Below is a request that I received. Some are, of course, simple to
implement, but others, like tracking every change the user makes, look like
an enormous amount of change event coding. Has anyone done something like
this?

We want to implement some sort of macro that lets users unlock our pricing
tools. Ideally it would work something like this.

-1. User opens, from the public drive, a copy of the read-only tool.
0. User works with the copy (entering numbers, etc).
1. User pushes a button on the tool when user wants to unlock the tool (so
the user can write formulas, sort, filter, . . .).
2. An email is sent informing us of the button being pushed.
3. A permanent message is put on the tool, saying that it has been
modified.
4. The spreadsheet is unlocked.
5. (Possibly) Hidden sheets, columns, and rows are unhidden.
6. Any changes the user makes after the button is pushed are tracked so
when someone reviews the user's work they can easily see what has been
changed.

I was thinking that the default font, color, or background color would be
changed (but only for cells that get modified after the button is pushed).
It may be possible to do this some other way (share and track changes?).

Once the button has been pushed, there is no way to un-push the button.

Any ideas about how to do this? Feasibility? Alternative approaches?

Don <donwiss at panix.com.