News
Coming next in Rainbow 6.3
We’ve built on some modifications we introduced for a recent corporate client (we’ve called this version 6.2), and in the next couple of months we will be releasing version 6.3. There’s a new File Control group at the beginning of the Rainbow tab (click on the image above), which makes it even easier for you to manage your Excel documents and report workbooks.
But the really exciting feature of the new release is that we have completely overhauled Rainbow’s colour management system to make full use of the changes introduced with Excel 2007. There will be 64 colours (from a range of 16 million) for formula and difference groups, instead of the present 24 colours (from a palette of 54), so Rainbow will handle much larger spreadsheets without running out of colours.
Rainbow will now be able to show multiple colours in one cell, for instance to show that the cell contains (1) a formula with a hard-coded number, and (2) a complex formula and (3) a formula that differs from those around it. And if this sounds potentially complicated, the new Find Colours function will make it very simple to see what the colours mean, and to find other cells where they are used. Click the image on the left to see what this will look like.
There will be many other enhancements, which we will cover later. And of course there is no need to wait for the release of version 6.3; if you buy Rainbow Analyst Professional 6.1 now (either a personal or a corporate licence), there will be no charge to upgrade to version 6.3 when it comes out.
More new features in Rainbow 6.1
A couple more new features that we’ve added to the latest (6.1.2) release of Rainbow Analyst Professional, to make your spreadsheet audit process as intuitive as possible:
- A new function (in the Format Editor) that will clear existing colours from your spreadsheet at the click of a mouse, so that you can be sure that any new colours have been added by Rainbow, and were not already there when you started.
- Double-width boxes in the file selection dialogue window, so you can be sure that even with very long file or sheet names you will be able to see the whole name, and know which workbook or worksheet you are selecting.
But don’t take our word for it; please download version 6.1 for yourself and try it out!
New Rainbow Analyst Professional release 6.1
We have just released version 6.1 of Rainbow Analyst Professional, with many new features to improve your spreadsheet auditing experience! The most important addition is the new Manage Names function, which supplements Excel’s Name Manager by giving you:
- An interactive report listing all defined names, even hidden ones, and showing which of them are actually used (referenced) in the current spreadsheet.
- The ability to perform specific operations on selected names with a few mouse clicks, e.g. to delete all names which are not currently used, or all invalid (#REF!) names.
- A sophisticated function that will convert references to all or specified names into the referred-to value of the name. So for example if you have defined the name “Tomorrow” with the value “=TODAY()+1″, and cell C3 contains the formula “=Tomorrow”, Rainbow will replace this with “=(TODAY()+1)”.
Other new features in this latest release include the following:
- The Report Links function has been expanded to report on two more types of object than can be very significant in auditing a spreadsheet: (1) pivot, data and query tables, with details about the source of the data, and (2) buttons, controls, charts and other graphics, with details of any macro functions that are called.
- The Summary Report has had makeover: as well as a re-style for better readability, it now also lists circular references and macro buttons, and it highlights results (e.g. long formulas, or error values) that are likely to indicate possible issues in the spreadsheet.
- Nearly all Rainbow’s reports are now formatted as data tables, meaning that you can easily sort them or filter the contents to see only the rows that you’re interested in, and all reports have also been updated to reflect the current Excel styles, giving them a much more modern look.
There are numerous other minor fixes and enhancements, and we will post further details shortly. In the meantime you can check out the Version 6.1 User Guide, and download version 6.1 for yourself. If you have a single-user licence for version 6.0, you can upgrade for free; if you have a corporate site licence, please email for upgrade information.
Upgrade for Excel 2010
We’ve just released version 6.0.4 of Rainbow Analyst Professional, with fixes for a few minor issues with Excel 2010, particularly the speaker beep when running the Inter-Sheet Logic function. Visit our Download page to upgrade your copy!
We’re planning for the next significant upgrade; watch this space, and let us know if there are any new features you’d like to see!
