how to erase add-in settings

[developer281]

Hi,

I have created an add-in that will be used in a network environment. Users
will create excel spreadsheets using the add-in then save them in a shared
folder for other users on different computers to see them.

This add-in uses UDFs.

The easiest way I found to both deploy the add-in as well as to being able
to keep one universal copy with the latest version of the add-in is to make
the add-in available via a network folder. The users have instructions to
install the add-in via Toos>Add-Ins then browsing to the network folder and
pointing to the add-in.

As soon as the user selects the add-in in the network folder, Excel displays
this message: "Copy '<AddinName.xla>' to the Addins folder for <userName>?

In order for the user to be able to open other users's spreadsheets and have
acccess to the UDFs in the add-in (without seeing the pathname to the add-in
in the formula bar), the user must select NO to the popup message.
Selecting NO creates a link to the add-in as opposed to a local copy of the
add-in.

When a user selects NO, the add-in works without problems. However, if the
user selects YES, then a local copy of the add-in is made and this creates
problems.

Once that selection is made, the user is not asked again whether he wants to
create a copy or not ...even if the add-in is removed from the add-ins list.

I need to know how to revert this setting.

I looked under
Documents and Settings\<userName>\Local Settings\Temp,
Documents and Settings\<userName>\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel,
Documents and Settings\<userName>\Application Data\Microsoft\AddIns,
Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\ADDINS

and I can't find that local copy of the add-in so that I can erase it.....

Also, I'm not sure where the excel add-ins settings for that specific user
are kept so that they can be erased and he can re-install the add-in
correctly.

Please help,

Thanks.

 

[XL-Dennis]

Hi,

At present I'm not connected to a network so that I can test myself.
However, in general I would suggest that You scan the registry to see the
entry and from that locate the pathway.

For more information about where Windows store information about Add-ins see
my article at the following URL:
http://www.excelkb.com/article.aspx?id=10193&cNode=4K2U2U

If You plan to via code delete the file then it would be a good solution to
retrieve the pathway from the add-in's setting in the registry.

 

[developer281]

Thank you Dennis,

I read your article and went to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<Versionnumber>\Excel\Add-in
Manager

In there I saw that there was an entry with the path to the add-in (to my
surprise it was to the network folder and not to a local copy). I then
compared it to a computer that had clicked NO in the question and this
computer with the link didn't have the entry.

I deleted the entry but it didn't seem to make a difference in the behavior
of excel. Therefore I tried to delete the "(Default)" REG_SZ file but the
computer didn't allow me to do that.

So what I did was to export the "(Default)" REG_SZ file from the 'good'
computer and import it into the problem computer. This new file replaced
the old file and the problem was corrected.

Thanks for your help!

 

[XL-Dennis]

Glad You managed to solve it