We are preparing an automated process for collecting, summarising and passing
data between EWP Projects. The first stage of this has been to create a "Summary
Template".

The purpose of the template is to collect and summarise data from individual
working papers within an EWP Project. The working papers from which the data
will be collected must each have an identical structure. Normally, we recommend
that the cells from which you collect the data are named. This usually makes
them easier to identify.

The template itself can be downloaded from the ACBA (UK) website

http://acba.co.uk/DownLoads/EWP_Summaries.xls

Once downloaded and opened, it can be added into your schedule of templates from
the ACBA Function menu item

ACBA Functions
EWP Project
Manage Templates
Add
Add from this Workbook

There is only one template in the workbook; just add it. We would like you to
try it out for yourselves.

We'd be very pleased to hear some feed back on whether this process is friendly
and useful.

Stephen Allen

Over the past few days, we have noticed an unusual characteristic in the
operation of the ACBA-EWP software.

When posting the first element of a bi-directional cross reference, a floating
reference value appears on screen in the standard bold red format. (This is NOT
a function generated by the ACBA-EWP code.) However, it disappears after the
second element of the reference has been completed.

Has any other user become aware of this? Is it causing any problem that requires
sddressing within the software?

The world wide economic downturn has affected us all. In June this year the
company revised its pricing packages for this software.

The basic price ACBA Electronic Working Papers is now £75.00 per single copy.
For more details see

http://www.acba.co.uk/WP.htm

The latest version of the ACBA Audit Tools software was published in September
2009.

The major development is the facility to analyse lists for groups of closely
associated string criteria in a single process.

An exhibition file that employs this facility is available from the ACBA (UK)
website. This analyses the contents of a bird watchers website for references to
individual birds but grouped together by class (e.g. "Divers and grebes",
"Swans, geese and ducks", "Skuas, gulls and terens"). The prospect of analysing
text for groups of closely associated criteria, offers powerful additional
functionality to the ACBA Tools package. See "Analysing Lists" in

http://www.acba.co.uk/exhibit.htm

The world wide economic down turn has affected us all. In response to this
circumstance the ACBA management board has agreed that the charges for the
ACBA-EWP software package should be slashed dramatically.

In the case of the standard sales package (the ACBA-EWP foundation module) the
new price of £75.00 (plus VAT) per copy represents a reduction of over 60%.

Potential customers may also ask to trial the extended package that includes the
'Controlled Statements' module. Please email me direct since this is not
available for download from the website. The cost of this extended package has
been similarly reduced to £125.00 (plus VAT) per copy.

Please note that VAT is not applicable to customers outside the European Union.

The EWP Manual (last up dated in May 2005) has now been reviewed and
revised to take account of recent developments.

These cover

introduction of 'Fixed Location Projects'

the copying in of supporting electronic evidence (including photographs)

the creation of photographic registers to record and store evidence
before it is incorporated into a project

The EWP Manual can be down loaded from

http://www.acba.co.uk/WP.htm .



Stephen Allen
ACBA

It is standard practice for all ACBA vba code that creates a new item
(ACBA Functions)on the Worksheet Menu Bar to have an equivalent piece
of code to remove it when you close down the function or excel. This is
what prevent multiple listings of menu items each time you run a
function.

It has been discovered recently that this Menu Bar resetting code was
missing from the Merge and Wrap function. This function has now been
patched and a new version is available at

http://www.acba.co.uk/oddments.htm#Merge and Wrap


Stephen Allen
ACBA

Major new functionality and tools have been incorporated into the
latest upgrade of ACBA Electronic Working Papers (EWP) (Version 4.001).
This is now available for sale.

The new tools include controls over the project naming, location and
integrity within the operating environment. A further tool manages the
registration and automated import of photographic and other electronic
evidence into an EWP project.

Stephen Allen
ACBA

This new version of ACBA Tools takes the worksheet functions for
extracting numbers from strings from previous versions and converts
them into a list examination process like the 'Find and Mark' processes.

