Automatic updates of links between files – Excel 2007

[Mary Ann]

When I open a file with links to another file, a security warning shows in
the message bar showing that automatic update of links has been disabled.
When I go to the Trust Centre it shows that Prompt User on Automatic Update
of Links is selected.
Microsoft help seems to imply that if I don’t want to update, I should get a
button Don’t Update. However this button does not appear. Nor does an update
button.
When I open the file I want to be able to choose whether to update or not.
What is the process to set this up and then how do I give the two
instructions, Update or Don’t Update?

[Bill Manville]

Excel 2007 makes the control of link updating harder, in my opinion;
certainly confusing!

As far as I can tell, the old method of controlling the
workbook-specific startup dialog has been replaced by an Excel-wide set
of trust center settings. The result is as you have seen - in order to
enable the links the user has to notice the bar that appears below the
ribbon and click the Options button and then Enable this content.

I am still trying to clarify with Microsoft exactly how they intended
the different settings in Edit Links and in the Trust Center and in
Excel Options to interact. It seems to me to be a bit of a mess.
----
Meanwhile, one option would be to have the users load a small workbook
that does not contain links and have it give the user the choice of
whether or not to update the links; it would then go on to open the
real workbook (using the UpdateLinks argument of Workbooks.Open to give
the required result); it would then close itself.
---
The small workbook would contain a macro in a standard module,
something like this:

Sub Auto_Open()
Application.OnTime Now, "Continue_Open" ' let Excel opening finish
End Sub

Sub Continue_Open()
' runs after the workbook is fully open
Dim iUpdate As Integer
If MsgBox("Shall I update the links?", vbYesNo) = vbYes Then
iUpdate = 3
Else
iUpdate = 0
End If
' change the file name in the next line...
Workbooks.Open ThisWorkbook.Path & "\Real.xls", UpdateLinks:=iUpdate
ThisWorkbook.Close
End Sub

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England
No email replies please - respond to newsgroup

[Mary Ann]

Thank you Bill. If you are in discussion with Microsoft it might be worth
pointing out the the MS Help refers to a Don't Update button, which doesn't
appear to exist.

[Wetter@discussions.microsoft.com Paul Wetter]

This post is a little stale but, it best describes the issues I have been
having and it sounds like you were looking into it further.

I too have several workbooks that are linked and the users of these
workbooks would rather have a choice on wheather to update links or not. The
major problem is as stated, that the prompts to appear as the documentation
tells you they should.

This is my scenario:
1. Users have several workbooks that have links to others.
2. Users do not want the links to always automatically update.
3. Users would like these source locations to also be in trusted sites for
their macros.

This is where we run into the issue. When the workbook is in the trusted
sites, it will not follow the rules to prompt for updating links (like Excel
2003 did). Even with the settings of "Ask to update automatic links" in the
options and the Startup Prompt set to "Let users choose to display the alert
or not", the links will update regardless. If you set the startup to "Don't
display the alert and don't update automatic links" then the links do not
update but, they don't prompt either.

Did you get any further with Microsoft on working with linked workbooks? To
me it still seems there is something broken as it does not behave how the
Excel documentation says it should.

Any input would be great.
Thanks!

[AdamB]

Paul,

You and I are probably looking for the same answer in the same spots. I've
seen your post on another forum like this as well. I have scoured the
internet trying to find the answer to this problem. It appears no one has an
answer. I really think it's a bug that hopefully Microsoft will address in
SP2 of Office 2007. No matter what, it never prompts, just like you say,
unless the workbook is in an untrusted location. Then you can choose not to
enable content, however then you disable macros as well, which is not ideal.

[GuestionGuy]

Anyone find an answer to this? Office 2007 SP2 did not solve the issue for me.

[macropod]

Depends on what the issue is. What is the problem you're having?

--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]

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