Excel Integration General Questions

[SLFY]

I about peed my pants when I discovered the new excel functionality in 2021, while writing a new script. However I am having a hard time finding documentation. 

 

So, this may be answered somewhere already, but I haven't found it. I'm wondering if someone can explain how Vectorworks works with Excel files, and what what excel capabilities are functional in Vectorworks.

 

I am guessing that Vectorworks is mostly pulling a sheet in, and working with it as it does with native spreadsheets, and then exporting it while keeping excel cell formatting...but any "more complicated" formulas would need to be calculated with the workbook open in Excel, and then reimported?...OR am I wrong?

 

Will an imported excel worksheet recognize named ranges and lookup tables?

Will it access cell data from other sheets in the same workbook? like: =Sheet2!RangeA+B12

Will it calculate a formula, like: =Height-IF(Drwrs!Inset_Drw_Front=1,Top_Thickness,0)

 

Even if it is just a much better import and export function I am very tickled with the upgrade...and it would have saved me much time and many headaches, over the years.

But, if I can add formulas like this within Vectorworks and get the resulting calculations without opening it up in Excel to update values...wahoo!!

 

Thanks for any info, or a link to where to find the answers for myself.

Sean

VW 2021 Designer

 

 

[Ivaylo Stanchev]

@SLFY Hi,

 

Here is the list of supported functions. Means that they should be translated well form Excel to Vectorworks and vice versa.

Named ranges are not supported yet. And the sheet referencing also is not supported for now. Therefore if you import cell "=SUM(MyRange)" it will be placed in the Vectorworks the same way. And thus "=SUM(MyRange)"  will show an #VALUE! error.

 

Thanks,

Ivaylo.

[SLFY]

Awesome. That is about what I assumed, but I haven't had time to experiment yet. 

This helps a bunch. Thank you. 

Sean