Multiple Document Interface Microsoft Excel

Single Document Interface SDI and Multiple Monitors I use forecasting models that consist of multiple linked workbooks that open with VBA. With Excel 2010 w MDI they opened in one Excel instance and I could switch screens by moving the Excel instance to the second screen and all the linked workbook files moved at once.

Now, Excel 2013 seems to have removed the option to have a Multiple Document Interface. By default it presents the Single Document Interface i.e. when multiple documents are open, the Windows task bar displays them all separately, rather than combined.

Be aware that Microsoft Excel 2013 and higher uses Single Document Interface SDI and that Excel 2010 And below uses Multiple Document Interfaces MDI. This implies that for Excel 2013 SDI, each workbook in a single instance of Excel contains its own ribbon UI

In computing terminology, this is called Single Document Interface SDI. Versions of Excel before the 2013 release used Multiple Document Interface MDI, where all workbook windows were contained within a top-level quotmasterquot container window. Here's an example of four new workbooks. Note that each one has its own window and ribbon

Keeping Userforms on top of SDI windows in Excel 2013 and up Introduction With the introduction of Excel 2013, Microsoft changed the windowing of Excel. On all previous versions, Excel had a so-called Multiple Document Interface MDI, which means all open Excel files are hosted by one Excel application window.

Comparing Single and Multiple Document Interfaces in Excel 2010 and Excel 2013 A new feature in Excel 2013 is the single document interface SDI. SDI is a method of organizing graphical user interface UI applications into individual windows that the operating system window manager handles separately.

The multiple-document interface MDI allows you to create an application that maintains multiple forms within a single container form. Applications such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word for Windows have multiple-document interfaces.

Excel MDI vs SDI I have a requirement to update an application I wrote back when Excel had a multiple document interface, rather than the current single document interface. The old application has on the screen a series of windows which display different information.

The feature in Excel 2013 and later is the Single Document Interface SDI and there is no Multiple Document Interface MDI compatibility option in Excel. In dual-monitor systems, the SDI in Excel enables side-by-side comparisons of two workbooks by dragging each workbook to a different monitor.

Single Document Interface vs Multiple Document Interface I've developed many Excel Applications during my career as an engineer in the power industry that work well in Excel because of the ability to do pre-processing of data, calculations, and post processing of data in a single app.