linked graphic behavior different in PPT 2003

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joe Stern
  • Start date Start date
J

Joe Stern

Hello everybody.

I think I have identified a difference in the way that PowerPoint 2002 and
PowerPoint 2003 use linked pictures. This has caused some mayhem for me, as
our company makes extensive use of linked graphics. In a nutshell, if a
linked picture is saved with the document (only possible through VBA), that
picture is not really linked. Changes to the underlying graphic file do not
show up in PPT2003, although they will in PPT2002.

To test this create a macro that inserts a linked image file. If you use the
macro recorder, it your code should look something like the following:

ActiveWindow.Selection.SlideRange.Shapes.AddPicture(FileName:="C:\temp\1.jpg
", _
LinkToFile:=msoTrue, SaveWithDocument:=msoFalse)

[Because the SaveWithDocument property is false, if you send the
presentation to a client, then the client will see a little red x instead of
the picture.]

Edit the macro and change the SaveWithDocument property to msoTrue. Press
Alt-Q to return to the presentation.

Delete the graphic that you inserted when recording the macro. Run the macro
again. The picture is inserted, and this time it is saved inside the
presentation. Save your changes and close the presentation.

Now, edit the jpg file, or replace it with another file and give it the
original jpg's name.

Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2002, and you will see the change to
your picture.
Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2003, and you still see the original
picture. The link isn't functional.

The moral of the story is, if you use linked graphics, you must be aware of
what version of PowerPoint will open your presentation!!!

Joe Stern
National Analysts, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
jstern@nationalanalystsdottkomm
 
The UI to this particular feature was in PowerPoint 97 and previous but
disappeared in 2000. That may have been a hint that the feature itself was
going away.

It seems that linked graphics inserted w/o VBA tricks work the same as
before, though. Would you agree?


--
Posted to news://msnews.microsoft.com
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PowerPoint FAQ - www.pptfaq.com
PPTools - www.pptools.com
===============================
 
Yes, both PPT2002 and PPT2003 link graphics the same way when you use the
UI.

Perhaps I hitched my wagon to the wrong horse by saving linked graphics with
documents.

Steve Rindsberg said:
The UI to this particular feature was in PowerPoint 97 and previous but
disappeared in 2000. That may have been a hint that the feature itself was
going away.

It seems that linked graphics inserted w/o VBA tricks work the same as
before, though. Would you agree?


--
Posted to news://msnews.microsoft.com
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PowerPoint FAQ - www.pptfaq.com
PPTools - www.pptools.com
===============================

Joe Stern said:
Hello everybody.

I think I have identified a difference in the way that PowerPoint 2002 and
PowerPoint 2003 use linked pictures. This has caused some mayhem for me, as
our company makes extensive use of linked graphics. In a nutshell, if a
linked picture is saved with the document (only possible through VBA), that
picture is not really linked. Changes to the underlying graphic file do not
show up in PPT2003, although they will in PPT2002.

To test this create a macro that inserts a linked image file. If you use the
macro recorder, it your code should look something like the following:
Click to expand...
ActiveWindow.Selection.SlideRange.Shapes.AddPicture(FileName:="C:\temp\1.jpg
", _
LinkToFile:=msoTrue, SaveWithDocument:=msoFalse)

[Because the SaveWithDocument property is false, if you send the
presentation to a client, then the client will see a little red x
Click to expand...
instead
of
the picture.]

Edit the macro and change the SaveWithDocument property to msoTrue. Press
Alt-Q to return to the presentation.

Delete the graphic that you inserted when recording the macro. Run the macro
again. The picture is inserted, and this time it is saved inside the
presentation. Save your changes and close the presentation.

Now, edit the jpg file, or replace it with another file and give it the
original jpg's name.

Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2002, and you will see the change to
your picture.
Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2003, and you still see the original
picture. The link isn't functional.

The moral of the story is, if you use linked graphics, you must be aware of
what version of PowerPoint will open your presentation!!!

