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playethic

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 6, 2007
96
0
Vancouver, Canada
Hi
I find the Google Docs spreadsheet program to be too weak to use (simple features are missing, etc.).
I'm looking for a program, that I can run on a Mac, that permits two people in separate locations to work on one Excel document at the same time.
Does this exist?
Lisa
 

blevins321

macrumors 68030
Dec 24, 2010
2,768
96
Detroit, MI
How collaboratively are you talking? If you mean two people in distant locations seeing the same screen and talking/working on the same thing, you might look into a screen sharing application instead. Team viewer, for example.
 

playethic

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 6, 2007
96
0
Vancouver, Canada
File sharing Excel, without emailing the file versions back & forth

One step back from Team Viewer. Because we'll be working on it at least for weeks.

We need to avoid the mishaps and nightmares that are bound to happen if we start sending versions of documents back and forth to each other with changes made at both ends. I guess we could try merging documents after each exchange, but we may well be on different Excel versions.

So it needs to be like Google Docs ... but Excel. So we're working on the same workbook, but I can be working on a different worksheet than he is. Or I can go out and come back, open up the document and continue working, but immediately the changes he's been making are already on the document. No sending back and forth.
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
So it needs to be like Google Docs ... but Excel. So we're working on the same workbook, but I can be working on a different worksheet than he is. Or I can go out and come back, open up the document and continue working, but immediately the changes he's been making are already on the document. No sending back and forth.
Dropbox would be ideal for sharing docs, as long as you don't both modify the same file at the same time.
 

playethic

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 6, 2007
96
0
Vancouver, Canada
We've uploaded there now but there's something I'm not clear on. It seems the guy who uploaded it, and who owns the folder, is the only one who's available to edit 'live'? (Because it stores in the Dropbox folder of the owner of the document). That I have to download the file from Dropbox, make changes, upload again, and delete the version that's already in there? This seems ridiculous.
I thought a workaround would be create a new Dropbox account with a new email address, which he did, and we each login as that 'person' and that password, and can each make changes to the document live. But that doesn't work because just my own Dropbox folder opens, not 'our' one.
I then tried gettting him to just share our folder (on his Dropbox) with me, but still I have to download our files rather than edit them live.
What am I missing?
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
We've uploaded there now but there's something I'm not clear on. It seems the guy who uploaded it, and who owns the folder, is the only one who's available to edit 'live'? (Because it stores in the Dropbox folder of the owner of the document). That I have to download the file from Dropbox, make changes, upload again, and delete the version that's already in there? This seems ridiculous.
I thought a workaround would be create a new Dropbox account with a new email address, which he did, and we each login as that 'person' and that password, and can each make changes to the document live. But that doesn't work because just my own Dropbox folder opens, not 'our' one.
I then tried gettting him to just share our folder (on his Dropbox) with me, but still I have to download our files rather than edit them live.
What am I missing?
The owner of the folder needs to share it with you. Then any documents in the folder are shared and either can edit.

Dropbox - How do I share folders with other people?
 

playethic

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 6, 2007
96
0
Vancouver, Canada
Thick re: Dropbox

Sorry to be so thick on this. I have looked through Dropbox help, and tried Google.

The folder has been shared with me. But when I click on any file, instead of the file just opening, letting me work in it and letting me re-save, my download window opens - to work on the file, I must download it. Then work on it. Then save it in Dropbox.

This is what I want to avoid, because it leads to potential problems of having me working in my downloaded version, while the folder-owner makes changes to the live document, and us overwriting each other's work.

Am I missing something?
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
Sorry to be so thick on this. I have looked through Dropbox help, and tried Google.

The folder has been shared with me. But when I click on any file, instead of the file just opening, letting me work in it and letting me re-save, my download window opens - to work on the file, I must download it. Then work on it. Then save it in Dropbox.

This is what I want to avoid, because it leads to potential problems of having me working in my downloaded version, while the folder-owner makes changes to the live document, and us overwriting each other's work.

Am I missing something?

Are you simply accessing the folder in your web browser, or did you install Dropbox on your computer? You should be seeing the Dropbox folder in Finder, like other folders.
 
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