Editing Action Items in Microsoft Excel
The Edit and Export to Excel action allows you to download action item data into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. You can use this spreadsheet to edit action item attributes and create new action items. Once completed, you can import the spreadsheet back into Windchill.
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The Edit and Export to Excel action only exports action items that you have permission to modify. If you want a spreadsheet that includes all action items, use the Export to Excel action. For more information, see Exporting Action Items to Microsoft Excel. |
1. Navigate to the Tasks table and select > .
◦ If you select checkboxes next to action items first, then only those items are included in the spreadsheet.
◦ If you do not select any checkboxes, then all eligible action items in the current table view are included. If an action item exists but is not displayed in the Tasks table view, then it is not included in the spreadsheet.
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You might receive a warning that the template is in a different format than the file extension. Click Yes.
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The following rules apply when editing attribute fields:
◦ The Number column links to the action item information page. You cannot modify this field.
◦ You cannot edit fields that are system-generated. For example, you cannot edit Created, Created By, Modified By, or Last Modified.
◦ Type column specifies the type of the action item. You cannot modify Typecolumn in the exported spreadsheet.
◦ Because some cells are protected, you must unlock the spreadsheet before you can sort or filter data columns. Under the Review tab, click Unprotect Sheet.
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Click Protect Sheet before importing the spreadsheet. Do not specify a password. If you import an unprotected spreadsheet, all action items are treated as new objects, resulting in duplicate action items.
Some formatting options, such as reordering or deleting columns, result in an error when you attempt to import the updated spreadsheet. Other formatting changes, such as inserting columns, might result in unexpected changes to attribute fields.
Changes to cell color or font do not affect the import process. However, any formatting changes are lost when importing the spreadsheet back into Windchill.
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◦ Any changes to the value of custom attributes is not be applied to the action item during importing the spreadsheet.
3. You can copy action items to create new ones. The following rules apply when using an exported spreadsheet to create new action items:
◦ If you are copying action items to create new ones, clear the Number column and leave the field blank. A number is assigned to new action items when you import the spreadsheet.
◦ Any information you enter into fields for system-generated attributes (such as Number and Created) is ignored when importing the template.
◦ If you leave the Assignee field blank, this field is automatically populated with the name of the user who imports the spreadsheet into Windchill.
◦ Some fields (such as Status and Assignee) include drop-down menus. The menu options are pre-populated with information based on the Windchill context.
4. Save the spreadsheet.
◦ Do not change the file type. Only Microsoft Excel XML files can be imported into Windchill.
◦ If you want to change the file name, enter it inside quotation marks (for example, “My Action Items.xls”). The quotation marks indicate that the file is not in XLS format, even though it has an .xls extension.
5. Import the spreadsheet to Windchill.
a. Navigate to the Tasks table and select > .
b. Browse to the spreadsheet file and click OK.
