"Don Guillett" wrote:
goto the yahoo group called xltraders
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xltraders/
I have a free file there called "GetYahooMultipleHistory"
under the author donalb36.

First, how do you find these tools? When I click on "Files",
I get an alphabetized list. Is that list complete? For example,
I do not find GetYahooMultipleHistory per se, but I do find
GetYahooMultipleHistory97a_P. Is that what you really
meant, or am I missing something?

Second, it would be nice if the xltraders contributors adopted
an open-source approach to their tools. For example, the
macros in your tool are passworded. Thus: (a) I cannot
learn from them; (b) I cannot leverage them -- i.e, modify
them for my own purposes or incorporate them into my
workbook; and (c) I cannot review the implementation to
be sure that it does not contain trojan horses, viruses, and
other malicious code.

(If the OP simply needs the data to cut-and-paste into the
OP's workbook, the OP might as well use Yahoo's CSV-formatted
download feature. But the OP's requirement seems quite
clear: the OP wants to implement a user-friendly interface
in __his/her__ own spreadsheet.)

Finally, what assurance does a user have that xltraders files
do not contain trojan horses, viruses or other malicious code?
I presume the answer is "none". In that case, I would only
open such spreadsheets (with active macros) in a limited-user
account. And if I cannot look at the macros, I would be loathe
to ever use the spreadsheet in an unlimited-user (adminsitrator)
account. That further limits the usefulness of xltraders tools.
Am I being prudent or too risk-adverse?

Perhaps this should be discussed in the xltraders group. But
I think it is appropriate to highlight the "red flags" here, since
you have steered a number of people to xltraders tools in the
past.