Content:
The solution returned from What'sBest! is not optimal.
An Excel® error appears claiming that a workbook cannot be opened under High Security Level.
An Excel® error appears referring to "multiple copies of WBA.XLA, WBA.XLAM".
When I try to close Excel®, an error appears stating, "This workbook is currently referenced by another workbook and cannot be closed".
The What'sBest! menu does not load.
There are Excel® error codes of #REF! in What’sBest! cells.
What are the system requirements to install What’sBest! ?
How do I install What’sBest! add-in on my computer?
Where are the What’sBest! add-in files installed on my computer?
What can I do if I receive an error message?
Can I protect my workbook from viewing?
How large can my model be?
How do I fix the "Error Opening File" error message?
How do I fix the "Error in Auto_add: #=5: Invalid procedure or call argument" error message?
How do I fix the "Error in returning solution in cell…" error message?
When using Function Support, the system seems to hang with the message "Server Busy".
What Excel® file format should be used?
What 32-bit or 64-bit format should be installed?
Error in Managing Temporary Files/TEMPFILE?
Error Starting Solving.
After installing, the "About What'sBest!" shows all 0 in the Library version.
Menu and Toolbar/Ribbon not functioning.
Menu and Toolbar/Ribbon not showing after installation.
There are two Toolbars.
Some Update functionalities on the Menu, and Toolbar do not work.
What'sBest! can solve a .XLS file format, but not a .XLSX.
Error 1605 when starting Installation.
Error 1618 when starting Installation
Error Setting Initialization File
Automation Error
It takes very long to set cells to "Adjustable"
User's account privileges
Location of the Registry Keys and Product Codes
The solution returned from What'sBest! is not optimal.
Problem: There is a solution that yields a better value in the best cell and satisfies all constraints. The model may be incorrectly formulated or, with a nonlinear model, the returned solution may be a local optimum rather than a global optimum.
Suggestions: The following actions may help you in checking your formulation and/or improving the solution returned by What'sBest!:
- Use the Warnings feature to enable all warning messages (set via Options...|General) and re-solve the model. Check the returned status report for any indication of a problem. A warning you consider trivial may be a sign of a more serious underlying problem.
- Look at all of the constraints in the model to ensure that each was formulated properly, all cell references are correct, and their signs (<=, >=, and =) are correct.
- If you are using the Omit feature, carefully check the contents of each omitted range. For information on the Omit feature, see the section entitled Advanced…|Omit.
- If you know of a better solution than the one returned by What’sBest!, input the new adjustable cell values and check that all the constraints are satisfied and the best cell has improved.
- If the model contains nonlinear relationships (check the model statistics in the status report), consider re-solving the model with different starting values for the adjustable cells. Also, check the scaling and consider tightening the bounds on your adjustable cells. The section entitled Guidelines for Modeling with What'sBest! in Overview of Mathematical Modeling may be helpful in building better nonlinear models.
An Excel® error appears claiming that a workbook cannot be opened under High Security Level.
Problem: This error occurs when Excel® tries to open the What’sBest! add-in. What’sBest! makes use of Excel® macros to implement the =WB() constraint function.
Suggestions: The safest option is to put Excel® into Medium security mode. To do this, run the Tools|Macro|Security command in Excel® and set the Security Level to Medium. The problem with this approach is that you will be prompted by Excel® each time it loads as to whether or not you wish to allow the What’sBest! add-in to be loaded. An alternative is to run the Tools|Macro|Security command, select the Trusted Sources tab, then check the Trust all installed add-ins and templates button.
An Excel® error appears referring to "multiple copies of WBA.XLA, WBA.XLAM".
Problem: You have a toolbar left from a previous version of What’sBest!, which must be deleted before you reinstall What’sBest!.
