Introducing OLE

The abbreviation OLE stands for Object Linking and Embedding. It enables Windows-based applications that support it to share information dynamically. That means that the object remembers where it came from and has special abilities based on that memory. Even though the name OLE is a little scary (it ranks right up there with SQL in my book!), the concept is very elementary, and anyone can understand and use it.

You already understand the term object in the PowerPoint sense, and the term is similar to that in the case of OLE. An object is any bit of data (or a whole file) that you want to use in another program. You can paste it in with no connection to its source, or you can link or embed it.

Two actions are involved in OLE: linking and embedding. Here are quick definitions of each:

• Linking creates a connection between the original file and the copy in your presentation, so that the copy is always updated.

• Embedding creates a connection between the object in the presentation and the application that originally created it, so that you can edit the object in that original application at any time from within PowerPoint.

The key difference is that linking connects to the source data file, whereas embedding connects to the source application.

For a link to be updatable, linked objects must already exist independently of the PowerPoint presentation. For example, if you want to link an Excel chart, you must first create that chart in Excel and save your work in an Excel file. That way, PowerPoint has a filename to refer to when updating the link.

Caution 

Links can slow down your presentation's loading and editing performance. Therefore, you should create links last, after you have finished adding content and polishing the formatting.

Linking and embedding are not appropriate for every insertion. If you want to use content (such as cells from an Excel worksheet or a picture from a graphics program) that will not change, it's best to copy it normally. For the Excel data cells or text from a Word document, use regular Copy/Paste; for the graphic image, use Picture (on the Insert tab). Reserve linking for objects that will change and that you will always need the most recent version of. Reserve embedding for objects that you plan to edit later and require the native applications editing tools to do so.

Here are some ideas of when linking or embedding might be useful:

• If you have to give the same presentation every month that shows the monthly sales statistics, link to your Excel worksheet where you track them during the month. Your presentation will always contain the most current data.

• If you want to draw a picture in Paint (a program that comes with Windows) or some other graphics program, embed the picture in PowerPoint. That way, you don't have to open Paint (or the other program) separately every time you want to work on the picture while you're fine-tuning your presentation. You can just double-click the picture in PowerPoint. You can always break the link when you finalize the presentation if you want to cut down on the file size.

• If you know that a coworker is still finalizing a chart or drawing, link to her working file on the network. Then whenever changes are made to it, your copy will also be updated. (Beware, however, that once you take your presentation away from the computer that has network access, you can no longer update the link.)

Linking and/or Embedding Part of a File

As I mentioned earlier, you can link or embed either a part of an existing file or the whole file. If you need only a part of an existing file, such as a few cells from a worksheet, an individual chart, or a few paragraphs of text, you use the following procedure:

1. In its native application, create or open the file containing the data you want to copy.

2. If you have just created the file, save it. The file should have a name before you go any further if you are linking; this is not necessary for embedding, but it won't hurt anything.

3. Select the data you want.

4. On the Home tab, click Copy, or press Ctrl+C.

5. Switch to PowerPoint and display the slide on which you want to paste the data.

6. On the Home tab, open the Paste button's menu and click Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog box opens. See Figure 15.3.

   
   Figure 15.3: Use the Paste Special dialog box to link or embed a piece of a data file from another program.

7. If you want to embed, leave Paste selected. If you want to link, click Paste Link.

8. Choose the format from the As list. Because you want to link or embed, choose a type that ends with the word object.

9. If you want the pasted object to appear as an icon instead of as itself, mark the Display as Icon check box. This check box might be unavailable if the object type you chose in step 8 does not support it.

10. Click OK. The object is placed in your presentation.

If you link the object, each time you open your PowerPoint presentation, PowerPoint checks the source file for an updated version. If you embed the object, you can double-click it at any time to open it in its native application for editing.

Perhaps you are wondering about the other data types. If you chose Paste in step 7 (rather than Paste Link), you will see other formats on the list. All of these are non-linkable, non-embeddable formats. The choices depend on the type of data, but include some of the following:

• Formatted Text (RTF). This data type formats text as it is formatted in the original file. For example, if the text is formatted as underlined in the original file, it is pasted as underlined text in PowerPoint.

