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REFERENCE

U.LAUNCH_EXCEL

Summary

Launches specified workbooks in dedicated processes and with control enabled

Syntax

=U.LAUNCH_EXCEL(workbooks, [read_only], [show_dialogs], [current_process], [ignore_links], [calc_delay_seconds], [rebuild_calc_tree], [block])

Parameters

Parameter Required Description
workbooks Yes The paths to workbooks to be launched. If only a workbook name is specified, directory of current workbook is searched for file. Workbook names must include file extension. Set to "new" to launch a new, blank workbook
[read_only] No If set to TRUE then workbooks will be opened in read-only mode. By default an attempt is made to load workbooks in regular mode. If set to "CLEAR" then the launch history of the workbook(s) specified in the 1st parameter will be cleared, allowing the workbook to be re-launched before a forced time delay
[show_dialogs] No If set to TRUE then Excel dialogs will be shown while launching Excel By default any dialogs Excel attempts to display are suppressed When dialogs are suppressed any external links are automatically set to be updated
[current_process] No If set to TRUE then workbooks will be opened in the current Excel process rather than each in a new process. A 2nd column value can be provided which, if set to TRUE, will launch workbooks without control enabled. By default each workbook is opened in its own, new process
[ignore_links] No If set to TRUE then links are not refreshed when workbook is launched By default links are refreshed Set to "safe" to launch Excel in Safe Mode
[calc_delay_seconds] No If set to a positive number then the Excel instance in which the workbook is launched will be set to manual calc mode for the specified number of seconds then switched to auto calc mode. If a negative number, then after that number of seconds the instance is calculated but not changed to auto calc mode. If a 2nd number is provided in a 2nd column, the launches themselves will be staggered by that number of seconds.
[rebuild_calc_tree] No If set to TRUE then the workbook will be fully recalculated with Excel's calculation dependency tree rebuilt upon opening. In cases where Excel freezes or crashes upon launching the workbook due to a corrupted calc tree, setting this to true will often suffice to prevent the freezing
[block] No If set to TRUE then method will not be calculated unless triggered by user interaction or calculated as a step in a script; If set to a number then will be throttled to not calculate more frequently than the specified number of seconds; make number negative to prevent auto recalc of blocked methods

Behavior

The documented public interface is supported by the current U Add-in source signature and the maintained Usage Examples workbook. Optional parameters are shown in square brackets in the syntax above; omit the brackets when entering a formula.

Return Value

Returns the function result or action status described by the formula and parameters above. The maintained sources do not define a narrower, stable return contract for this function.

Examples

=U.LAUNCH_EXCEL(B5:B6)

=U.LAUNCH_EXCEL(B168:B169, "CLEAR")

=IF(B7,U.LAUNCH_EXCEL(B10:B11))

Notes

  • Formula examples are preserved from maintained workbook usage and normalized to the current U. prefix.
  • Complete formulas demonstrate working patterns; they do not imply that undocumented option values are supported.
  • Where maintained sources do not specify every accepted value, default, or error message, this page does not infer one.
  • For functions that perform actions, use a visible trigger or supported block/throttle parameter to avoid unintended repetition during recalculation.