Suggestions: First, uninstall What’sBest! from your machine with the Uninstall program. You can search for the word "uninstall" to find a shortcut entitled "uninstall What'sBest!", and double-click it. Otherwise, you can manually remove What’sBest! related files from your machine. The location of the What’sBest! files is indicated at the bottom of the About What’sBest! dialog box. Then, to delete the old toolbar, use the View|Toolbars|Customize… (Excel® 2002) command to bring up a list of the available toolbars, or right click on the ribbon to select Delete (Excel® 2007 and later). Scroll down to the What’sBest! toolbar, which may or may not be checked off, and click on (highlight) the words "What’sBest!". Then, click the Delete button to remove the old toolbar. Now, install What’sBest! and the new toolbar will be installed without conflict with the old toolbar.
When I try to close Excel®, an error appears stating, "This workbook is currently referenced by another workbook and cannot be closed".
Problem: You have set a reference to WBA.XLA or WBA.XLAM in the VBA Editor that must be removed before the What’sBest! add-in can be removed and Excel® can close.
Suggestions: From the Visual Basic® Editor (Tools|Macro|Visual Basic Editor) go to Tools|References to open the list of references. Unselect WBA.XLA or WBA.XLAM and you should be able to close Excel®.
The What'sBest! menu does not load.
Problem: The add-in is not set to load or there is a conflict such that it is unable to load.
Suggestions: In Excel®, to set the What'sBest! add-in to load, choose Tools|Add-ins from the Excel® menu and select What'sBest! from the list of add-ins. If What'sBest! is not in the list, press the Browse button to locate the What'sBest! add-in file, WBA.XLA or WBA.XLAM, so it can be loaded. The default location for it is the Library subdirectory below the Excel® directory. If it is not there, it will probably be found in the WB subdirectory.
If you have a laptop machine and are running Excel®, it is possible that the files required to support add-ins have not been installed. If the WB! menu item does not appear on the menu after trying to set the What’sBest! add-in to load, run the installation program for Excel® and choose the Typical installation option when prompted.
There are Excel® error codes of #REF! in What’sBest! cells.
Problem: The What'sBest! add-in provides special functions to Excel®, giving it the ability to express constraints and dual cells. As it does with all add-in functions, Excel® internally stores the location of the add-in program files whenever you use one of the What'sBest! add-in functions in a model. As a result, if you create a model with What'sBest! add-in functions and later open it using a copy of Excel® that has the What'sBest! program files installed in a different location, then Excel® will not properly handle the What'sBest! functions, and displays the #REF! error code.
Suggestions: Close the workbook and then reopen it using the following procedure. When Excel® opens the workbook and detects formulas with incorrect paths to your What'sBest! add-in, it will present you with a message about automatic links and then ask: "Do you want to update all linked information?". Answer "Yes" and use the Browse button to find the WBA.XLA or WBA.XLAM file in your LIBRARY subdirectory of your main Excel® directory. If this does not remove the #REF! error, then use the What'sBest! Update Links button on the General Options dialog box. This should correctly update the path. If you fail to update the links with the What'sBest! Update Links button, then Excel® will place the error code of #REF! into the cells with the incorrect path to WBA.XLA, or WBA.XLAM.
If you frequently exchange models with other What'sBest! users that have their program files in a different location, or you have updated or re-installed the What'sBest! program files in a different location, please refer to the discussion of the Update Links button under Options...|General.
What are the system requirements to install What’sBest! ?
To install and run What’sBest!, check that you have the following:
Software
- Microsoft Windows 10 or previous Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
- Microsoft Excel 32-bit 365, or any Excel release from 2003 to 2019
- or Microsoft Excel 64-bit versions from 2019 to 2010 with latest Service Packs
- Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
Hardware
- 500 MB of RAM
- 50 MB of free disk space
Make sure you have administrative privileges to install files on your default drive, System, and Program Files folders.
An Internet connection is required to download the latest version of What’sBest! You can also contact LINDO Systems to obtain a copy. Additional information can be found via the Help command on the What'sBest! menu.
How do I install What’sBest! add-in on my computer?
