"Project is Unviewable" - Excel add-in

[tipau]

I have an excel add-in of which I'd like to view the code, however when I go to view it rather than prompting me for a password it comes up with:
Project locked, Project is Unviewable

An internet search threw up a couple of suggestions:

1. If can occur when using excel 97 or an earlier version.
I'm using 03 so this is not an issue.

2. It's a shared workbook.
This is an add-in not a workbook and doesn't have the same problem. I've converted a shared workbook (in which the project was unviewable) to an add-in and the project became viewable again.

Has anyone encountered this before? I'm interested in being able to protect my own projects this way if possible.

Thanks

 

[lenze]

Hi and welcome to the board!!!
A 3rd and likely reason is that the author of the add-in locked it from viewing to prevent you from seeing the code!! You protect a project via the VBAProject Properties dialog, Protection Tab!

lenze

 

[tipau]

Thanks for the reply lenze,

I know about the protection tab, but that can only password protect the project (so when someone attempts to open it they're prompted for a pass of your choosing). It wouldn't cause the Project is Unviewable message that I'm seeing.

 

[tipau]

Problem solved!

For anyone interested in truly protecting their VBA projects check out the following step by step guide posted on another forum by Jan Karel Pieterse:

1. Save the Excel workbook (.xls) file into an add-in (File > SaveAs.....)
2. After you have the saved add-in (.xla), close the Excel workbook (.xls)
3. Double click on the add-in to open it
4. Press Alt+F11 to access the add-in's vba project
5. Lock the vba-project with a password
6. Double-click on the "ThisWorkbook" code module
7. Press F4 to open the Properties window
8. Change the "IsAddin" status to FALSE
9. Return to Excel by Pressing Alt+Q (or close the vbe window)
10. Go to Tools > Share Workbook
11. When the dialogue appears, check the box for: (Allow changes by.....)
12. Press OK to close the Dialogue
13. When prompted to save, Press OK
14. Press Ok to accept that "macros cannot be accessed"
15. You should feel giddy at this point because you just realized what you have
been missing right under your nose
16. Verify that the [SHARED] appears in the application title bar
17. Now save the workbook again as an Add-in (File > SaveAs...) overwriting the
previous one
18. Close this Excel workbook without saving the changes (you don't need it)
19. Test out your newly saved add-in (open it, access the vbe, try to expand
the project window, you should get the new message "Project is Unviewable"
20. Your done

The project can't be opened using passware software or the "hex method" (at least the tests I've done indicate it can't).


Tipau

 

[Richard Schollar]

That's neat - straight onto my Favorites list!

 

[Jeminar]

Richard Schollar: that is not neat: it's sick and twisted complicated. I want to meet the disturbed individual who stumbled upon this.

I have a different problem: what is happenning when a project that should be fine complains instead that 'Project is Unviewable'. We can do precisely the same steps for lots of files, and on some of them, after applying a digital signature from Thawte, the signature disappears and the project becomes unviewable.

We can't see the pattern of behaviour. Any ideas?

 

[tipau]

It's really not complicated Jeminar, it takes about a minute to do. It's just been broken into lots of simple steps so it's easy to follow.

 

[placebo2000]

I'm sorry but this sharing method of locking a project is not secure and is very easy to bypass.

 

[Jeminar]

It's really not complicated Jeminar, it takes about a minute to do. It's just been broken into lots of simple steps so it's easy to follow.

It's easy instructions to follow; thanks. What I meant was that one day, some-one thought about this and came up with these things as a means to solve the problem. I can't see how they'd have evolved the idea step by step. Whatever sick and twisted individual saw the entire solution from the outset and was able to realize it would lock the project like that was insanely intelligent.