Problem detecting Excel 2003 file change.

**bashara** · 04-10-2008, 05:25 PM

Hi,

I am working on an WinForm application that needs to detect if an Excel file was changed. I am using the Class FileSystemWatcher to monitor if the file changed. The problem I am running into is that when a user opens an Excel file using Excel 2003 and just closes the file without changing anything the FileSystemWatcher detects a change. When I check the properties of the file I do see that the Modified date has changed which explain why FileSystemWatcher detects a change. I only want to detect a change when the use actually changes the contect of the file. Can anyone recommed the best way for detecting a file change in Excel 2003 file?

Note: When using Excel 2007 I do not have the same problem.

Thanks,

Bashar

**dominicb** · 04-11-2008, 04:05 AM

Good morning bashara

I don't think that you may be able to actually detect whether or not a file has changed because of the way Excel works.

Try this. Find a small spreadsheet in sombodys post - if a thread has a poat uploaded it will be parked by a little paperclip, so they're fairly easy to pick out - a small file will be easiest. Save it to your local machine. Then open it once with Excel, then close it but don't save it. Then open the file again, this time using Notepad. You will see embedded in the file is the name that your version of Excel is registered to, so although you haven't asked for the file to be saved, it has actually been modified.

HTH

DominicB

Problem detecting Excel 2003 file change.

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