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Excel VBA 2013: Track Changes With the Inquire Add-In

new feature for microsoft office 2013Comparing and tracking changes in a spreadsheet is hard work. It’s utterly necessary but that doesn’t make it any easier. When you start adding in modifications to the VBA code underneath – which is not immediately obvious – there’s a mountain of things to screen. If a colleague has modified a module you’ll have to resort to third-party tools such as Visual Studio to monitor for code changes. Arguably it’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

We’ve previously talked about how the Inquire Add-In can help regulate your formulas and examine differences. Inquire is not just limited to the cells. Inquire will also check for changes within the Visual Basic Editor.

excel 2013 inquire comparing vba changeSimply point it in the direction of your two files, ensure the Macros box is checked and let it do its magic. You’ll get a list of procedures that have changed along with the text output. It still doesn’t drill down to every specific character but in a complex project it will get you closer to what’s happened.

How to: Enable the Add-in through File > Options > Add-Ins, from the Manage drop-down choose COM Add-Ins > Go. Tick Inquire and click OK.

To use it select the Inquire Tab in Ribbon > Compare Files. Browse to your files and click OK.

For training on Excel VBA 2013 and other versions, browse Excel VBA training courses from Best STL, available London and UK wide.

By Richard Bailey

I love what I do; I get to work with an outstanding team to help hundreds of people with their challenges. I’ve learnt a lot from the teams I’ve worked with, no matter the size or industry we all have challenges to overcome, difficult customers, creating a budget or keeping a project on track.