Is Powerpoint still a single instance app?

As of Powerpoint 2000, it is my understanding that there can only be a
single instance of Powerpoint running.
Is that still true for Powerpoint 2002 and 2003?

I've been using code such as the following:

'Get existing instance of PowerPoint; otherwise create a new one
' Powerpoint is a single instance application
On Error Resume Next
Set appPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")
If Err.Number = 0 Then
blnNewPPT = False
Else
Set appPPT = New PowerPoint.Application
blnNewPPT = True
End If
On Error GoTo 0
and then

With appPPT
If blnNewPPT Then
.Quit
Else
.ActivePresentation.Close
End If
End With

However, I suspect that code may not be good enough.
Do I not need to know whether the single instance of Powerpoint is being
used by another user, even if I created the instance within the code?


--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.

In article , Howard Kaikow wrote:
As of Powerpoint 2000, it is my understanding that there can only be a
single instance of Powerpoint running.
Is that still true for Powerpoint 2002 and 2003?

Still true. All versions from 97 on are devoutly single-instance.

A few things that might help distinguish between a session you invoked from
scratch and a reference to an existing session:

With app.PPT
if .Presentations.Count = 1 Then
if .Presentations(1).Path = "" and _
.Presentations(1).Name = "Presentation1" Then
' it's your session or
' somebody started PPT but hasn't done anything yet
End If
End if

End With

I've been using code such as the following:

'Get existing instance of PowerPoint; otherwise create a new one
' Powerpoint is a single instance application
On Error Resume Next
Set appPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")
If Err.Number = 0 Then
blnNewPPT = False
Else
Set appPPT = New PowerPoint.Application
blnNewPPT = True
End If
On Error GoTo 0
and then

With appPPT
If blnNewPPT Then
.Quit
Else
.ActivePresentation.Close
End If
End With

However, I suspect that code may not be good enough.
Do I not need to know whether the single instance of Powerpoint is being
used by another user, even if I created the instance within the code?


-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

"Steve Rindsberg" wrote in message
...
Still true. All versions from 97 on are devoutly single-instance.

Should "devoutly" be "devilishly"?

A few things that might help distinguish between a session you invoked
from
scratch and a reference to an existing session:

With app.PPT
if .Presentations.Count = 1 Then
if .Presentations(1).Path = "" and _
.Presentations(1).Name = "Presentation1" Then
' it's your session or
' somebody started PPT but hasn't done anything yet
End If
End if

End With

Ayup, I thought about those, but the real issue is control.
If I decide that I own the session and nobody else is using powerpoint,
there is still an instant or so, during which I'd be killing the critter and
somebdy might have just started a session.

I run only in a single user environment, so I cannot test some concerns?

Is the single instance of PowerPoint system wide, or is it on a desktop by
desktop basis, on a multi-user system?
If the latter, I could disable the desktop whilst I kill the critter.

In article , Howard Kaikow wrote:
"Steve Rindsberg" wrote in message
...
Still true. All versions from 97 on are devoutly single-instance.

Should "devoutly" be "devilishly"?

g

That depends on whether you want to have multiple instances or to be certain of
which instance you have. ;-)


A few things that might help distinguish between a session you invoked
from
scratch and a reference to an existing session:

With app.PPT
if .Presentations.Count = 1 Then
if .Presentations(1).Path = "" and _
.Presentations(1).Name = "Presentation1" Then
' it's your session or
' somebody started PPT but hasn't done anything yet
End If
End if

End With

Ayup, I thought about those, but the real issue is control.
If I decide that I own the session and nobody else is using powerpoint,
there is still an instant or so, during which I'd be killing the critter and
somebdy might have just started a session.

Point taken, and it'd be better to head that off at the pass if possible.
Still, in that case the worst that'd happen is that the new session wouldn't
start. I can't tell you how often I'm sure I doubleclicked something but got
no reaction, oh well, try again. Wouldn't this appear to be one of those? In
other words, it might be very mildly puzzling, surely far less than normal
Windows behavior can be, but wouldn't cause any loss of data.




I run only in a single user environment, so I cannot test some concerns?

Is the single instance of PowerPoint system wide, or is it on a desktop by
desktop basis, on a multi-user system?
If the latter, I could disable the desktop whilst I kill the critter.

It would almost have to be on a desktop by desktop basis, else PowerPoint would
be stumbling all over itself whenever two users had it active. Same would be
true of any app I'd think. Not so much true of the app, in fact, but a
question of whether Windows permits them to see one another. It'd have to be
keeping them all (and each user's session) in separate memory spaces wouldn't
it?

