4 Add-in functionality
4.1 Start Page / Uploading
This page presents you with the initial 3 directions you could head to.
- First would be to upload an Excel “Sharepoint link” within our Wrepit Excel2Word add-in.
- Second would be to view which Excel files have already been uploaded.
- Third, would be to view all the tables and cells uploaded regardless of its origin excel file.
Paste “Sharepoint link” (of your excel file) into field and click submit ().
Make sure to always turn off "Track Changes" while inserting tables and cells into Word. The add-in will notify you if "Track Changes" is turned on and will display warnings each time you insert a table or a cell with it on. You should also check that you have the latest version installed, as this could affect the add-in's ability to detect whether "Track Changes" is on or not. You can find your current version by clicking on. Your name, then preferences and locating it in the bottom right corner.
4.2 How to: Find the Sharepoint link
Wrepit Excel2Word makes best use of the Microsoft ecosystem. You need to create a “Sharepoint link” of the Excel file in Sharepoint where the origin file of the future range tables and tables are inserted from.
- Save your Excel file to Sharepoint.
- Right-click on the Excel file and “copy link”.
Alternatively, get the share link directly from Excel, in the upper-right corner,
find “Share” and click “Copy Link...”.
4.3 How to: Insert an Excel Table into Word
Once uploading your Excel Sharepoint link. Excel2Word now shows you all the named range tables and cells within that specific Excel file. In this interface, you can sort files alphabetically, by last added and via pending changes. Users are also able to search among all the Excel tables and cells.
You can synchronize (Sync) all tables/cells, therefore, making sure that any changes to the Excel source file are reflected in the list.
- You are now shown all the named tables and cells within that Excel file.
- You are now able to insert any one of these tables or cells by clicking the “+” icon next to it.
- Well done! You have successfully inserted a linked table from Excel to Word.
- You are also able to Search within this list of tables.
4.4 How to: Update in Word when a table has changed in Excel
The core benefit of this function is to make sure that users have seamless integration between excel and word.
- Once you have edited the Excel document saved in Sharepoint.
- Make sure the Excel file and the table names have not changed.
(In this example we change the row title “goodwill” to “David” indicated with the red arrow) [Figure 4] - Return to MS Word and click “Sync all Tables/Cells in Doc”. [Figure 5]
This will make the “Excel2Word by Wrepit” add-in, search for any changes.
This may take a few seconds. - You will now be presented with a message in orange to “confirm all changes” at the top. [Figure 5]
- You will also be presented with individual approvals within the list of tables.
Click the orange “check” button on either. - Success! Look for the changes you made in the table within word. [Figure 6]
4.5 How to: Change data connections from one Excel file to another Excel file
This function is critical in financial reporting when users are using their old excel files as templates for efficiency.
- Start by uploading a second excel file. A prerequisite is that the second Excel file has tables/cells with the same name as within the original Excel file. Use the exact same instructions from Start Page / Uploading.
- Navigate to “All Excel Files”.
- Tap the “Replace” icon next to your original Excel file’s name. [Figure 7]
- If the icon is not present, it means you have not yet inserted any tables/cells from that Excel file.
- If the icon is not present, it means you have not yet inserted any tables/cells from that Excel file.
- You will be presented with the following interface below [Figure 8].
- This presents the User with two options :
- To replace all tables (from the file with the most common connections)
- Or to replace individual connections.
- Click “Replace All”
- This presents the User with two options :
- Click “Approve ALL pending changes” in orange at the top. [Figure 9]
- Success! You have updated all the tables with the same name from your new excel file.
4.6 How to: Speed up synchronization of all tables/cells
The Integrity Check feature plays a crucial role in ensuring that numbers inserted into MS Word align with those from Excel. However, when dealing with numerous tables and cells imported via E2W (Excel to Word), the integrity check process can be time-consuming. To increase efficiency during the editing phase, you may consider temporarily disabling this feature.
- Click on your name located at the top of the E2W interface, then select "Preferences."
- Toggle the option "Disable Integrity Check" to ON. A warning message will appear as a reminder to re-enable the integrity check later. See Figure 10
- After completing the insertion of all tables and cells, toggle the "Disable Integrity Check" option to OFF and proceed to synchronize all tables and cells.
By following these steps, you ensure that your final document maintains the levels of data accuracy and integrity.
