XCell Compiler

Trial/demo version of Excel workbook

You may create a trial version of your protected workbook with an adjustable trial period. The start date of the trial period will be set as the date of the first start of the compiled EXE on the client’s computer.

Please note that discussing a trial/demo version only makes sense if you have compiled the workbook with copy protection. Therefore, let’s briefly consider the concept of workbook copy protection with hardware locking and the creation of a trial/demo period.

 

Conception of workbook copy protection with Hardware Locking and Trial

1. Create the EXE File: Enable the hardware locking option and set the trial period (specify the number of days the EXE can be used). Upload the EXE to your website for download or send it directly to your client.

2. Client Runs the EXE: Your client installs and uses the EXE for the allowed trial period. When the trial expires, a window displaying the computer ID will appear. Your client can also find the computer ID under the “About” menu of the application.

3. Generate the Registration Key: Using your client’s registration information (e.g., name, email, etc.) and the computer ID, generate a registration key. Send this key to your client once they’ve made a purchase.

4. Client Activates the Software: The client places the registration key in the same folder as the EXE file.

5. Software Activation: The trial version on your client’s computer will convert to a registered version. The EXE will now only run on the computer for which the registration key was generated, ensuring the hardware locking feature is effective. Your customer can save multiple copies of the EXE, but it will only run on the registered computer.

 

How to create trial/demo version of protected workbook

 

In order to create the trial/demo version of your workbook  you need  to select the following options  in the compilation form.

Compiling form options for trial/demo version of workbook

  • Check the “Copy protection with registration key” option.
  • Check the “Hardware locking” option  if you would like to have your workbook locked to client’s computer id number after the trial period expires.
  • Check the “Trial version” option.

When you enable the “Trial version” option, the “Trial Version Options” form will appear.

Trial/Demo version options settings form

Here you may adjust additional options for your trial workbook.

  • You can adjust the number of days for the trial period in the ‘Trial expires in … days’ field.
  • You can adjust the amount of seconds for the time delay before the ‘Close’ button appears on the trial warning window in the  ‘ ‘Close’ button appears in … seconds’ field.
  • By changing the ‘Warning recall interval’ time, you will set the interval time between the latest trial warning window appearance and when it will appear again. If you select 0 (zero) minutes, the trial warning window will appear on startup only.
  • To customize the trial warning content you need to assign your own message by selecting the .TXT or .RTF file with content of your warning from your computer into the ‘ Custom warning content’ field.

When you have finished adjusting the trial version option settings, press “OK” button to apply the changes.

Compile your workbook.

Trial version successfully compiled message

A message warns you against opening the trial version of the EXE file before distribution, because otherwise it will not work as trial version.

Now you have the compiled EXE with the option to work in trial mode.

 

Let’s consider how this demo workbook will work on customer’s computer.

Once you’ve create your trial workbook, you can send it to a customer. When that demo workbook starts, a customer will see the following trial version warning window (which appears at every time interval that you have designated in the ‘Warning recall interval’ field of the ‘Trial Version Options’ form before compilation).Trial mode application warning

 

When the trial period expires, the following notice will appear.

trial expiration warning for created trial workbook compiled with Hardware Locking option

“Save”, “Save As” and “Export” features are not available during trial period.
When your client makes a purchase, they will send you their computer id (if you compile the application with “Hardware locking” option on).  You will create the registration key and the same EXE file will work in fully functional, registered mode. You do not need to generate another EXE.

When testing the trial workbook, you may start it on your machine as many times as you want.
But when you are ready to distribute it to a customer, you will need to recompile the trial application and you should not start it after that compilation, because the EXE will fix the date of the first start as a start date of the trial period.

 

How to assign your own limitations to the trial workbook.

This product feature provides a great opportunity to choose your own limitations for the trial-version of your workbook.
You can even apply these limitations to cell values of your choice. This allows you to decide the difference between what appears in the trial version and what appears in the registered version of the product.
For that purpose you need to use Excel function INFO.
The XCell Compiler adds new parameter values for that function which returns correct values in the compiled EXE only.
INFO(“isexe”) – returns #VALUE! in original xls and TRUE in compiled EXE.

All of the following parameters of the INFO function are only available for the BUSINESS PRO license and return no error values if EXE was compiled with ‘Hardware locking’ option on.

INFO("rname") – returns #VALUE! in the original xls, but #N/A in the compiled EXE when working in trial mode. It also returns the registered name if EXE is registered with a registration key file.
INFO("rmail") – returns #VALUE! in the original xls, but #N/A in the compiled EXE when working in trial mode. It also returns the e-mail from the registration key if EXE is registered with a registration key file.
INFO("compid") – returns #VALUE! in the original xls, but the computer id number of the current computer where the compiled EXE is started.

This new INFO function’s parameters let you distinguish between compiled and uncompiled modes of your workbook. It also helps differentiate registered and trial version modes of your workbook.
For example, consider the following Excel formula:
=IF( ISERROR( INFO("rname")), IF( ISNA( INFO("rname") ), "Trial mode", "Uncompiled mode"), IF( INFO("rname")="admin", "Admin Info", "Customer info"))

Entering this equation in a cell will return “Uncompiled mode” for the original xls, “Trial mode” for the compiled EXE in trial mode, and “Admin info” for the registered user with name “admin” and “Customer Info” for all other registered users.