4 Install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel

To install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel, download and run one of the two available installers. You can download these installers from the Oracle Downloads page.

There are two available installers for the add-in: a "Current User" installer and an "All Users" installer. Use the Current User installer to install the add-in on your local desktop for your own use. The All Users installer is intended for IT administrators.

The add-in runs in Excel on a Windows environment and requires some additional Microsoft components. Check out the Required Software topic for details before you begin your installation.

Installer Types

The Current User installer installs the add-in for the current user’s Windows profile only. If there are other people using this computer, they will need to install the add-in for their own Windows profile.

When you use the All Users installer, the add-in is available for all users on the target Windows machine.

Refer to this table for a full comparison of the two installers:

Comparison	Current User	All Users
File name	vbafe-installer.exe	vbafe-installer-all-users.msi
Installation Location	Current Windows user profile	Program Files
Target Audience	Excel users	IT administrators
Prerequisite Installer	Included	Not included
Installer File Type	Executable (EXE)	Windows Installer Package (MSI)
Windows Registry Entry	HKEY_CURRENT_USER	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Elevated Privileges	Not required	Required

Required Software

The Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel runs in Excel on a Windows environment and requires some additional Microsoft components. Make sure your system has all the required software before you begin your installation.

The add-in has the following software requirements:

• Microsoft Excel
• Windows
• Internet Explorer (IE). See Embedded Browser Notes for more information about how IE is integrated with the add-in.
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7 or later
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office (VSTO) Runtime

Refer to Supported Platforms for lists of supported Excel, Windows, and IE versions.

The .NET Framework 4.8 is included with the May 2019 update of Windows 10. The VSTO runtime is included with most recent versions of Excel. So, if you are running recent versions of Windows and Excel, you should already have these components.

The Current User installer checks your environment for these components and will launch the required Microsoft installers for .NET Framework and VSTO runtime. These installers require elevated privileges and, in some cases, a reboot.

The All Users installer does not check your system for required software. Run the Health Check tool to ensure you have all required software and versions. If you are missing these required components, follow the instructions in the Health Check tool to install the required software.

Install Using the Current User Installer

To install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel for the current user’s profile, download the Current User installer (vbafe-installer.exe) from the Oracle Downloads page and run the wizard.

You don’t need elevated privileges to install the add-in for a current user. However, if your system is missing required software, the installer will launch the required Microsoft Installers to install the missing components. These installers may require elevated privileges. Contact your network administrator for assistance if required.

Make sure that the proxy settings for Internet Explorer are configured to allow access to "*.microsoft.com". The installer may need to access Microsoft's website to download missing components.

The add-in includes designer tools for developing workbooks. These tools are included by default. If you are an application developer, make sure to install the designer tools with the add-in. If you need these tools but don’t have them, simply rerun the installer and enable the designer tools.

This installation is specific to the current Windows user profile. If multiple users on a Windows machine need the add-in, each of them must log in to their profile and run the installer in order to use the add-in.

1. Sign in to the Windows user profile that will be using the add-in with Excel.

   Note:

   The Current User installer does not require elevated privileges. Do not run the current-user installer with elevated privileges.
2. Quit Excel before you begin installation.
3. Double-click the vbafe-installer.exe file that you downloaded previously to launch the installation wizard.
   The add-in includes a full set of commands for designing layouts, publishing workbooks, and more. If you don't need these tools, you can install the add-in without them.
4. Click Developer Options and select Disabled.

   Tip:

   If you need these tools after initial installation, re-run the installer, choose the option to repair your installation, and select Enabled.
5. Click Install.
   
   
   Description of the illustration install_wizard.png
   
   
6. The add-in requires the Microsoft .NET Framework and Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime on your computer. If these components are missing, you are prompted to install them.

   Note:

   You must have elevated privileges to install Microsoft .NET Framework and Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime.
7. Once installation is complete, click Close.
8. Start Excel and open a new workbook.

   A new Oracle Visual Builder ribbon tab appears, with commands to integrate the Excel spreadsheet with a REST service. If you disabled the design tools during installation, you won't see the Design options in the first pane on the ribbon.

