Close vs Close Window (2002 SP2)

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In Word, the Close X and the Close Window X both close the current window.
However in Excel The Close X closes Excel.

How can I make Excel behave as Word does. The amount of times work gets trashed in “other” workbooks is just too great!

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Tools–Options–View and choose Windows in Taskbar.

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That is already selected.

I didn’t say that I did not see multiple instances. I said that clicking the Close X closed all instances.

I’ll try to be clearer.

In both Word and Excel, I see separate button for each window in the taskbar.

Each window has 2 X buttons. According to the popup hint, the one in the top right corner is the Close button and the one below it is the Close Window button.

The behaviour that I see with Word, is that both of these buttons close only the current window.

The behaviour that I see with Excel is that Close Window acts as does the Word example, whereas the Close one closes ALL windows.

Since they are both part of the office suite, this is rather inconsistant behaviour.

What I would like is some method by which I could get Excel to behave as Word does.

Would it help if I posted some pictures of what I mean?

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So sorry, Paul.
But I see an X.
Are your worksheets *maximized* to the application window?

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So sorry, Paul.
But I see an X.
Are your worksheets *maximized* to the application window?

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Doh! I gotcha.
And I never even realized it.
Go figure.
Sorry. I don’t think I can help after all.

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Well, thanks for trying – much appreciated.

Anyone else?

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Well, thanks for trying – much appreciated.

Anyone else?

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Doh! I gotcha.
And I never even realized it.
Go figure.
Sorry. I don’t think I can help after all.

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That is already selected.

I didn’t say that I did not see multiple instances. I said that clicking the Close X closed all instances.

I’ll try to be clearer.

In both Word and Excel, I see separate button for each window in the taskbar.

Each window has 2 X buttons. According to the popup hint, the one in the top right corner is the Close button and the one below it is the Close Window button.

The behaviour that I see with Word, is that both of these buttons close only the current window.

The behaviour that I see with Excel is that Close Window acts as does the Word example, whereas the Close one closes ALL windows.

Since they are both part of the office suite, this is rather inconsistant behaviour.

What I would like is some method by which I could get Excel to behave as Word does.

Would it help if I posted some pictures of what I mean?

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Tools–Options–View and choose Windows in Taskbar.

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This sounds like a “bug” in word. In Word 97 the close closes word and the close window closes the file.

I would expect the “close” to close the application and the “close window” to close the window in both excel and word. I don’t understand how closing the app will lose data. Aren’t you prompted to save each file before the app closes?

Steve

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Aren’t you prompted to save each file before the app closes?

Well, yes but…

The scenario is like this. You have a Word file open, you click close and it says, there are changes, do you want to save them? but you didn’t want to so you click no. No problem

Now, you have an Excel file open and you click close, and there were no changes in that one so n message appears, but there were changes in another one that you had open, when the message pops up you think that it was for the window that you clicked, so you say no.
Problem.

I agree that Word’s behaviour is “correct” but one has got too used to the current behaviour.

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I believe that the word behaviour you ask about is “incorrect”. I am saying that excel is “correct”: close closes the app, close window closes the window. If pressing close in word does a “close window”, then this behaviour is “incorrect”.

However, your description of word behaviour is exactly what excel does: Any file that is changed, prompts you to save or not, any file that is not changed has no prompt.

I don’t understand how word2002 is “different than excel” (or word97)

If I have 5 excel files open and change 3 of them and press close, it will close the 2 that haven’t changed (no prompt) and ask about the 3 that have changed.

If I have 5 word files open (in Word97) and change 3 of them and press close, it will close the 2 that haven’t changed (no prompt) and ask about the 3 that have changed.

If you have 5 word files open (in Word2002) and change 3 of them and press close, what does it do that you want excel to do?

Steve

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> If you have 5 word files open (in Word2002) and change 3 of them and press close, what does it do that you want excel to do?

