Where are the add-ins in Office 2008?

[Alexander Malov]

I just installed Mac Office 2008 and I am unable to find any add-ins
in Excel (Tools > Add-ins). I rely on the statistical add-in quite a
bit for school work. I wasn't prompted for anything during the
installation. Thanks.

 

[John]

I just installed Mac Office 2008 and I am unable to find any add-ins
in Excel (Tools > Add-ins). I rely on the statistical add-in quite a
bit for school work. I wasn't prompted for anything during the
installation. Thanks.

Addins are AWOL. Once again Microsoft has succeded in actually charging
people money for a downgrade!

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Alexander:

Office 2008 does not have an Analysis Toolpack. You have to use the
built-in functions.

The Analysis toolpack relied on VBA, so it can't operate in Office 2008.
The functions have been moved into Excel as native functions in this
release.

Cheers

I just installed Mac Office 2008 and I am unable to find any add-ins
in Excel (Tools > Add-ins). I rely on the statistical add-in quite a
bit for school work. I wasn't prompted for anything during the
installation. Thanks.

--
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John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
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[Guest]

Just wondering if it's just Excel? Do Powerpoint or Word add-ins work?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Just wondering if it's just Excel? Do Powerpoint or Word add-ins work?

No add-ins which are written in VBA, or rely on the VBA functionality
that's been taken out of Office 2008 will work.

I don't know of any Word or PPT add-ins that will work with Office 08.

 

[John]

Hi Alexander:

Office 2008 does not have an Analysis Toolpack. You have to use the
built-in functions.

The Analysis toolpack relied on VBA, so it can't operate in Office 2008.
The functions have been moved into Excel as native functions in this
release.

Not all of them have. The vast majority are AWOL.

 

[John McGhie]

Really, the answer to this is "No: no add-ins anywhere in Office 2008".

Essentially, Office 2008 is like any modern application suite, it's a set of
core modules ("the engine") that does the work, and a set of "skins" (user
interfaces) that make the engine look like Word or Excel or PowerPoint.

Since the Engine has no VBA interpreter, add-ins don't work anywhere.

If you wanted to be totally pedantic, Excel has a different concept of
"add-ins" to Word and PowerPoint.

For example: Global Templates will work in Word. These can contain
Document Parts, which could be considered "add-ins". If they do, and they
are amongst the types of Document Parts implemented in Office 2008, then
they will work in Word 2008.

However: As JE says, anything that contains "executable code" will NOT
work.

Cheers

Just wondering if it's just Excel? Do Powerpoint or Word add-ins work?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[John McGhie]

Are you sure?

Our resident Excel Expert, JE McGimpsey has challenged people to identify an
analysis you can't do with the built-in functions in E2008

OK, they're a PITA to code, in some cases, but they are "possible"

Cheers

Not all of them have. The vast majority are AWOL.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Not all of them have. The vast majority are AWOL.

Which functions are missing?

 

[Stumped in NYC]

Given --
"Our resident Excel Expert, JE McGimpsey has challenged people to identify an analysis you can't do with the built-in functions in E2008 "

then how does one implement a multivariate regression in Excel? For example, projected home value based on neighborhood, square footage, property taxes, bedrooms, bathrooms, pool, etc.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Given -- <br>
"Our resident Excel Expert, JE McGimpsey has challenged people to identify an
analysis you can't do with the built-in functions in E2008 " <br><br>then how
does one implement a multivariate regression in Excel? For example, projected
home value based on neighborhood, square footage, property taxes, bedrooms,
bathrooms, pool, etc.

Stumped -

It's been a long while since I did a multivariate regression, but IIRC,
the ATP just does a linear regression using the standard matrix method
found in any statistics textbook, which would find the coefficients
something like:

= MMULT(MINVERSE(MMULT(TRANSPOSE(X),X)),MMULT(TRANSPOSE(X),Y))

array entered into a column with the same number of rows that X has
columns, where

X = columns of independent variables
Y = column of knowns

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Stumped -

It's been a long while since I did a multivariate regression, but IIRC,
the ATP just does a linear regression using the standard matrix method
found in any statistics textbook, which would find the coefficients
something like:

= MMULT(MINVERSE(MMULT(TRANSPOSE(X),X)),MMULT(TRANSPOSE(X),Y))

array entered into a column with the same number of rows that X has
columns, where

X = columns of independent variables
Y = column of knowns

One note: to get the intercept, one column in X needs to be all 1's

 

[nick whittle]

So you're telling me that the lovely little 'descriptive statistics' table one could generate in the stats tool pack is no longer available, and that if I want something like that I have to punch in each function individually? How is that an improvement?

 

[CyberTaz]

Gee Nick - I don't see where anyone even remotely suggested that it was an
*improvement* - just that that's how it is Nobody here has any control
over MS decision making & the loss of VBA has been a devastating blow to
many of those who regularly participate in this group - people who rely on
Excel to make their living.

If you're genuinely concerned you might try using the Help> Send Feedback to
submit a convincing argument to MS on the issue. All we can do here is offer
support on what the software *does* have to offer.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[JE McGimpsey]

So you're telling me that the lovely little 'descriptive statistics' table
one could generate in the stats tool pack is no longer available, and that if
I want something like that I have to punch in each function individually?

Yes. No - take a look here:

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/ec/~nhunt/oatbran/

How is that an improvement?

Nobody has said that it's an improvement. Simply a consequence of not
having the resources to implement VBA in Office 2008.

 

[Concern]

When will the VBA in office 2008 become and update or plug in? Is this something that they will correct.

 

[Diane Ross]

When will the VBA in office 2008 become and update or plug in? Is this
something that they will correct.

Doubtful. It was removed and don't expect to see it back unless there is
some miracle. Many users are keeping 2004 around just for VBA.

 

[John McGhie]

The "Official" answers are:

1) Never

2) No

If you do not like those answers, you should use "Send Feedback" from the
Help menu to tell Microsoft what you want it for, and why AppleScript won't
do what you want.

Microsoft announced that VBA was being removed from Office 2007 for the PC
also. After a large amount of customer pressure, they changed their minds.

This would be possible in Mac Office too. Any decision can be changed.

But the price tag of changing this particular decision is a few million
dollars. Can you help us demonstrate to Microsoft that it will make a few
million dollars extra profit if it changes its mind on this?

Because that's the key to it. Remember, the designers and coders working at
Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit do what they are told. Microsoft has this
magic "Do what you're told or get fired" incentive policy common in a lot of
large companies around the globe

And that applies to everyone, up to and including Steve Ballmer/Bill Gates.

The people doing the "telling" are the Board of Directors. Basically: your
pension fund and mine.

How are you going to convince your pension fund to ask Microsoft to change
its decision on VBA? It can be done. It has been done: in Office 2007.
How are we going to do this on the Mac?

Hope this helps

When will the VBA in office 2008 become and update or plug in? Is this
something that they will correct.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]