Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!microsoft!benw From: benw@microsoft.UUCP (Benjamin Waldman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Spreadsheet Information Request Summary: Don't need all linked spreadsheets in memory with Excel Message-ID: <8146@microsoft.UUCP> Date: 21 Oct 89 23:37:38 GMT References: <65816@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <216@dg.dg.com> <5736@merlin.usc.edu> Reply-To: benw@microsoft.UUCP (Benjamin Waldman) Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA Lines: 30 >In article <65816@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> writes: > >My understanding is that >Wingz requires all linked spreadsheets to be in memory (i.e. open) in order >to update calculations across all of the spreadsheets while Excel does not >require me to open all of the linked spreadsheets. Is this true? Excel distinguishes between simple and complex external references. Updating values for simple external references does not require that the supporting sheets be open, while updating values for complex external references does require this (if the supporting sheets are not open, though, you just get a #REF! in the dependent sheet, NOT a wrong value). A simple external reference is an absolute reference to a cell, cell range, named cell or range or named constant in another worksheet. If an external reference is not simple, it's complex. BUT, you can do just about anything with a simple external reference--see the Excel manual for details (for Excel 2.2, see pages 429-441, espcially pps 433-34. So the bottom line is that for most cases (and just about every case if you design things right), you don't need the supporting sheets open in order to properly update the dependent sheet. Ben Waldman Software Design Engineer Microsoft Corp. uunet!microsoft!benw Disclaimer: These are my thoughts, opinions, and ideas, not my employers.