Getting Started

How to get started with developing XLConnect workbooks

Enable Developer Mode

The first thing to do to develop connected workbooks with XLConnect is to enable Developer Mode. When you do not have this enabled, your ribbon will looks like this:

XLConnect ribbon in User Mode

To enable developer options, go to Settings > Advanced > Developer Mode

Developer Mode Menu Option

If you have the developer option enabled for your account, your ribbon should now look like this (notice a number of new buttons appearing):

XLConnect Ribbon in Developer Mode

Finding your way around

Here is a quick rundown of the new buttons on your ribbon:

• Taskpanes

  • Maps and Scripts opens a taskpane on the right where you can see and edit the Maps and Scripts in the workbook.
• Develop

  • Import Prefab let's you import ready made scripts to connect to your cloud platform by dragging and dropping elements, without having to write any code
  • Javascript Studio is the javascript editor that comes with XLConnect, that allows you to write code and see the results.
  • Connect Cells lets you add workbook cells, ranges and tables to maps and scripts.
  • Save to Cloud saves your workbook to the database, so users can open it through Open Workbook.

  • Other

    • Sheet Sizes lets you see the Used Ranges in your workbook, to find cells that appear empty but are 'used', bloating your workbook size without adding any value.

    • Analyze Formulas lets you drill through formulas in a tree format instead of the normal arrows.

  • Audit

    • Workbook history shows the all the versions of the workbook that have been save to the cloud, allowing you to rollback to a sepcific version if required.

    • Model Library shows all workbooks on the cloud with their versions.