Microsoft Excel version 4.0a reads all existing Microsoft Excel version 4.0, 2.x, and 3.0 documents. (The version 4.0 and 4.0a file formats are the same.) However, documents saved in Microsoft Excel version 4.0a format cannot be opened in Microsoft Excel version 3.0a or earlier. To open a document in an earlier version of Microsoft Excel, choose the Save As command from the File menu, and select the "Excel 3.0" or "Excel 2.1" file format.
Note: You may lose some formulas and formatting
---- when the document is saved in an earlier format.
Microsoft Excel 4.0a can now open and save files in the Allways (.ALL) Lotus 1-2-3 add-in file format. Microsoft Excel 4.0a can also read files in the .PIC format. (.PIC files are graph files that can be included in Allways files).
Using the SAVE AS command, you can now save files in the following additional formats:
WK1/FMT
WK1/ALL
WK3/FM3
The WYSIWYG_Save item in the Excel4.ini file is now ignored, since you can specify which format(s) you want using the SAVE AS command.
The SAVE.AS() macro function now supports three new type_num argument parameters for the new file types, as follows:
If you use Microsoft Windows 3.0, and you receive an out of memory message when you attempt to start an application after quitting Microsoft Excel, try starting the application again. This does not occur under Microsoft Windows 3.1.
If you choose not to have Microsoft Excel Setup modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you can modify the file yourself. Specifically, you must modify the Path command to list the directory containing the Microsoft Excel program (EXCEL.EXE) and associated files.
To modify the Path command, open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file in any text editor or word processor. To add a directory to the list, add the full pathname (drive letter, directory name). Pathnames must be separated by semicolons. To add a directory named EXCEL, you would add ;c\excel to the line in AUTOEXEC.BAT headed by "path". For example,
path c:\dos;c:\windows;c:\myfiles;c:\excel
Note: If you run Microsoft Excel from a network server, you must include
---- the server directory containing EXCEL.EXE, in the Path command
of your workstation's AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
When you finish editing the file, save it in a text-only format. You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
For more information about the Path command and the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, see your MS-DOS manual.
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Run Online Tutorials from a Read-Write Directory
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To run the online tutorials, Microsoft Excel must save current workspace settings. To do this, the current directory must be a read-write directory. If not, you will receive a message that Microsoft Excel cannot save the information, and the tutorials will not run.
New information for version 4.0a:
In the case where a workstation user is running Microsft Excel from a read-only network directory but wants to run the tutorials, copy the tutorial directory files (EXCELCBT directory) to the Microsoft Excel or any read-write directory on the user's workstation hard disk. In addition, add the following line to the [Microsoft Excel] section of the user's EXCEL4.INI file. This file is located in the same directory on as the workstation's WIN.INI file:
CBTLOCATION=<path to directory on the workstation hard disk containing tutorials>
For example:
CBTLOCATION=c:\excel\excelcbt
Note: CBTLOCATION must be entered exactly as specified; i.e. all upper case.
----
This will allow the user to continue to run Microsoft Excel from the read-only network directory and run the tutorials from a workstation hard disk read-write directory.
You can also set up the tutorial files on a network directory for users who run Microsoft Excel from their local workstations but for space reasons chose not to install the tutorials. See below for details.
If you use Microsoft Excel in a network environment, you may decide for disk space reasons not to install the Microsoft Excel tutorials, Introducing Microsoft Excel and Learning Microsoft Excel. However, you can install the tutorials on a server and set up workstation users to access them from the Help menu by adding the following statement to the [Microsoft Excel] section of each workstation's EXCEL4.INI file. This file is located in the same directory on as the workstation's WIN.INI file:
CBTLOCATION=<path to directory containing tutorials>
For example:
CBTLOCATION=d:\excel\tutorial
Note: CBTLOCATION must be entered exactly as specified; i.e. all upper case.
----
Whenever a user starts a tutorial from the Help menu, Microsoft Excel checks for this statement in EXCEL4.INI. If it exists, it looks in the specified directory for the tutorial files. If it doesn't exist, Microsoft Excel looks in \EXCEL\EXCELCBT on the user's workstation. Of course, access to the tutorials on the server requires that the workstation is connected to the server.