• Unformatted Text. This option ignores the formatting from the native file and formats the text as the default PowerPoint font you've specified.

• Picture (Windows Metafile). The object appears as a 16-bit WMF-format graphic.

• Picture (Enhanced Metafile). The object appears as a 32-bit EMF-format graphic.

• Device Independent Bitmap. The object comes in as a bitmap picture, like a Windows Paint image.

EXPERT TIP 

Enhanced Metafile is, as the name implies, an updated and improved file format from Windows Metafile. It is a 32-bit format, whereas Windows Metafile is a 16-bit format. Enhanced metafile graphics cannot be used in MS-DOS or 16-bit Windows applications. If that backward-compatibility is important to use, use Windows Metafile. You can get more information about Windows metafiles at multivac.fatburen.org/localdoc/libwmf/caolan/ora-wmf.html.

Embedding an Entire File

Sometimes you might want to place an entire file on a PowerPoint slide-for example, if the file is small and contains only the object that you want to display, like a picture. To create this connection, you use the Object button (on the Insert tab), which is handier than the procedure you just learned because you do not have to open the other application.

1. In PowerPoint, display the slide on which you want to place the file.

2. On the Insert tab, click Object. The Insert Object dialog box opens.

3. Click the Create from File button. The controls change to those shown in Figure 15.4.

   
   Figure 15.4: Enter the filename or browse for it with the Browse button.

4. Click Browse, and use the Browse dialog box to locate the file you want. Then click OK to accept the filename.

5. (Optional) If you want to link instead of embed the file, mark the Link check box.

   Caution 

   Do not link to a file housed on a disk that might not always be available during your presentation. For example, don't link to a floppy unless you are also storing the presentation file on the same floppy. And don't link to a network drive unless you know the network will be available at show time from the computer on which you will present.

6. Click OK. The file is inserted on your PowerPoint slide.

You can tell that the file is embedded, rather than simply copied, because when you double-click it, it opens in its native application. In contrast, when you double-click an item that is copied without embedding, its Properties box or some other PowerPoint-specific dialog box opens in PowerPoint. If you choose to link the object, you need to edit it in the native application.

Embedding a New File

If you want to embed a foreign object, but you haven't created that object yet, a really easy way to do so is to embed it on the fly. When you do this, the controls for the program open within PowerPoint (or in a separate application window, depending on the application) and you can create your object. Then, your work is saved within PowerPoint rather than as a separate file.

1. Open PowerPoint and display the slide on which you want to put the new object.

2. Choose Insert Object. The Insert Object dialog box appears.

3. Click Create New. A list of available object types appears. See Figure 15.5.

   
   Figure 15.5: Choose the object type you want to create. The object types listed come from the OLE-compliant programs installed on your PC.

4. Click the object type you want and then click OK. The application opens.

5. Depending on the application, additional dialog boxes might appear. For example, if you are creating a new graphic object, a box might appear asking you about the size and color depth. Respond to any dialog boxes that appear for creating the new object.

6. Create the object using the program's controls. The program might be in a separate window from PowerPoint, or it might be contained within the PowerPoint window as in Figure 15.6.

   
   Figure 15.6: The embedded program's controls appear, with PowerPoint in the background.

7. When you are finished, if the program was opened within PowerPoint, click anywhere on the slide outside of that object's frame. Or, if the application was in a separate window, choose File Exit and Return to Filename (where Filename is the name of your PowerPoint file). If you are prompted to save the file, choose No.

   EXPERT TIP 

   If you are prompted to save the object in a file and you choose Yes, the application creates a copy of the object that exists outside of PowerPoint. The copy is not linked to PowerPoint.

   If you are asked whether you want to update the object in filename before proceeding, you should choose Yes. This prompt occurs in many of the applications that open in separate windows.

8. Resize and move the object on the slide as necessary.

Because you are creating a file that doesn't have a name or saved location separate from the PowerPoint presentation, there is no need to link it to anything. Embedding is the only option.