Joe Stern
National Analysts, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
jstern@nationalanalystsdottkomm
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Perhaps I hitched my wagon to the wrong horse by saving linked graphics
with
documents.
Click to expand...

Sure would be nice if we got a little advance warning about these "little"
changes, eh?

Which way's the wagon headed? Or ... I'm sorry, I can't resist ... Where
Do You Want (your wagon) To Go Today? ;-)

Maybe there's a more cooperative horse.

Steve Rindsberg said:
The UI to this particular feature was in PowerPoint 97 and previous but
disappeared in 2000. That may have been a hint that the feature itself was
going away.

It seems that linked graphics inserted w/o VBA tricks work the same as
before, though. Would you agree?


--
Posted to news://msnews.microsoft.com
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PowerPoint FAQ - www.pptfaq.com
PPTools - www.pptools.com
===============================

me,
as do
not use
the
Click to expand...
ActiveWindow.Selection.SlideRange.Shapes.AddPicture(FileName:="C:\temp\1.jpg
", _
LinkToFile:=msoTrue, SaveWithDocument:=msoFalse)

[Because the SaveWithDocument property is false, if you send the
presentation to a client, then the client will see a little red x
Click to expand...
instead
of
the picture.]

Edit the macro and change the SaveWithDocument property to msoTrue. Press
Alt-Q to return to the presentation.

Delete the graphic that you inserted when recording the macro. Run the macro
again. The picture is inserted, and this time it is saved inside the
presentation. Save your changes and close the presentation.

Now, edit the jpg file, or replace it with another file and give it the
original jpg's name.

Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2002, and you will see the
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
change
to aware
of
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
The users I support insert linked graphics into a presentation via an AddIn
that I wrote. Our setup lets multiple production staffers collaborate on a
single document all at one time. We work with cruel, unforgiving deadlines
in our office.

Because the graphics are saved in the file, we can e-mail it off to a client
and know that they will see all the pictures.

If we link graphics *without* saving them in the document, we will have to
run another macro before sending the document to the client. I just wrote it
this morning. In PseudoCode:

For each Sld in ActivePresentation.slides
For Each Shp in Sld.Shapes
if shp.type = msoLinkedPicture then
[ grab the .SourceFileName, .Left, .Top, .Width and .Height
properties ]
shp.delete
sld.addPicture FileName, Left, Top, Width, Height
end if
next shp
next sld

If someone forgets to do this before sending the file, the client sees lots
of littles red Xs and we look incompetent.

This morning, I wagered $245 on a PSS call to Microsoft. They were able to
reproduce the problem. Maybe I can persuade them to write a hotfix.

Steve Rindsberg said:
Perhaps I hitched my wagon to the wrong horse by saving linked graphics with
documents.
Click to expand...

Sure would be nice if we got a little advance warning about these "little"
changes, eh?

Which way's the wagon headed? Or ... I'm sorry, I can't resist ... Where
Do You Want (your wagon) To Go Today? ;-)

Maybe there's a more cooperative horse.

itself
was 2002
and
Click to expand...
if
a
Click to expand...
ActiveWindow.Selection.SlideRange.Shapes.AddPicture(FileName:="C:\temp\1.jpg
", _
LinkToFile:=msoTrue, SaveWithDocument:=msoFalse)

[Because the SaveWithDocument property is false, if you send the
presentation to a client, then the client will see a little red x instead
of
the picture.]

Edit the macro and change the SaveWithDocument property to msoTrue. Press
Alt-Q to return to the presentation.

Delete the graphic that you inserted when recording the macro. Run the
macro
again. The picture is inserted, and this time it is saved inside the
presentation. Save your changes and close the presentation.

Now, edit the jpg file, or replace it with another file and give it the
original jpg's name.

Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2002, and you will see the
Click to expand...
change
to
your picture.
Open the presentation with PowerPoint 2003, and you still see the original
picture. The link isn't functional.

The moral of the story is, if you use linked graphics, you must be aware
of
what version of PowerPoint will open your presentation!!!

Joe Stern
National Analysts, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
jstern@nationalanalystsdottkomm
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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