To be sure, that's speculation on my part.
-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

"Steve Rindsberg" wrote in message
...
That depends on whether you want to have multiple instances or to be
certain of
which instance you have. ;-)

The goal is to automate powerpoint from word in an a vb 6 program.
once the task is done, there's no need to retain the powerpoint instance,
not unlike a multi-use app, i.e., it's bad to allow instances of multi-use
apps to be left active.


Point taken, and it'd be better to head that off at the pass if possible.
Still, in that case the worst that'd happen is that the new session
wouldn't
start. I can't tell you how often I'm sure I doubleclicked something but
got
no reaction, oh well, try again. Wouldn't this appear to be one of those?
In
other words, it might be very mildly puzzling, surely far less than normal
Windows behavior can be, but wouldn't cause any loss of data.

I guess the best I can do, is lock the desktop momentarily, and check the
Presentations count.
If = 1, then I'd quit powerpoint, otherwise, I'd let it live and be
visible.

Of course, visibility is another issue.

If I created the instance with GetObject, instead of NEW, I'd have to take
care not to make powerpoint invisible if some else is udsing the critter.

It would almost have to be on a desktop by desktop basis, else PowerPoint
would
be stumbling all over itself whenever two users had it active. Same would
be
true of any app I'd think. Not so much true of the app, in fact, but a
question of whether Windows permits them to see one another. It'd have to
be
keeping them all (and each user's session) in separate memory spaces
wouldn't
it?

That's what I would think.
I'll code as if that were true, i.e., lock the desktop while using a NEW
powerpoint instance.

It has ben suggested that id, instead og killing the powerpoint instance, if
i just set it to Nothing, the instance of powerpoint will go away if there
are no other powerpoint sessions.

I'll try this later.

I would feel comfortable relying on this only if I saw documentation of this
behavior, and for powerpont 97, 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Came up with a "solution".
Seems too simple to be correct.

For the code below, one needs a Userform with 3 buttons.

1. Shut down any running PowerPoint.
2. Click on the Create PPT button.
3. After the program creates a PPT session, create a PPT session via the
GUI, not using the icon minimized by the code.
4. Click on the Close PPT button.
5. Click on the Bye Bye button.

This code would appear to work for those cases in which my code need not
keep a presentation alive. So, if I close all the code's presentations, this
method appears to work.

If I have to keep a presentation alive, that should be no problem as I just
would not close PowerPoint, just set its object variable = Nothing.

Does this hanky panky solve the problem?

Option Explicit
Private appPPT As Powerpoint.Application
Private blnNewPPT As Boolean
' Private MyPrivateName As String

Private Sub btnByeBye_Click()
Unload Me
End Sub

Private Sub btnClosePPT_Click()
With appPPT
If blnNewPPT Then
If .Presentations.Count = 0 Then
.Quit
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was Quit."
Else
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was NOT Quit."
End If
Else
On Error Resume Next
.ActivePresentation.Close
On Error GoTo 0
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance was not Quit."
End If
End With
Set appPPT = Nothing
lstActions.AddItem "Set instance = Nothing."
On Error Resume Next
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

Private Sub btnCreatePPT_Click()
'Get existing instance of PowerPoint; otherwise create a new one
On Error Resume Next
Set appPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
If Err.Number = 0 Then
blnNewPPT = False
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance is being used."
Else
Set appPPT = New Powerpoint.Application
blnNewPPT = True
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was created."
End If
With appPPT
' MyPrivateName = "HK" & Now & CDbl(Now)
.Visible = True
.WindowState = ppWindowMinimized
lstActions.AddItem "Presentations Count: " & .Presentations.Count
End With
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

The "solution" does not detect a Powerpoint session that has no
presentations, other than my own.

Is there an API, or some such that can tell me a reference count, or
whatever, number of PowerPoint instances being used?

P.S.: I've been using the wrong terminology. MSFT uses "multi-use" and I've
been using "single use".

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
"Howard Kaikow" wrote in message
...
Came up with a "solution".
Seems too simple to be correct.

For the code below, one needs a Userform with 3 buttons.

1. Shut down any running PowerPoint.
2. Click on the Create PPT button.
3. After the program creates a PPT session, create a PPT session via the
GUI, not using the icon minimized by the code.
4. Click on the Close PPT button.
5. Click on the Bye Bye button.

