In this topic
- About using double-click deployment
- Deploying your add-in by double-clicking
- Using the customization
About using double-click deployment
This topic guides you through the process of deploying an .esriaddin file that has already been provided. Copy the .esriaddin to a location (for example, C:\temp). This scenario assumes that you have an .esriaddin file, in this case an ArcMap add-in that has a single button. Double-click deployment is applicable to all types of add-ins that have been deployed and is not tied to Eclipse or other workflows. Double-click deployment is a technique that simplifies the sharing process of add-ins.
Deploying your add-in by double-clicking
Do the following to deploy your add-in assuming you have an .esriaddin file in C:\temp:
- Start Windows Explorer and navigate to the C:\temp location.
- Double-click your add-in. See the following screen shot:
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Click Install Add-In. If the deployment is successful, another dialog box appears indicating that the add-in was successfully deployed to the well known location. Typically, an add-in is successful on installation unless the file is being used by another application.
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Click OK.
At this stage, your add-in file has been deployed to the well known location. If you navigate to one of the following locations next, you will see your .esriaddin:
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%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\ArcGIS\AddIns\Desktop10.0
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%USERPROFILE%\Documents\ArcGIS\AddIns\Desktop10.0
The location depends on the Windows operating system version you have. See the system requirements for supported Windows operating systems.
There is also a slight variation to the double-click deployment called the add-in file registration utility and can also be used to deploy your add-ins. This approach achieves the same thing as double-click deployment and therefore, either method can be used.
Do the following to use the file registration utility:
- Right-click the .esriaddin file and select Open With.
- Choose ESRI ArcGIS AddIn File Registration Utility. See the following screen shot:
Using the customization
Once you have successfully deployed your add-in to the well known location, you are now ready to use the customization in the ArcGIS for Desktop application for which it was designed. Since the previous add-in was designed for ArcMap, the following shows you how to work with the add-in through ArcMap.
- Start ArcMap.
- Click the Customize menu and click Add-In Manager. The Add-In Manager dialog box appears. See the following screen shot:
One way to verify that the deployed add-in works is to access the Add-In Manager, which lists all of the add-ins that it has registered (under the My Add-Ins section). On the right side of the Add-In Manager, additional metadata about the add-in is available. On the preceding screen shot, an ArcMap Button has been deployed. Each desktop application only identifies add-ins that are designed for it. In this case, you should never see an ArcCatalog or any other type of add-in on ArcMap's Add-In Manager list. -
Click Customize. The Customize dialog box appears.
If you click the Customize menu in ArcMap and choose Customize Mode, the same Customize dialog box appears as in Step 3.
- On the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab. See the following screen shot:
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Under the Categories section, click the ArcMap Add-Ins category.
The category you supplied in your add-in, determines the name that is shown here. In this example, ArcMap Add-Ins was the provided category for the defined button and is shown under the Categories section on the Commands tab.
- On the right, select ArcMap Button, then drag it on to an existing toolbar on ArcMap's graphical user interface (GUI).
- Click the Custom button. A message dialog box appears with the "Hello, World!" message. Similarly, tools can also be found in the same location as buttons. Toolbars will be found on the Toolbars tab on the Customize dialog box. All other add-ins are exposed using different techniques and are discussed in each topic that describes each add-in.
| Development licensing | Deployment licensing |
|---|---|
| ArcGIS for Desktop Basic | ArcGIS for Desktop Basic |
| ArcGIS for Desktop Standard | ArcGIS for Desktop Standard |
| ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced | ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced |