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Getting started

Download and install​

The Excel client can be installed using the ArupCompute desktop client installer.

The installation wizard will take you through the necessary steps.

tip

The auto-updater will ensure you are always running the latest version of the client.

Enable libraries​

ArupCompute allows access to many different libraries. To prevent overwhelming you with many functions that you may not want you must opt-in to the libraries you wish to access.

  1. Find the Arup tab that has been added to Excel by the ArupCompute plugin installer

excel-arup-tab.png

  1. Open up the ArupCompute settings

excel-arupcompute-settings.png

  1. Find the 'Sample Library' and ensure that it is ticked

excel-enable-library.png

  1. Restart Excel to allow the new functions to be loaded

Running a calculation from Excel​

  1. Now you can use ArupCompute functions just like the ones that are built into Excel - for testing try
=SampleLibrary.Examples.BasicUse.BasicCalc_3b4bb(1,2)
tip

The ArupCompute function names can be a little bit long, but you don't need to remember them in detail:

  • Type a search phrase
  • Use the arrow keys to cycle through the suggestions
  • Press TAB key to select

ac_excel_autocomplete

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The Excel functions will always come up with tooltips that describe what the calculation does, what the inputs are, and what units they are expected to be in.

excel-tooltips.png

  1. The first time you run an ArupCompute calculation you will be prompted to enter a job number, search the form using either the job name or 8-digit code.
tip

There is no project charging for use of ArupCompute, however project usage data is critical to justifying continued funding of ArupCompute - please provide a job number!

jn-prompt

  1. Press enter, and then after a short delay the answer will arrive in the cell!

Next steps​

The above example is simple, but there are many more useful calculations hosted on ArupCompute that can be accessed just as easily:

  • Explore the ArupCompute website to find out which calculation you are interested in
  • Trial it via the web interface
  • Enable the required libraries in the Excel plugin
  • Integrate the ArupCompute calculations into your Excel workflows

Further reading​

There are more ways to make use of the Excel plugin, find out more in our how-to guides, for example:

Or you may wish to use the reference documentation to find exhaustive details on what additional features the ArupCompute Excel plugin provides.