Excel 2008 : Protected Workbook Turns on Gridlines

**Richard Buttrey** · 05-13-2010, 01:44 PM

Indeed!

Although I'm a great fan of the Apple Mac platform and use it for for just about everything else in my life, when it comes to Excel it is a very poor second cousin. Not only does the lack of right clicks and the non standard Fn keys drive me insane, it is nowhere near as productive as the Windows version. Particularly in the Visual basic Environment, where not only is some of the syntax different and several instructions sets are missing, but the autocomplete and syntax checking is non existent as is the Watch window. As a developer it is far more difficult to work with.

[/HobbyHorse]

**Bobbbo** · 05-13-2010, 06:32 PM

I agree with all you said, but do you a solution for my problem?

**Richard Buttrey** · 05-13-2010, 07:09 PM

In short and without macros, no.

And I say that because I can't replicate your problem on my Excel for Mac 2008 version. It works exactly as I would expect. i.e the status of these setting is preserved.

Is this a workbook that you save and open across a network and if so are you sure no one is resetting the gridlines and headers before you next open it?

Regards

**Bobbbo** · 05-13-2010, 07:13 PM

No the workbook is only on my computer and the only way I share it is by emailing it to someone. One more characteristic is it seems to happen when I have 2 windows open at the same time of the same workbook. One has one tab display the other has another.

**Richard Buttrey** · 05-13-2010, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Bobbbo

No the workbook is only on my computer and the only way I share it is by emailing it to someone. One more characteristic is it seems to happen when I have 2 windows open at the same time of the same workbook. One has one tab display the other has another.

Hi,

Ah, that's a critical new piece of information.

So what do you do when you save this two window workbook? Are you closing the no gridline/no headings window first and then saving the workbook, or are you saving the whole workbook from one of the windows then closing the workbook?

If the latter when you re-open the file you should still have the two windows open, one with grids/headings and one without. or at least that's what happens on my system.

It would seem that the solution is to first close the window that has the grids/headings then save the workbook.

HTH

**Bobbbo** · 05-13-2010, 07:36 PM

Actually all the sheets have their gridlines and heading hidden as well as all the sheets are Protected. The problem only occurs if I Protect the whole Wookbook as well. I do the wookbook protection to keep a hidden tab hidden. It cannot find a particular pattern in what I am doing but when it does happen every sheet has it gridelines and headings turned back on, but the sheet remain protected. It never happens unless the wookbook is protected.

Hope this helps.

**Bobbbo** · 05-14-2010, 08:57 PM

I found how to create the problem but do not know how to fix it. Here is the process.

Create a new workbook. Turn off the Gridlines and headings. Protect the sheet. Then under window select New window so you have 2 windows of the same workbook open. The new window will the gridlines turned back on. If you close the first window without the gridlines you are now stuck with a work book that will have all the gridlines and headings turn back on even though it is protect.

Does that help?