If you are installing What’sBest! from the original CD, open the What’sBest! folder click on ‘setup.exe’. If you downloaded the demonstration version from the website, simply run the executable or unzip the zip file and then run the executable. Excel® should be closed during the install process.
An installation program will then commence and will verify if What’sBest! has already been installed. If it has, you will be asked you if you would like to remove the previous version or to write-over it.
In the next step, you will be presented with the standard license agreement for What’sBest!, which you must agree to. What’sBest! will then confirm that your system requirements are adequate. If so, you will then choose a destination directory for the What’sBest! sample files.
Next, you will be given a choice between a Default and a Specified setup for the add-in files. The Default setup is recommended for English language versions of Windows®. This will install the What'sBest! add-in files in Excel®’s Library folder. On the other hand, should you choose the Specified setup, the add-in files will be installed in a directory that you specify. The Specified option is recommended for non-English versions of Windows®, or network installations.
At this point, What’sBest! has enough information to begin copying files. Once the files are done copying, a Finish button should appear. After clicking Finish, Excel® will open. You may receive a message that 'wbintr.xls contains macros'. You must then select the Enable Macros button in order to finish installation.
Where are the What’sBest! add-in files installed in my computer?
The Default installation will automatically transfer the program files to the Library subdirectory of your main Excel® directory, usually "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Library\LindoWB" for Excel® 2002, or in "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 16\root\Office16\Library\LindoWB" for Excel® 2016. You should find the following files:
CONOPTx.DLL
LIBIOMP5MD.DLL
LINDOx_0.DLL
LINDOCU_xx.DLL
LINDOPRx.DLL
LINDOWBEF.DLL
LINDOWBIL.DLL
LNDWBxxx.LIC
MOSEKx_0.DLL
README.WRI
VCREDIST_x86.EXE
WBA.XLA (Excel® 2003) or WBA.XLAM (Excel® 2007 and later)
WBINTR.XLS
WBOPT.DLL
WBOPTLINK.EXE
WBUNCHADD.EXE
The Help file will be stored in the same directory:
LINDOWBHELP.CHM
Finally, sample workbooks will be installed in C:\WB.
The Specified installation differs from the Default installation in that it lets you choose the specific location for the What’sBest! add-in files.
The 64-bit files are identified with the '64' inside the file name.
The Appendix section of this manual gives additional information on the location of the Add-in files.
What can I do if I receive an error message?
What’sBest! displays two kinds of error messages: those generated by Excel® and those generated by What’sBest! itself.
Errors from Excel® (e.g., "Illegal Operation" or "Runtime Error") typically result from operational problems in the loading and running of What’sBest!. You should check that your model is pointing to the right What’sBest! add-in file and that there is no loss of links. To do this, check the Tools|Add-ins list and Browse to find What’sBest!. If you are developing macros with the Visual Basic® Editor and using What’sBest! functions, verify that the Tools|References command is referring to the correct WBA.XLA file. In Excel® 2007 and later, go to the OfficeButton|ExcelOptions|Add-Ins|Go, to browse to the correct location.
What’sBest! generated errors (e.g., "Error building the model") are typically encountered when building and solving a model. Check to see that all adjustable, best, and constraint cells are correctly specified. Also, if you have moved your model from one computer to another, try running the General…|Options… command and clicking the Update Links button. You may also not nest any What’sBest! functions in a single expression.
Can I protect my workbook from viewing?
You can password protect worksheets, data, and macros from viewing. However, you may not protect any of the adjustable, dual or range cells. What’sBest! will still be able to solve the model, but it won’t be able to access these protected cells in order to write the results.
How large can my model be?
The size model you can solve will depend primarily on the size license you purchased. For a list of the various sizes and their specific limitations see section About What'sBest!.
Other indirect limitations are memory and time. Your model may physically fit within the limits of your version of What’sBest!, but, particularly for very large models, there may not be enough random access memory available to successfully solve your model. Also, certain classes of models are very difficult to solve. A tough model may take more time to solve than you are willing to wait. For more information on what makes a model tough and techniques for making models easier to solve, refer to the section Overview of Mathematical Modeling.
