Custom Ribbon Icons

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This Microsoft Word Tips & Microsoft Word Help page addresses the frequently asked question, "In Word2003 I could use the Button Editor to create my own custom menu or toolbar icon images. Can I do this in Word2007?"

The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. Since the user interface (U/I) in Word2007 does not contain a button editor, many would answer no. However, the range of images that can be applied to custom ribbon controls is practically endless. That range certainly includes any image that you have already created or may wish to create with the Word2003 Button Editor.

While the process may appear difficult or complex at first, you can still create custom images with the Word2003 Button Editor (or other graphics editors) and use them on Word2007 custom ribbon controls as the following steps illustrate.

1. Open Word2003 and create a custom icon image using the Button Editor.

Note. Use of the Word2003 Button Editor is optional. Word2003 and Word2007 are completely compatible on the same system so I have both installed. If using another graphics editor like Microsoft Paint then skip to step 3.

2. Copy the button image

3. Paste the image in a graphics editor ( I used "Paint" which came as part of my WindowsXP operating system).

4. Make any changes (I darkened the background to match my QAT background color) and save the file in a supported image format (e.g., .jpg, .bmp, .png).

5. Open the Office2007 Custom UI Editor and create the custom RibbonXML. Use the image attribute of the custom control to assign the custom image.

In the RibbonXML above I have added a custom group control containing a single custom button control to the Insert tab. Since I only want to show my custom control on the QAT, and not on the Ribbon, I have set the group visible attribute to false. This prevents the control from appearing in the Ribbon Insert tab, but makes it available in the control collection.

For more on Ribbon customization see my: Customize the Ribbon (It doesn't take Rocket Science)

6. Open the document, right click the QAT, and select "Customize Quick Access Toolbar..."

7. Select "All Commands" in the "Choose commands from" window. Scroll the commands list to find the custom control then click "Add" and then click "OK."

8. The custom control with a custom image is now available on the QAT.

The beauty of the the Ribbon U\I customization is that you can put practically any image on your custom controls using several supported graphic formats with or without a graphics editor. Here are a few graphic icons and images that I downloaded free from the internet and applied to custom button controls. It took all of about five minutes. Try doing that with Word2003 and the Button Editor!

For more on using built-in and custom images for ribbon customization see my: Ribbon Images and Labels

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