Monkey Tools

Updating Monkey Tools

Update Process Overview

Whether you are using a Free, Pro or Trial license, Monkey Tools will check for updates every 14 days and offer to update itself. No matter your license tier, these updates may contain new features, updates and/or bug fixes, so you’ll want to stay current. In this article, we’ll look at each of the following:

  • Ensuring you are getting updates
  • Installing a Monkey Tools update
  • Checking for updates manually
  • Configuring the update cadence 

Updating Monkey Tools

Ensure that you are getting updates

The first thing we need to confirm you are using a version of Monkey Tools that is actually receiving updates. This is a process that you only need to do once, and is due to a change we made in May 2022 to host updates via MonkeyTools.ca instead of Excelguru.ca. To check:

  • Open Excel
  • Go to the Monkey Tools tab
  • Select Help -> About Monkey Tools

You want to see the Data Monkey giving you a ‘fist bump’. That means you are good to go, so you can skip down to the next section.

If you only see an Excelguru logo, however, read on…

If you do not see the Data Monkey, you’ll need to do a one-time update to get back on the update track. To do this:

  1. Uninstall your existing version of Monkey Tools
  2. Clear your browser cache *
  3. Re-install Monkey Tools using our updated installer
  4. Activate your license

As mentioned, this is a one-time update, and the steps are fully documented in the above articles. After you have taken this action, Monkey Tools will just prompt you whenever it has a new update to install.

* We have seen instances where the browser caches certain files from the install. This really messes up Monkey Tools, and can cause issues from the add-in failing to install, or where it installs then fails to update in future.

Installing a Monkey Tools update

When Excel starts, it will look at the update cadence defined in the Options Monkey. If it has been more than the defined number of days since the last time it did so, it will check to see if there is an updated version of Monkey Tools available.

Whether triggered via an automatic check at startup, or manually, if an update is found you’ll be given the option to install it. At this point you have two options:

  1. Choose OK to install the update.
  2. Click Skip to defer the update. Monkey Tools will continue to check for updates every 14 days by default.

As soon as you click OK, Monkey Tools will download and install the new version for you.

 

If you still have Excel open when the installer reaches 100%, you will be prompted with the message shown here.

This question is asking if you would like to automatically re-open Excel after both of the following conditions are met:

  1. Excel has been closed, and
  2. The Monkey Tools registration succeeds

If you would like Excel to re-launch automatically, click Yes. Alternately, if you would like to restart Excel manually, click No.

Once Excel has been closed and the installer has completed updating Monkey Tools, you should receive the following message:

It is now safe to dismiss the message, restart Excel and enjoy your new updates.

Checking for updates manually

As mentioned above, Monkey Tools will checks for new updates every 14 days. If  it finds a newer version than you currently have installed, it will prompt you and ask you to consent to installing it. Of course, we understand that our updates may come at an inconvenient time, so you also have the ability to postpone any update as well.

To give you the ultimate flexibility, we allow you to check for updates at any time that is convenient. The steps to do so are:

  • Save any existing work before you start!
  • Go to the Monkey Tools tab
  • Select Options Monkey
  • Click Check for Update Now…

Monkey Tools will then reach out to this site, check for updates and prompt you to install it if it finds one.

You’ll see a brief message as Monkey Tools checks with this website to see if a new version is available.  

If an update is available, you’ll be notified and asked if you’d like to install it.  Follow the steps in the ‘Installing a Monkey Tools update‘ section above to complete the update.

When the message just disappears, it indicates that there are no new updates available at the current time.

Adjusting the Monkey Tools update cadence

We are software enthusiasts and loving trying out the newest features in any software as soon as they are available. You may be a bit more cautious. Whichever side of that fence you fall on, we’ve got you covered. To change the frequency of updates for Monkey Tools, all you need to do is:

  • Go to the Monkey Tools tab
  • Select Options Monkey
  • Dial the Check for updates spinner up or down to the number of days you are comfortable with.

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