Financial Projection Software:
FAQs & Checklist for Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016,
365 and Windows 7,8,10

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For more Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs for Users and FAQs for Newcomers.

Using Exl-Plan with Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365?
All existing versions and editions of Exl-Plan run very satisfactorily in compatibility mode with Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365. There should be no problems even if you are using a very old release of Exl-Plan and/or upgrading from an elderly version of Excel. However, certain procedures and commands work differently in Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 on account of its new file types, security features and interface. These are fully explained in the Checklist and FAQs below for the benefit of new and established users of Exl-Plan. For FAQs on all other matters, see FAQs for Newcomers and FAQs for Users.

If new to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2016, 365 or hit a problem, review the Checklist immediately below as it addresses issues in a logical sequence. For answers to specific questions, refer to the appropriate FAQs further down.

1. Checklist: Using Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 with Exl-Plan

This comprehensive checklist may look intimidating but most of the tasks need to be performed just once (if at all) and the rest will be instinctive once you have used Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365.

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2. FAQs: Loading & Running Exl-Plan's Macros

Q. Why do I only see a single introductory worksheet saying "Important Notice" when I load Exl-Plan?
This is because Exl-Plan's macros have not loaded. See question below about running macros.

Q. What should I do if, when loading or accessing Exl-Plan, a message advises that “Cannot run the macro '..........'. This macro may not be available in this workbook or all macros are disabled”?
See question immediately below.

Q. How do I run Exl-Plan's macros?
Exl-Plan uses hundreds of macros to drive its tools and menus and these are critical to its operation.

If using Excel 2007, it will normally disable these macros when loading an Exl-Plan file. When this happens, you should see a message Security Warning - Macros have been disabled and an Options.. button immediately below the Home tab (as illustrated below). Note that this warning is much less evident than that used in earlier versions of Excel.

To run Exl-Plan's macros, click the Options… button, specify Enable this content in the Security Alert – Macro dialog (shown below) and wait a few moments for Exl-Plan’s macros to run.

If using Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, you will see a message Security Warning: Macros have been disabled and a button Enable Content. Simply click this button and Exl-Plan will load and run its macros.

Once done, you will be able to access tabs for Exl-Plan’s reports and use its menus and toolbar via the Add-Ins tab (illustrated below).

If using Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and if the Add-Ins tab is not visible, click the File button and select Options. Within the Excel Options dialog, select Customize Ribbons and make sure that Add-Ins is ticked within the list of Main Tabs (in right column).

The handling of macros has been greatly improved in Excel 2010, 2013, 2016 and loading and running Exl-Plan should be trouble-free. The following detailed information about running Exl-Plan's macros is mainly aimed to users with Excel 2007:

• The above procedure for running Exl-Plan's macros needs to be followed every time an Exl-Plan file is loaded. It assumes that Excel 2007’s Macro Settings within the Trust Center have been set to Disable all macros with notification (the default and recommended setting). If you don't follow this procedure and try to use Exl-Plan, you may encounter the following message:
  
  
  
  
• Excel 2007's macro settings can be viewed or changed by pressing the Office button, clicking Excel Options (at bottom of the Office menu), selecting Trust Center from the list of Excel Options, clicking Trust Center Settings… and, finally, selecting Macro Settings (as shown below). You can also get to Macro Settings by selecting the Developer tab and clicking Macro Security within the Code section.
  
  
  
  Warning: If you select Disable all macros without notification you will not be given the option to enable Exl-Plan’s macros and if you select Enable all macros Exl-Plan’s macros will run automatically but you may expose yourself to any dangerous code inside Excel files that are not as safe or trustworthy as Exl-Plan. The best setting to use is Disable all macros with notification even though you will have to explicitly enable macros each time that you load an Exl-Plan file.

• If you use Exl-Plan very frequently, you could consider designating the folder where you save all your Exl-Plan files as a “trusted location” so as to allow their macros to run automatically on loading. For more information, search for “Create, remove, or change a trusted location” within Excel 2007’s help.
  
  
• If you load Exl-Plan and see its introductory worksheet saying Important Notice but do not see the Excel message Security Warning - Macros have been disabled, it is probable that the Macro Settings in the Trust Center are set to Disable all macros without notification. To run Exl-Plan's macros, you should change this setting to Disable all macros with notification and then close Excel and reload it for the change to take effect. Other possibilities are:
  
  
  • Exl-Plan was saved as the new Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) file type which strips out all macros. If this happens, you should load a backup copy of Exl-Plan using the Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) file format. For more information, see File Types & Saving Exl-Plan.
    
    
  • Visual Basic (needed to run the macros) was not installed when Office 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 was installed. This could happen as Visual Basic is an optional component. To establish whether it was installed, click the Developer tab and check whether the Visual Basic button on the Code group is "greyed out". If it is, you need to install the Visual Basic components using the Office 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 installer. If you cannot see the Developer tab, click the Office button, select Excel Options, ensure that Show Developer tab in the Ribbon is ticked in the Popular set and then click OK. See this FAQ for more information about installing Visual Basic.
    
