Microsoft KB Archive/156943

= XL97: How to Convert an Add-in File into a Workbook =

Article ID: 156943

Article Last Modified on 10/11/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q156943





SUMMARY
In Microsoft Excel 97, you can convert an add-in (.xla) file into a normal workbook (.xls) file that you can view and edit. This article contains detailed information about converting an add-in file.



MORE INFORMATION
To convert an add-in file back into a normal workbook, use the following steps:

 On the File menu, click Open. In the Open dialog box, select the add-in file that you want to convert (for example, Test.xla), and click Open. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor (or press ALT+F11).

In the Project Explorer window in the Visual Basic Editor, entries similar to the following appear:

 ()

where  is the name of the Visual Basic project, and  is the name of an add-in file.

For example, entries similar to the following appear:

MyAddIn (Test)

 Click the plus sign (+) to the left of the entry for the add-in file.  If you are prompted for a password, type the password and click OK. Otherwise, skip to step 5.

NOTE: if you do not know the password for the add-in file, you cannot convert it into a normal workbook. If you know who created the add-in file, ask the creator for the password. Otherwise, you cannot continue.

Entries similar to the following appear in the Project Explorer window: <pre class="fixed_text">      MyAddIn (Test) Microsoft Excel Objects Modules </li>  Click the plus sign (+) to the left of "Microsoft Excel Objects".

The tree should look similar to the following: <pre class="fixed_text">          MyAddIn (Test) Microsoft Excel Objects Sheet1 (Sheet1) Sheet2 (Sheet2) Sheet3 (Sheet3) ThisWorkbook Modules </li> Click ThisWorkbook.</li> On the Tools menu, click <Project name> Properties.</li> Click the Protection tab. Clear (uncheck) the "Lock project for viewing" check box. Clear both the Password and "Confirm password" boxes. Then, click OK.</li> In the Properties window of the Visual Basic Editor, click IsAddin. In the box to the right of IsAddin, change the value from True to False.</li> On the File menu, click "Close and Return to Microsoft Excel".

The worksheets and chart sheets in the add-in file (if it contains any) should be visible.</li> On the File menu, click Save As.</li> In the Save As dialog box, click "Microsoft Excel Workbook" in the "Save as type" box. Type a new name for the workbook (for example, Test.xls) in the file name box. Click Save to save the add-in file as a normal workbook.</li> After you save the workbook, click Close on the File menu.</li></ol>

The add-file is converted to a workbook that can be opened, viewed, modified, and saved, just like any other workbook. Note that the add-in file is not modified by this process.

For more information about how to create add-in files in Microsoft Excel 97, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

156942 XL97: How to Create an Add-in File in Microsoft Excel 97

Additional query words: XL97 addin vba macro 8.0

Keywords: kbdtacode kbfaq kbhowto kbprogramming KB156943

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