How do I link the information in the Random Lengths spreadsheets to my own Microsoft Excel spreadsheet?

1. For reference purposes, have the a Random Lengths Price Label Key, available in Microsoft Excel format (RL_Tags.xls) or Adobe PDF format (RL_Tags.pdf) (also known as the tag sheets) that contains label names in place of prices in front of you, so you know the tag names that you will want to link to.

2. In Microsoft Excel, open both the Random Lengths spreadsheet, lbr_ems.xls, and the spreadsheet you have created that you want to link to the Random Lengths prices.

3. In your spreadsheet, go to the cell where you want to import the Random Lengths price. Type an equal symbol: = Press Control and the F6 keys at the same time. Go to the Random Lengths spreadsheet. Click on the cell with the price you want to reference. Select the Enter key. You will be returned to your custom spreadsheet.

4. If you have Excel 97 or higher, the correct label name for the price you want is automatically included in the formula bar. If you have an earlier version of Excel, the price from the Random Lengths spreadsheet appears. Select the F2 key. A formula showing a cell reference for the location of the price appears. Using the spreadsheet key, find the label name for the price you have selected. Erase the cell reference in the formula, and replace with the label name.

5. Now you have the basic formula in your spreadsheet linking it to the Random Lengths spreadsheet. You can now: Copy the cell in your custom spreadsheet with the formula, Paste it in a new location of your custom spreadsheet, Select the F2 key, Replace the existing label name with a new label for another price. This allows you to import prices without having to go back and forth between the two sheets.

If I create my own custom spreadsheet, how do I set it up so it will update automatically with your spreadsheets?

First, make sure you have linked the spreadsheets properly by following the procedures in the previous question. If you place the Random Lengths spreadsheet in the same directory on your computer each time it is e-mailed to you, your custom spreadsheet will automatically link to the Random Lengths spreadsheet and update the prices.

I use Outlook/Outlook Express. When I open a Random Lengths e-mail with the WinZip file containing the XLS or DBF file attached, the file is not available

The following error message appears when e-mail is opened: "OE removed access to the following unsafe attachments in your mail: FILENAME"

An update has been installed from Outlook version 5 to version 6, or from Internet Explorer version 5 to version 6 (which also updated Outlook to version 6). There is a default setting that is new to this version that will keep you from getting most attachments. Look under TOOLS - OPTIONS. Go to the Security tab. Look under the Virus Protection section. The option "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus." is clicked ON. WinZip files are considered by Microsoft to be an attachment that could contain a virus.

The message does not mean that the program has detected a problem with the file. It simply means it is restricting most attachments. There is no place to edit a list of which attachments the user want to accept.

The only way for you to get the WinZip file containing the XLS or DBF file is to turn this option OFF.