to add additional folder locations, both local and network, on the Options tab page of the Add-In Manager. This is typically used to share Add-Ins on a network.

Note: The AddInID folder is not required, but is created by the Add-In Manager to prevent naming conflicts.

Installing Add-Ins

Video Demonstation: Install Add-In into ArcMap (duration 0:38)

If you want to make your Add-In available to other ArcMap users, it is quite easy since Add-Ins use a simple single file deployment model. The addin_name.esriaddin file contains everything needed for the Add-In.

There are four methods to install an Add-In. The first three use the Add-In Installation Utility:

1. Run the addin_name.esriaddin file itself.
   -or-
2. Launch the Add-In Manager, click the Customize button, click the Add from file button, and select the addin_name.esriaddin file.
   -or-
3. Select the Customize Mode item on the Customize menu, click the Add from file button, and select the addin_name.esriaddin file.

These methods will launch the Add-In Installation Utility:

When installed using the Add-In Installation Utility, the Add-In file will be copied to the default Add-In folder.

The fourth method is to simply copy the addin_name.esriaddin file to the default Add-In folder or one of the additional optional locations. When using this method, ArcMap may need to be restarted if it is already running in order for the Add-In to be discovered.

Add-Ins installed to locations other than the default folder are considered shared and can not be deleted from the Add-In Manager.

Tutorial Navigation | Previous: Part 6: Converting VBA ArcObjects to CS