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Navigating PowerPoint Using Radio Buttons or Combo Boxes

You can create navigation controls using Option Buttons or Combo Boxes from the Control Toolbox.  These controls are designed to provide an easy way to assign code to perform functions when they are clicked.  Below is a description of how to use Option Buttons to navigate through your presentation.  There is a sample download for both Option Buttons and Combo Boxes at the bottom of the explanation.

  1. Open a blank presentation and create four slides
  2. On Slide 1, right-click the toolbar area and click "Control Toolbox"
  3. Click the "OptionButton" tool and draw a button on your slide
  4. With the button selected, press CTRL+D twice to duplicate two more buttons. Move as necessary to align them (you can use the aligning tools under the "Draw" button on the Drawing Toolbar"
  5. Right-click each button and select "Properties"
  6. Set the "Caption" property to "Slide 1", "Slide 2", "Slide 3" for each of them respectively
  7. Click the "CommandButton" control from the Control Toolbox and draw a button on the same slide
  8. Right-Click the button and select "Properties" (unless the window is still open)
  9. Type "Select Slide" as the "Caption" property
  10. Close the "Properties" window
  11. Double-click the button and copy/paste the following code where the cursor is:

Dim Slide2 As OptionButton

Dim Slide3 As OptionButton

Dim Slide4 As OptionButton

 

Set Slide2 = ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("OptionButton1").OLEFormat.Object

Set Slide3 = ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("OptionButton2").OLEFormat.Object

Set Slide4 = ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("OptionButton3").OLEFormat.Object

 

If Slide1.Value = True Then

ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow.View.GotoSlide (2)

End If

 

If Slide2.Value = True Then

ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow.View.GotoSlide (3)

End If

 

If Slide3.Value = True Then

ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow.View.GotoSlide (4)

End If

  1. Close the Visual Basic Editor window or merely click the PowerPoint taskbar button at the bottom to return to your slides
  2. Go to each of the three other slides and set the Slide layout to have a Title placeholder on it and type something in each title to ensure you know it is working (I typed "Slide 2", "Slide 3", "Slide 4")
  3. Go to Slide 2 and click the "AutoShapes" icon on the Drawing Toolbar, select "Action Buttons" and click the top left button (Custom). Draw a button on the slide.
  4. Click the "Hyperlink to" dropdown arrow and select "First Slide". Click "OK" to close
  5. Right-click the button and select "Add Text". Type "Return". Press "ESC" to select the button (get out of edit typing mode)
  6. Press CTRL+C to copy the button
  7. Press the PAGEDOWN button to go to the next slide and press CTRL+V to paste the button on the next slide. Repeat for the last slide
  8. Go back to the first slide and go into Slide Show Mode and test it out

Download File

To download the sample Option Button file - Click Here

To download the sample Combo Box file - Click Here

Please keep in mind that this file (once unzipped) uses VBA and as such your Macro Security MUST be set to MEDIUM and you MUST click "Enable Macros" when asked.

If you would like to learn how PTT, Inc. can create customized presentations using VBA, contact us at info@pttinc.com.  Be sure to check out the CBT sample at http://www.pttinc.com/cbt_development.htm.