This article provides details of the features included in Quick Calc.
Contents
- What is Quick Calc?
- How to get Quick Calc
- Adding Quick Calc functions to a workbook
- About the functions
- View the function source code
What is Quick Calc?
Quick Calc is a library of custom Excel functions for performing advanced calculations quicker and easier.
The functions can be easily added into any workbook. Once added, the functions travel with the workbook, meaning the file will continue to calculate for all users.
The functions are provided in a format known as 5G (find out more about 5G here: https://sites.google.com/site/beyondexcel/home/5g-modeling). The 5G format provides standards and additional requirements to make functions easier for users to implement.
How to get Quick Calc
Quick Calc is available to all members of the Excel Academy.
The full product includes:
- Workbook containing all the custom functions.
- Additional examples and use case ideas.
- A companion add-in, known as Function Vault, for quickly storing and inserting custom functions into a workbook.
Adding Quick Calc functions to a workbook
There are various ways to add the functions to your workbook.
[1] Copy & paste function cell
Use this method to add individual functions to a workbook.
- Copy a cell which contains the custom function.
- Paste the cell into another workbook.
- The function is added to the Name Manager and is available throughout the workbook.
- In the new workbook, you can delete and clear the pasted cell if required.
[2] Copy worksheet
- Use this method to add all the functions to a workbook.
- Select any tab in the Quick Calc workbook.
- Hold the Ctrl key and drag the tab to a new workbook.
- All the functions are added to the Name Manager and are available throughout the workbook.
- In the new workbook, you can delete the copied worksheet.
[3] Using the companion Function Vault Add-in
Quick Calc has a companion Add-in called Function Vault. The Add-in stores existing functions and quickly inserts them into any workbook.
Check out the Function Vault pages to add and use the Quick Calc functions in Function Vault.
About the functions
Quick Calc is a library of custom functions for Excel.
Once added to a workbook, the functions operate like native Excel functions with IntelliSense to display the arguments required for the function.
As shown above, fxUnpivot is a Quick Calc function. Typing the function name displays the list of arguments.
Inline help
The functions contain inline help, which displays:
- Function name and arguments.
- Description of its purpose.
- A webpage address where online information is available.
- Version number and date.
- Explanation of each argument.
- Notes to help apply the function.
- Examples, where possible. Additional examples are included in the Quick Calc workbook.
Entering the function without all the required arguments displays the help for the function (e.g. entering =fxUnpivot() displays the function help.
Inline help will not appear for functions with no arguments. In these circumstances entering TRUE as the first argument displays the inline help.
View function source code
Quick Calc is distributed within an Excel workbook which contains the full function code and comments.
The function code is available inside the Workbook module of the Quick Calc workbook.
The Workbook module is viewable using the Advanced Formula Environment, which is part of Microsoft’s Excel Labs Add-in.