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XLnotes

Business & Finance Software > Microsoft Office - Excel Add-ins

Add Images, Text, and Attachments to Excel Comments

While it's true that Microsoft Excel is everyone's first choice when it comes to spreadsheets, it's got a long way to go when you need to leave comments. Short of printing out pages and slapping sticky notes onto them, is there any way to leave more than just cryptic text notes on Excel files? Sure there is -- it's called XLnotes, and it's today's discount software promotion.

XLnotes lets you include images, formatted text, and attachments in your Microsoft Excel comments, making collaboration more robust and rewarding. With XLnotes, you can create multiple notes for each cell, each containing fully-featured Word documents, file attachments, even web pages, allowing you to add many layers of useful data to your otherwise boring spreadsheets.

Installing XLnotes gives you a new notes tab right inside of Microsoft Excel. When you want to add a note, just click a button and you have your choice of a text note, a web page, or an attachment! Text notes are fully realized Word documents complete with formatting, while web pages can either be copies of web pages or bookmarks. Lastly, an attachment note has a link to the file on your local drive. The content of any note can be imported and exported to cells, comments, and files easily.

Review Written by Derek Lee
XLnotes

for PC

30
%
OFF
$17.46
RETAIL $24.95
Platforms: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Prices are subject to vendor's pricing and may change

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M K Looks interesting.

Policy states:
"You must instal/register the software within 5 days, and cannot do so afterwards."

Why not?
Jul 19 2012 at 12:44am
Franck W. ""You must instal/register the software within 5 days, and cannot do so afterwards."

It's almost a total for free giveaways.
As for a paid-for license ???? WTF...

I'm pretty sure it's a mistake in the policy tab... but should it be a correct statement, I wouldn't even consider shelling out a single penny for XLnotes.
Admit it would be sad...
Jul 19 2012 at 2:15am
Vlad T Hi all, this was a mistake, we don't specify this condition
One Source Vendor - Jul 19 2012 at 2:26am
Franck W. Thanks Vlad, it's better that way...
that sounds interesting :)
Jul 19 2012 at 10:50am
Franck W. Just a quick presale question :
I assume (hope) notes content is stored within the xls/xlsx file (whatever content type it is - text, web, image...).
Now, what happens if I try to open the aforsaid xls/xlsx file in a computer where xlnotes is not installed.
For sure, edition won't be available... but how is access granted to the notes content?

And a quick suggestion...
I may use xlnotes to embed some personnal comments in a xls/xlsx file (to-dos, comment about macro or something else about this worksheet...) and I may don't want a colleague to read all this.
Nowadays Office comes with a clean-up function that shreds off the file each piece of personal info and metadatas prior to the file divulgation.
Maybe a shred all embeded notes off the xls/xlsx file would be a useful addition. :)
Jul 19 2012 at 12:12pm
Vlad T Indeed, notes are stored inside their workbook, so you can move it between computers and work with it as usual. However, you can't view/edit notes without XLnotes installed. Good news is that to view notes a free XLnotes installation will suffice.
Concerning the delete all notes option - let's see the feedback to know what other users are requesting.
One Source Vendor - Jul 19 2012 at 12:21pm
Tom J XLNotes is a great idea and a great Excel add-in. Surprised no one has thought of creating something like this before. Hope it will work in MS Excel 2013, when it comes out sometime this year.
Jul 20 2012 at 12:15am
Vlad T It works with Office 2013 Preview, which is available now.
One Source Vendor - Jul 20 2012 at 12:24am
Peter R VERY interesting. Alas, the movie and the hardcopies on your webpage are of bad quality. Do you have any address from where hardcopies and / or a documentation can be loaded?

Thank you.
Jul 20 2012 at 10:44am
Vlad T Can you specify what do you mean by hardcopies? Documentation is available from the XLnotes tab, just click on the question mark.
One Source Vendor - Jul 20 2012 at 10:51am
Peter R I mean the pictures on your webpage under the tab 'Use cases'. I think they would give good examples, but they can not be enlarged, and they can not be properly read. As for the docu, I will install your program to get it.

Thank you.
Jul 20 2012 at 11:02am
Vlad T Aha, you can see full-sized versions on the main page, just click through the links. We'l try to improve the site, thanks for feedback
One Source Vendor - Jul 20 2012 at 11:07am
MK I used the "XLnotesSetup2007andLater.msi" installation file.
I tried it on my laptop (Excel/ Office 2007 32 bit under Windows 7 x86) and it worked okay.
I then tried it on my desktop (Excel/ Office 2010 64 bit under Windows 7 x64) and I get the message "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" when I try to set a "Text note" and so don't get to see the side window for editing the text note.
Is it compatible with Excel 64 bit and/ or Windows 7 64 bit?
Jul 21 2012 at 10:47am
Vlad T XLnotes is compatible with 32-bit Office only. OS can be 64 bit
One Source Vendor - Jul 21 2012 at 11:30am
Paulo Correia What a pitty XLnotes is 32-bit only. We would have bought 2 licences. We'll wait for the next version.
Jul 21 2012 at 3:08pm
MK @Vlad T.
Shame it's not Office 64 bit compatible - XLnotes really has great potential.
For those wondering about it, when you go to insert a Text note, you get a side window in Excel with the MS Word tabs and page in it. So you can associate pages of formatted text with a cell in Excel.
Great for explaining the workings of a worksheet, or for associating a reference source with a cell value.
What I also found was that MS Word add-ins also load up - I use EndNote X5 and I could insert references and get the automatic bibliography without any problems (in the Office 32 bit setup).
Jul 21 2012 at 3:11pm
Vlad T @MK, Paulo Correia
Thanks for the explanation, sorry its only Office 32-bit compatible
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 12:04am
Michael R. XLNotes will not run on an old v2000-Excel, will it?
Jul 22 2012 at 2:48am
Vlad T Unfortunately no, Excel 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013 are supported
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 2:57am
Franck W. I installed the trial on my main computer (win 7 x64 + office 2010 x86) and all went good.
So I made my mind to take profit of your offer and buy when the BDJ offer turns on...


