Part I: Getting Started with Excel

•Check Compatibility

This command is useful if you need to save your workbook in an older file format. It displays a very helpful Compatibility Checker dialog box that lists potential compatibility problems. This dialog box also appears when you save a workbook using an older file format. For more information, see “Excel File Compatibility,” later in this chapter.

Versions section

Clicking the Manage Versions button of the Versions section of the Info pane displays two options:

•Recover Draft Versions

This command displays the Open dialog box, pointed to the folder where Excel displays AutoRecover versions of workbooks that were not saved. If you accidentally forget to save a file, this command may help you out.

•Delete All Draft Versions

This command simply deletes all unsaved files on your drive. Alternatively, you can delete the files manually.

Closing Workbooks

After you’re finished with a workbook, you can close it to free the memory that it uses. You can close a workbook by using any of the following methods:

•Choose File Close.

•Click the Close button (the X) in the workbook’s title bar.

•Double-click the Excel icon on the left side of the workbook’s title bar. This icon is visible only if the workbook window is not maximized.

•Press Ctrl+F4.

•Press Ctrl+W.

If you’ve made any changes to your workbook since it was last saved, Excel asks whether you want to save the changes to the workbook before closing it.

Tip

When you close Excel, you are prompted to save each workbook that hasn’t been saved. The dialog box has a Save All button, but it doesn’t have a Don’t Save Anything button. If you’d like a quick exit, without saving any workbooks, press Shift while you click the Don’t Save button. Excel shuts down immediately. n

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Chapter 7: Understanding Excel Files

Safeguarding Your Work

Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours creating a complicated Excel workbook only to have it destroyed by a power failure, a hard drive crash, or even human error. Fortunately, protecting yourself from these disasters is not a difficult task.

Earlier in the chapter, I discuss the AutoRecover feature that makes Excel save a backup copy of your workbook at regular intervals (see “Using AutoRecover”). AutoRecover is a good idea, but it certainly isn’t the only backup protection you should use. If a workbook is important, you need to take extra steps to ensure its safety. The following backup options help ensure the safety of individual files:

•Keep a backup copy of the file on the same drive. Although this option offers some protection if you make a mess of the workbook, it won’t do you any good if the entire hard drive crashes.

•Keep a backup copy on a different hard drive. This method assumes, of course, that your system has more than one hard drive. This option offers more protection than the preceding method, because the likelihood that both hard drives will fail is remote. If the entire system is destroyed or stolen, however, you’re out of luck.

•Keep a backup copy on a network server. This method assumes that your system is connected to a server on which you can write files. This method is fairly safe. If the network server is located in the same building, however, you’re at risk if the entire building burns down or is otherwise destroyed.

•Keep a backup copy on an Internet backup site. Several Web sites specialize in storing backup files. This is a safe method, as long as the company doesn’t go out of business.

•Keep a backup copy on a removable medium. This is the safest method. Using a removable medium, such as a USB drive enables you to physically take the backup to another location. So, if your system (or the entire building) is damaged, your backup copy remains intact.

Excel File Compatibility

It’s important to understand the limitations regarding version compatibility. Even though your colleague is able to open your file, there is no guarantee that everything will function correctly or look the same.

Checking compatibility

If you save your workbook to an older file format (such as XLS, for versions prior to Excel 2007), Excel automatically runs the Compatibility Checker. The Compatibility Checker identifies the elements of your workbook that will result in loss of functionality or fidelity (cosmetics).

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Figure 7.7 shows the Compatibility Checker dialog box. Use the Select Versions to Show button to limit the compatibility checking to a specific version of Excel.

FIGURE 7.7

The Compatibility Checker is a useful tool for those who share workbooks with others.

The bottom part of the Compatibility Checker lists the potential compatibility problems. To display the results in a more readable format, click the Copy to New Sheet button.

Keep in mind that compatibility problems can also occur with Excel 2007 even though that version uses the same file format as Excel 2010. You can’t expect features that are new to Excel 2010 to work in earlier versions. For example, if you create a workbook with Sparkline charts (a new feature in Excel 2010) and send it to a colleague who uses Excel 2007, the cells that contain the Sparklines will be empty. In addition, formulas that use any of the new worksheet functions will return an error. The Compatibility Checker identifies these types of problems.

Perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of Excel is the nearly overwhelming number of file formats that it can read and write. With the introduction of Excel 2007, things got even more confusing because it has quite a few new file formats.

Note

Excel 2010 can open all files created with earlier versions of Excel. n

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Recognizing the Excel 2010 file formats

Excel file formats (which were introduced in Excel 2007) are

•XLSX: A workbook file that does not contain macros

•XLSM: A workbook file that contains macros

•XLTX: A workbook template file that does not contain macros

•XLTM: A workbook template file that contains macros

•XLSA: An add-in file

•XLSB: A binary file similar to the old XLS format but able to accommodate the new features

•XLSK: A backup file

With the exception of XLSB, these are all “open” XML files, which means that other applications are able to read and write these types of files.

Tip

XML files are actually Zip-compressed text files. If you rename one of these files to have a ZIP extension, you’ll be able to examine the contents using any of several zip file utilities — including the Zip file support built into Windows. Taking a look at the innards of an Excel workbook is an interesting exercise for curious-minded users. n

Saving a file for use with an older version of Excel

To save a file for use with an older version of Excel, choose File Save As. In the Save As dialog box, select one of the following from the Save as Type drop-down:

•Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls): If the file will be used by someone who has Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003.

•Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 Workbook (*.xls): If the file will be used by someone who has Excel 5 or Excel 95.

The Office Compatibility Pack

Normally, those who use an earlier version of Excel can’t open workbooks saved in the new Excel file formats. But, fortunately, Microsoft has released a free Compatibility Pack for Office 2003 and Office XP.

If an Office 2003 or Office XP user installs the Compatibility Pack, they can open files created in Office 2007 or Office 2010 and also save files in the new format. The Office programs that are affected are Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. This software doesn’t endow the older versions with any new features: It just gives them the capability to open and save files in the new format.

To download the Compatibility Pack, search the Web for Office Compatibility Pack.

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