ExcelPipe FAQ

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This is a collection of frequently asked questions about ExcelPipe. 

Questions

How to update links in spreadsheets that are moved to a different file location on a server?

1. Drag and drop your folders or your files into ExcelPipe - they will appear on the Files to Process tab
2. Specify the Find what text on the Actions tab e.g. \\oldservername\oldshare\
3. Specify the Replace with text on the Actions tab e.g. \\newservername\newshare
4. Ensure the Look In Location has 'Hyperlink addresses' checked
5. Press [F9] to start the replacing process

You can also see using wildcards below to match groups of hyperlinks.

How can I use ExcelPipe on a SharePoint site?

Use ExcelPipe's SharePoint button to create a SharePoint link for you complete with login details. You can also use the same button for UNC paths. If this does not work for you, you can always map your SharePoint site as a network drive.

How can I replace images in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets?

Easy. First set the Find What text to

  ^g

ie literally carat (Shift+6) followed by letter 'g'. Not Ctrl+G. (Astute users will notice that this is the same as with MS Word)

Set the Replace With field to the complete path to the replacement image on disk.

How do I disable AutoRun macros while I run ExcelPipe?

ExcelPipe does this for you.

How do I search inside Text boxes?

Check the 'Shapes' Look In location.

How do I remove carriage returns within a cell, entered with Alt+Enter?

You can't - this is an Microsoft Excel limitation. If you can File\Save As the file as CSV (Comma delimited format), then you can apply our TextPipe Pro tool.

What EasyPattern wildcards can I use?

Note: EasyPattern wildcards (reference) are only available inside plain text fields, such as hyperlink addresses, OLE links and document properties.

Purpose	Find What and Replace With terms
Extract filename from a URL and add a new server and path Input: https://intranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/teaching/course/electro/technology.doc https://intranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/teaching/shortcourse/plumping/pipes.doc Output: https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/technology.doc https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/pipes.doc	Find what: [ lineStart, 1+chars, '/', capture(longest 1+ not '/' ), lineEnd ] Replace with: https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/$1
Extract filename and part of a path from a UNC server path and add a new server and path Input:   \\oldserver\share_name\teaching\course\electro\technology.doc   \\oldserver\share_name\teaching\shortcourse\plumping\pipes.doc Output:   \\newserver\new_share_name\teaching\course\electro\technology.doc   \\newserver\new_share_name\teaching\shortcourse\plumping\pipes.doc	Find what: [ lineStart, '\\', capture( atomic(longest 1+ not '\' )) as 'server', '\', capture( atomic(longest 1+ not '\' )) as 'share', '\', capture( atomic(longest 1+ chars)) as 'path', '\', capture( atomic(longest 1+ not '\' )) as 'filename', lineEnd ] Replace with (note doubling of \) \\\\newserver\\internal\\teaching\\$3\\$4

Need more samples or help? We can help - please ask!

What perl regex wildcards can I use?

Note: perl regex wildcards (reference) are only available inside plain text fields, such as hyperlink addresses, OLE links and document properties.

Purpose	Find What and Replace With terms
Extract filename from a URL and add a new server and path Input: https://intranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/teaching/course/electro/technology.doc https://intranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/teaching/shortcourse/plumping/pipes.doc Output: https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/technology.doc https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/pipes.doc	Find what:   ^.+/([^/]+?)$ Replace with:   https://newintranet.gotafe.vic.edu.au/documentlibrary/$1
Extract filename and part of a path from a UNC server path and add a new server and path Input:   \\oldserver\share_name\teaching\course\electro\technology.doc   \\oldserver\share_name\teaching\shortcourse\plumping\pipes.doc Output:   \\newserver\new_share_name\teaching\course\electro\technology.doc   \\newserver\new_share_name\teaching\shortcourse\plumping\pipes.doc	Find what: ^\\\\([^\\]+)\\([^\\]+)\\(.+)\\([^\\]+)$ Replace with: \\\\newserver\\internal\\teaching\\$3\\$4

Need more samples or help? We can help - please ask!

I am trying to replace a date but it is never found.

If you open Excel and put your cursor in the date cell, you will find that the date data (which is what ExcelPipe scans through) is different to the formatted date displayed. E.g. 28-Feb-07 is displayed, but the data in the cell is 28/02/2007. You must be very careful to match the actual cell content exactly.

I get the message "Access to code modules disallowed. See the help file under Code Modules security"

See here

Why does ExcelPipe occasionally appear to hang?

This occurs when Microsoft Excel is trying to display a dialog box, such as for a missing linked document (note: ExcelPipe does NOT pause for missing passwords. If you have not specified the correct password, these files are logged for manual handling). Simply press [Alt+Tab] to get to Microsoft Excel, then clear the dialog box. Once this is done, ExcelPipe will resume at normal speed.

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