Connecting to a Working Papers file

Connecting to Working Papers

When links in a document attempt to retrieve data from the Working Papers database, Connector must determine with which client file to connect with. To discern which is the appropriate client file, the program behavior depends on these factors:
  • Where the Word or Excel document is located with respect to the Working Papers client file.
  • Which, if any, Working Papers client file is currently open.
  • Which linkage protocol is in use.
The most stable way to use Connector is to:
1. Save the Word or Excel document in the client file folder, and with the client file open in Working Papers, open the Connector document from the Document Manager.

Note: The currently open client file is also referred to as the Active file.

In this setup, a connection is always established to the client file, regardless of the linkage protocol and in the case of UDF links, regardless of whether the client file is open (unless you specify the option Use Client File opened in Working Papers for UDF).

The following table refers to other possible scenarios and their limitations (where links do not explicitly reference a specific client file; that is, use the client_file parameter):


Document is located in the client file folder
Document is located outside of the client file folder
Client file is open

UDF and DDE will both connect and establish a primary (default) connection.

UDF and DDE will both connect.

For UDF, the option Use Client File opened in Working Papers for UDF, must be selected.

Client file is closed
Only UDF will connect.
Neither protocol will connect.
Multiple client files are open

UDF and DDE will both connect.

  • UDF will connect to the primary connection.
  • DDE's connection may be unpredictable, although it will attempt to connect to the last opened client file (the Active file).

Note: Any secondary UDF connections will be calculated upon opening if the client file is of the same year as the document. Otherwise the secondary connection will report #N/A.

Both UDF and DDE connections may be unpredictable, although they will attempt to connect to the Active file.

  • For UDF, the Active file is considered to be the last client file to receive mouse focus.
  • For DDE, the Active file is considered to be the last opened client file.

Note: Any secondary UDF connections will be calculated upon opening if the Use Client File Opened in Working Papers for UDFsoption is cleared and Working Papers is open. Otherwise the secondary connection will not be calculated upon opening.


Linkage protocols (DDE and UDF)

CaseWare recommends that Excel documents contain either UDF or DDE linkages exclusively, with UDF being the preferred protocol. Consider the scenario where a document contains both types of links; the associated client file is not open in Working Papers, but the prior year client file is. UDF links in this document will connect to the current year balances of the associated file while DDE links will connect to the prior year client file that is open. The document may appear to be working correctly with Connector, however, the resulting values are inconsistent.

Link paths

Formulas in your Word or Excel file can be linked to several different Working Papers client files. In the Link Paths dialog box, the paths of each client file referenced in the current document by a DDE-based linkage are displayed as well as the number of links which use those paths. UDF-based link paths are also included in this dialog, but they are meant as a reference only.

Link paths indicate which client file a Connector linkage refers to. The path is to a Working Papers client file and can either be the currently open Working Papers file (the Active file), or a specified Working Papers file.

The Link Paths dialog, accessible from Tools | Link Paths, reports all the link paths for the current document (for both UDF and DDE). This dialog is primarily used for updating multiple DDE-based linkages. Some examples of when to use this feature include:

  • After a year-end close to update the links to the new year’s file.
  • After copying documents from one client file to another to update links to the new client file.
  • When you want to update most or all links to reference a specific client file or the active file.

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