Two popular tools updated.
Hi All,
As many of you know I give away a number of tools for Excel through my site www.jkp-ads.com. Today I have updated the two most popular downloads:
Name Manager (which I created together with Charles Williams, www.decisionmodels.com):
Most important change: the unused names filter now includes objects in its search, as well as VBA code. It makes the filter much slower, but way more useful in my opinion. Also, I have added the Greek character set so Name Manager doesn’t (wrongfully) think range names with Greek characters are corrupt.
So far, Name Manager has been downloaded about 50,000 times since I posted it on my site.
I have updated the user interface of Flexfind so (in my opinion) it is easier to use. Also, I have mimicked the find all behaviour of Excel: if you select multiple items in the found items list, Flexfind will create a (multiple) selection of areas of the found cells.
Flexfind is less popular than Name Manager, the download count is at about 23,000.
Enjoy!
Of course I am open to any comments, suggestions and -most importantly- lots of praise 
Regards,
Jan Karel Pieterse
www.jkp-ads.com
Matthew Pfluger:
Name Manager continues to be my favorite and most used Excel add-in. I appreciate your work and the work of all others involved. I also appreciate your tolerance of suggestions and willingness to offer support.
Dank u!
28 March 2008, 2:45 pmjkpieterse:
Thanks Matthew. You know, the suggestions, comments and complaints are always a big help in improving a product.
29 March 2008, 8:26 amMatt H:
I’ve also used this one, and found it very useful. Jan, I have a question for you, and for others that create all of this great software and give it away for free.
I have been writing VBA code for years to help in my work, and have some stuff that I think could others would find very useful. I’m not sure I have the time or energy to try selling it though.
My latest thought is to make it open-source, post it at sourceforge.net or code.google.com, and let anyone download it or modify it. Do you think this model works with Excel/VBA programs, or do they do best with a single owner/creator? Of course I want to see it take off, and have 50,000 people download it and use it!
29 March 2008, 2:03 pmsam:
JKP,
A small Suggestion (For Excel 2003 and below)… why not add button that will resize the namebox (to fit the Longest name in the File)
Sam
30 March 2008, 1:46 amJon Peltier:
Hmmm, my comment seems to have been chewed up and spit out. Here’s a shorter paraphrase:
Sam: Chip Pearson shows how to do this. I’ve placed his code in my personal.xls’ start up routines.
http://cpearson.com/excel/NameBox.aspx
30 March 2008, 9:33 amjkpieterse:
So what comments did you have Jon?
30 March 2008, 12:09 pmjkpieterse:
Matt: I’d just put it up somewhere where people can download it. Solicit them for comments by including an email address in the code or on an about message somewhere. Then advertise your “product”… Good luck.
The best learning experience is by making your tools available; if they’re useful, you’re bound to get comments.
30 March 2008, 12:11 pmJon Peltier:
I was merely telling Sam about Chip’s code. When the first comment didn’t appear I posted a much shorter link to Chip’s site, rather than telling all about the code.
I suppose you could incorporate it into the Name Manager though.
30 March 2008, 2:10 pmjkpieterse:
Gotcha. I have been working an a Name Manager toolbar a long time ago. Might be something to add (and a ribbon equivalent of course).
30 March 2008, 10:20 pmWhat do you think guys?
sam:
Hi Jon,
There is a slightly modified code by XL-Dennis/Ivan-F…(I think)
It adjust the width to the max available name in the name box….
7 April 2008, 7:54 amsam