Find and e-mail Excel files easier

File Assistant in detail

The File Assistant for Microsoft Excel

• Keeps track of the last 100 files that you have opened
• Allows you to open any of these files without searching through your folders and network drives
• Allows you to go to any file's directory either via the Windows Explorer or via Excel's file open dialog
• Makes it easier to E-mail files from your e-mail programs

If you are using Excel 97 or Excel 2000, the File Assistant will update the recently opened file list for any file that you open from the Windows Explorer. Without the File Assistant, Excel only adds files to the recently opened list if you open them via File, Open.

When you select File, File Assistant or click on the quick access button, the following dialog appears:

File Assistant for Excel main dialog

To open one or more files:

• Select the files you wish to open
• Clicking on the Open button and the files are opened

If you select just a single file, then you can either open it or go to its directory by clicking the Go To button. If the check box for using the Windows Explorer is clicked, then the Windows Explorer is opened to the selected file's directory. If it is not checked, then Excel's File Open dialog is displayed, with the current directory being the selected file's directory.

You can sort the list of files by clicking on the any of the three sort by buttons. You can sort by last opened, by folder A to Z order or by folder by last opened order.

The Filter button allows you to display just the files containing specific text. This allows you to reduce the visible files if you are searching for a particular file. The Remove button allows you to remove files from the list that you no longer wish to be on the list. The files are not deleted or erased. If you open the files again, they are added back to the list.

If you wish to e-mail one or more files:

• Select the files you wish to e-mail in the File Assistant's dialog
• Click the Copy to Clipboard button. This copies the paths and file names of the selected files to the clipboard
• Display your E-mail program's file attachment dialog
• Press Ctrl-V or right click in the file name dialog and select Paste
• When you press enter, the files are attached! Simple, easy, and a lot faster than searching through drives and folders and files!

If you have many files to e-mail, then you can copy just the path of a file to the clipboard and paste into your e-mail program's file attachment dialog. To do this, select a single file and click the second option button which indicates that you wish to copy just the file's path. Then when you press enter, the file's folder is displayed, making it easy to select files from that folder.

See also in "Excel - Time-saving add-ins"

• Ozgrid Excel Plus Add-in - Set of 8 plugins.
• Spreadsheet Assistant - Over 200 useful features for MS Excel.
• Directory Lister - Create directories listings of Excel workbooks.
• Link Finder - Find broken links in Excel workbooks & worksheets and correct them.
• List Assistant - Easy way to re-arrange rows in your Excel worksheet.
• Print Assistant - Document the source file of Excel printouts.
• Report To Data Assistant - Convert text reports into Excel worksheet databases.