Excel XP Add-in problem with network shares
 

Hi there,

Here is the background to my problem:

- I have an add-in that I frequently add new functionality to, so I
chose to keep it on a network share (say "Q:\MyAddIn.xla") and have
made sure that all users have installed the add-in and clicked "no"
when asked if they want to copy it locally. This means I can overwrite
it with new versions and users just have to re-start Excel to get the
new version.

- The add-in is basically a series of functions that users can enter
into spreadsheet cells as formulae.

- We also have another office location on a different LAN who use
these spreadsheets and need this add-in, but they do not have a Q:
drive, so I have put it on their X: drive and similarly have insalled
the add-in on their user's machines without copying it locally. Again
this means it is easy to update their version of the add-in by sending
my version over and overwriting the X: file.

- The problem is that when a user in the X: location opens a
spreadsheet that has been prepared and saved in the Q: location (as
they all are), the cells containing functions from the add-in do not
update - they come out as "'Q:\MyAddIn.xla'!MyFunction(...)" - i.e. the
location of the add-in at our end is hard-coded into the spreadsheet.

This is most annoying - why can't the spreadsheet know that the
function comes from MyAddIn.xla, and to just look up where the local
user's copy of the add-in is based rather than assuming it is located
at Q:\?

Any ideas how to get round this problem? I'd rather not have to give
users local copies of the add-in as this would be a real pain to keep
updated.

Thanks in advance.

Richard Fewster, London