CHAPTER 48
Creating Custom Excel Add-Ins
For developers, one of the most useful features in Excel is the capability to create add-ins. This chapter discusses this concept and provides a practical example of creating an add-in.
Understanding Add-Ins
Generally speaking, an add-in is something that's added to software to give it additional functionality. Excel includes several add-ins, including the Analysis ToolPak and Solver. Ideally, the new features blend in well with the original interface so that they appear to be part of the program.
Excel's approach to add-ins is quite powerful: any knowledgeable Excel user can create add-ins from workbooks. The type of add-in covered in this chapter is basically a different form of a workbook file. Any Excel workbook can be converted into an add-in, but not every workbook is a good candidate for an add-in.
What distinguishes an add-in from a normal workbook...