    
• If you have an Exl-Plan workbook and other Excel workbooks all open at the same time, the Exl-Plan workbook must have focus to use its menus, toolbar buttons or macros. Otherwise, you will get a message "Cannot run the macro 'calccheck'. The macro may not be available in this workbook or all macros may be disabled".

Q. What should I do if I encounter this message when loading Exl-Plan: "Opening the VBA Project in this file requires a component that is not currently installed. This file will be opened without the VBA Project."?
This message appears because you are trying to open a copy of Exl-Plan which had been previously saved using the Excel 5.0/95 file format. This format is not fully supported by Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 (it will only open Exl-Plan's worksheets and ignore its macros etc.). If you continue to load the file, you'll get the message "Excel was able to open the file by repairing or removing the unreadable content. This workbook has lost its VBA Project, ActiveX controls and any other programmability-related features." This means that Exl-Plan's menus, tools etc. will be unavailable and Exl-Plan will not run properly.

The fix is as follows:

1. Load the Exl-Plan XLS file using Excel 97, 2000, XP, or 2003 and immediately save it using the File > Save as menu option and selecting the first format option in the drop down list. After doing this, you will be asked whether you want to keep the file in the Excel 5.0/95 format. You should click No and then save the file in the Excel Workbook (*.xls) format (first option in the drop down type list).
   
   

   This message will appear when you are use Save (with Excel 2000) or Save As (with Excel 2000 or 2003). However, its precise content (and your response) may vary. For example, when using Save with Excel 97 or 2003 you should click the Yes button to update (97) or overwrite (2003). The important point is that you update the file's format.

   
   
2. Open this newly saved file using Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and its macros will run OK. If you are new to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 you may need to check the reply to the question above about running macros with Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365.
   
   
3. Finally, save the file in compatibility mode using the Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) file format. See below for more information about Excel file types and saving Exl-Plan.

If you are a registered purchaser of Exl-Plan and don't have access to Excel 97, 2000, XP or 2003, please contact us for help.

Q. What should I do if the Developer tab is visible but the Visual Basic button is greyed-out?
Exl-Plan requires Visual Basic for Applications. A greyed-out Visual Basic button indicates that this was not installed when Excel (or Office) 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 was installed. To install Visual Basic, you need the original installation medium (DVD or downloaded file) for Excel (or Office) 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and to use the customize option to select and install Visual Basic for Applications which is located within Office Shared Features (see diagram).

Q. How do I see the Developer tab?
To see the Developer tab within Excel 2007, click the Office button, select Excel Options, ensure that Show Developer tab in the Ribbon is ticked in the Popular set and then click OK.

If using Excel 2010, 2013, 2016: Click the File button and select Options. Within the Excel Options dialog, select Customize Ribbons and make sure that Developer is ticked within the list of Main Tabs (in right column).

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3. FAQs: Viewing Exl-Plan's Menus & Toolbar

Q. Why cannot I see Exl-Plan’s menus or toolbar even though macros have been enabled?
Instead of appearing at the top of screen alongside the classic Excel menu (File, Edit, View etc.), Exl-Plan’s menubar (*Assumptions, *Protection etc.) is located in the Add-Ins tab (see illustration below). For ease of identification, the Exl-Plan menus all start with an asterisk (*), e.g. *Assumptions. Exl-Plan’s special toolbar also appears in the Add-Ins tab. Note that by design the toolbar does not appear for every Exl-Plan worksheet.

If using Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and if the Add-Ins tab is not visible, click the File button and select Options. Within the Excel Options dialog, select Customize Ribbons and make sure that Add-Ins is ticked within the list of Main Tabs (in right column).

Bear in mind that you must run Exl-Plan's macros to access its menus and toolbars - see Running Exl-Plan's Macros.

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4. FAQs: File Types & Saving Exl-Plan

Q. What should I watch for when saving an Exl-Plan file?
The short answer is that you should avail of Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016’s compatibility mode to ensure that your Exl-Plan files are always accessible by Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and earlier versions of Excel. If saving an Exl-Plan file with a new name, you should set its Save as type in the Save As dialog to Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls). Do not (repeat NOT) save it as either Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook (*.xls), Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) or Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm) file types.

The longer answer about saving Exl-Plan files is this:

• With effect from 14th August 2007, all versions/editions of Exl-Plan downloaded from this PlanWare site are based on the Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) format and will automatically use compatability mode. They will continue to use that format and no special actions are required.
  
  
• If you have previously saved Exl-Plan as an Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) file, then Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 will automatically use compatibility mode and continue using that file type. In this case, no special actions are required.
  
  
• If you have previously saved Exl-Plan as a Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook (*.xls), you will be asked whether you want to keep the workbook in this (very old) format. Say No on the assumption that you no longer need to use Excel 5 or 95.
  
  
  
  You will then be asked in a dialog to change the Save as type. It is is essential that you use the drop down list to select Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) which appears as the fourth item on the list.
  
  
  
  
• Do not select either Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) or Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm). If you select the XLSX format, Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 will try to remove Exl-Plan’s macros and if you select XLSM, Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 will seek to rename a number of range names within Exl-Plan which will break some of Exl-Plan’s macros. For the next release of Exl-Plan, we will remove this potential conflict so that files can be saved as XLSM. When this happens, we'll update this FAQ.