How do I fix the "Error Opening File" error message?
This error message results from temporary files that couldn't be closed from the last run of the What'sBest! Solver.
Go to the folder where your model file is located and remove any What’sBest! temporary files. These files are named:
LINDOWBS.XLS
LINDOWBX.XLS
LINDOWBS.XLSB
LINDOWBX
LINDOWBRC.TXT
LINDOWBSOLN.TXT
LINDOWBSTATUS.PRN
LINDOWBSOLN.PRN
LINDOWBSTOC.PRN
LINDOWBSTOH.PRN
LINDOWBKBST.PRN
How do I fix the "Error in Auto_add: #=5: Invalid procedure or call argument" error message?
This error will appear when an Excel® function or VBA statement cannot be executed properly. In the case of What'sBest!, this is typically due to missing program components. Attempting to attach the What’sBest! add-ins over a network can lead to this problem in that not all of the What’sBest! add-in files will get copied to the local machine. For this reason, we recommend installing What'sBest! on every platform you intend to use it on. Running a complete install on each machine will guarantee that all the correct add-in files are copied to the correct folder.
How do I fix the "Error in returning solution in cell…" error message?
Usually, this error appears when What’sBest! could not access the worksheet in order to copy the solution back to the adjustable cells, or the temporary solution file could not be read. First, verify that your worksheet is not protected or locked. Also, make sure Excel® is calling the right add-in in the Library folder.
When using Function Support, the system seems to hang with the message "Server Busy".
Usually, this Windows® message appears when a Microsoft® Office® component could not access the add-in in order to read it and to execute it.
If your add-in has been digitally signed, you will need to enable this add-in to run your model, then retry the call. In some situations, a time delay may occur after enabling the add-in. Also, make sure Excel® is calling the add-in in the right folder.
In Excel® 2002, there is an additional security setting that the user needs to set for accessing and executing a macro from the Solver. Select 'Trust Access to Visual Basic Project' via the ‘Tools|Options|Security|MacroSecurity|TrustedSources' menu. Then save the model and restart Excel®.
In Excel® 2007 and later, this feature can be set via the Office File Button|ExcelOptions|TrustCenter|TrustCenterSettings..
What Excel® file format should be used?
In Excel® 97-2003, the file format is ".XLS" with a maximum size of 256 columns and 65536 rows per sheet.
Staring Excel® version 2007 and later, the new format is either ".XLSX", ".XLSB" for workbook, or ".XLSM" for macro-enabled workbook, with a maximum size of 16384 columns and 1048576 rows per sheet. You can save your file with any of these formats.
What 32-bit or 64-bit format should be installed?
What'sBest! depends on the bit format of Excel®, not Windows®. The bit format is clearly indicated via the File-Help menu of Excel®. For instance, you may have installed a 32-bit format of Excel® on a 64-bit version of Windows®. In this case, you should install a 32-bit What'sBest!.
What'sBest! 64-bit should be installed with Excel® 64-bit, on a 64-bit operating system. Otherwise, install the 32-bit version of What'sBest!.
The Installation topic in the Appendix section shows additional settings to verify in Excel® for running an add-in.
Error in Managing Temporary Files/TEMPFILE?
There is a topic named TEMPFILE for the "Error Managing Temporary Files" message in this section.
What'sBest! needs to create temporary files for building data listing, and returning solutions or reports. Such message implies a non access to the folder or its files: network location without mapping a drive, a file format .XLSX without the Microsoft® .NET Framework library in the system, a wrong 32 or 64-bit installation, or missing user's privileges.
The user may just try a sample file in the "C:\WB" folder.
Being able to run a .XLS file but not a a .XLSX means your system is missing the .NET Framework, in which situation you can run a Windows® Update to download it.
