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This Microsoft Word Tips & Microsoft Word Help page is the first in a series of tips pages written to show how to apply and use ribbon control attributes to define, modify and display control images and labels. See the Word Help & Tips Index for links to the other pages in this series

If you are unfamiliar with ribbon customization I recommend that you review my Customize the Ribbon before reading further.

I felt that I needed to break this subject into parts as the topic is broad and while the methods presented in this tips page are simple and straight forward, they become seemingly quite complex as the series progresses.

The tips and methods presented in these pages are a culmination of many months of frustration and web searching looking for a way to "bend" the ribbon to my will and in particular, apply dynamic custom images to my ribbon controls. I might still be searching if not for the outstanding contributions of two Microsoft Excel programming masters Bob Phillips and Ron de Bruin; and suggestions by Word MVP Jonathan West.

Built-In Images and Labels

I'll start with the static images and labels applied to the built-in office controls.

I use the term static to indicate images and labels that are created at design time when the ribbon loads and remain constant. The illustration below shows a custom ribbon tab that I created for this tips page. All of the controls are fully functional. You can download the demonstration document used to create this pages which contains the associated ribbon, custom XML and VBA callbacks using this link: Ribbon Images & Labels Part I

Group 1 contains the built-in controls "FileClose" and "FilePrint." The following XML can be used to create this group:

<group id="Grp1" label="Group 1" >
  <button idMso="FileClose" size="large" label="Close me" imageMso="HappyFace" />
  <separator id="Grp1Sep1" />
  <button idMso="FilePrint" size="normal" label="Print me" imageMso="CreateMacro" />
</group >

Note: "imageMso" corresponds with the fixed "idMso" for all office built-in controls. You can determine the idMso of most Word built-in controls using the Quick Access Tab customization dialog and pausing your mouse over a built-in in command list in the "Choose command from" listing. The idMso appears in screen tip in parenthesis e.g., Popular Commands | File (FileSave).  The collection of control images are available through several web links, or you can download msoimagebrower a collaborative work by J. Walkenbach and Bruce Volkert which provides imageMSO information in and Excel file.
Additionally, a complete list of office Ribbon UI control names and types can be downloaded from Microsoft.  See Customize the Ribbon for links.

Group 2 contains the built-in controls "FileNew," "FileSave As" and "MenuPublish." The following XML can be used to create this group:

<group id="Grp2" label="Group 2" >
  <button idMso="FileNew" size="normal" showLabel="false" />
  <separator id="Grp2Sep1" /:gt;
  <button idMso="FileSaveAs" size="large" label="Save Me As" showLabel="false" />
  <separator id="Grp2Sep2" /:gt;
  <menu idMso="MenuPublish" size="large" showLabel="false" label=" " screentip="Publish" />
</group >

Group 2 illustrates how to use the showLabel attribute to hide a control's label.

• The showLabel attribute is optional and "true" by default.
• Notice the "Save Me As" label is still displayed despite setting the showLabel attribute to false.
• By fault or by design, the "size" attribute set to "large" negates the showLabel attribute.
• To work around this issue you can set the label attribute to a single space as illustrated with the large "MenuPublish" control.
• Since built-in controls use the control's default label as the screen tip, you can add a custom screen tip to prevent a blank tip appearing on mouse over.

Group 3 contains the built-in controls "FileSendMenu" and "FilePrepareMenu." The following XML can be used to create this group:

<group id="Grp3" label="Group 3" >
  <menu idMso="FileSendMenu" size="normal" label="Send Me" showImage="false" />
  <separator id="Grp3Sep1" />
  <menu idMso="FilePrepareMenu" size="large" label="Prepare Me" showImage="false" />
  <button idMso="FileSave" size="large" label="Save Me" showImage="false" imageMso="About" />
</group >

This group illustrates how to use the showImage attribute.

• The showImage attribute is optional and "true" by default.
• Notice the "Prepare Me" image is still displayed despite setting the showImage attribute to false.
• By fault or by design, the "size" attribute set to "large" negates the showImage attribute.
• As a crude work around you can set the imageMso attribute equal to a control idMso that does not include an image as illustrated with the large "Save Me" control.

Finally Group 4 contains the built-in controls "FileOpen," "FileSave" and "FileClose." The following XML can be used to create this group:

<group id="Grp4" label="Group 4" >
  <button idMso="FileOpen" size="large" image="Insert" />
  <separator id="Grp4Sep1" />
  <button idMso="FileSave" size="large" getImage="RX.GetImage" getLabel="RX.GetLabel"
          getShowImage="RX.GetShowImage" getShowLabel="RX.GetShowLabel" />
  <separator id="Grp4Sep2" />
  <button idMso="FileClose" size="normal" getImage="RX.GetImage" getLabel="RX.GetLabel"
          getShowLabel="RX.GetShowLabel" getShowImage="RX.GetShowImage" />
 </group >

This group illustrates that the ribbon attributes image, getImage, getLabel, getShowLabel and getShowImage are not associated with built-in controls (large or normal).

• The attempt to associate a custom image with the image attribute to the built-in control FileOpen is ignored.
• Additionally the VBA callbacks GetImage, GetLabel, GetShowImage, and GetShowLabel are all ignored.
• his will be apparent if you download and open the demonstration file.
• The ribbon is displayed as shown above and there are no control.IDs reported by VBA message box.

This concludes this tips page. In the next tips page in this series, Ribbon Images & Labels Part II, I'll review applying images and labels to custom controls.

This page was last updated on March 09, 2021

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