VB.net embedded powerpoint slideshow not proceeding

Question

I've an application which embed a powerpoint app in a panel and automatically runs the slideshow. This works well, even the animations on the powerpoint. However, when the form lost focus the slideshow stops and doesn't continue until the form has back focus.

This is a problem because the presentation has to run in the back while I'm doing other stuff on my PC. I was thinking it could be solved by a function in the user32.dll, to trigger the form it has focus or something like that. But until now I've not succeed to make this work well. Any idea on how to solve this problem?

The code I'm using to embed the powerpoint:

 Dim ofd As New OpenFileDialog
        If ofd.ShowDialog = Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK Then

            Dim pres As PowerPoint.Presentation
            Dim objslides As PowerPoint.Slides

            app = New PowerPoint.Application
            pres = app.Presentations.Open(ofd.FileName, MsoTriState.msoTrue, MsoTriState.msoTrue, MsoTriState.msoTrue)
            ' app.WindowState = PowerPoint.PpWindowState.ppWindowMinimized
            objslides = pres.Slides

            With pres.SlideShowSettings
                .LoopUntilStopped = MsoTriState.msoTrue
                .StartingSlide = 1
                .EndingSlide = objslides.Count
                .ShowType = PowerPoint.PpSlideShowType.ppShowTypeKiosk
                .AdvanceMode = PowerPoint.PpSlideShowAdvanceMode.ppSlideShowUseSlideTimings
                .ShowPresenterView = MsoTriState.msoFalse
                .ShowWithAnimation = MsoTriState.msoTrue
                .ShowWithNarration = MsoTriState.msoFalse
            End With

            sw = pres.SlideShowSettings.Run()

            Dim screenClasshWnd = FindWindow("screenClass", 0)

            SetParent(screenClasshWnd, Panel1.Handle)
            SetWindowPos(sw.HWND, 1, 0, 0, Panel1.Width, Panel1.Height, 0)

            swview = sw.View

Ano Ano · Accepted Answer · 2018-11-20T19:28:56

Finally, I found a workaround. After some research about PowerPoint, I discovered a slideshow opened in PowerPoint also 'freezes' when the application lost focus. So, to solve this, I opened the slideshow in an separated window:

With pres.SlideShowSettings
            .LoopUntilStopped = MsoTriState.msoTrue
            .StartingSlide = 1
            .EndingSlide = objslides.Count
            .ShowType = PowerPoint.PpSlideShowType.ppShowTypeWindow
            .AdvanceMode = PowerPoint.PpSlideShowAdvanceMode.ppSlideShowUseSlideTimings
            .ShowPresenterView = MsoTriState.msoFalse
            .ShowWithAnimation = MsoTriState.msoTrue
            .ShowWithNarration = MsoTriState.msoFalse
        End With

This delivers a slideshow within a form with the Windows 7-style borders. With the 'SetWindowPosition' in the user32.dll, the size and location of this window can be changed so the blue border isn't visible anymore.

VB.net embedded powerpoint slideshow not proceeding

1 Answers