How to Open Running Application; Not Start Another Instance of App

[Guest]

Greetings,

I am programming my new Microsoft Wireless Laser Keyboard so one of the
buttons will open up Excel, which works just fine. However, if I push the
button a second time, another instance of Excel opens up. Is there a way to
create a shortcut or use a parameter that switches to the running application
once it has been opened?

I created a shortcut and it does the same thing; opens a new instance of the
program, which I suppose is correct but...

Any ideas?

Rob

 

[Gord Dibben]

Try the usual fix(es) for this problem.

Tools>Options>General uncheck "Ignore other Applications"
Exit Excel and try again

If this doesn't work try to re-register Excel

Close Excel first and On the Windows Taskbar

1) Start>Run "excel.exe /unregserver"(no quotes)>OK.
2) Start>Run "excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)>OK.

See the space between exe and /regserver

You might have to designate a full path to excel.exe.
In that case Start>Run "C:\yourpath\excel.exe /regserver"(no quotes)>OK.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[Newbie Coder]

Rob

You are actually running EXCEL.EXE as apposed to a document within the
application with your shortcut key registering

Here are a list of all command line switches in MS Excel:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291288

 

[Guest]

The shortcut work fine as far as running Excel. What I would like is for all
subsequent double-clicks on the shortcut to open the existing Excel window
and NOT open a new instance of Excel.

I'd like to figure out how to do this with other applications as well, not
just Excel. Excel is just an example.

Rob

 

[Guest]

This is not an issue with Excel as other apps behave the same way. Might
just be the way Windows works.

I was hoping to come up with some way to have my keyboard open the app the
first time and then swith to the active app on subsequent presses.

Rob

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Not all other apps, mostly MS apps. Most of the other apps I have will not open another window when I start them again. Some don't do anything (Hey, I'm already started!), or they open a new document in the same window (Corel WordPerfect, I believe, does this, or used to.)