how to "install" a template or macro

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Joe Stateson - 26 Jul 2007 19:08 GMT

I am new to excel templates and I have a template file (.xlt) and a macro
file (.xls) but together by a friend, and I would like to put them into an
"exe" type install.

Looking around at microsoft downloads I found a "sample 2000 template" for
downloading
http://tinyurl.com/2h7vsh I ran it and simply asked were to put the
template. It did not use installshield, wise, etc. Very simple.

This is more complicated as a macro file is involved. Isnt it supposed to
go into XLSTART or something like that? On an XP system, I looked in
program files and under "microsoft office" I see that I have office10,
office11 and office12 directories but only office11 has a directory XLSTART

On a windows 2000 system, that directory is under "office" not office11, 10
or 12.

Is this explained anywhere?

I have a "free" version of install shield that came with VC 6++ and I assume
that can arrange to put stuff into xlstart or where-ever. That is old,
probably before XP. Can someone suggest anything better? This is not a
commercial disbribution, just in-house.

..thanks in advance..

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Joe Stateson - 30 Jul 2007 14:12 GMT

>I am new to excel templates and I have a template file (.xlt) and a macro
>file (.xls) but together by a friend, and I would like to put them into an
>"exe" type install.

I managed to do this by arranging installshield to "duplicate the files" and
put both the macro and the template into "office\xlsstart" for win2k &
office2000 and also into "office11\xlsstart" for XP and Office2003. It was
too hard to tell whether "office" or "office11" was actually being used and
potentially both might be on the target system.

I also had to search for and rename all files ending in .xlb else the new
macros would not get into the toolbar. I didnt want to delete the xlb file
so I tried renameing it but I did not see a clean way to rename excel11.xlb
as I cant just use "old_excel.xlb" as that will fail on the next install.

Is there any problem just deleteing the xlb files? Can I assume the xlb
files are always in users "Application Data" and not bother searching the
entire C drive?

..thanks..

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Gord Dibben - 30 Jul 2007 20:59 GMT

Not a nice thing to do to users who may have customized their Menus and
Toolbars.

Why don't you run code from the Template that creates a Toolbar then deletes it
when the workbook closes?

Don't be mucking around with your users' *.xlb files.

Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

>Is there any problem just deleteing the xlb files? Can I assume the xlb
>files are always in users "Application Data" and not bother searching the
>entire C drive?

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Joe Stateson - 31 Jul 2007 17:51 GMT

> Not a nice thing to do to users who may have customized their Menus and
> Toolbars.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Don't be mucking around with your users' *.xlb files.

Thanks Gord, I talked to the person that did the template and the macro and
he said that when the macros were in the template, if 2 or more spreadsheets
were open (sometimes up to 5 linked together for big projects ) that the
toolbar button did not apply the macros to the correct or active
spreadsheet. He said that problem disappeared if the macros were in not in
the templates. When the macro was in the xlb file and you applied it, it
always processed the correct spreadsheet and did not get confused. It might
also be user error and possibly we could re-investigate the problem and fix
it. Currently, it works if we remove the old xlb file.

Currently we have not had any users that have complained they "lost"
anything when the xlb files was renamed but we are aware it could happen and
one of these days someone might complain.

..thanks..

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