Also, you can verify the access rights then moving the model file in this same "C:\WB" location. This simple location will be accessed by What'sBest!. In some situations, you can map your network location via the Windows® Explorer, then open the file from there.
Finally, another instance of Excel® may still be running as a back task, then your model file handler will still be on hold. This eventually happens if you run a large file via a macro loop in VBA code.
So this message happens when the solver couldn't access some directories of libraries to create the temporary files. This could be due to some missing admin rights, a directory path name with symbols, or a What'sBest! installation in a wrong Excel® directory.
Error Starting Solving.
The solver was unable to load the model or the calculation library.
- If you have installed the 64-bit version of What'sBest!®, confirm you are running a 64-bit version of Excel® via the menu File->Account->About.
- If your model file was retrieved from a network drive, try saving the model to a local drive and resolving.
- Try resetting the link to the What'sBest!® add-in file by selecting the menu File->Options. Then select 'Add-ins' and 'Manage: Excel Add-ins' and 'Go'. From the Add-ins dialog box, choose 'Browse' to the sub folder ...\Library\LindoWB of the Excel® directory, select WBA.XLAM, and 'OK'.
_ Verify the location of the model; put it in "C:\WB" folder, run a sample from there.
_ Select the "Advanced-Function Support" to run the model via an different internal track.
_ Verify the situation of a 32-bit Excel® on a 64-bit Windows®; in which case a 32-bit What'sBest! should be installed.
_ Eventually reset the add-in link to "WBA.XLAM" via the Excel® menu, and the VB Editor menu.
A firewall or system scan may block the execution of the .EXE file. The "Advanced-Function Support" will run the model bypassing the .EXE, making the add-in as a .DLL, but with Excel® memory limitation left.
After installing, the "About What'sBest!" shows all 0 in the Library version.
The Verify the Excel® version, not Windows®, for the 32-bit or 64-bit. Then install What'sBest!, 32 or 64-bit.
What'sBest! depends on Excel®, 32-bit or 64-bit, not Windows®. The user may have installed a 32-bit Excel® on a 64-bit Windows®.
Menu and Toolbar/Ribbon not functioning.
Make sure to have installed the add-in files in the corresponding Excel® directory, then reset the link via the Excel® Options, Add-ins, and Browse to the WBA file. Usually, the directory is: Excel® and What'sBest! C:\ProgramFiles\MicrosoftOffice\Office...\Library.
This happens when Excel® cannot activate the add-in, even if it is checked. An add-in installed in another Excel® directory will confuse on which library file to activate, so the functionalities of the add-in will not work properly.
Menu and Toolbar/Ribbon not showing after installation.
Settings for Microsoft® Excel® 2007-2016
Via the Ribbon, select:
Office Button
Excel® options
Popular
- Show Developer tab in the Ribbon
Office Button
Excel® options
Manage Excel® Add-ins Go
- Check _What'sBest!
- or Browse to WBA.XLAM, usually in "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 16\root\Office16\Library\LindoWB"
Office Button
Excel® options
Trust Center
Trust Center Settings
Macro Settings
- Enable all macros (possibly)
- Trusted Publishers to Lindo Systems Inc
Settings for Microsoft® Excel® 1997-2003
Via the Menubar, select:
Tools
Add-ins
- Check _What'sBest!
- or Browse to WBA.XLA, usually in "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\Library\LindoWB"
Tools
Customize
Toolbars
- Check _What'sBest!
Tools
Options
Security
Macro Security
- Security Level to medium
- Trusted Publishers to LINDO Systems Inc
Depending on the installation of Excel®, What'sBest! may not be able to catch up the Excel® directory, and so could not activate the add-in link automatically.
There are two Toolbars.
Settings for Microsoft® Excel® 2007-2016
Via the Ribbon, select:
Right click on the extra toolbar from the previous version.
A pop up label will indicate the release number of the toolbar.
Select Remove from the sub menu.
