Excel: Order in Which Add-Ins Located in XLSTART Are Opened

 Last reviewed: November 3, 1994
Article ID: Q78185

SUMMARY

Each file that resides in the EXCEL\XLSTART subdirectory for Microsoft Excel version 3.0 is automatically opened when the Excel program is started. The order in which any add-in macro files located in the XLSTART directory are loaded when Excel starts up is based on the order that the files were placed into the XLSTART directory.

MORE INFORMATION

The following steps can be used to load existing add-in macros in the XLSTART directory in a specified order:

  1. Open File Manager and create a directory called BACKUP in the EXCEL directory.

  2. Move any add-in macros from the XLSTART directory to the BACKUP directory.

  3. Individually move each add-in macro back to the XLSTART directory in the order that you want them loaded.

  4. Delete the BACKUP directory if desired.

Reasons for loading add-in macros in a specified order include controlling the following:
  • The placement of custom menus created by add-in macros
  • The order that dialog or alert boxes are displayed
  • The order of spreadsheets loaded by add-in macros

In Excel for Windows, you can also load add-in macros upon startup by calling the add-in macros from EXCEL.INI with the following "open" statement: 

   [Microsoft Excel]
   open=SAMPLE.XLA
An add-in macro loaded using the "open" statement will load after any add-in macro in the XLSTART and/or alternate startup directory.

In Microsoft Excel for OS/2, the EXCEL.INI file is binary, preventing modification of this file.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide," version 3.0, pages 553-554, 651-653

KBCategory: kbother
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Additional reference words: 3.00

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Last reviewed: November 3, 1994
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