   
   Description of the illustration ribbontab.png

   When you first run Excel after the current-user installation, you may be prompted to confirm the installation of the "Office customization". This prompt generally appears the first time for each profile and whenever the digital certificate (used to sign the add-in) is changed.

Run the Current User Installer from the Command Line

If you want to install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel from the command prompt, you can use command-line switches with the vbafe-installer.exe file to control or customize your installation.

1. Open a command prompt and change to the directory where you saved the installer.
2. Type vbafe-installer.exe followed by any required switches. For example, to perform a “silent” install in the current user's roaming profile:

   vbafe-installer.exe /quiet /roaming 1

Table 3-1 Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel Installer Command-Line Switches

Switch	Description
/help	Displays a list of supported switches with description.
/quiet	Suppresses the interactive mode of the installer and does not install any missing prerequisite software. You can combine this switch with others to customize your silent installation.
/designer 0 | 1	Use this switch as follows: 0 to disable the designer tools and install only the data tools. 1 to enable the designer tools. This is the default installation option, unless a previous installation setting exists.
/log path	Runs the installer and directs the log output to the specified log file. The default log file location is %TEMP%\vbcs\vbcs-installer-log.txt.
/roaming 0 | 1	Use this switch as follows: 0 to install the add-in to the local application data folder (%localappdata%\Oracle\Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel). Use /roaming 0 to install to the local application data folder during an upgrade from a prior installation that was installed to the roaming application data folder. 1 to install the add-in to the user’s roaming application data folder (%appdata%\Oracle\Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel). This is the default installation location.

Install Using the All Users Installer

To install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel for all users, download the All Users installer from the Oracle Downloads page and run the wizard.

Before you begin, make sure your system has all the required software and versions. If any required software is missing, the installation terminates without installing the add-in. Refer to Required Software for details including information on how to check for and install required components.

You must have elevated privileges for this installation.

The add-in includes designer tools for developing workbooks by default. If the user doesn't need these tools, you can disable them when you install the add-in. If these tools are needed later on, simply rerun the installer and enable them.

This installation is available to all users on the Windows machine. You do not need to install the add-in separately for each user profile.

1. Double-click the vbafe-installer-all-users.msi file that you downloaded previously to launch the installation wizard.
   If you are not logged in with elevated privileges, you’ll be prompted to provide credentials with elevated privileges.

   The add-in includes a full set of commands for designing layouts, publishing workbooks, and more. If your users don't need these tools, you can install the add-in without them.

2. Click Developer Options and select Disabled.
   If you need to enable these tools after initial installation, re-run the installer, choose the option to repair your installation, and select Enabled.
3. Once installation is complete, click Close.
4. Start Excel and open a new workbook.

   A new Oracle Visual Builder ribbon tab appears, with commands to integrate the Excel spreadsheet with a REST service. If you disabled the design tools during installation, you won't see the Design options in the first pane on the ribbon.

   
   Description of the illustration ribbontab.png

Run the All Users Installer from the Command Line

Since the All Users installer is a standard Windows Installer Package (MSI), you can run msiexec on the command line to install Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel.

msiexec includes a number of options that let you control or customize your installation. See Standard Installer Command-Line Options on the Microsoft web site.

Examples

The following example shows a silent installation with logging enabled:

msiexec /package vbafe-installer-all-users.msi /quiet /log vbafe-install-log.txt

The following example shows a silent uninstall:

msiexec /uninstall vbafe-installer-all-users.msi /quiet

Unsupported Options

Not all msiexec options are relevant or supported for Add-in installation. Unsupported options include /j and /a.

Enable Designer Tools

The All-Users installer defines a public property, “DESIGNER”, that can be used to enable or disable designer tools during command-line installation. To disable designer tools from the command-line, set DESIGNER=0. Refer to the msiexec documentation for details on how to set public properties during installation.

When performing an upgrade or repair, the installer uses the previously set value if this property is omitted.

Upgrade to the Latest Version

To take advantage of all the latest Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel features, make sure you are running an up-to-date version of the add-in. To upgrade to a new version, simply download and run the installer.