Settings for Microsoft® Excel® 1997-2003
Via the Menubar, select:
Tools
Customize
Toolbars
- Select _What'sBest! and click on Delete
A previous installation of What'sBest! was not successfully removed, so an extra toolbar is still showing up in the screen.
Remove the custom settings file for the toolbar 'Excel15.xlb' or later version. Restart Excel® to generate a new file;
location of 'Excel15.xlb' in "C:\Users<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Excel"
Some Update functionalities on the Menu, and Toolbar do not work.
In the Windows® Registry, What'sBest! creates three keys in the following locations:
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER-Software-Lindo Systems, Inc." for CheckUpdate, Language, and Registration.
What'sBest! couldn't access the registry to create the keys, so an access error is showing up every time What'sBest! needs to detect the value of the keys.
What'sBest! can solve a .XLS file format, but not a .XLSX.
A clean installation of Excel® 2007 will solve the issue, by first removing the previous version Excel® '97-2003.
It happens when the system is missing some up to date libraries to process and extract the new Excel® file format .XLSX, .XLSM, or .XLSB. These libraries are related to the .NET environment containing the file structure parsing capabilities.
Error 1605 when starting Installation.
Open the session with full Administrative rights, and run As Administrator from a folder with full access rights.
Missing rights to executes and install a program.
Error 1618 when starting Installation.
Clean up the registry for any remaining components belonging to another What'sBest!. This situation happens when a previous installation was interrupted before completion, so the Windows® Registry key is still being recorded.
The attached tool should remove any remaining references to What’sBest! product keys in the registry of Windows®. Download www.lindo.com/downloads/LindoWBClearRegistryKeysexe.zip, and extract the EXE file to run. Then install the newer version of What’sBest!.
Another What'sBest! installation still there (or partially) in the system.
Error Setting Initialization File
Extract all the files from the .ZIP file into a temporary directory, then run the Setup.exe with administrator rights.
The system does not allow running the Setup.exe file directly from the xxx.ZIP file.
Automation Error
Verify the corresponding Microsoft® .NET version for What'sBest! is available via the Control Panel and Programs.
Microsoft® .NET are libraries useful for reading .XLSX, .XLSM, .XLSB file formats.
What'sBest! 10.0 needs Framework .NET 3.5, but later versions need .NET 4.
It takes very long to set cells to "Adjustable"
Check via the What'sBest! menu "Options-Reset to Default" the checkbox "Remove extraneous cell styles in workbook", and select OK. Then resave the workbook.
The workbook must have a very long list of custom styles, possibly coming from files transferred to different Excel® versions. What'sBest! has to detect the useful "Adjustable" style when setting cells to "Adjustable".
User's account privileges
1_ Full Admin rights during installation, Excel® directory, or Specified folder
2_ Windows® Registry Keys to insert
3_ Access Read Write during execution, for the model folder
4_ CheckUpdate needs an Internet access to provide the download message
Look at installation rights, then execution rights.
Location of the Registry Keys and Product Codes
Keys created by What'sBest!®:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Software
LINDO Systems, Inc.
CheckUpdate
- WhatsBestCheckUpdate
Language
- WhatsBestLanguage
Registration
- WhatsBestSerialNumber/WBPC number
The program also looks at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
A main Key created by the InstallShield® script:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Look (search) at the registry and the generated folder keys like
- 32-bit
Windows® Product code 34F1A1BE25441C049BF703345E07EE2F
with InstallShield® Product Code {EB1A1F43-4452-40C1-B97F-3043E570EEF2}
or
- 64 bit
Windows® product code 6B15EA4F6F186EF4EBFD44A9E4A6F5F3
with InstallShield® Product Code {F4AE51B6-81F6-4FE6-BEDF-449A4E6A5F3F}
and Wow6432Node for the reflection keys
If these keys or folder keys are altered, the installer will recreate them.
Then run the setup.exe of the What'sBest! installation you have received, eventually forcing the “multiple copy” which will reset the keys.
