When I open EXCEL my PERSONAL.XLS opens as well !!

[Roger O]

I have EXCEL 2002 sp3 on WinXP. I added some of my frequently used macros
into my PERSONAL.XLS file, so that they are available with each spreadsheet
that I open. Now, everytime I start up EXCEL it automatically opens the
PERSONAL.XLS file instead of just using it as a template. The macros appear
in the toolbar just fine, but won't run since PERSONAL.XLS is open. Can
someone help me, please ? What have I done wrong ?

thanks ... Roger

 

[JE McGimpsey]

There's nothing special about Personal.xls - it's just a regular
workbook that's stored in your Startup folder. Every file in your
startup folder will be opened when XL starts up. Nor is there anything
special about the name - it's just the default name that XL gives when
you record a macro.

You can hide Personal.xls (Window/Hide), but it needs to be open in
order to run a macro from it , just like any other file.

Templates don't work the same way in Xl as they do in Word. While new
files can be made as copies of templates, templates don't stay attached
to the files. Personal.xls was never, unless you saved it as a template,
acting as a template.

 

[Dave Peterson]

Just to add to J.E.'s response...

To hide that personal.xls workbook:
Open excel
(hide personal.xls via Window|hide)
close excel

Tell excel you want to save the changes to personal.xls.

Next time you open excel, personal.xls will be opened, but hidden.

 

[Roger O]

Thanks for your reply. In WORD I have a few macros which I use regularly and
have them incorporated into the toolbar so that I can use then with any
document. How can I do the same in EXCEL ? I put my EXCEL macro in the
Personal.xls file, and it appears in the toolbar just fine with every
spreadsheet that I open, and even when I CLOSE personal.xls. When
Personal.xls is open the macro WILL NOT run (the error message says that I
can't have 2 documents of the same name open at the same time), but once I
close Personal.xls, the macro runs just fine.

Does this make any sense to you ??

thanks for your help so far ... Roger

 

[Roger O]

Dear Dave

thanks, I have tried hidding Personal.xls, but it makes no difference. See
my earlier post

Roger

 

[Dave Peterson]

It sounds to me like the icons on the toolbar are pointing to a different
personal.xls--maybe you did your development (and saving to a different
folder???).

I'd try opening the correct personal.xls and rightclick on each of those icons
and see if they point to the correct personal.xls.

 

[Roger O]

Dear Dave

great !!! thanks !!! Yes, you were right. Somehow I created another
Personal.xls file in another directory (not XLSTART) and the macro was
pointing to the other one. I have changed the macro so it points to the
XLSTART/PERSONAL.XLS file and all is fixed.

again, many thanks ... Roger

 

[Dave Peterson]

I like to create my menu/toolbar when the workbook opens (and delete it when the
workbook closes).

Then I never have to worry about moving that file and reassigning icons to
macros.

I use a variation of John Walkenbach's menumaker:
http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/tips/tip53.htm
to add items to the worksheet menubar.

If I want to add a toolbar of my own, here's how I do it:
http://groups.google.co.uk/[email protected]