The FILE associated with the WINDOW on which I clicked Close will close, none of the other open word Winsows/Files will even know that Close was clicked.

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(Edited by Francois on 09-Sep-04 15:25. correct typo)

I test it in Word 2003 but I think it’s the same as in Word 2000.
Go to Tools / Options. Select the tab View and uncheck Windows In Taskbar.
Word will now act as Excel.

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(Edited by Francois on 09-Sep-04 15:25. correct typo)

I test it in Word 2003 but I think it’s the same as in Word 2000.
Go to Tools / Options. Select the tab View and uncheck Windows In Taskbar.
Word will now act as Excel.

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I think it probably has something to do with Word being designed to use the single document interface, whereas I believe Excel is still using a multiple document interface. You can minimize a window in Excel and still see multiple files in the Excel program window. As far as I know, Word is incapable of doing this. Therefore, Excel has both sets of “x”s, and Word only has one.

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I think it probably has something to do with Word being designed to use the single document interface, whereas I believe Excel is still using a multiple document interface. You can minimize a window in Excel and still see multiple files in the Excel program window. As far as I know, Word is incapable of doing this. Therefore, Excel has both sets of “x”s, and Word only has one.

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To me, this (WORD’s behaviour) is “odd” and “unexpected”.

Some suggestions:
You might want to start getting in the habit of pressing the “close window” rather than “close” if you want to “close window”. In most applications, the behaviour is like excel’s: Press ‘Close’ to close the application, and press ‘close window’ to close the window.

Getting used to pressing ‘close’ and always expecting only the window to close, is (it seems to me) asking for trouble.

In addition when prompted to save files, make sure before you close them whether they should be saved.

Steve

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To me, this (WORD’s behaviour) is “odd” and “unexpected”.

Some suggestions:
You might want to start getting in the habit of pressing the “close window” rather than “close” if you want to “close window”. In most applications, the behaviour is like excel’s: Press ‘Close’ to close the application, and press ‘close window’ to close the window.

Getting used to pressing ‘close’ and always expecting only the window to close, is (it seems to me) asking for trouble.

In addition when prompted to save files, make sure before you close them whether they should be saved.

Steve

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> If you have 5 word files open (in Word2002) and change 3 of them and press close, what does it do that you want excel to do?

The FILE associated with the WINDOW on which I clicked Close will close, none of the other open word Winsows/Files will even know that Close was clicked.

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I believe that the word behaviour you ask about is “incorrect”. I am saying that excel is “correct”: close closes the app, close window closes the window. If pressing close in word does a “close window”, then this behaviour is “incorrect”.

However, your description of word behaviour is exactly what excel does: Any file that is changed, prompts you to save or not, any file that is not changed has no prompt.

I don’t understand how word2002 is “different than excel” (or word97)

If I have 5 excel files open and change 3 of them and press close, it will close the 2 that haven’t changed (no prompt) and ask about the 3 that have changed.

If I have 5 word files open (in Word97) and change 3 of them and press close, it will close the 2 that haven’t changed (no prompt) and ask about the 3 that have changed.

If you have 5 word files open (in Word2002) and change 3 of them and press close, what does it do that you want excel to do?

Steve

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Aren’t you prompted to save each file before the app closes?

Well, yes but…

The scenario is like this. You have a Word file open, you click close and it says, there are changes, do you want to save them? but you didn’t want to so you click no. No problem

Now, you have an Excel file open and you click close, and there were no changes in that one so n message appears, but there were changes in another one that you had open, when the message pops up you think that it was for the window that you clicked, so you say no.
Problem.

I agree that Word’s behaviour is “correct” but one has got too used to the current behaviour.

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This sounds like a “bug” in word. In Word 97 the close closes word and the close window closes the file.

I would expect the “close” to close the application and the “close window” to close the window in both excel and word. I don’t understand how closing the app will lose data. Aren’t you prompted to save each file before the app closes?

Steve

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