simulating shared workbooks

R

Richard

I am a teacher and I am sometimes called upon to teach
Excel. When teaching how to share a workbook without
having access to a network I used to be able to set up a
simulation. This was achieved by opening Excel creating a
file and naming the file. I would then open a second
window of Excel and go to Tools options and change the
user name. I would then tile the windows and you could
see the two versions as though they were being used by
two different users. This was particularly useful when
showing how changes were made and how conflict resolution
was achieved.
I have recently upgraded to Excel 2003 and i find when I
have a second window open, any changes to the user
information are reflected in the original window. Is
there any way to achieve my simulation?
Thanks in advance
 
D

Dave Peterson

I'd bet that you really only had one instance of excel running (but with
multiple windows open).

You could try this:
Tools|Options|General|Ignore other applications (check it)

Then try starting that second instance of excel.
 
R

Richard

Thank you for your suggestions but I am afraid that they
do not work.
I believe that I have two instances of Excel running
because I open one, create a file and save it (do not
close down), I then inset a name in the user info under
tools options general etc. I then go back to the start
menu and open a second instance of excel, go to tools,
options etc and insert a different user name. When i go
back to the original version, the new user name is there.
I have ignore other applications ticked in both versions.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again
 
D

Dave Peterson

I'm not sure that this was a valid test (username stuff).

When you have two workbooks open, click on Windows in the worksheet menubar.

If you see both workbooks there (at the bottom of the dropdown), you only have
one instance open.

Also, if you hit File|Exit, do both workbooks close. If you have them in two
different instances, only the workbooks in that instance should close.

And the icons on the windows taskbar are different for workbooks in different
instances or just in separate windows.
 
R

Richard

Thank you for your help on this and I am sorry that it is
proving to be a pain because I have done this in a
previous version of Excel. But, I can confirm that only
one instance shows on the windows menu drop down box,
when i close one instance the other stays open and they
show as two separate icons on the task bar. Yet, when i
change the user name in one instance it is reflected in
the other.
regards
 
D

Dave Peterson

Not to put too fine a point on the username property. This is stored in the
registry and it looks like every running version of excel will go to the
registry to find the current user name.

I missed the point (not unusual!).

I use xl2002 and the username changes for all instances when changed in one. I
don't recall that this changed, but based on your post, it must have.

So your real question is not how to simulate shared workbooks--you're doing
that. Your real question is how to simulate different users (usernames).

I don't have a guess for that.

But the Tools|Share workbook does show my name for each instance I have open.

And the conflicting change dialog appeared, too.

Maybe that's enough????

(Sorry about the confusion.)
 
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