Link an Excel file in a SW drawing

If I link an Excel file in a drawing, rather than embedding it, I haven't
found the key to specifying what portion of the spreadsheet shows in the
drawing. I would like to split it into 4 parts to show in 4 areas of the
drawing, but it wants to show the whole thing. Any thoughts?

WT

 

How about this...Open Excel, highlight the cells you want to show,
Copy to Clipboard, flip to SW drawing, click on the Sheet, Paste.

Ken

 

To get it to show only a certain part of the design table on the
drawing. Choose the edit Table option, no Edit Table in new window.
What you see in the edit table on the screen is what will show on the
drawing face. Format it and size it, close it and when you look at
your drawing if the DT is already there then after a rebuild what you
saw on your model dt you will see on your drawing. One issue is with
windows and its size availability for an OLE. If what you see in the
model is not all there in the drawing then you have the size max for
windows. One thing is the size seems to come real fast whan using
Excel.

Neil
www.solidworkstips.com

 

Hello Wayne,

I found a work-around with limitations. Link the 4 different areas
that you would like
to show to 4 different work sheets in the workbook. Insert the file as
a linked OLE
excel file. Copy & paste again the inserted excel file 4 times into
the drawing & delete
the original inserted file. Now you have 4 copies of the same linked
excel file in your
drawing. DBL click each individual file go to the excel worksheet that
you want to show
& save in excel & close out of excel. Do that for all copies and you
will get different
views....

The drawback...it will update all displays to one and the same the
next time you open
the drawing...imo...not suited for production..but if you really need
to go that way...at least a start.

to force the display area in the drawing select the range in excel &
RMC -> select set print area.
In SW RMC the insert spreadsheet and select _reset size-that will
resize the spreadsheet to the print area.
That seems to make a difference. In my test file anyways...


good luck,

elmo

 

The workaround that actually works better than what you mention is to just
embed it - then it behaves. But if you choose to link it, it won't.

I tried the print area idea and on mine it didn't faze it - I still get the
whole thing. This is just an Excel file, not a design table or anything. I
can cut & paste but then it's embedded, not linked. I'm wondering if this
is a bug, or I just don't understand something.

WT

 

Hello Again,

I forwarded another solution to Wayne without posting...but i thought
this might benefit others as well.

The solution is to create a new workbook the is linked exclusively to
the original workbook (master).
Then you insert the linked workbook into your drawing and embed the
file. Now you can
rearrange it as you like and have multiple copies. All the cells of
the embedded file are still linked
to your original and update when you make changes to the master.

And if you move the master from the original folder location you will
not loose the data, it just wont update.
You could simply create a new copy and your links would be intact
again.

hope that helps...

 

Just one minor thing to remember. The master spreadsheet must be open
in excel
befor you open up the drawing inorder to update after double clicking
or otherwise
you have to double click the spreadsheet and got to EDIT-LINKS-UPDATE
LINKS
and the values update acordingly.

On a final note, this works but inherits risks. If it is not properly
documented, you will
most likely find a user that ends up stranded....

 

Just one minor thing to remember. The master spreadsheet must be open
in excel
befor you open up the drawing inorder to update after double clicking
or otherwise
you have to double click the spreadsheet and got to EDIT-LINKS-UPDATE
LINKS
and the values update acordingly.

On a final note, this works but inherits risks. If it is not properly
documented, you will
most likely find a user that ends up stranded....