(For Excel 2011 Click Here)
After you install Service Pack 1, follow these steps to start Solver: Start Excel. Click Tools, and then select Add-Ins. Click to select the check box for Solver.Xlam. Another Option: The Data Analysis Toolpak was removed in Office for Mac 2008. However, the following is a free third-party tool that offers similar functionality. After you install Service Pack 1, follow these steps to start Solver: Start Excel. Click Tools, and then select Add-Ins. Click to select the check box for Solver.Xlam. Another Option: The Data Analysis Toolpak was removed in Office for Mac 2008. However, the following is a free third-party tool that offers similar functionality. O StatPro for the Mac: Some of you have requested a version of StatPro for the Mac, that is, for the Mac version of Excel. This was originally impossible because Excel 2008 didn’t even have VBA, the programming language. That changed in Excel 2011, but the VBA interface is quite different from the one in Excel for Windows.
Below are answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Solver for Mac Excel 2008.
Why wasn't Solver included in Excel 2008 as shipped by Microsoft?
Solver wasn't included with Excel 2008 because it used VBA for its user interface, and in Excel 2008 Microsoft made a decision not to include support for VBA. Solver also relied on the Excel C API while solving, and the C API isn't supported in Excel 2008.
How does this new Solver work with Excel 2008?
Solver's user interface has been rewritten using AppleScript rather than VBA. Solver also uses AppleScript -- rather than the Excel C API -- to 'talk to' Excel while it's solving. Solver runs as a separate application outside Excel, rather than as an add-in inside Excel.
Who do I contact if I need technical support for Solver?
You can contact Frontline Systems at [email protected], or by phone at 775-831-0300 during normal business hours, Pacific time (GMT-7). Since this Solver is a free download, please understand that we're here to help, but our commercial (paying) customers come first.
I'm glad it's a free download, but who is bearing the cost?
Development of this Solver version for Excel 2008 has been a cooperative effort between Frontline Systems and Microsoft, with no money changing hands. The Solver code in C++ and AppleScript was written by Frontline Systems. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has worked hard to assist Frontline with Excel issues, localization, and QA testing.
What about my Solver models created in Excel 2004 -- will they work?
Yes, they should work without any changes. (But if you used VBA macros to control Solver in Excel 2004, these will not work in Excel 2008.) If you open a workbook with a Solver model that you created in Excel 2004, your model should automatically appear in the Solver Parameters dialog -- you can just click Solve.
I need to use Solver in a course, or with a textbook that uses Solver -- will I be OK?
Yes, if your course notes or textbook were written to use the standard Solver in Excel 2004 for Mac or Excel for Windows, you should find that this Solver works almost exactly as described in your notes or book. You should be able to open course or textbook example workbooks with Solver models in Excel 2008, and use them.
What is Premium Solver for Education? Is it available for Excel 2008?
Premium Solver for Education is a compatible upgrade for the standard Excel Solver -- with several new features, including an Evolutionary Solver, based on genetic algorithms. It is bundled with more than 35 textbooks, typically used in MBA programs.
For teaching and learning in MBA programs, we recommend our new Solver for Excel 2011 for Mac. Its capabilities and user interface match our new Solver for Excel 2010 for Windows, and both of these include the same Evolutionary Solver found in Premium Solver for Education.
Does Frontline Systems offer any other software products for the Macintosh?
We've been working throughout 2009-2010 to bring you new and more powerful products for optimization and simulation on the Mac. If you'd like to know more, contact us or watch Solver.com for some near-term exciting news!
Of course, you can use Frontline's software for Windows on your Mac if you have Parallels, VMWare Fusion, or a dual-boot setup and you have Windows installed (XP, Vista and Win7 are all fine).
Solver as a Separate Application
Why does Solver work as a separate application, rather than as an add-in?
This is the nature of AppleScript -- it is designed to enable an application like Excel 2008 to be 'scripted' or controlled from outside Excel, in another application. Excel 2008 exposes its 'object model' through AppleScript.
What are the consequences of Solver running as a separate application?
The most important consequence is that it's possible -- but certainly not advisable -- to make changes in Excel or your workbook while Solver is running. Because Solver is trying to talk to Excel at the same time, the results will be unpredictable -- including crashes in Solver or Excel.
Don't make changes yourself in Excel or your workbook while Solver is solving. And don't leave the Solver Parameters dialog open while you are making changes in Excel. Start Solver and use the Solver Parameters dialog only when you need it to solve a problem, then click Solve.
Another consequence of Solver running as a separate application is that it cannot be as fast as Solver would be running as an add-in. Solver must 'talk' intensively to Excel while it is running, and this communication occurs through AppleScript across process boundaries, which is slower than communication between Excel and an add-in running in the same process.
The speed difference is most noticeable for nonlinear optimization problems, which demand the most intensive communication. On the other hand, you may find that Solver in Excel 2008 is faster than Solver in Excel 2004 on linear mixed-integer (LP/MIP) optimization problems, because it uses updated methods for these problems.
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Download Solver Table For Excel
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is a version of the Microsoft Officeproductivity suite for Mac OS X. It supersedes Office 2004 for Mac (which did not have Intel native code) and is the Mac OS X equivalent of Office 2007. Office 2008 was developed by Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit and released on January 15, 2008. Office 2008 was followed by Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 released on October 26, 2010, requiring a Mac with an Intel processor and Mac OS version 10.5 or better. Office 2008 is also the last version to feature Entourage, which was replaced by Outlook in Office 2011. Microsoft stopped supporting Office 2008 on April 9, 2013.
Release[edit]
Office 2008 was originally slated for release in the second half of 2007; however, it was delayed until January 2008, purportedly to allow time to fix lingering bugs.[3] Office 2008 is the only version of Office for Mac supplied as a Universal Binary.