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OPEN.DIALOG and SAVE.DIALOG Functions
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These two macro functions were inadvertently omitted from the Microsoft Excel Function Reference. The functions become available when you install the FILEFNS.XLA add-in macro. You can learn about the functions in online Help. The quickest way to reach the information is to:
1. Double-click the Help tool.
Microsoft Excel displays the Help Search dialog box.
If you intend to use the Microsoft Word for Windows version 2.0 Print Merge command with a Microsoft Excel version 4.0 or 4.0a worksheet, the Microsoft Excel worksheet to be merged must first be converted. To accommodate this, a converter is included with Microsoft Excel. This converter automatically transforms Microsoft Excel version 4.0 or 4.0a worksheets for use with the Print Merge command, and replaces a similar converter currently included with Word. Previously, using Microsoft Excel version 4.0 worksheets with Print Merge required that you save the worksheets in Microsoft version 3.0 format. This is no longer necessary.
Note: This information applies if you use Word for Windows
---- version 2.0 or 2.0a. If you use version 2.0b, you do
not need this information -- the same converter is
included with this version of Word.
To install the converter, copy the file XLBIFF.CN$ on Microsoft Excel Disk 1 to the Word for Windows directory on your hard disk. Because the file is compressed, you also need to copy a decompression utility, DECOMP.EXE. This file is also on Disk 1; you can copy it to any location on your hard disk.
Before proceeding further, rename the existing converter in your Word directory, XLBIFF.CNV, to XLBIFF.BAK. You can use either the Windows File Manager or DOS Rename command to rename the file.
Once both files have been copied, from a DOS prompt, set the current directory to the directory containing DECOMP.EXE, and type the following:
decomp xlbiff.cn$
If the current directory is not the directory of XLBIFF.CN$, be sure to type the entire path. For example:
decomp c:\winword\xlbiff.cn$
Once installed, the converter is automatically recognized and used by Word when needed.
By default, Microsoft Excel displays dialog boxes with a gray, three-dimensional background shading. However, this background shading makes the text in dialog boxes difficult to read on some laptop and portable PC screens. You can remove the shading from dialog boxes to improve readability. To do this, add the following statement to the [Microsoft Excel] section of your EXCEL4.INI file, located in the same directory as your WIN.INI file:
By default, Microsoft Excel substitutes SmallFonts to display fonts smaller than 8 points. To prevent this substitution from occurring, add the following statement to the [Microsoft Excel] section of your EXCEL4.INI file, located in the same directory as your WIN.INI file:
To set the current directory when you start Microsoft Excel, add the following statement:
OpenDir=<directory path>
For example:
OpenDir=c:\excel\myfiles
Even if you use the Open statement to open a specified file upon startup, use this statement to set the directory.
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If You Use Q+E and SQL Server...
IMPORTANT: New Information for Version 4.0a
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If you install Q+E with Microsoft Excel version 4.0a, new SQL Server drivers are installed in your Microsoft Excel directory. Please read "SQL Server Compatibility" in the QEREADME.TXT file installed in your Micrososft Excel directory to determine whether you need to take special steps in order for Q+E to work properly with SQL Server.
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Microsoft Excel 4.0/4.0a Directory/File Layout
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Microsoft Excel version 4.0a Setup places the following directories and files on your computer's hard disk. Directories are shown in brackets []. The list reflects the installation of all options.
Note: Setup places some files in your Windows directory and
---- subdirectories, as indicated below. Certain Microsoft
Excel features and operations depend on these files
in these locations. Please do not move or remove them.
Windows main directory:
WINHELP.EXE (1)
WINHELP.HLP (1)
Windows subdirectory: [SYSTEM]
COMMDLG.DLL
SHELL.DLL
VER.DLL
SMALLB.FON -or- SMALLE.FON -or- SMALLF.FON (2)
Windows subdirectory: [MSAPPS\PROOF]
MSSPELL.DLL
MSSP_AM.LEX (3)
MSSP_BR.LEX (3)
CUSTOM.DIC (4)
(1) These files are installed only if your Windows version
is 3.0, and not 3.1.
(2) One of these Small Fonts files is installed, depending on
your video driver. Microsoft Excel requires Small Fonts in
order to display text clearly in certain circumstances. A font
file is installed only if your Windows version is 3.0, and
not 3.1.
(3) One of these files is copied, depending on whether you
chose to install the American or British English dictionary
during Setup.
(4) This file is copied only if the file does not already exist