To check for new versions, select Check for Updates from the Advanced drop-down on the Oracle Visual Builder ribbon. If a newer version is available, you’ll be prompted to open the Oracle Downloads page in your browser.

You do not need to uninstall the previous version unless the installer instructs you to do so.

If you want to upgrade from one installation type to the other, uninstall the existing instance of the add-in first.

To determine which type of installation you have, run a diagnostic report and check the "Code Base" property under Properties. If the path is under the current user profile, the add-in was installed using the Current User installer. If the path is under Program Files, the add-in was installed using the All Users installer.

To run the diagnostic report, select Diagnostic Report from the Advanced drop-down on the Oracle Visual Builder ribbon.

To ensure a clean upgrade, follow these instructions when upgrading your installation.

1. Before you upgrade the add-in:
   1. Upload any pending changes using the current add-in version.
   2. Save changes in open workbooks, then close Excel.
2. Run the installer for the new version and follow the instructions in the wizard. The installer automatically replaces the previous version with the new version.
3. After you upgrade:
   1. Launch Excel to complete any final installation steps.
   2. Open your integrated workbook.
   3. Clear any layouts of old data and download data again as required.

Uninstall the Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel

Uninstall the add-in from the Windows Settings app.

If you're uninstalling the Current User version, sign in to the Windows user profile where the add-in is installed.

1. From the Start Menu, select Settings, then Apps.
2. From the Apps & Features page, select Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel from the list of programs.

   Tip:

   Type "Oracle" in the search box to filter on Oracle applications.
3. Click Uninstall and follow the instructions.
4. If you have performed a current user installation for multiple Windows user profiles and you want to uninstall them all, log in to each profile and repeat these steps.

Supported Platforms

Oracle Visual Builder Add-in for Excel runs in Excel on Windows. This section provides details on which versions are supported. Review this topic carefully to make sure your configuration is supported.

Microsoft Excel

Version	Support Expires
Excel 2016	2025
Excel 2019	2025
Excel for Microsoft 365 (desktop installation only)	Refer to Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy.

Note:

We recommend the 32-bit version of Excel whenever possible, as the 64-bit editions have been found to be less stable. Refer to the Microsoft article, 64-bit editions of Office 2013.

The following editions of Excel don't support VSTO/COM add-ins and are, therefore, not supported:

• Excel Online
• Excel for Microsoft 365 installed from the Microsoft Store

Microsoft 365 "Beta" and "Preview" update channels provide experimental versions of Excel. Oracle cannot provide support for software from these channels.

Microsoft Windows

The add-in is supported on Windows 10.

Note:

Please ensure that your version (or "feature update") of Windows 10 is still in service according to the Microsoft policy. Oracle cannot provide support for versions beyond Microsoft's end of servicing date. See Windows 10 Lifecycle Policy.

The add-in isn't supported on:

• Windows server editions
• MacOS, iOS, Linux, or any other operating system

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

The Visual Builder Add-in for Excel was designed and tested to work on regular Windows desktop and laptop computers. A number of vendors offer virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions to provide virtual machines that mimic a standard Windows desktop environment. Some VDI implementations reproduce the standard desktop very closely whereas others are significantly different. Refer to Desktop Virtualization for an overview of this technology.

Oracle does not test the add-in with VDI products formally. VDI products are not supported on an official basis.

Even though it may be possible to run the add-in on some virtual machines successfully, doing so is strictly at your own risk. If you run into problems, you’ll have to reproduce the problem on a standard desktop computer before Oracle Support can assist you. If the problem appears to be a VDI issue, contact your VDI vendor for help.

Microsoft Application Virtualization

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) is not supported in any version at this time.

Notes

• If a software application or version isn't listed here, it is not supported.
• Later versions of Excel and Windows are not automatically supported when they become available. Support can only be added through an enhancement request.
• We don't support the add-in on unsupported software. If a vendor drops support for a given software version, our support ends at the same time. This is true even if the software is listed here.
• Microsoft may not support all possible combinations of their software and operating systems listed here. If Microsoft doesn't support a given combination, we don't either. If you're unsure if your versions of Excel and Windows are compatible, consult your software or operating system documentation.
• Support expiration dates are determined by Microsoft support policies. See Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.