Not Excelling at Excel

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BobH
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Not Excelling at Excel

Post by BobH »

In trying to create a workBOOK template, I discovered that I could not access Application Data in the path C:/Users/myname/Application Data. I get the message below. This is the first time I've ever been denied access to this folder. I need to get to the Roaming folder and folders for Office and Excel in order to be able to save the template where Excel expects it in the XLStart folder.

I assume that the problem is of my doing; so what might I have done to bar access to this folder? How can I fix the problem? I tried accessing the advanced security properties of the folder but don't understand what I see. I looks like I should have access.
appdata denied.PNG
appdata properties security advanced permissions.PNG
I don't understand the why and how of protection in Excel. I have a range of cells that I want to protect against accidental or intentional changes unless I choose to override protection which I wish to give them. In trying to them protect them, I first select the range then right click > Format Cells > Protection where I see the panel below.

Why must the entire workSHEET be protected for protection to certain cells to work? What does that do to other cells in the workSHEET, if anything? Is 'protection' not the right way to accomplish this? Can I accomplish what I want to do some other way?
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HansV
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by HansV »

I have no idea why you wouldn't be allowed into your own Application Data folder (I assume that rhhut is the account you're logged in with).

Protecting cells on an Excel worksheet is always a two-step process.
By default all cells are locked, but this only becomes effective when you protect the worksheet.

Step 1: Unlock some cells

The first step is to select all cells that the user should be able to edit.
Then press Ctrl+1 to activate the Format Cells dialog.
Activate the Protection tab.
Clear the Locked check box.
Click OK.

Step 2: Protect the worksheet

The second step is turning on protection.
Activate the Review tab of the ribbon.
Click the Protect Sheet button.
Use the check boxes to specify what the user will be allowed to do.
The 'Select unlocked cells' check box must remain ticked, otherwise the user won't be able to select any editable cell.
If you want to specify a password that will be needed later to unprotect the sheet, enter it in the Password box.
Do not forget it!
Click OK.
If you entered a password, you will have to enter it again as a double check, then click OK.
Best wishes,
Hans

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BobH
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by BobH »

Thank you, Hans!

I'm still working on trying to gain permission to access my Application Data folder. From Internet searches, this is not an uncommon occurrence. So far all suggestions to fix it have failed.

My question about protecting cells in Excel was poorly worded. I know how to protect cells, I just don't understand the need to make a 2-step process of it. Why can't one just select the cells and click a 'Protect" button?

Which leads to another related question. Is there any indication in the display when cells are protected? Seems to me it would be convenient to know that one hasn't forgot to protect the workSHEET by a visual cue.
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HansV
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by HansV »

Why can't one just select the cells and click a 'Protect" button?
You'd have to ask the Excel developers...
Is there any indication in the display when cells are protected?
No, and that wouldn't be desirable. The person who designs a worksheet has to decide whether to highlight protected cells or unprotected cells, or neither.
Best wishes,
Hans

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by ChrisGreaves »

BobH wrote:
07 Aug 2022, 18:26
Why can't one just select the cells and click a 'Protect" button?
Bob, I think that the answer lies within the wording of your question here.

You have raised two points;-
(1) Identification of the cells that are subject to protection ("select the cells") and
(2) Whether the protection is to be activated for those cells (click a 'Protect" button)

As a developer you are in the way of saying (for example) "I would like these formula-laden cells to be protectable', but of course, as the developer you want to be able to edit the formula. So you have a switch "turn ON/OFF protection mode", and as well you have a means of identifying which cells are to suffer these consequences.

If you stare out of your back door, you will see your hen-house. The hen-house has a padlock on the door, to stop people stealing your eggs. Well, your hens eggs, actually. Each morning you use a key to unlock the padlock (click the Protect button to OFF) so that you can "steal" the eggs, but that done, you re-lock the padlock so that no one but you, the owner, can steal eggs.

Screwing the padlock hasp to the door is the same as identifying cells that are to be protectable.
Clicking the Protect button is snapping that padlock shut.

You screw the hasp to the hen-house door only once; you unlock/lock the padlock each day.
You identify the formula cells only once; you unprotect/protect the cells each day that you decide to make a modification of those cells.

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Jay Freedman
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by Jay Freedman »

In every installation of Windows I've ever seen, there is no folder in the user profile named "Application Data". The name that Windows assigns on installation or creation of a new profile is "AppData".
1.png
When I try to go to "Application Data" in File Explorer, I get the same error you saw.
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SpeakEasy
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by SpeakEasy »

Application Data is not a folder ...

it is a reparse point. Essentially an NTFS shortcut for a a real folder, created to ensure backwards compatibility with old applications created before Microsoft decided to have a bit of a reorganisation of the user folders. It actually points to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming

You should not be able to access this reparse point directly. And Microsoft default the ACL explicitly to enforce this; note the DENY permissions for Everyone, which supersede any other Allow permissions you might have set.

However you can traverse it to access subfolders (as the reparse point gets decoded, for want of a simplistic explanation)

In my case AppData\Roaming has a subfolder called NVIDIA, so

C:\Users\<username>\Application Data\NVIDIA

works fine

See here for more information than you might possibly want or need concerning reparse points:
https://www.svrops.com/svrops/articles/jpoints.htm

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SpeakEasy
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by SpeakEasy »

?there is no folder in the user profile named "Application Data

By default it is set to Hidden

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BobH
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Re: Not Excelling at Excel

Post by BobH »

Thanks, SpeakEasy!

I was confused a bit. You are correct that I should have been navigating to AppData, but the presence of the folder Application Data distracted me. I got the error message when I clicked on Application Data not realizing that I should have been clicking on AppData.

Now I have another problem. I took a SS of the path displayed in File Explorer showing the presence of Application Data. I edited it in FastStone Image Viewer to circle the folder name and saved it. Now I can select the SS file and add it to the post, but the option to Place In Line doesn't appear although the SS .png file does display.
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