Allow (Excel) language dependent XML files

[Mo-Gul]

It would be nice if there would be a possibility to provide IntelliSense texts that correspond to the current Excel language, e.g. English or German.

[konne]

ExcelDNA already supports multi language resx files, so for me the best way would be to reference in the Attributes to an resxkey

[govert]

For an Excel-DNA add-in, using the Registration extension library should already allow this to be built easily as a transformation of the attributes during the registration. For a VBA add-in it might be possible by rewriting the xml file at runtime to contain the right descriptions for the active language, and then calling the hidden IntelliSense 'refresh' macro.

@Mo-Gul I think you have a VBA add-in - is that right? Would re-writing the intellisense xml file at runtime be a way to make this work for you?

[Mo-Gul]

@govert, you are absolutely right. I have a VBA-AddIn. Unfortunately I don't have a clue about Excel-DNA, C#, VB.NET, or F# programming. So as long as the your suggested solution works with only knowing VBA stuff and some instructions on how to make stuff work, I'll live with any solution you provide.

And because I am unable to help directly in programming a solution the only thing I can offer is testing and prove-reading manuals.

[Mo-Gul]

For a pure Excel solution, here a suggestion:

When I import the XML file

XML file

<IntelliSense xmlns="http://schemas.excel-dna.net/intellisense/1.0">
	<!-- modPolynomReg -->
	<FunctionInfo>
		<Function 
			Name="Polynom"
			Description="Calculates polynomial expression f(x) = a0 + a1*x + a2*x^2 + ... + an*x^n"
		>
			<Argument 
				Name="Coefficients" 
				Description="Coefficients (a0, a1, a2, ...)" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="x" 
				Description="Independent variable (x)" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="[IgnoreNA]" 
				Description="(Optional) TRUE = interpret #NA's as 0's" 
			/>
		</Function>
		
		<Function 
			Name="PolynomReg"
			Description="Calculates polynomial coefficients (a0,...,an)"
		>
			<Argument 
				Name="x" 
				Description="Array of 'x' values" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="y" 
				Description="Array of 'y' values" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="PolynomialDegree" 
				Description="Polynomial degree" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="[VerticalOutput]" 
				Description="(Optional) TRUE = return coefficients vertically" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="[IgnoreNAs]" 
				Description="(Optional) TRUE = ignore #NA entries" 
			/>
		</Function>
		
		<Function 
			Name="PolynomRegRel"
			Description="Calculates polynomial coefficients (a0,...,an)"
		>
			<Argument 
				Name="x" 
				Description="Array of 'x' values" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="y" 
				Description="Array of 'y' values" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="PolynomialDegree" 
				Description="Polynomial degree" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="[VerticalOutput]" 
				Description="(Optional) TRUE = return coefficients vertically" 
			/>
			<Argument 
				Name="[IgnoreNAs]" 
				Description="(Optional) TRUE = ignore #NA entries" 
			/>
		</Function>
	</FunctionInfo>
</IntelliSense>

I get

Slightly modifying it

• add another first line for each function and add the function name to it
• copy Description to Description2 and leave Name2 field empty (for the first line)
• delete Description column
• rename columns
  • Name2 --> Argument
  • Description2 --> Description
  • href --> Length
• add LEN function calls to Length column and check length of (new) Description column (that allows to check if the description in longer than 255 characters)

results almost in the following screenshot.

Assuming that only the argument description will be language dependent it would be easy to append the Description by _<msoLanguageIDUI> (Application.LanguageSettings.LanguageID(msoLanguageIDUI), e.g. for German it will be 1031. Additional languages could then easily be added after the Length column.

This new layout would have several advantages, if the Intellisense-AddIn could be modified to read it:

• easier to read then the current layout, also when there are multiple lines in the Description column
• it would be easy to print, also it would be easy to hide unwanted columns/languages, and
• most important: it could easily be used to fill the function wizard with the same information applying a sub on the Workbook_Open event to read the data from that table and fill the arguments of Application.MacroOptions.