This code would appear to work for those cases in which my code need not
keep a presentation alive. So, if I close all the code's presentations,
this
method appears to work.

If I have to keep a presentation alive, that should be no problem as I
just
would not close PowerPoint, just set its object variable = Nothing.

Does this hanky panky solve the problem?

Option Explicit
Private appPPT As Powerpoint.Application
Private blnNewPPT As Boolean
' Private MyPrivateName As String

Private Sub btnByeBye_Click()
Unload Me
End Sub

Private Sub btnClosePPT_Click()
With appPPT
If blnNewPPT Then
If .Presentations.Count = 0 Then
.Quit
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was Quit."
Else
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was NOT Quit."
End If
Else
On Error Resume Next
.ActivePresentation.Close
On Error GoTo 0
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance was not Quit."
End If
End With
Set appPPT = Nothing
lstActions.AddItem "Set instance = Nothing."
On Error Resume Next
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

Private Sub btnCreatePPT_Click()
'Get existing instance of PowerPoint; otherwise create a new one
On Error Resume Next
Set appPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
If Err.Number = 0 Then
blnNewPPT = False
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance is being used."
Else
Set appPPT = New Powerpoint.Application
blnNewPPT = True
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was created."
End If
With appPPT
' MyPrivateName = "HK" & Now & CDbl(Now)
.Visible = True
.WindowState = ppWindowMinimized
lstActions.AddItem "Presentations Count: " & .Presentations.Count
End With
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

i stumbled upon a possible solution last night.
i'll try to verify later today or tonight.

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
"Howard Kaikow" wrote in message
...
The "solution" does not detect a Powerpoint session that has no
presentations, other than my own.

Is there an API, or some such that can tell me a reference count, or
whatever, number of PowerPoint instances being used?

P.S.: I've been using the wrong terminology. MSFT uses "multi-use" and
I've
been using "single use".

--
http://www.standards.com/; See Howard Kaikow's web site.
"Howard Kaikow" wrote in message
...
Came up with a "solution".
Seems too simple to be correct.

For the code below, one needs a Userform with 3 buttons.

1. Shut down any running PowerPoint.
2. Click on the Create PPT button.
3. After the program creates a PPT session, create a PPT session via the
GUI, not using the icon minimized by the code.
4. Click on the Close PPT button.
5. Click on the Bye Bye button.

This code would appear to work for those cases in which my code need not
keep a presentation alive. So, if I close all the code's presentations,
this
method appears to work.

If I have to keep a presentation alive, that should be no problem as I
just
would not close PowerPoint, just set its object variable = Nothing.

Does this hanky panky solve the problem?

Option Explicit
Private appPPT As Powerpoint.Application
Private blnNewPPT As Boolean
' Private MyPrivateName As String

Private Sub btnByeBye_Click()
Unload Me
End Sub

Private Sub btnClosePPT_Click()
With appPPT
If blnNewPPT Then
If .Presentations.Count = 0 Then
.Quit
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was Quit."
Else
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was NOT Quit."
End If
Else
On Error Resume Next
.ActivePresentation.Close
On Error GoTo 0
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance was not Quit."
End If
End With
Set appPPT = Nothing
lstActions.AddItem "Set instance = Nothing."
On Error Resume Next
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

Private Sub btnCreatePPT_Click()
'Get existing instance of PowerPoint; otherwise create a new one
On Error Resume Next
Set appPPT = GetObject(, "PowerPoint.Application")
lstActions.AddItem Err.Number & ":" & Err.Description
If Err.Number = 0 Then
blnNewPPT = False
lstActions.AddItem "Extant instance is being used."
Else
Set appPPT = New Powerpoint.Application
blnNewPPT = True
lstActions.AddItem "New instance was created."
End If
With appPPT
' MyPrivateName = "HK" & Now & CDbl(Now)
.Visible = True
.WindowState = ppWindowMinimized
lstActions.AddItem "Presentations Count: " &
..Presentations.Count
End With
On Error GoTo 0
End Sub

I guess the best I can do, is lock the desktop momentarily, and check the
Presentations count.
If = 1, then I'd quit powerpoint, otherwise, I'd let it live and be
visible.

Depending on user settings and version, PPT may automatically create a blank
presentation on startup, so presentation count might be 0 or 1 even if you've
invoked it. That's why I suggested the other rigamarole re checking the
presentation's name (always Presentation1 until it's been saved) and the path
(blank until it's been saved).