Notes:

1. When selecting the Save As option via the Office button, you may be offered guidance on alternative formats for saving your document. When using Exl-Plan, you should always choose the Excel 97-2003 Workbook format (fourth item).

   

2. The reason why you cannot use the Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm) file type is because some of the range names used by Exl-Plan, e.g. FIG1, conflict with cell references resulting from Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016's expansion to handle over 16,000 columns. If you try saving as an XLSM file, Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 will seek to rename the conflicting range names and this will break Exl-Plan's macros. These conflicts will be eliminated in the next release of Exl-Plan.

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5. FAQs: Other Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 and Windows 7,8,10 Matters

Q. How do I use Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365 to unprotect Free-Plan, the business plan template bundled with Exl-Plan?
If using Word 2007: Load the Free-Plan DOC file, select the Review tab and go to the Protect group. Click the Protect Document button and select the Restrict Formatting and Editing option. Look at the bottom of the task page for Restrict Formatting and Editing, click the Stop Protection button and enter the password into the Unprotect Document box.

If using Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 365: Load the Free-Plan DOC file, select the Review tab and go to the Protect group. Click the Restrict Editing button and looking at the bottom of the task page for Restrict Formatting and Editing click the Stop Protection button and then enter the password into the Unprotect Document box.

Q. Can I use Exl-Plan with Vista/Windows 7 ?
Yes, but see answer to the next question about accessing help when using Vista or Windows 7.

Q. What to do if using Microsoft Vista and Exl-Plan's help files fail to load and Excel indicates "There was a problem running the macro (1037)."?
The initial release of Vista excluded the very widely-used Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for use with the HLP format help files used by some versions of Exl-Plan. To access these help files, you must download and install the WinHlp32.exe program from the Microsoft Download Center. If this link is broken, search the Microsoft site for "Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for Windows Vista". For more information about WinHlp32.exe, see this Microsoft article.

An alternative solution is to disregard the help files and simply use the comprehensive manual supplied in PDF format with all versions of Exl-Plan. This covers the exact same material as the help files. If doing this, you should not click the help-related buttons within Exl-Plan's worksheets or within the *Exl-Plan Help menu. Also, you should turn off Toggle Help for Calculation Errors within Exl-Plan's *Tools or *Setup menu.

Q. Can I use Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016's new Page Layout view with Exl-Plan?
If you attempt to use the new Page Layout view with Exl-Plan, you will see a message stating "Page Layout View is not compatible with Freeze Panes. If you continue, the panes on this sheet will be unfrozen. Would you like to continue?". If you click Yes, you will see the selected sheet in Page Layout view. If you return to Normal view, the easiest way to restore Exl-Plan's preset frozen panes is to select the Add-Ins tab and then either click the Freeze All Panes toolbar button or select Freeze Report Titles from within the *Tools/Setup menu.

Note: If you make changes to an Exl-Plan report within the Page Layout view using options in the Page Layout tab, these changes will be used when printing using Exl-Plan's print menus and macros. For example, you could change headers or footers, margins or orientation.

Q. How can I use the new Quick Access Toolbar with Exl-Plan?
By default the new Quick Access Toolbar is located immediately above the ribbon and adjacent to the Office button. If desired, you could add one or two of Exl-Plan’s most commonly used macros to this toolbar to make them accessible irrespective as to whether the Add-Ins tab (where Exl-Plan’s special menus and toolbar reside) is open or not.

The most frequently used macro within Exl-Plan is undoubtedly calccheck. This is used to recalculate the Exl-Plan workbook and check for errors. To add it to the Quick Access Toolbar:

• Click on the tiny down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar to display the Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
  
  
• Select the More Commands… option and then proceed as follows (see illustration opposite):

1. Select Customize from the left hand list.
2. Select Macros from the drop down list in Choose commands from.
3. Scroll down the list of macros and select calccheck.
4. Click the Add >> button to add it to the right hand list, and click OK.

Only use this new tool in the Quick Access Toolbar when an Exl-Plan worksheet has focus otherwise you will get a message "Cannot run the macro 'calccheck'. The macro may not be available in this workbook or all macros may be disabled". Note that all buttons in the Quick Access Toolbar are inoperable when a worksheet is being displayed in Page Layout view.

Q. What should I do when I get an error message when using Excel 2007 and trying to upgrade a trial copy of Exl-Plan to fully-operational?
This problem only applies when Excel 2007 is being used to upgrade a trial copy of Exl-Plan to fully-operational and will be resolved in the next release of Exl-Plan. In the meantime, you could use an older version of Excel (if available) to make the upgrade and then use the upgraded fully-operational file with Excel 2007. If this is not possible, contact us explaining the circumstances etc.

This problem does not apply to Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 365.

Q. Can you suggest any resources to help me find the classic Excel menus options in the new Ribbon interface used by Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 365?
Search within Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016's help for the interactive Excel 2003 to Excel 2007 command reference guide or get it on-line (or as a download) from Microsoft here.

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