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[Excel Add-in] Troubleshooting Guide

[Excel Add-in] Troubleshooting Guide

V
Written by Vasilis Kontas
Updated over a week ago

This list is intended to help you fix known errors.

Content

  • Preliminary Checks

  • Problem Identification

    • 1. Blank Add-in

    • 2. Add-in Error

    • 3. #NAME in Cell

    • 4. API rate limit exceeded

    • 5. Add-in displays an error message from Kpler on startup

    • 6. It is not possible to remove the add-in

Preliminary Checks

Before troubleshooting any issues with the Excel add-in, please ensure the following:

  • Your computer is connected to the internet.

  • The Excel add-in has been installed correctly, either from the Microsoft App Store, SharePoint App Catalog, or Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

  • The minimum requirement is Microsoft Office v16.0.11425.20156 on Windows 10.

    To interact with the Excel cell, we have to use custom functions. This is supported with:

    • Office on the web

    • Office on Mac

    • Office on Windows

      • Microsoft 365 subscription

      • Office 2016 and later (retail perpetual)

      • Office 2021 (volume-licensed perpetual)

    It’s not supported with:

    • Office on Windows

      • Office 2019 (volume-licensed perpetual)

      • Office 2016 (volume-licensed perpetual)

    • Office on iPad (Microsoft 365 subscription)

  • Make sure only one instance of Excel is running.

Problem Identification

1. Blank Add-in

Issue: When launching Excel and loading the Kpler Excel Add-in, the add-in pane appears blank instead of displaying the login form.

Possible Reasons:

  1. Option

    • When Excel attempts to load the remote application, the add-in might be unable to, which could be caused by a connection problem or server error.

  2. Option

    • The Excel Add-in V1 and V2 blocking each other.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Option - Refresh the view

    1. Right-click on the blank add-in pane to open the context menu.

    2. Click on the "Refresh" menu item.

    3. If the add-in still appears blank, it indicates an internal problem.

  2. Option - remove Excel Add-in V1

    1. Follow the instructions to remove the Add-in

To Report the Issue:

  • The "Inspect" menu item on Windows is available by default, opening the developer tools.

  • Go to the "Console" tab and report the last error messages displayed.

Workaround:

  • Try using the online version of Office 365 to see if the add-in works correctly in that configuration.

  • Upgrade Excel version.

2. Add-in Error

Issue: Encounter an error with the add-in.

Possible Reasons:

  • The add-in may fail to detect an internet connection or there might be a cache issue.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Ensure that your internet connection is available and that you can access https://excel.kpler.com from your browser (preferably using Microsoft Edge on Windows if available).

***For excel.kpler.com, you just need to see it; you don't need to log in!!***

2. Troubleshooting Resolution #1: Click on the "Retry" button multiple times.

3. Troubleshooting Resolution #2: Automatic cache removal:

  • From the ribbon of any Office host (except Outlook), go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Add-in Catalogs.

  • Select the checkbox "Next time Office starts, clear all previously-started web add-ins cache."

4. Troubleshooting Resolution #3: Manual cache removal (Windows only):

  • Open your file explorer and navigate to C:\Users[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\16.0

  • Remove the "Wef" folder.

  • Click on the "Retry" button, and the add-in should load.

  • Note: You may notice that the "Wef" folder has been recreated.

Workaround:

  • Use the online version of Office 365 to check if the add-in functions properly in that environment.

3. #NAME in Cell

*Most of the #NAME errors are based on issues with custom functions. The troubleshooting guide from Microsoft may help find a solution.*

Issue: The presence of "#NAME" in a cell indicates that Excel has not loaded all the custom functions required to fetch data from the Kpler API.

Possible Reasons:

  • Custom functions are not well registered in the Excel workbook

  • The Excel version is outdated and needs an update

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Sign out from the add-in.

  2. Close the add-in panel and open it again.

  3. Right-click on the add-in panel to open the context menu.

  4. Click on the "Reload(Mac) or Refresh (Windows)" menu item.

  5. Sign in again and try once more.

Other troubleshooting solutions:

  1. Update Office / Excel to get the latest version. → Refer to a Microsoft Support issue

  2. Restart laptop/desktop

  3. If using a VPN, check that it is the latest version

  4. Sign out all Excel accounts and log in only the one with the Excel license.

    Open

Sometimes, the user has two accounts in Excel, which causes a #name issue.

You can check the license owner in “About Excel” (Belongs to: xxxx)

Screenshot 2024-06-24 at 11.34.41 AM.png

If the Issue Persists:

  • The support team will need more information about this error:

    • The "Inspect" menu item on Windows is available by default, opening the developer tools.

    • Go to the "Console" tab and report the last error messages displayed.

    • Also, communicate the custom function contained in the cell.

4. API rate limit exceeded

This error can be caused by a user trying to ‘Refresh All’ a big Excel sheet with more than 300 queries per minute.

Today we have an API rate limit of 300rpm per user.

Solution:

  1. Try to break the file into smaller Excel file sizes

  2. If the issue is intermittent, you can try to click ‘Refresh All’ multiple times

5. Add-in displays an error message from Kpler on startup

Excel_Add-in_with_kpler_error_message.png

Issue: When launching Excel and loading the Kpler Excel Add-in, the add-in panel displays the default Kpler error message.

Possible Reasons:

  • Excel is in cell-editing mode.

  • Excel doesn’t recognize that the Add-in is an Add-in. There might be an issue loading the add-in-related dependencies.

  • Part of the Excel Add-in is the manifest, which describes information for the Microsoft Add-in Store and also related resources.

Troubleshooting Steps:

  1. Option

    1. Right-click on the blank add-in pane to open the context menu.

    2. Click on the "Refresh" menu item.

    3. If the add-in still appears on the page, it indicates an internal problem.
      ​

  2. Option (open the video to see the steps)

    1. Right-click on the blank add-in panel to open the context menu.

    2. Click on the “Inspect“ menu item.

    3. Click in the new window on “Console“.

    4. If you can read “Excel is in cell-editing mode. Please exit the edit mode by pressing ENTER or TAB or selecting another cell, and try again“, then select a different cell in your workbook and follow Option 1.

  3. Option

    1. Try to remove and re-install the add-in

    2. If the add-in still appears on the page, it indicates an internal problem.

    Excel_Add-in_remove.png

To Report the Issue:

  1. Close Excel, if already started

  2. Follow the instructions to activate the client runtime logging (Windows / Mac OS).

  3. Open Excel and create a new workbook or open an existing one

  4. Try to use the add-in

  5. Check the log file and send it to Kpler support / support@kpler.com

6. It is not possible to remove the add-in

Issue: When the user tries to remove the add-in from the Office Add-in management view, excel stops with an error message.

Possible Reasons:

  • The user installed the add-in with Excel version X and tried to remove it with Excel version Y.

Troubleshooting Steps:

Go back to the original Excel version and remove it there.

If you're still experiencing issues, please reach out to cs@kpler.com.

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