The best place to store the add-in is in the User Add-in Library, which is: If you download a zip file in safari it will automatically Unzip the file and you will find the add-in in your Download folder, if not double click the add-in and it will unzip. Very often, an Excel add-in is packaged in a zip file. An Excel add-in can also be opened like a regular file when you need it, without installing it, though it is still hidden. The add-in can be installed, which means it opens every time Excel opens, so that its functionality is always available. The add-in workbook itself is invisible, though it has one and often more hidden worksheets, where information related to the add-in may be stored.
An add-in usually has some user interface elements, such as dialogs (UserForms), buttons on the ribbon, or buttons on context (right-click) menus, so you can access its features. An Add-In is basically a workbook containing some code, that has some other unique properties. Excel Add-InsĪ lot of Excel procedures are packaged in Add-Ins.
Written by Ron de Bruin, Microsoft Excel MVP.
