XL7: "This File Is No Longer Shared" Error Saving File

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you save a shared file, you may receive a dialog box with the following information

   This book was made exclusive by <username> <date> <time>

   The file '<filename>' already exists. Replace existing file?

   This file is no longer shared

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you save a shared workbook if another person has made the workbook exclusive by turning off the Allow Multi-User Editing option. When this situation arises, you can no longer save the file with the same name to the same location. Additionally, you can no longer open the Shared Lists dialog box. If you click Shared Lists on the File menu, you receive the "file is no longer shared" error message and the Shared Lists dialog box does not appear.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, you can save your changes to the (now) exclusive file to another folder, or with another filename. You can then open the exclusive file (as long as no one else has it open) and add your changes to this copy of the file.

STATUS

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel. When you make a shared file exclusive, no one else can open this file for editing while you have it open. Although you can make a file exclusive while another person has the file open for editing, this person is no longer able to save changes to the file. When you make a file exclusive, the file becomes "read-only" for anyone who has the file open, as well as for anyone who opens the file after you make it exclusive.

Note that when you receive the error message "file is no longer shared" when you save a shared file, it may not be clear that the file has not been saved. You will need to save the file to a different folder or filename to save your changes.

REFERENCES

For more information about how to create a shared list in Microsoft Excel, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   shared l