Building Ribbons in Code

Today I gave my presentation on Building Ribbons in Code to the Europe Access User Group.  Colin Riddington was my gracious host.

Resources

Video Replay

If you missed the presentation live, here's a link to the recording on YouTube:

Slide deck

Here's a PDF copy of the slides:

• BuildingRibbonsInCode.pdf

Sample database

Here's a copy of the sample database from my demo:

• RibbonSample.accdb

Icon Resources

I use the following two sites for most of my custom ribbon icon needs.  Remember, the native ribbon icon sizes are 16x16 and 32x32.  Your icons will look sharpest if you use images with those exact dimensions.

Be sure to pay careful attention to the licensing for each icon.  If attribution is required, I include that on an About form.

• https://icons8.com/icons/office
• https://www.freepik.com/icons

Further Reading

Below are some of the articles I've written about building Office ribbons using VBA:

Office Ribbon Development Resources

Links to resources and ribbon builders for VBA developers who want to add a professional touch to their applications with custom ribbon interfaces.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Setting the Ribbon Name in Code

You don’t need to use the options dialog to set a custom ribbon for your Microsoft Access application.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

XML Callbacks: Adding Functionality to the Office Ribbon

To unlock the full potential of the Microsoft Office ribbon, you need to understand the role of callback functions. This quick intro will get you started.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

GetAttr(): Ribbon XML String-Building Helper Function

When you’re building strings in code with lots of optional values--such as ribbon XML attributes--this simple function helps keep your code readable.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

XmlWrap() Function

This convenience function helps you write more readable code when building Office Ribbon-flavored XML strings.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Icon Dimensions in the Office Ribbon

Custom ribbon icons look sharpest when they are displayed at their native resolution.

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

While the list above represents the articles I've written as of publication (2022-07-06), these plus any future articles that I write about the ribbon will be available from my Ribbon tag page:

Ribbon - No Longer Set

Articles about customizing the Fluent UI (aka, the Office Ribbon).

No Longer SetMike Wolfe

UPDATE [2022-07-13]: Added link to YouTube recording of presentation.