The main advantage to users is that, since the result is a simple
number as opposed to a user defined formula, they can be shared with
other users who do not posess the ACBA Tools suite of functions.

The new form based functions also generate a header for the data column
that specifies precisely the analysis that the data represents. So like
the 'Find and Mark' functions it generates its own audit trail.

The worksheet functions covering extraction and comparison of numbers
within strings remain available to users who prefer that methodology.


Stephen Allen
ACBA

http://www.acba.co.uk

The latest version of ACBA Tools (3.001) is now available for purchase
through the ACBA Shop web page.

The new features are

A short cut tool bar covering the most commonly used functions - list
formulae, list numeric cells, find duplicates, find patterns, find
gaps, compare lists for missing records and compare lists for changed
record values.

We have also reviewed the speed of output when handling long lists. The
time taken to prepare screen output of results has been improved over
100 fold for very long lists (e.g. over 50,000 records).

Steve
http://www.acba.co.uk

An upgraded version of MergeAndWrap.xla has been posted on the ACBA
website.

This widely used function ensures that all the text can be seen when
merging and wrapping long text strings across several columns in
Excel.

The upgrade now takes account of whether the text in bold or italic
fonts (or both) and the following font styles

Arial
Courier New
Tahoma
Times New Roman
Verdana
Trebuchet MS

Users who have a favourite font not on this list should email a
request to ACBA together with a full copy of the font and its bold
and italic versions.

Stephen Allen
Email steve@...
http://allen.netcom.co.uk/oddments.htm to download the latest version
of MergeAndWrap.xla

Fixed Location Projects are automatically saved into a project
directory of their own. The directory name shows clearly that this is
an EWP Project.

This is a very important development for the monitoring and control
of project evidence.

When a user adds evidence to the Index in a fixed location project he
or she will be asked whether to import the evidence immediately. This
completely automated import process:-

copies the evidence file into a specially created 'evidence storage
directory' within the EWP Project, and
creates a hyperlink to the evidence file within the evidence Index

The new process significantly improves the speed and efficiency with
which evidence can be imported into EWP Projects.

The new functionality will be available generally in the EWP UpGrade
expected in Spring 2006, but any UK users who would like to test the
new processes should contact me.


Stephen Allen
ACBA

Duncan Ellis suggested that the Tools function should have a shortcut
bar for the most popular functions. We will introduce this facility
in the next up-grade. The functions on the tools shortcut bar will be

List formulae - worksheet level only
List numeric cells - worksheet level
Find and Mark - Duplicates
Find and Mark - Similar records (pattern matching)
Find and Mark - Gaps in series
Compare Lists - for missing records
Compare Lists - critical value changes

I would welcome your comments on whether other functions should also
be included on the shortcut bar.




Stephen Allen
ACBA
http://www.acba.co.uk

Following the introduction of MS Windows' more security conscious
operating systems, we have decided that the standard storage location
for both the EWP and Tools products should be

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Excel_AddIns\ACBA
Functions

for all directory structures where this is appropriate. Then
Installer packages for these packages have been adjusted accordingly.

Having a common storage point for all the EWP functions has the
advantage that where buttons carrying macros are posted onto a
project worksheet, the macro address will always be the same
irrespective of the PC used. Additionally posting the software into
the 'All Users' directory ensures acces to the package for anyone
using the PC, not just the primary user.

Please note however that if spreadsheet button macro links are lost,
backup functionality is always available from the main worksheet menu.


Stephen Allen
ACBA

http://www.acba.co.uk

As part of general changes to the look and feel of ACBA-EWP, we
propose altering the standard 5 modules in an EWP project from

Index
Resources
Audit Docs
Report
Forward Action

to

Index
Background
Resources
Report
Reminders

The standard sub-sections within the Index module will remain
unchanged.

These changes have not yet been implemented. Users comments on them
will be welcome.


Stephen Allen
ACBA

http://www.acba.co.uk