EXCEL STARTUP opening existing files

**bartinp** · 08-20-2009, 06:56 AM

EXCEL 2007

I am looking for some help in changing the options on excel. If I go to the start menu and open up excel it pops up a window. If I go back to the start menu and open up a 2nd excel, it pops up a second window. That is great!
The problem I have is if I open an existing excel file (w/ no excel apps open)
it pops up a window. If I open a second (different) excel file, it does not pop up a second window, but puts uses the existing excel app. and puts the file in front of the current file. I would like it to open a new excel app. every time I open an excel file. I know I used to be able to do this w/ Excel 2003, but I can't figure out how to setup excel 2007 to do this. Any suggestions?

**Palmetto** · 08-20-2009, 07:38 AM

Not sure if this will help, but it won't hurt to check and try.

Click the Office Button and choose Excel Options in the lower left of the dialog
Click on Advanced in the left pane and in the right pane scrool down to the section titled "Display"
Make sure the box next to "Show all Windows in the Taskbar" is checked.

**bartinp** · 08-20-2009, 11:43 AM

Hmm. That did help me do exactly what I explained, but didn't help me with my problem. I have an excel file open running VBA that is on a continuous loop. It basically is looking for a signal from the PLC, if it gets one signal it copies data from the PLC. It also looks for another signal at the end of the loop to drop the VBA. So once I press the button to start the VBA code, I get the hour glass, and just show desktop to get it out of the way. The problem I have is if I try to open another excel file, it looks at the current open file first, and since it is in the VBA loop, the only way I can open it at that point is to escape from the loop and then it will process the new file.
The other way I can get it to open is to open the VBA excel file, run the VBA, then go to the start menu and open a new excel app, and then click on my excel file, but that is an extra step I'd like to avoid. Any advise is greatly appreciated!

**Andy Pope** · 08-20-2009, 11:50 AM

You said, "I know I used to be able to do this w/ Excel 2003"

Can you explain how you use to do it. Then maube we can tell you where to find or how to set it in xl2007.

**shg** · 08-20-2009, 11:53 AM

Ignore other apps?

**bartinp** · 08-20-2009, 11:53 AM

With 2007 it seems to go to the current open excel file, and use that application to "buffer" the file you are trying to open. In the instance I described above, it can't open the file because it goes to the current file which is in a loop state, and doesn't go beyond that to open the new file.

**bartinp** · 08-20-2009, 11:55 AM

I tried "ignore other applications that use DDE", but then it never opens the file in question since the VBA program is using DDE to talk between itself and a PLC.'