Function wizard

[Ron]

Hi Govert,

Ideally, I'd like to make my own function wizard. I have found several old discussions around this but never with a solution.

If you have a look at the Bloomberg add-in, the field names are links which open separate forms.

Are these links a built-in feature of Excel or did the Bloomberg developers create their own form ? In the first case, would it be possible to do so using ExcelDNA ? If this is a custom form, then how can we do that ?

If ever there is nothing we can do, I can at least create my own wizard which could be opened from contextual menus or ribbon buttons. Do you know any way to add a custom button next to the "fx" one where you can open the native wizard in Excel ?

Second question : regarding the help doc link, we can open the custom chm file easily, which is great. But with Excel built-in functions the wizard does open a web page instead. Is it something we could do using ExcelDNA ?

Thanks

Ron

[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Ron,

I'd guess Bloomberg is using the Win32 API to customize the built-in function wizard. My preferred direction would be to continue with the IntelliSense project, which would add on-sheet intellisense for UDF functions (https://github.com/Excel-DNA/IntelliSense). I think that's a much better interface enhancement than the function wizard.

There are some function dialog extension that you might like to look at:

* FormulaDesk: http://www.formuladesk.com/

* Charles Williams's FastExcel formula editor: http://www.decisionmodels.com/FastExcelV3Manager_View_Edit.htm

* XLL+ (the C/C++ library for making .xlls) also has some function wizard extension features.

I could help implementing the Bloomberg-style features in Excel-DNA, if that's what you want to do. It takes quite a lot of patience, getting to know what's going on in the function wizard window. But of lot of that exploration I have done, some of those ideas are in that IntelliSense project too.

For the hypertext help links, I think only newer versions of Excel supports that, but Excel-DNA since v 0.30 has supported that. See: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13492343/url-helptopic-in-exceldnahttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/13492343/url-helptopic-in-exceldna.

-Govert

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From: exce...@googlegroups.com [exce...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Ron [ronan....@gmail.com]
Sent: 15 October 2014 12:24 PM
To: exce...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [ExcelDna] Function wizard

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[Ron]

Hi Govert,

I should feel ashamed because I hadn't even tried to just pass the URL as a help topic, and indeed in works !

 

I was already aware of your intellisense project, which looks great, but unfortunately I have no Window 8 environment to test on. And if Windows 8 is mandatory, then I will not be able to use it soon.

I will take a look at the links you provided.

Many thanks,

Ron

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[Ron]

The idea from ForumlaDesk of the custom pane on top of the formula bar is great. Then it shouldn't be too complicated to make my own wizard available from that pane, without interfering with the Excel one.

Bloomberg-style features in Excel-DNA would be nice to have but I am not really demanding them. I prefer making my own window. But if ever you decide to implement these anyway, then I will certainly use them.

I am looking forward to migrate to Windows 8 and try your IntelliSense project.

Regards,

Ron

On Wednesday, October 15, 2014 11:51:51 AM UTC+1, Govert van Drimmelen wrote:

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[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Ron,

I have worked out what is needed for it to work on older Excel and Windows versions.

But there is quite a lot of testing and other loose ends to tie up, and I've not really had the time.

Let me know if you'd like to get involved, and have some time in the coming months to help take it forward.

-Govert

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From: exce...@googlegroups.com [exce...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Ron [ronan....@gmail.com]

Sent: 15 October 2014 01:06 PM
To: exce...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [ExcelDna] Function wizard

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[Ron]

Hi Govert,

Sure I would be happy to help. What are the requirements, in the end ?

Regards,

Ron

[Ron]

Hi Govert,

I have downloaded the project and tried. I work under Windows 7. Your "AddThem" examples works fine with Excel 2013, but not with Excel 2010.

This is fine for me, we will stop using Excel 2010 soon anyway.

I will try integrating it into my add-in to see what happens.

Regards,

Ron

[Govert van Drimmelen]

Hi Ron,

I expect the functionality when typing into the formula box above the sheet does not work under Windows 7.

So I have some updates that have not been pushed to the repo that will make things work better both for Windows 7 and for old Excel versions (back to 2007). I'll have a look over the weekend, and check in the more recent changes.

I have some design questions outstanding:

* The IntelliSense service will have to be global for all add-ins in the process. So I'd prefer it to become a stand-alone add-in that somehow queries Excel or the other add-ins for the function help information. If you have the IntelliSense in your add-in, and install another add-in that has the same, it will be a mess (or become very slow).

There is some general support in the latest Excel-DNA for getting hold of registered function information from a separate add-in. But the timing of such calls is tricky. How do we detect that a new add-in has loaded, or that you've late-registered some extra functions?

* I'd like to have a mechanism (probably an .xml file) that will allow VBA users or other add-ins to register IntelliSense information for their functions. This should be easy.

* Then we'd like to add extensions to the IntelliSense display, for example hyperlinks on parameters, support for enums (like VLOOKUP's last argument) etc.

The UI Automation stuff is a bit fragile, and I remember having some Excel crashes when I tested last. So you should take some care while working on it.

-Govert

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From: exce...@googlegroups.com [exce...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Ron [ronan....@gmail.com]

Sent: 15 October 2014 02:51 PM

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[Govert van Drimmelen]

OK - I've synced the later experiments.

It might be easier to continue on email directly.

-Govert

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