4.7 How to: Unlock cells to edit style settings
Inserting a cell via E2W embeds it within a content control that restricts style modifications in Word. For instance, if you've inserted a cell with a defined name into a title or a heading, direct style adjustments (such as changing a title to a heading, or transitioning between heading levels) are not possible. To regain flexibility and enable style changes, unlocking the cell is necessary. This process removes the restriction, allowing for the desired alterations in style.
To make style modifications in Word after inserting a cell via E2W, follow these refined steps.
This example uses a cell named “Year” with the value “2024” inserted into a title where direct style adjustments are initially restricted.
- Begin by locating the specific cell you intend to modify, such as the “Year” cell inserted into your document.
- Open the E2W add-in and use the dropdown menu to view all instances of cell inserted into the document.
- Find the lock icon next to the relevant instance and click it to unlock. A notification will confirm that the cell is now open for modifications.
- With the cell unlocked, you are now free to change the style of the text, whether it involves altering a title to a heading or switching between heading levels.
- Once satisfied with the changes, click the lock icon again to reapply the content control, ensuring your modifications are preserved.
- Note that the E2W add-in will automatically relock and any unlocked instances during the next synchronization of all tables and cells, safeguarding the integrity of your document.
4.8 How to: Change number separators
Number separators in your documents are typically determined by the language settings in SharePoint. However, the language set in SharePoint may not always match the language used in your reports. To ensure consistency in number formatting, follow these steps to override number separators:
- Navigate to your profile by clicking on your name, then select "Preferences."
- Toggle on the "Override Number Separators" option.
- Adjust the thousand separators and decimal separators as needed to match your report's language and formatting preferences.
- After making the adjustments, sync and save to apply the updated number separators to your documents.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your documents reflect the correct number formatting.
4.9 How to: Ensure that the add-in can handle your Excel files
In rare cases, certain Excel files can be so large and/or complex that loading is either very slow, or even crashes. The add-in will in such cases present you with an “Excel file timeout” error (Figure 18). This means that the add-in timed out while trying to process your Excel file. When syncing all files, and on initial loading of the add-in, the timeout is relatively short. However, for individual Excel files, the timeout is set to 2 minutes, allowing for processing more complex files.
There are 2 courses of action you can take when you see this error:
- The recommended action. Find your Excel file and reduce its complexity and/or size (See Reducing Excel file complexity). Then re-sync.
- Go to the single file view, either by clicking the helpful link in the add-in error message, or by locating the file in the “All Excel files” menu, and then hit “Sync” in that file – to synchronize with the prolonged individual timeout.
4.9.1 Reducing Excel file complexity
If your Excel file is too complex for quick processing in Excel2Word by Wrepit, try looking for the following symptoms:
- Big file size (more than 10 MB). This can be caused by some of the other symptoms below. The add-in sometimes handles 10+ MB files easily, it depends on why the file is big.
- Lots of pictures in the file. Does your Excel file contain pictures with a large file size? Try removing unnecessary pictures, or reducing their size.
- Huge worksheets with empty data. Some worksheets contain 0-value rows or columns or styled cells that fill very far to the bottom or right side of the worksheet. Mostly this is unnecessary, and due to either temporary and outdated work in the worksheet, or due to worksheets being filled programmatically by macros or other import methods. A good way to check whether a worksheet is huge, is to look at the horizontal and vertical scrollbars when you are in the top-left of the worksheet. If the scrollbar handle is very small it indicates a very long scroll dimension.
- Huge amount of merged cells. The add-in does not like large amounts of merged cells, meaning if there are thousands of merged cells in a single worksheet. This can typically occur if you for some reason have merged 2 cells in a row, and then copied/dragged the cells into thousands of rows below. Typically the right-most column contains no data at all, and we recommend to remove that column, which removes all of the merges.
Please let us know if you come across difficult Excel files where the tips above do not help.
4.10 How to: Enforce auto-layout
All tables are automatically adjusted to ensure all content fits comfortably within each cell.
There are two types of table formats:
- The fixed table feature ensures that all number columns within tables are adjusted to the same width. This ensures that all tables have a consistent appearance which makes tables easier to read and compare. This feature is currently optional, and can be enabled in Workspace settings in the “Beta” tab.)
- Auto-layout that optimizes each cell individually, ensuring it uses only the minimum width necessary to display its content.
As a result, some tables may become significantly wider than others. You can override these settings for individual tables using the E2W feature.
To apply auto-layout to a table that is too wide, navigate to the inserted instance of the table in your word document.
Click the dropdown icon, followed by the settings icon next to the inserted table. Then toggle on the "Enforce Auto-layout" button.