Upgrading to Excel 2000

If your organization is upgrading gradually to Microsoft Excel 2000, users might have to share workbooks with users of Excel 98, Excel 97, Excel 95, and Excel 5.0.

Running macros created in previous versions of Excel

Excel 2000 supports Excel macro language (XLM) macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros created in Excel 5.0 or later. However, before you can run the macros you created in the previous versions of Excel, you must modify the code according to the following conditions:

• For a macro that makes calls to a custom 16-bit dynamic-link library (DLL) file, you must provide a version 32-bit compatibility layer for the 16-bit DLL file, or you must recompile the DLL source code into a 32-bit version of the DLL file.
• For a macro that makes calls to a 16-bit Windows 3.x application programming interface (API) functions or subroutines, you must edit the application code to replace the calls with appropriate calls to the Microsoft Win32® API.

In most instances, these are the only modifications you need to upgrade XLM and VBA macros created in previous versions of Excel. If the converted macros don’t perform as expected in Excel 2000, users can use the following resources to help troubleshoot compatibility issues:

• Click Office on the Web (Help menu).
• Start the Visual Basic Editor, and then click Microsoft Visual Basic Help (Help menu).

Excel 2000 includes Visual Basic for Applications version 6.0. This latest version of VBA provides new features and enhancements such as support for additional ActiveX controls. You might want to rewrite existing macros or create new macros to take advantage of the new features in Visual Basic for Applications 6.0. You can create new macros in Excel 2000 by recording macros in Visual Basic for Applications or writing macros by using the Visual Basic Editor.

Helping prevent macro viruses

When you open a workbook, Excel displays a message if the workbook contains a macro. Excel displays the message regardless of whether the macro in the workbook actually contains a macro virus.

You help prevent macro viruses in Excel 2000 when you allow Excel to run only a macro with a digital signature from a trusted source. A digital signature helps confirm that the macro is from a trusted developer who signed it and that the macro has not been altered.

To allow Excel 2000 users to run only signed macros

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macro.
2. On the Security Level tab, click High.

When users open workbooks with macros, Excel automatically disables any unsigned macros.

System Policy Tip   You can use a system policy to set the security level option in the Security dialog box (Tools menu). In the System Policy Editor, set the Microsoft Excel 2000\Tools|Macro\Security\Security Level policy. For more information about the System Policy Editor, see Using the System Policy Editor.

Using templates created in previous versions of Excel

You can exchange templates with users of other versions of Excel. However, Excel 2000 templates take advantage of the new and enhanced features in the application. The unique features in Excel 2000 are lost when a template is saved in an older format such as Excel 97 or Excel 95 format.

When you open a template or load an add-in that was already installed when you installed Excel 2000, macros within the file are automatically enabled.

To display a message when opening an old template or loading an add-in

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macro.
2. On the Trusted Sources tab, clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box.

System Policy Tip   You can use a system policy to set the Trust all installed add-ins and templates option in the Security dialog box (Tools menu). In the System Policy Editor, set the Microsoft Excel 2000\Tools|Macro\Security\Trust all installed add-ins and templates policy. For more information about the System Policy Editor, see Using the System Policy Editor.

In addition to built-in templates, Excel 2000 supports templates created in other versions of Excel. If you have old templates that you want to use in Excel 2000, store the templates in the XLStart folder. Templates stored in this location appear on the General tab in the New dialog box (File menu).

Sharing workbooks with Excel 98 and Excel 97 users

Excel 2000 users can open files created in Excel 98 (Macintosh®) and Excel 97 (Windows). Excel 2000 supports all data and text formatting created in these earlier versions.

Excel 2000 users can collaborate with Excel 98 and Excel 97 users by saving workbooks in either the Excel 97-2000 default file format or Web Page format. However, for Excel 98 and Excel 97 text formatting to display accurately in Excel 2000 workbooks in Web Page format, users must have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or later.

Excel 98 and Excel 97 users can open and save Excel 2000 workbooks. However, when Excel 2000 workbooks include a PivotTable, the PivotTable features are not preserved in the earlier versions of Excel.

System Policy Tip   You can use a system policy to define the default value for the Save as type option in the Save As dialog box (File menu). In the System Policy Editor, set the Microsoft Excel 2000\Tools | Options\Transition\Save Excel files as policy. For more information about the System Policy Editor, see Using the System Policy Editor.

 Note    For text and font formatting to display correctly in workbooks saved in Web Page format, users opening the workbooks must use cascading style sheets and have Internet Explorer 4.0 or later.

Sharing workbooks with Excel 95 and Excel 5.0 users

Excel 2000 users can open and save Excel 95 and Excel 5.0 workbooks. With the exception of sound notes in cells, Excel 2000 supports all data and formatting in these earlier versions of Excel.

Excel 2000 users can collaborate with Excel 95 and Excel 5.0 users by saving workbooks in Excel 5.0/95 Workbook format, Excel 97-2000 & 5.0/95 Workbook format, and Web Page format. If Excel 95 and Excel 5.0 users want to open and save Excel 2000 workbooks in HTML, the users must install the HTML add-in.

Toolbox   You can install the HTML add-in from the Microsoft Office Converter Pack. You can find this downloadable file on the Office 2000 Resource Kit Downloads page.

 Tip    Excel 2000 users can open and save Excel 5.0 for the Macintosh workbooks when they save the workbooks as tab-delimited or comma-separated text files.

See also

Saving a workbook in a dual file format is an ideal solution for organizations that are upgrading gradually to Excel 2000. For more information, see Using a Dual File Format in Excel.

You can specify the default format in which Excel 2000 saves new workbooks. For more information, see How to Specify the Default Format in Which to Save Files.

The Removal Wizard removes unnecessary and obsolete files, settings, and components that previous versions of Office and Office-related applications install. For more information, see Removal Wizard.