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Name Manager: Range names made easy
Description
If you are in need of a utility to manage defined names in your Excel models, this one is a must-have. List all names in your active workbook. Filter them using 13 filters, e.g. "With external references", "With errors", Hidden, Visible. Show just names that contain a substring. Show just names unused in worksheet cells. Edit them in a simple dialog or make a list, edit the list and update all names in one go. Delete, hide, unhide selected names with a single mouse click.
Created in collaboration with Charles Williams, www.decisionmodels.com and Matthew Henson (mhenson@mac.com) who ensured the utility works on Mac Excel too. See a screenshot here.
The Name Manager is freeware, all I'd like to ask you is to tell everyone if you like it and to tell me if you don't.
Current version
This is the one to download if you are on any of these versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 365
Name Manager for recent Excel versions (starting with Excel 2007) V4.3 (Build 673, Apr 3, 2020, downloaded: 107.497 times)
Old version
If you're still using one of the antique versions of Excel this is your download:
Name Manager for old Excel versions (97, 2000, XP and 2003) V4.3 (Build 655, Dec 13, 2016 Downloaded: 125.730 times)
Mac version
Mac users, for your convenience, Name Manager 2.3 (Downloaded: 10.264 times) is still available. Note that unfortunately NM is NOT compatible with Office 2016 for Mac.
Solving Compile errors related to Name Manager
Some users get a compile error during load of Name Manager: "Compile Error in hidden module, fxlNameManager".
In such a case, Name Manager will automatically turn off its feature to display a toolbar in the VBA editor.
This error is mostly resolved by:
Excel 2003: open Excel and select Help, detect and repair from the menu.
Excel 2007 and up: Open Office Setup from Control Panel, Programs and do a
repair of the Office installation.
After doing so, Name Manager should work as expected.
New in this version (4.3):
- Fixed a small bug regarding selecting a different UI language
- Range names generated by the new LET function are identified as system names
- When a name is renamed, PowerQuery M code will be checked for existence of the name in [Name="TheName"] and replaced accordingly
- Name sstarting with _xlfn are now recognized as being Excel system names.
- Solved an issue where Name Manager adversely affects performance in other add-ins
- Names using the new dynamic array references (=D2#) no longer are marked as name with error
- In case of a compile error, Name Manager will automatically turn off its feature to display a toolbar in the VBA editor.
- Improved renaming rangenames in VBA code
- Updated German translations
- Fixed names with structured table references being reported as error names
- The Name Manager's VBA toolbar's visible status is now remembered between sessions.
- Rename also renames in VBA when you use short-hand code like [TheName].
- When you delete a name, Name Manager offers to un-apply the name in your workbook.
- Name Manager goes 64 bit! Name Manager now also supports the 64 bit version of Office 2010.
- Icon & button for Rename
- Icon and Button for GoTo
- Revised Icons
- Double-click a name invokes GoTo rather than Rename
- GoTo has been removed from Options
- Workbook Name shows in NM caption, dynamically refreshes when a different workbook is activated
- Add Name allows you to add a name that refers to a different (open) workbook
- Scroll bar in options removed
- Bug fixed for Highlight a single Name
- GoTo now works for 3D names, Relative Names, Names referring to open external workbooks
- Evaluate works for names referring to open external workbooks
- Minor UI changes
- Fixed issue with larger grid in 2007, 2010 and 2013
- Fixed issue with renaming names in chart series formula
- Fixed bug regarding updating LinkedCell property when renaming names
- Fixed issue with { and } characters in sheetnames
Features:
- Sorting of names and refersto formulas
- Functionality to edit names that refer to large multiple areas.
- Add name dialog
- Shortcut key (default control-shift-n) to start Name Manager
- Choice between icons on commandbuttons or text labels (see Screenshot).
- Rename a name. Name Manager includes a rename option, which will enable you to change the name of a name and have all objects that use that name update too. (this includes VBA)
- Show where a name is in use:
- International version, screens and messages in national languages:
- English
- Danish
- German
- French
- Dutch
- Brazilian Portuguese
- Swedish
- Finnish
- Spanish
- Italian
- Russian
- And others...
- Analyse Command, allows partial evaluation of names etc.
- Many different filter options
- Options listbox shows options for:
- Confirm Changes
- R1C1 Notation
- GoTo Selected Names
- Show RefersTo
- Show Excel System Names
- Sort Names (sort local names together by sheet)
- Highlight named Ranges
- Clear Highlights
- Form can be resized, including minimise/maximise buttons and moving of splits
Instructions
Download the zip file by clicking the link above that says "NameManager.zip". Unpack the files in the zip file to a folder of your liking and open the file called "Setup Name Manager.xls". Press the button in that file to install.
Click here to request support or issue comments or suggestions on this product.
Microsoft and the Office logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Comments
Showing last 8 comments of 993 in total (Show All Comments):Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (8-6-2020 16:58:00)
- Click the "List" button (the one to the right of the delete button).
- Close Name Manager
- Select the column with names and do a Search and replace. - Now start NM again, this time, click the "Pickup" button.
Comment by: Paul Smith (8-6-2020 17:33:00)
After exporting do you then delete all the current name manager items, as when I try picking them up after changing the name it duplicates instead of overriding the existing name.
Still very helpful but just want to make sure I'm doing it right.
Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (8-6-2020 17:49:00)
Indeed, the old names are still there. The manual mentions a macro to do bulk renaming.
Comment by: Paul Smith (8-6-2020 17:56:00)
Comment by: Paul Smith (11-6-2020 14:23:00)
Reporting back.
So I've tested the macro and it works well in the test file, when I try to use it in the model around 1300 names, 30mb file size, just selecting one name to update it hangs for about 10+ minutes so had to close it and move on to another method.
Used your original suggestion which imported the names quickly but created a separate issue that had to delete the original names, so then have to replace the names in the cells but this is quite tricky to do as searching for something like "BD" say for Bad Debt will give cell results in column BD.
So haven't found a perfect solution yet but thought I'd update you, the macro solution would be ideal just a shame it seems to struggle with larger files.
Thanks,
Paul
Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (12-6-2020 12:02:00)
Perhaps using NM for this situation is a bit overkill as nowadays Excel does handle a rename properly. You could then simply loop through the cells and "just" rename each name in that list with the new name directly.
Comment by: Paul Smith (12-6-2020 19:17:00)
Sorry not sure I follow in this case it was for a batch change of around 500 names, so doing it manually in NM was not an attractive option.
I did find this code on MrExcel though that works so will use that in future for batch changes.
Dim arNames()
Dim nm As Name
Dim i As Integer
arNames = Sheets("Sheet2").Range("NameList").Value
For i = LBound(arNames) To UBound(arNames)
For Each nm In ActiveWorkbook.Names
If nm.Name = arNames(i, 1) Then
nm.Name = arNames(i, 2)
End If
Next nm
Next i
End Sub
Thanks,
Paul
Comment by: Jan Karel Pieterse (12-6-2020 19:27:00)
Yes I was thinking along those lines indeed.
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