Unlike Office 2007 for Windows, Office 2008 was not offered as a public beta before its scheduled release date.[4]
Features[edit]
Office 2008 for Mac includes the same core programs currently included with Office 2004 for Mac: Entourage, Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
Download Excel Solver For Mac
Mac-only features included are a publishing layout view, which offers functionality similar to Microsoft Publisher for Windows, a 'Ledger Sheet mode' in Excel to ease financial tasks, and a 'My Day' application offering a quick way to view the day's events.[5]
Office 2008 supports the new Office Open XML format, and defaults to saving all files in this format. On February 21, 2008 Geoff Price revealed that the format conversion update for Office 2004 would be delayed until June 2008 in order to provide the first update to Office 2008.[6]
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications is not supported in this version.[7] As a result, such Excel add-ins dependent on VBA, such as Solver, have not been bundled in the current release.[8] In June 2008, Microsoft announced that it is exploring the idea of bringing some of the functionality of Solver back to Excel.[9] In late August 2008, Microsoft announced that a new Solver for Excel 2008 was available as a free download from Frontline Systems, original developers of the Excel Solver.[10][11] However, Excel 2008 also lacks other functionality, such as Pivot Chart functionality, which has long been a feature in the Windows version. In May 2008, Microsoft announced that VBA will be making a return in the next version of Microsoft Office for Mac.[12]AppleScript and the Open Scripting Architecture will still be supported.
Limitations[edit]
Error message in Microsoft Excel showing features that are not supported
Office 2008 for Mac lacks feature parity with the Windows version. The lack of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support in Excel makes it impossible to use macros programmed in VBA. Microsoft's response is that adding VBA support in Xcode would have resulted in an additional two years added to the development cycle of Office 2008.[13] Other unsupported features include: OMML equations generated in Word 2007 for Windows,[14] Office 'Ribbon', Mini Toolbar, Live Preview, and an extensive list of features are unsupported such as equivalent SharePoint integration with the Windows version. Some features are missing on Excel 2008 for Mac, including: data filters (Data Bars, Top 10, Color-based, Icon-based), structured references, Excel tables, Table styles, a sort feature allowing more than three columns at once and more than one filter on a sort.
Benchmarks suggest that the original release of Office 2008 runs slower on Macs with PowerPC processors, and does not provide a significant speed bump for Macs with Intel processors.[15]
Download Solver Excel Mac 2008 Free
A using a program to remove application support files in unwanted languages), and which do not affect Office's operations, but which cause the updaters' installers to believe that the application is not valid for update. A small modification to the installer has been found an effective work-around (see reference).[18]
Another widespread problem reported after SP1 is that Office files will no longer open in Office applications when opened (double-clicked) from the Mac OS X Finder or launched from other applications such as an email attachment. The trigger for this problem is that Microsoft in SP1 unilaterally and without warning deprecated certain older Mac OS 'Type' codes such as 'WDBN' that some files may have, either because they are simply very old, or because some applications assign the older Type code when saving them to the disk. Users have seen the problem affect even relatively new Type codes, however, such as 'W6BN'. Microsoft is apparently looking into the problem, but it is unclear if they will reinstate the older Type codes, citing security concerns.[19]
Another problem with cross-platform compatibility is that images inserted into any Office application by using either cut and paste or drag and drop result in a file that does not display the inserted graphic when viewed on a Windows machine. Instead, the Windows user is told 'QuickTime and a TIFF (LZW) decompressor are needed to see this picture'. A user presented one solution as far back as December 2004.[20]
A further example of the lack of feature parity is the track changes function. Whereas users of Word 2003 or 2007 for Windows are able to choose freely between showing their changes in-line or as balloons in the right-hand margin,[21][22] choosing the former option in Word 2004 or Word 2008 for Mac OS also turns off all comment balloons; comments in this case are visible only in the Reviewing Pane or as popup boxes (i.e. upon mouseover).[23] This issue has not been resolved to date and is present in the latest version of Word for the Mac, namely Word 2011.[24]
The toolbox found in Office 2008 also has problems when the OS X feature Spaces is used: switching from one Space to another will cause elements of the Toolbox to get trapped on one Space until the Toolbox is closed and reopened. The only remedy for this problem is to currently disable Spaces, or at least refrain from using it whilst working in Office 2008.[25] Microsoft has acknowledged this problem and states that it is an architectural problem with the implementation of Spaces. Apple has been informed of the problem, according to Microsoft.[26] The problem appears to be caused by the fact that the Toolbox is Carbon-based.[citation needed] Using Microsoft Office with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard solves some of the problems.[26]
In addition, there is no support for right to left and bidirectional languages (such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, etc.) in Office 2008,[27][28] making it impossible to read or edit a right to left document in Word 2008 or PowerPoint 2008. Languages such as Thai are similarly not supported, although installing fonts can sometimes allow documents written in these languages to be displayed.
Moreover, Office 2008 proofing tools support only a limited number of languages (Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Swiss German).[29] Proofing tools for other languages failed to find their way to the installation pack, and are not offered by Microsoft commercially in the form of separately sold language packs. At the same time, Office applications are not integrated with the proofing tools native to Mac OS X 10.6 Leopard.
Microsoft Visio is not available for OS X. This means that any embedded Visio diagrams in other Office documents (e.g. Word) cannot be edited in Office on the Mac. Embedded Visio diagrams appear as a low-quality bitmap both in the WYSIWYG editor and upon printing the document on the Mac.
Editions[edit]
Download Solver For Excel Mac 2011See also[edit]Install Excel SolverReferences[edit]Download Solver Excel Mac 2008 Product
Solver Add In Excel MacExternal links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_Office_2008_for_Mac&oldid=955650181'
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