Embedding my .NET control in MS Project 2003

Question

I need to extend MS Project's functionality for my company, so I would like to embed some .NET GUI controls into Project. The plan is that my controls save the user input into my custom DB tables, but I do have to bind them to tasks, current user, resources etc. Could you give me some advise how to start? I am interested in:

• Sample apps/walk-throughs, how to embed a control into MS Project.
• How to bind user input of my control to current context (e.g., currently selected task)
• Since the control runs on the client side, how can I roll it out enterprise wide.

Answer 1

AFAIK you can not embed a control in Project, all you can do is make a plugin.

Answer 2

I think you want to use Project Server. You can define Enterprise codes that travel along with your resources, tasks and so on. You can also report on them, sort, filter and all of that good stuff along with the normal project information (Dates, Resources, Costs ...).

If you don't have the infrastructure/funding to do all of that, an alternative approach would be to standardize all of the project plans your firm uses, and customize the template that the plans are based on. (Tools | Customize will let you add custom fields, and modify the default forms.) You can modify the tables used for reporting in (View | More Tables) You can do a lot of customization this way, and still have all of your information in the Project Plan instead of spread across an mpp file and a database.

Answer 3

AFAIK, this version of Office supports just COM plug-ins, so you'd have to use a COM Callable Wrapper. It's certainly possible though.

Answer 4

Add-In Express is a great library for writing .Net plugins for MS Office, including Project.

Can't say I've used it with Project myself (only Visio really), but I know there is support for it, so might be worth a look!

It greatly simplifies the writing on plug-ins / add-ins so it might be easier to see if it can do what you're after.