Microsoft Office

Protecting Your Work 31
The PDF (Portable Document Format) file format is widely used as a way to present information in a readonly
manner, with precise control over the layout. Software to display PDF files is available from a number
of sources. Excel (with the assistance of the add-in) can create PDF files, but it cannot open them.
After installing the add-in, you can save your workbook in PDF or XPS format by choosing Office ➪ Save
As ➪ PDF Or XPS. Excel displays its Publish As PDF Or XPS dialog box, in which you can specify a filename
and location and set some other options.
NOTE
XPS is another “electronic paper” format, developed by Microsoft as an alternative to the PDF
format. At this time, there is very little third-party support for the XPS format.
Marking a workbook final
Excel lets you mark a document as “final.” This action makes two changes to the workbook:
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It makes the workbook read-only so that the file can’t be saved using the same name.
It makes the workbook view-only so that nothing may be changed. When you open a finalized
document, the status bar displays an additional icon. You’ll find that most of the Ribbon commands
are grayed out.
To finalize a workbook, choose Office ➪ Prepare ➪ Mark As Final. Excel displays a dialog box so that you
can confirm your choice.
NEW FEATURE
Finalizing a workbook is a new feature in Excel 2007.
Marking a document as final is not a security measure. Anyone who opens the workbook can
choose Office ➪ Prepare ➪ Mark As Final to cancel the mark as final designation. After the
user selects that command, the workbook is no longer read-only or view-only. Therefore, this method doesn’t
guarantee that others will not change the workbook.
CAUTION
Inspecting a workbook
If you plan to distribute a workbook to others, you may want to have Excel check the file for hidden data
and personal information. This tool can locate hidden information about you, your organization, or about
the workbook that you may not want to share with others.
To do so, choose Office ➪ Prepare ➪ Inspect Document. You see the dialog box shown in Figure 31.9.
Click Inspect, and Excel displays the results of the inspection and gives you the opportunity to remove the
items it finds.
NEW FEATURE
The Document Inspector is a new feature in Excel 2007.
If Excel identifies items in the Document Inspector, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they
CAUTION
should be removed. In other words, you should not blindly use the Remove All buttons to
remove the items that Excel locates. For example, you may have a hidden sheet that serves a critical purpose.
Excel will identify that hidden sheet and make it very easy for you to delete it. To be on the safe side, always
make a backup copy of your workbook before running the Document Inspector.
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