Excel Define Cell Name Using Office.JS - excel

In Excel 365 app, how I can set the Name using excel 365 api at runtime ? In Dev.Office.com, they have provided read-only property to get the name.
Background:
Working on Excel Office 365 apps. We have a pre-define template and for every cell which we use in calculation have defined names for it.
I need to provide the functionality to add multiple cells based on user request(button click on task pane) and use these cells in calculation. I know how to add the field(cells) but stuck at defining the names. There is no way for us to evaluate the formula unless we use excel cell reference such as (B10, C24, etc) which we want to avoid.
Is there any other option to use like content control ?
Note : This is I wanted to do using excel 365 api.

Currently, the names (named ranges and any other constants) are in fact read-only. The good news is that we are in the process of implementing the named-range-addition/manipulation functionality. Unless we run into unexpected difficulties, we should have it available in the coming months (likely as part of ExcelApi 1.4 -- though again, no guarantees there, just an estimate if all goes to plan).

Related

Excel formula for static timestamp

I need a static timestamp to be created when a user adds data in a sheet.
I don't want to use a worksheet change event as this will not run in SharePoint and likewise the formula below will not work if the user has not enabled iterative calculation (they won't know to do this)
=IF(A2<>"",IF(B2<>"",B2,NOW()),"")
Is there an alternative formula that does not require iterative calculation?
I note that MS Forms supports static timestamps, so it's surprising this much-requested functionality is so hard to establish directly in Excel!

Is it possible to add table to excel using Spreadsheetgear - C# .NET (excel way is INSERT->Table)

Like the title says is it possible?
I need a table in my exported excel sheet that will be used with data validation setting.
If you referring to Excel Tables (i.e., Excel's Ribbon > Home > Styles > Format as Table...), these objects are not supported by SpreadsheetGear, so adding such tables would not be supported, either. For existing workbooks that contain Excel Tables and are opened in SpreadsheetGear, the Tables feature will get dropped upon opening, which is worth noting that, in addition to formatting being dropped, any "structured references" will be converted to "#REF!" errors. An alternative to using structured references would be Defined Names, which are very well supported by SpreadsheetGear.
I work for SpreadsheetGear, and we do keep track of customer requests for things like this. So you are welcome to contact us directly at support#spreadsheetgear.com if you would like us to add your contact details to this particular feature request, though I cannot say when we might add Tables to our product.

developing a front end app using excel spread sheets

We get at least 20 queries a day on an average from our clients, where in we have to open and look at data on 4 to 5 Excel sheets to answer them. questions such as what is my available balance, am i eligible for this etc. All our clients are connected to our intranet and have access to internet. I was wondering is there a way where we can develop a front end app (do not have budget for MS VB or any other) either in excel or any other to connect these 4 to 5 excel sheets to retrieve the data in response to queries (e.g. using perhaps some if and true/false queries). I am not an advanced Excel user but would be great for an advice from tech experts.
Yes, i wouldn't call it an app but consider a worksheet like a dashboard. You can have a cell for entering client name, and then use formulas to look up relevant information of the name entered. The cosmetic and arrangement of the information retrieved and published on the dashboard is up to you and of course do consider investing some time in the looks and feel if you want to enjoy using it.
Things you may consider are:
Place the files are kept and file name convention
because your dashboard will look for information in external workbooks, ensure that the files are saved in a fixed directory and have a specific file name. if the external files are updated from time to time by other folks, let them know too that they have to save it in a particular folder with a specific name format.
Properly structure the source of data
Format you data source into tables so that it is easier for use with formulas. Throw away titles if any in the data source worksheet. Use tools like "Table" under the INSERT tab. When data are properly organized, they can be easily looked up using formulas such as VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, MATCH-INDEX, and COUNTIF.
Be good with formulas
Since we have no budget for VB, then good formulas will be needed. There are plenty of help on the internet for this I think you'll have no problem in it.
Employ sanitary check measure
It is difficult to tell if our formula isn't functioning properly when we have no counter check measure. Certainly you want to give your clients accurate information. One way to check is, think of alternative ways to get the information wanted and check if it matches to the first way. Another way is to retrieve a sequence of related information to be put on the dashboard, then do simple calculation to check if the numbers add up. Use conditional formatting to highlight errors if necessary.
I think these are key consideration, there may be more, but this is what i can think of for the moment.

Validation Vs form control

My question wasn't at all specific but i wanted to gauge user insight, I was looking into building a excel / sql DashBoard which users can use based upon their credentials being within the sql table, but the first hitch i wanted to discuss is drop down boxes and what would be a better option, after data validation method i choose Active X instead, to which a VBA code on opening the workbook, would get the list which is refreshed based upon the user credentials.
Whats the best type of validation / drop down box to use, i know the usability changes Eg Font size but wanted advise please.
Both have different usages and benefits. What is your use case?
Validation is limited in functionality but can offer a lot in many cases. It doesn't need explicit macro permissions.
VBA code will always require macro permissions etc.
If all you need is a drop down, use validation with named range. If you want further functionality, use VBA.

What is the best way to import data from sophisticated formula enriched Excel files into SalesForce.com?

My current employer (to remain nameless) has a collection of incredibly sophisticated Microsoft Excel 2003 worksheets (developed by contractors, also to remain nameless).
The employer is replacing the Excel-based solution with a SalesForce-based solution (developed by other contractors, likewise to remain unnamed). The SalesForce solution is also very complex using dozens of related objects and "Dynamic SOQL" to contain the data and formulas which previously was contained in the Excel-based solution.
The employer's problem, which has become my problem, is that the data from the Excel spreadsheets needs to be meticulously and tediously recreated in .CSV files so it can be imported into SalesForce.
While I've recently learned I can use CTRL-` to review formulas in Excel, this doesn't solve the problem that variables in Excel have cryptic names like $O$15. If I'm lucky, when I investigate $O$15, I'll find some metadata explaining if n cells up and/or some other data m cells to the left, and/or (in rare instances) there may be a comment on the cell.
Patterns within the Excel spreadsheets are very limited, rarely lasting more than 6 concurrent rows or columns and no two sheets which need to be imported have much similarity.
Documentation of all systems are very limited.
Without my revealing any confidential data, does anyone have any good ideas how I might optimize my workflow?
It's not clear exactly what you need to do: here are 3 possible scenarios, requiring increasing knowledge of Excel.
1. If all you want is to convert the Excel spreadsheets into CSV format then just save the worksheets as CSVs.
2. If you just want the data and not the formulae then it would be simple (using VBA) to output anything that isn't a formula (the cell.Formula won't start with =).
3. If you need to create a linkage excel-->csv-->existing Salesforce objects/SOQL then you will need to understand both the Excel Spreadsheets and the Salesforce objects/SOQL that have been created. This will be difficult unless you have good knowledge and experience of Excel and also understand what the salesforce App requires.
Brian, if you're still working on this, here's one way to approach the problem. I use this kind of process often for updating data between SFDC and marketing automation apps.
1) Analyze the formulae that you're re-creating in Salesforce.com to determine what base data fields you need (stuff that doesn't have to be calculated from something else.
2) Find those columns/rows in your spreadsheets and use Paste Special -> Values in a new spreadsheet to create an upload file with values instead of formulae that you need for each data area (leads, prospects, accounts, etc.)
3) If you have to associate the info with leads or contacts or accounts and you have already uploaded or created those records in Salesforce.com, be sure to export them with their ID numbers. That makes it easy to use the vlookup formula in Excel to match up fields that you need to add and then re-upload the data into Salesforce.
Like data cleaning, this can be a tedious process. But if you take it step by step it shouldn't be too hard. Good luck.

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