How to add MS Office add-in from inside a Thinapp 5 virtual application to a MS Office 2013 suite that is installed on a base image

[prime_id2]

Hi,

We have the following solution:

• VMware Horizon View 5.3.1
• Non-persistent Linked-clone pool with delete VM after logoff
• Windows 8.1 Update 1 Enterprise 64 bit
• MS Office 2013 32-bit installed on image
• Thinapps registered for each user from logonscript with thinreg.exe command. Thinapps is located on a network share
• Native Windows roaming profiles with appdata/roaming, appdata/local without appdata/locallow(persona management does not support Windows 8.1 in View 5.3.1)

This is our issue:

We have a 3rd party application with a couple Thinapp entrypoints(exe files) and in the Thinapp package process we also installed Office addins. We tested that the Add-ins was opened inside Outlook, Word and Powerpoint before post installation scan.

The problem is that the add-ins is not added to Office 2013 before or after the Thinapp is started on a test client.

I have tried several changes in the package.ini and virtual filesystem attributes(no registry changes yet):

Package.ini:

• ChildProcessEnvironmentExceptions=WINWORD.EXE;EXCEL.EXE;POWERPNT.EXE;OUTLOOK.EXE;
• ChildProcessEnvironmentDefault=External

• ChildProcessEnvironmentExceptions=excel.exe;outlook.exe;powerpnt.exe;winword.exe
• ChildProcessEnvironmentDefault=Virtual
• VirtualizeExternalOutOfProcessCOM=0

• DirectoryIsolationMode=Merged
• RegistryIsolationMode=Merged

I have also read that you could make entrypoints to the locally installed Office 2013, but I get errors on the build process. ref. link: http://edwinfriesen.nl/content/?p=105#comments

The best thing would be if the add-ins were added in the logon process together with thinreg.exe, but if that is not supported, the add-ins must be added to Office either in a custom Office shortcut/entry point or after starting the Thinapp virtual application.

Remember that the application needs to registered every times the user logon, because we use a non-persistent View pool.

I would really appreciate if somebody could tell me how to add Office add-ins from inside a Thinapp virtual application/package to a locally installed MS Office 2013 suite on a Windows "base" image?

We do not want to add the whole Office suite to the Thinapp virtual package and not add the add-ins trough GPO,SCCM etc.

[sWORDs]

I've done both ways multiple times (the first only when there is another entrypoint ofcourse, like with SAP), could you share the project folder with me?

[prime_id2]

Thanks for reply!

Have sent you our Thinapp test project in a PM.

Looking forward to hearing from you if you have a solution.

[prime_id2]

UPDATE:

So I have managed to execute Excel 2013 that configures add-in from a Thinapp virtual bubble.

This was done my creating a shortcut to Excel during pre-scan and local installation. I placed the shortcut under start-menu\programs and named it "Excel 2013 Applicationname".

I also added these entries into package.ini:

VirtualizeExternalOutOfProcessCOM=0

ChildProcessEnvironmentExceptions=EXCEL.EXE;

ChildProcessEnvironmentDefault=Virtual

I then got a entrypoint to the locally installed excel.exe and when I start it from a virtualized session it loads the add-in. yeah!

BUT this has a big shortcoming..:

You need to start local Excel from Thinapp entrypoint to start it into the virtual bubble so that it can "see" the add-in. but we want the add-in to be made available from the original Excel shortcut residing on the baseline image and the shortcut on the standard start menu.

And you also need to keep the Excel process that are in the virtual bubble alive, if you want that Excel also loads the add-in from the normal shortcut.

So here comes the question:

Is it any possibility to make the add-in available already from logon or keep a hidden Excel session / virtual bubble alive so that users can just start Excel from the standard shortcut while the add-in is automatically included/loaded ?

Or is it any possibility use Thinapp SDK to script a call to the SDK DLL library and make it available for the whole virtual OS?

I hope you understand me,

Cheers

[sWORDs]

As far as I know this wouldn't be possible. Maybe you could write an addin wrapper (So write a new office plugin that starts the ThinApp-ed addin), but I don't think so.

As you've managed to start it, I'm assuming I wont need to look at the project anymore?

[prime_id2]

What about the COM object parameters in package.ini ?

We can live with scripting in logon or changed logon scripts etc.

And you don't no need to lock in the project files.

From package.ini documentation:

---------------------------------------------------------

ObjectTypes Parameter

The ObjectTypes parameter specifies a list of virtual COM object types that are visible to other applications in

the physical environment. You can use scripts, such as VBScripts, to call objects that start captured applications.

An object type is registered to only one native or virtual application at a time. If you install Office 2003 on the

native machine and want to use a virtual Office 2007 package, you must determine whether to have the virtual

or native application handle the object types.

If you want the virtual Office 2007 to handle the object types, you can leave the ObjectTypes setting in the

Package.ini file, build the package, and register it using the thinreg.exe utility. If you want the native Office

2003 to handle the object types, you must remove the ObjectTypes setting from the Package.ini file before

building and registering the package.

You cannot add random entries to the ObjectTypes parameter.

You can only remove entries that were generated by the capture process.

Example: Starting a Virtual Application When a COM Object is Created

If a script or a native application creates an Excel.Application COM object or other COM objects listed in the

ObjectTypes parameter, ThinApp starts the virtual package.

[Microsoft Office Excel 2007.exe]

ObjectTypes=Excel.Application;Excel.Application.12;Excel.Chart;

Excel.Macrosheet;Excel.Sheet; Excel.Workspace

--------------------------------------------------------------

[sWORDs]

That's something you could try if the COM is already in the package.ini, but I wouldn't suspect it to be (maybe I should have a look at that project after all). You would also need the other keys (\AddIns) on the physical system.

Edit, that PM link doesn't work, says longer there.

[prime_id2]

sorry, I was quick to disable the sharing of the file. Sent you a new link in pm now