I don't think tghere is really ANY difference in the approaches you listed.
They all are unique solutions where the source and destijnatoins are specific
to your application.

the only way one may have an advantage in your program is if you need to
write a similar routine in other places in your workbook. for example if
your macro has an option to read CSV files to load new data. Then export the
data to CSV from the old application. the reading of the CSV file can be the
same routine you would use to read new data. Otherwise all your approaches
are similar in the complxity.

I think mvoing the data directly from the old worksheet to the new worksheet
is probably the fastest, but moving data to a CSV file may make the program
easier to debug and get working.

"Pat Dreiding" wrote:

I'm look for solution options for the situation I've put myself into.
This is with Excel 2003.

I've created a mutli-sheet template where each sheet contains user input
cells and predefine equations, formats, etc... You get the picture.
My problem is if I make an update to the template, transferring of data
from a previously populated workbook is copy & paste value.
A real waste of time and effort. The worksheet are not standard table
format so each one has it's own look & feel.

Approaches I'm considering a
a.. Add macro(s) to enable users to select the previous version and go
from sheet to sheet and brute-force copying the data from the old version
to the new. {I don't like this method because it's very specific to the
templates and has little reuse capability for other applications}

b.. Add macro(s) to enable users to export the previous version to a
standard format (CSV, XML) file and then have macro(s) to read the file
and populate the new template. {This approach sounds cleaner, but I'm not
sure of a easy way to extract & export the data and import & populate}

c.. Add macro(s) to enable users to export the previous version,
populate a set of Collections & Classes to capture the previous data to
and then populate the new template from the Collection. {This approach
has the possibility of reuse. Can the data structure for each previous and
new templates be defined within the Class definitions so only a few
"reusable" extract and populate macro(s) need to be written? What would
the Classes contain?}

d.. Your suggestions he

With your help and suggestions we could define a solution that will work
all of us with this kind of problems.

Thank,
- Pat