Alas, it turned on on sunday... and I'm out of town.
I brang with me my second laptop, a small netbook with win รจ x86 and office 2010 x86 (obviously).
I downloaded again the trial and went to install. All OK.
But XLnotes won't load... It shows up in the COM add-on list but can't load because of whatever went wrong in the boot process.
Hum...
So I gave up on buying... (for a short time only?)

Regards,
Jul 22 2012 at 4:25am
Vlad T @Frank W
Can you send us an email (see it on our site), we'll try to resolve the issue
Possible workarounds:
Click enable add-in in the COM add-ins section
Check if there are other add-ins installed that can possibly interfere with XLnotes
Check if the office is 32bit
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 4:34am
Franck W. I'll write the mail later if I can, but here is some quick answer...
- try the tick box in the COM add-ins section : tried before writing... to no avail
- office is 32 bits (as per the about box)... and anyway, this computer is a win 7 32 bits (so office x64 wouldn't run)
- other installed add-ins : tabs for office (extendoffice.com), flowbreeze (previously offered here at BDJ) and nitro pdf reader... That's it !

The message in the COM add-ins box says :
"Not loaded. Runtime error in the COM add-in loading"
(approximatively translated from my French Excel)

Regards,
Jul 22 2012 at 7:14am
Vlad T Seems like some interference with other addins and/or installation issues. Can you try to reinstall the addin and try to run it without other addins?
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 8:09am
B Josephs @Vlad T.
Thanks for the deal -looks interesting. Does the XLNotes tab interact with VBA?
Jul 22 2012 at 8:53am
Vlad T XLnotes does not use VBA if that's what you meant. It also does not affect your macros.
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 8:58am
B Josephs @Vlad T.
I mean are the notes or attachments accessible to VBA? That would be the easiest way to remove the notes.
Jul 22 2012 at 9:12am
Vlad T I see now. No, the notes are not directly accessible via VBA. However, you can delete the note through the notes tab.
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 9:21am
B Josephs @VLad T.
Got it - thanks. May be a feature worth integrating in future versions.
Jul 22 2012 at 9:34am
Franck W. Hum... Tried to launch excel in safe mode, then activate specifically xlnotes.
No xlnotes !

Both my computers have the same excel configuration except :
-main is win x64 and netbook is win x86
- main comes with nitro pdf pro addin whereas netbook comes with nitro reader (free version) addin.

Apart that, all is the same (same AV, same winpatrol, same... everything !)

I really wasn't expecting that this morining when installing the demo... Sad thing, because seems an excellent software I could use and I'd like to support!

Regards,
Jul 22 2012 at 12:19pm
Vlad T Can you try to diable other addins and check if XLnotes will run?
One Source Vendor - Jul 22 2012 at 12:41pm
Sukru Boztepe I am running XP 32 bit and Office 2010. XLnotes freezes when add 2 text notes. 2-3 minutes later I get a message in Excel "Microsoft Excel is waiting for another application to complete an OLE action"
do you have any idea about what I can do to fix it?

Regards,
Jul 22 2012 at 6:12pm
Rick Truell Vlad: "Concerning the delete all notes option - let's see the feedback to know what other users are requesting."

Consider this a "+1" for a 'delete all notes' option...could be very useful.
Jul 22 2012 at 8:15pm
bvssunnydale There's no sound on the video, is that normal? it kills it for me - sorry.
Jul 23 2012 at 12:33am
Franck W. Vlad sort my problem out.
Here is the solution:
in the computer where xlnotes wasn't working I had converted the preinstalled office starter into a registered one, using my serial. In the computer xlnotes was working I had remove office starter and reinstalled office from scratch.
Actually no need to remove starter and go through all this hassle. If your office is a started turned into a real office, all you have to do is :
1/ go to add/remove programs and find ms office.
2/ select modify then add/remove components.
3/ in the "excel subfolder" you'll find the .NET interoperability component. It has to be installed.
4/ Because of previous launch errors, xlnotes mau still not load. In office 2010, click file, then options. Choose addins. At the bottom, in the dropdown menu, select com component then click reach. You have to tick xlnotes to sort everything out.

Thanks Vlad for his support.
Franck
Jul 23 2012 at 12:57am
XLnotes
Posting here will also email One Source directly.
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