Software Africa News - April 2025

Main Article ~ Online Business Tip ~ Excel Tip ~ Training Tip

Rick's Editorial:

I got back a few days ago from a 10-day trip to visit family and friends in the Eastern Cape, mainly Middelburg and Gqeberha (still known on most road signs as Port Elizabeth). The company was able to function pretty well remotely with a laptop, Wi-Fi, and an internet connection. Having QuickBooks Online as our accounting system certainly helped, as did the FNB App for banking.

It was good to lie on a beach again and swim, briefly, in the sea.  Kings Beach was almost empty and wonderfully clean.  The dogs were surprised by the waves at first, but took to the sea like, well, a dog to water... 

On the way back we had 5 stop-and-go road works between Nxuba (formerly Cradock) and Hofmeyr (formerly Maraisburg). Thanks to Google Maps, which thought that was the best route!  There must be some moral there about over-reliance on technology.

Speaking of technology:

Autodesk Prices are Rising Today!

As we warned you last month, Autodesk prices are due to increase.  The increase will be 5%, and will take place at noon (12:00) today, 10 April.

Do you have an AutoCAD renewal coming up in the next 3 months? Get current pricing and beat the increase!

On-Line Business Tip #95 – Set Outlook Email Replies to Always Pop Out

If you are using Outlook the default action for replies and forwards is to display the window nested with the option to 'Pop Out'.  But this give you limited space in which to see your reply.  It works better to have replies and forwards in their own window (as a pop out) by default.  Here is how to set it:

1. Open Outlook.
2. On the File tab, select Options.
3. Click on the Mail tab.
4. Scroll down to the Replies and forwards section and tick the box next to "Open replies and forwards in a new window"
5. Click the OK button at the bottom of the window to save the change.

Read more here.

The Excel for Engineers Online Course is Live

The Excel for Engineers course is on our online platform, systeme.io.  It has video in most lessons,  This is the most complete one we have produced. There are extra sample files and material we don't have time for on the regular two-day live course.

Why should you take the Excel for Engineers course?

The course is chock-full of benefits for any Excel user in a technical field.  Using 19 pre-built spreadsheets (yours to keep), we comprehensively cover using Excel as an Engineering and Scientific Tool.

Do it at your own pace at times that suit you.  Take half an hour a day and complete it in a month.  Spend an hour a day and finish it in two weeks.  Or dedicate two days –a weekend, perhaps?– and crack the whole course.  Then revise until your memory is solid.

Sign Up Now and get three Free Bonuses.

Excel Tip #242 – Excel Macro Error: Can't Perform Requested Operation

For the first time ever, after editing a paused Excel macro, when we tried to compile, we got the error, "Can't perform requested operation".

Microsoft Excel Help was no help at all, saying "Although you can modify modules in the project while they aren't actually running, you can't make modifications to a running module. To make such changes, you must stop the module from running, make the additions or changes, and then restart execution."  This is utter nonsense!  Of course you can make changes to running code, when it is paused.  You can't add new procedures or Dim new variables, but the code we added was quite innocuous.

However, the error was pernicious.  Excel would not run the code, nor would it compile it, it just kept giving the same error.  Of course, Excel Help gave no fix either!

We closed and restarted Excel, to no avail.

Here is how we fixed it:

1. Exported the module to a suitable file (in the Project Explorer, right-click on the offending module, select Export...).
2. Deleted the module (right-click on the offending module, select Remove <module name>...)
3. Imported the module again from the file (right-click on "Modules", select Import...)
4. Compiled (Debug menu > Compile VBA Project).

Next time: A new topic!

Be More Fulfilled by Learning a Timesaving New Excel Skill

Do you use Microsoft Excel a lot?  Do you repeat the same actions every week or month?  You can record them and simply play those actions back –lightning-fast– at the press of a button.  Take the Excel Macros online course now and learn how!  Do the repetitive work in a flash, instead of repeating the same boring stuff by hand.  Save hours not working late, and spend more time with your family...  The Software Africa Quick 'n Easy Turbo-Start Excel Macros course is online.  Take it now, and lead a better life.

Computius Say:

Crashing is the only thing Windows does quickly.

Remember:  We can make your business run better by:

• Training your company live online, or live in-house, or via a self-paced online course.  We train on Excel, Word, Access, and Windows (all levels from beginners to Programming).
• Automating your in-house processes with Excel macros, a custom program or database.
• Promoting your corporate image with a set of templates on Microsoft Word or Excel, linked to your address list.
• Speeding up your processes by linking to your database or spreadsheet.
• Solving your QuickBooks, Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, Visual Basic, and PowerPoint problems.
• Supplying software: We re-sell and support various accounting, timesheet, scheduling, and productivity programs.
• Selling world-class programs for Engineering: progeCAD, and Autodesk products like AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, Revit LT Suite and Maya LT.
• We program, sell, and support dotPLOT, the de facto standard in sub-Saharan Africa for the Civil Engineering Geologist.

All the Best from
Communication in Action cc trading as Software Africa

"Empowering African Business with standard and custom PC programs, databases, and templates using Microsoft technologies"

Reg.  2009/007863/23 ~ VAT No 4500104387 ~ 126 Kelvin Drive, Morningside Manor, Sandton, 2191 South Africa.

Disclosure:  Some links we share might be affiliate links we promote in return for a commission.  We only promote things we've actually tried and think could be great for you too.