Options reset to values of most recently opened workbook

[Guest]

I've noticed a behavior in Excel 2000 SP-2 on Windows 2000 Professional SP-3 and I'm not sure if it is an error, by design, or correctable by some option or setting I'm missing

When I open multiple workbooks I've found that the options settings under Tools/Options for the most recently opened workbook apply to ALL open workbooks. It might be best to explain by a couple of examples

1. I normally have the "Windows in Taskbar" option checked so I can view each of my open workbooks as a separate item in the taskbar. I have all of my workbooks set up this way. If I receive a workbook from another user who does not have this setting checked and I open the workbook then my taskbar items for my open workbooks disappear. I have to go back into the Tool/Options dialog and recheck "Windows in Taskbar" for the option to re-enable. Closing and reopening Excel does not make the settings revert back to their original values

2. Another example - and this is the one that really concerns me. Most of my users have their workbooks set for automatic calculation. But in some cases larger workbooks that take a while to calculate are set for manual calculation. My users also sometimes receive workbooks from outside sources that are set for manual calc. If, for example, five workbooks are open that are all set for automatic calc and then a single workbook is opened that is set for manual calc then ALL open workbooks reset to manual calc. This is a big problem if my users are changing values in workbooks that they expect to automatically calc but it is not calculating - worst case they're assuming the calcs are taking place and they're looking at numbers that aren't updating. My user are construction estimators so this could throw a bid of by a substantial amount

Hopefully I'm explaining this clearly. In short, the settings applied under Tools/Options always seems to prefer the values of the most recently opened workbook. I'd like to turn off this behavior if possible. If not, then I'd like to understand it better so I can educate my users. Any assistance is greatly appreciated

Best regards

 

[Nikos Yannacopoulos]

Vassili,

Both options you describe are global in Excel, not workbook-specific; that
is to say, they are not settings that a workbook can save and "carry" with
it and force on others.
What is happening is the workbooks that are changing your settings are using
code to do so in the background; if you don't get a warning for macros, then
your security setting (Tools > Macro > Security) is Low, which is a very
dangerous situation: any workbook can run any code it likes without you
knowing! Changing the calculation or windows in taskbar setting is the least
that can happen. Change that setting to Medium, so at least you get warned
when a workbook contains macros, and get a chance to prevent it from running
until you know you can trust it.

HTH,
Nikos

I've noticed a behavior in Excel 2000 SP-2 on Windows 2000 Professional

SP-3 and I'm not sure if it is an error, by design, or correctable by some
option or setting I'm missing.

When I open multiple workbooks I've found that the options settings under

Tools/Options for the most recently opened workbook apply to ALL open
workbooks. It might be best to explain by a couple of examples:

1. I normally have the "Windows in Taskbar" option checked so I can view

each of my open workbooks as a separate item in the taskbar. I have all of
my workbooks set up this way. If I receive a workbook from another user who
does not have this setting checked and I open the workbook then my taskbar
items for my open workbooks disappear. I have to go back into the
Tool/Options dialog and recheck "Windows in Taskbar" for the option to
re-enable. Closing and reopening Excel does not make the settings revert
back to their original values.

2. Another example - and this is the one that really concerns me. Most

of my users have their workbooks set for automatic calculation. But in some
cases larger workbooks that take a while to calculate are set for manual
calculation. My users also sometimes receive workbooks from outside sources
that are set for manual calc. If, for example, five workbooks are open that
are all set for automatic calc and then a single workbook is opened that is
set for manual calc then ALL open workbooks reset to manual calc. This is a
big problem if my users are changing values in workbooks that they expect to
automatically calc but it is not calculating - worst case they're assuming
the calcs are taking place and they're looking at numbers that aren't
updating. My user are construction estimators so this could throw a bid of
by a substantial amount.

Hopefully I'm explaining this clearly. In short, the settings applied

under Tools/Options always seems to prefer the values of the most recently
opened workbook. I'd like to turn off this behavior if possible. If not,
then I'd like to understand it better so I can educate my users. Any
assistance is greatly appreciated.