 | "I have Excel 2007"
All sheets are in Excel 97-03 format but from 2008/09, they have been made
compatible with the conversion function to the .xlsm format for Excel 2007
users. I would store both versions on-line, but it would take up too much
space. Besides, it only takes a few seconds to perform the conversion (off the
main Excel 2007 menu). I recommend doing the conversion if you have Excel 2007
- file sizes and speeds are greatly improved as a result.
|
| "I have Excel 2000 or Excel 97 and get
errors when I open the sheets"
I suspect you have Internet Explorer 7 installed. Note that Internet
Explorer 7 is not compatible with Excel 2000 and prior unless you are using
simple sheets. Microsoft no longer support these releases of Excel and have
advised users in this situation to upgrade their copy of Excel. If you
upgraded from Internet Explorer 6, then the cheaper approach is to rollback
your version of Internet Explorer.
|
| "I can't execute the macros"
Excel 2003 and prior: Ensure that your security level in Excel is set to medium
(Tools>Security) before you open the sheet. Medium tells Excel to ask you
whether to enable or disable macros whenever you open a sheet with code. The
default level is High, which automatically disables - an approach to virus
protection that seems to me be on a par with reducing road accidents by
disabling your car engine. I don't recommend Low, as this automatically
enables code without your permission.
|
| "Why don't you charge?"
The simple reason is that I don't want to and I don't need to. Whilst I
know that many people would be happy to donate a small amount, the cost of
providing the service is less than some people spend in the pub. I pay for
the domain name and website hosting service, which is currently NZ$25 a
month (although I may soon need to increase the storage space). The (sad)
fact is, I'd write most of these sheets for my own use anyway! There are
many free services that I make use of such as SpyBot S&D, Sso I guess this is my way of contributing my bit. Anyway, the nice
emails I receive and friends that I have made from this service justify the
effort. Plus I get to exercise my brain and increase my Excel and Visual
Basic knowledge from trying to rise to the challenge of adding new features.
|
| "Can you add a new function to your sheets?"
If I can! I'm always looking for new ideas. The
new function might not make it until the following release however. I can't
guarantee all requested functions will be introduced. It depends on whether I can
figure out a way to do it, if I agree that it is a good idea and if many
users are making the same request. The
limiting factor on some sheets is the impact on file size, but suggestions
are always welcome. I seem to have adopted a pattern of upgrading the league
sheets every other year, which probably has something to do with the World
Cup finals and European Championship finals consuming my spare time in the in-between
years!
|
| "Can you send me the protection passwords?"
No, sorry. Various reasons, not least once getting
sent a copy of one of my own spreadsheets re-badged as authored by someone
else. I know you won't do that, but I now adopt a blanket ban on sharing
passwords.
|
| "Can you help me with an Excel or Visual Basic problem?"
Probably not that well. I used to be able to give a lot of help, but
these days I really struggle to for time. You might want to look at the Experts
Exchange Office forum and
Ozgrid forum. There are some really smart gurus on there.
|
| "Can you create a special
spreadsheet just for me?"
I used to do a lot of one-off projects for many people over the years.
These days I really struggle for time. I travel a lot for work and get
inundated , so have met a very small percentage of requests the last couple of
years.
|
| "Where did you learn Excel and Visual Basic?" + "Please
tell me how to learn."
I'm self taught, with assistance from the Excel and Visual Basic help files
and sites on the links page. I like to experiment
and solve problems. The best way to learn is to play. It's very difficult to just learn Excel or
Visual Basic without a specific objective in mind. Start with a simple
objective and try to satisfy it. Then you can build on
that. When tackling a complex sheet or requirement, break it down into small
blocks and concentrate on achieving each block individually. I can't really
advise any specific books, although I have found John Walkenbach's Excel and
VB Programming book to be useful for dipping into.
|
| "Can I put a link to your website on my own site?"
Absolutely. No need to ask, although it's always interesting to know who
is linking to me.
|
| "Do you have a life?" + "Get a
life!" + "You should get out more!"
I know. |
