Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

I have Excel 2000 and Excel 2007 installed on my machine.
When i create a personal macro workbook in Excel 2007, it creates it in
xlsb format, and also places it in the same folder that Excel 2000
checks for the personal Macro Workbook.
Is there a way to use the same Personal Macro Workbook for both Excel
2000 and Excel 2007?
If not, where should I save the personal macro workbvooks for each
version of Excel?

Thanks,

Darren

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use. E.g.,
I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007. Each of
these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup. Each of those
folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has the
code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the "open at
startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions XLStart folder.
When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files and then via the
shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).

--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)



"Darren Hill" wrote in message
...
I have Excel 2000 and Excel 2007 installed on my machine.
When i create a personal macro workbook in Excel 2007, it creates it in
xlsb format, and also places it in the same folder that Excel 2000 checks
for the personal Macro Workbook.
Is there a way to use the same Personal Macro Workbook for both Excel 2000
and Excel 2007?
If not, where should I save the personal macro workbvooks for each version
of Excel?

Thanks,

Darren

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

That's a great approach.
Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do
you use a personal.xls file as well?

Chip Pearson wrote:
What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use.
E.g., I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007.
Each of these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup.
Each of those folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has
the code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the
"open at startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions
XLStart folder. When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files
and then via the shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

By the way, I'm having trouble setting up this scheme.
I have a "C:\DarrensSettings" folder where I keep common files & locations.
I've created the following folders:
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2007"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2000"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XLCommon"
I've set up the xl2007 & xl2000 folders as startup locations, and put
shortcuts in them that point to the XLCommon folder.

Now whenever I start up either Excel I get a message that the XLCommon
folder can't be accessed as it's read-only.
When I try to change this setting on the folders in windows explorer, it
seems Windows keeps changing them back to Read Only.
I'm using WinXP SP2.

And now that I check, every single folder that I've checked so far,
whether in my documents or elsewhere is like this. Very worrying.

Darren Hill wrote:
That's a great approach.
Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do
you use a personal.xls file as well?

Chip Pearson wrote:
What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use.
E.g., I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and
C:\XLStart2007. Each of these contains version-specific files to be
opened at startup. Each of those folders also contains a Windows
shortcut to C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The
XLStartAllVersions.xls file has the code that is shared between all
versions of Excel. Then I set the "open at startup" setting for each
version of Excel to that versions XLStart folder. When Excel starts,
it opens the version-specific files and then via the shortcut opens
the common, all versions, file(s).

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

Ignore my previous posts about folder permission: I wasn't following
Chip's instructions properly (the old "ID 10 T" error).

But now I am having a problem. I've created an empty Personal.xls file
and put it in my XLCommon folder, and set up shortcuts to point to it.

It seems if I make any changes to this file in XL2007 (such as Unhiding
the workbook and then Hiding it again and doing nothing else), it gets
changed to a format that XL2000 can't recognise, AND I get a warning
whenever XL2007 starts up that the format does not match the extension.

It seems I can make changes in the VBE, and it opens fine in both - but
if I make any changes in the normal Excel view, in Excel 2007, it screws
up the file even if I save in Exel 2003 ocmpatibility mode.

Is this expected behaviour?

Thanks,
Darren

Chip Pearson wrote:
What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use.
E.g., I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007.
Each of these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup.
Each of those folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has
the code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the
"open at startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions
XLStart folder. When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files
and then via the shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do
you use a personal.xls file as well?

I don't have a personal.xls file. There is nothing particularly special
about personal.xls -- it is just another workbook. I have most everything in
my version-independent file XLStartAllVersion.xls file. I supposed it could
be named personal.xls, but there is no advantage to using that name, so to
answer your question, yes, XLStartAllVersions.xls replaces what would be
personal.xls.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)





"Darren Hill" wrote in message
...
That's a great approach.
Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do you
use a personal.xls file as well?

Chip Pearson wrote:
What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use.
E.g., I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007.
Each of these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup.
Each of those folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has
the code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the
"open at startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions
XLStart folder. When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files
and then via the shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).

Personal.xls file with multiple Excel versions
 

Make the shortcuts point to the actual files, not the directory.

--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel, 10 Years
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)

"Darren Hill" wrote in message
...
By the way, I'm having trouble setting up this scheme.
I have a "C:\DarrensSettings" folder where I keep common files &
locations.
I've created the following folders:
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2007"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XL2000"
"C:\DarrensSettings\XLStart\XLCommon"
I've set up the xl2007 & xl2000 folders as startup locations, and put
shortcuts in them that point to the XLCommon folder.

Now whenever I start up either Excel I get a message that the XLCommon
folder can't be accessed as it's read-only.
When I try to change this setting on the folders in windows explorer, it
seems Windows keeps changing them back to Read Only.
I'm using WinXP SP2.

And now that I check, every single folder that I've checked so far,
whether in my documents or elsewhere is like this. Very worrying.

Darren Hill wrote:
That's a great approach.
Does your XLStartAllVersions.xls replace the personal.xls file, or do you
use a personal.xls file as well?

Chip Pearson wrote:
What I do is create an XLStart folder for each version of Excel I use.
E.g., I have folders C:\XLStart2002, C:\XLStart2003 and C:\XLStart2007.
Each of these contains version-specific files to be opened at startup.
Each of those folders also contains a Windows shortcut to
C:\XLStart\XLStartAllVersions.xls. The XLStartAllVersions.xls file has
the code that is shared between all versions of Excel. Then I set the
"open at startup" setting for each version of Excel to that versions
XLStart folder. When Excel starts, it opens the version-specific files
and then via the shortcut opens the common, all versions, file(s).