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I was looking at software to write novels and stories and they have basically the same organizational format. They have a tree on the side and folders for organizing. Here are some examples:

http://storyist.com/assets/screenshots/StoryistCollage-Full.jpg http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener_pages/screenshotcommentary.php

I have Microsoft Word and being a programmer (among other things), I wondered if there is a way to use VBA controls and create this look and organizational process in Word.

Is there any way to do that? If there is, how would I begin? Or, is this something I need to do standalone?

EDIT: Here is what I am looking for:

http://writingoutliner.com/software-features/project-based-writing-for-long-documents.php

Is this possible solely with VBA?

johnny
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  • Yes you can use tree view controls in a vba project perhaps hosted by the task pane or your own dialog. Are you in it for the challenge or because you want to build something which doesn't quite exist yet? The ones posted in your link look useful so why roll your own? – JohnZaj Jul 28 '12 at 16:22
  • Is this word for Mac or for windows? – JohnZaj Jul 28 '12 at 16:23
  • @jJack Challenge, sales, and learning. Plus I thought I could use it myself. I have all the tools and skills, so I wanted to look into it. Plus a native word one does not exist that I can find. – johnny Jul 28 '12 at 19:42
  • Let me know if siddharth's answer isn't enough I have worked heavily with tree views in vba. And a bit of warning: getting what u want from a tree view is much easier with .net. Have u considered an addin to word and hook into their existing task panes? – JohnZaj Jul 29 '12 at 16:27
  • @jJack I don't have visual studio full, so I can't use vsto, but I don't know if I need it or not. I edited the question to show what I am talking about. I don't know if it is possible with just vba or not. – johnny Jul 29 '12 at 21:09
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    @johnny: Not it is not possible via VBA. What you see has been created in VSTO like jJack mentioned. – Siddharth Rout Jul 31 '12 at 03:47
  • Those appear to be WPF controls that yes, would require a full-fledged add-in (but not necessarily VSTO). It is possible to write add-ins without VSTO and without Visual Studio. This also might be 'possible' in VBA, but I bet it would gain more traction if it weren't... – JohnZaj Jul 31 '12 at 11:35

1 Answers1

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Your question if broken down would be something like this

  1. I wondered if there is a way to use VBA controls and create this look and organizational process in Word

  2. Is there any way to do that? If there is, how would I begin?

  3. Is this something I need to do standalone?

Unfortunately Word would be a wrong choice if you want that kind of professional Look. If you want a standalone I would recommend creating a CHM (Compiled Help Modules) file. It would look something like one of your Windows Help File.

enter image description here

There are many free software's that can create CHM Files for you. One such link is here.

If you want a really amazing tool (I use the same and unfortunately it is not free) then check out Help and Manual 6

If you still want to do it in word, you will have to use VBA and then use the Treeview Control in a userform. The biggest disadvantage of Treeview is that it is not distributable. To see how to work with Treeview control, see my other reply here.

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Siddharth Rout
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  • Thank you. I need to look more at what you are saying. I edited the question to show what I am really looking for in vba only. I didn't have that link when I first did my question. Did some searching and found it. – johnny Jul 29 '12 at 21:11
  • The treeview control is the most approachable method, in my mind. You can take advantage of the .NET framework, while performing most of the major logic in vba. A pure vba build - at least to me - involves a very high level of complexity in terms of programming and development. – Scott Conover Jul 31 '12 at 20:03