I registered yesterday with excelcalcs and got my first email - made my first comment in the forum. Since then I have received a further 5 emails asking me to do the same. I would request that the emails stop!!!!!
If this is the level of emails I am going to get then I will unsubscribe.

Hi Veronica. I just want to explain that this is totally unintentional but I have had similar problems in the past and its to do with my mailing software. It only effects the 'Getting started' emails not the 'ExcelCalcs Newsletter'. I have tried with the mailing software company to solve the problem but it seems to keep coming back. I think it is best if I delete the 'getting started' mailings for fear of offending other users. Thank you for reporting this in I rely on site users giving me feedback - even if its bad news.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I've found the site really interesting to date but I guess I'm heading towards having to learn VBA to take excel much further

One reason I switched from Quattro Pro was because I had macros which had to be executed in order for the calculations to be upto date. To ensure this was so I created dialogue boxes to collect the input parameters and then executed the macro.

By switching to Excel I was able to replace the macros with VBA code and write functions which can be called in the worksheet cells. Thus removing the need for programming dialogue boxes. Such VBA functions make tabulated calculations more reliable.

I don't have XLC installed, but if I recollect it requires executing a macro for the equation shape objects to be upto date. Whilst in cell string functions update when cell values change. XLC thus seems like a step backward.

Also mathematical notation is not all that great or overly valuable, no matter what MathCAD's white paper on the matter of calculation management may say.

Mathematical notation simply gets us doing with a computer what we did with pencil and paper. Why change to using a computer if not really going to advance forward, and get really productive.

Excel/VBA is the better option. Traditionally programming involved a great deal of effort simply to get a report. The calculation part generally not that involved. User input also involved process. But with Excel input and report formatting relatively easy: just format cells. VBA functions can be used to provide results direct to the cells. But VBA macros, can go beyond simple calculations. Most of our codes of practice have multiple conditions which have to be met. And setting up conditional branching and alternative reporting and calculations is cumbersome to do in Excel cells, and difficult to read afterwards. VBA allows more complex condtional branching and easier to read and debug.

Also looping and iteration in VBA is far better than copying multiple rows.

Which does pose a problem. ExcelCalcs is mainly looking for XLC formatted calculations. But who really wants to expend time on something so unproductive as far as their job is concerned?

Productivity improving, competitive advantage design tools, versus pretty picture processing of calculations.

I think most already have the calculations they need, its productivity improvement in completing all the calculations required that they are looking for. XLC improves presentation, and therefore maybe productivity via error checking or better error avoidance. But there are other ways to do that than use mathematical notation.

If want to generate more calculations deposited on the site then need to get awayfrom that XLC formatting preference. Also think really need to develop the forum for discussions about areas of calculations. Get away from requests. Get discussing particular calculation situations and demands. Leading to presentation of calculations to explain ideas.

I'll discuss this issue further at more appropriate topic on the site.