Getting started

This is the quick start guide for WrapCreator. We hope it will get you started converting Excel spreadsheets to live, calculating wraps.

Welcome to the WrapCreator Quick start guide. It contains the most basic things you need to know to get started with ExcelWraps.

What do I need to use WrapCreator?

1. You need a Wrapsite server account at Excelwraps.com. For testing, we provide a free trial account.
2. You need a Windows PC with Microsoft Excel to create the spreadsheets that WrapCreator converts to web pages.
3. You need to download and install the WrapCreator add-on for Microsoft Excel according to the instructions below.

How do I prepare to access my Wrapsite?

To access a Wrapsite, you and your users need web browsers that support TLS 1.2 encryption. We currently test ExcelWraps with the following web browsers:

• Windows: Chrome, Chromium-based Edge.
• Android: Chrome.
• MacOS: Safari.
• iOS: Safari.

Before you create your first Wrap, you should consider your requirements. ExcelWraps uses an advanced Permissions model to control access to Wraps and other Wrapsite content. Learn the basics and plan for how you wish to segment access to Wraps by Wrapgroup, Workgroup and Role.

Wrapgroups

Wrapgroups define access controls and permissions to Wraps, Wrap instances and MyWraps reports. This is much easier than managing access separately per Wrap.

Wraps can be part of more than one Wrapgroup, with separate permissions. The permissions for a Wrapgroup are set per Workgroup.

Other mechanisms make it easy to set permissions per competence, team role, managerial level and workgroup. If you need to grant permission according to other dimensions it may be convenient to place the affected Wraps in separate Wrapgroups.

Your Wrapsite comes pre-configured with just one, default Wrapgroup but you can easily add more Wrapgroups according to your requirements.

Learn more on the Wrapgroups and Workgroups help page.

Workgroups

Users can be separated into Workgroups that function almost like separate Wrapsites. Workgroups can share Wraps through a mechanism of trust. Remember to define also the external Workgroups that may need access to Wraps, like Human resources, Supply, external contractors, etc that may require separate permissions.

Users can be in one Workgroup, or none. The permissions for a Wrapgroup are set per Workgroup.

You can delegate responsibility for user management to a local administrator for each Workgroup.

There are no pre-configured Workgroups on your Wrapsite but you may easily add the ones you need.

Learn more on the Wrapgroups and Workgroups help page.

User roles

Users can be assigned one or more roles that give permission for access and Wrap signoff.

• Your site will be pre-configured with these competence roles: C-Mech, C-Elec, C-Weld and C-QA. You may add as many competence roles as you wish to reflect your working practices.
• Your site will be pre-configured with these hierarchy roles: H-Staff, H-Supervisor, H-Manager and H-Executive. You may add as many hierarchy roles as required.
• Your site will be pre-configured with these team roles: T-Project, T-Production and T-Client. You may add as many team roles as required.
• Your site will be pre-configured with these administrator roles: Administrator (ExcelWraps Administrators), AdminTenant (Wrapsite administrators) and AdminWorkgroup (local administrators controlling their own group of users).

Learn more on the User administration help page.

Users

Add new users for your wrapsite. Alternatively send us a spreadsheet containing user’s names, e-mail addresses and their roles. We can create users without an e-mail address, if required.

The rules for user passwords can be tailored in detail to meet your corporate requirements, on the Administration dashboard > Settings  > Users page.

Learn more on the User administration help page.

Wrapsite graphics

Your site will be pre-configured with a custom site logo but you may wish to add your own.

How do I install WrapCreator?

You use Excel spreadsheets to define the visual layout of your Wraps and the data to store for each Wrap. WrapCreator is an add-in to Excel that converts these spreadsheets to Wraps.

1. Navigate to the download page and download WrapCreator.
2. Select Open or Run to execute the installation program immediately after download.
3. The installation process should start automatically. Otherwise, navigate to the folder containing the downloaded file and double-click on the file name.
4. Carefully read through the license agreement displayed on the screen, then indicate that you accept its terms. If you don’t, please terminate the installation.
5. The installation program suggests a default location for the program files. In most cases, you should accept the default location. If you are upgrading a previous installation, you must install the new version at the same location as the old version, or uninstall the old version first.
6. During installation, the installer will offer to open the firewall for our built-in webserver. You must enable this to use Instant Testing, i.e. to see the result of a conversion directly in your development environment. The web server is required for the operation of WrapCreator so leave the checkbox ticked.
7. When the installation of WrapCreator is completed, close the installation program.

How do I convert a spreadsheet to a wrap?

1. Ensure that Excel is started.
2. Open the spreadsheet you want to convert.
3. Select the WrapCreator menu in Excel’s menu bar.
4. In the WrapCreator menu, click Convert.
5. After conversion, a Messages tab appears in the task pane. Often, there are only informational messages.
6. Normally, the generated wrap is automatically opened in your default web browser.
7. Verify the results of the conversion. If you are unhappy with the results, you should consider modifying the original spreadsheet in Excel before you attempt to modify the converted wrap.

For more detailed instructions, read the overview of the conversion process.

Never hesitate to contact Client Services.

How do I publish a Wrap on the Wrapsite?

1. During the conversion, a zip file is created in the conversion path designated by a setting in the user settings. By default, the results of all conversions are placed in Documents > WrapCreator. If your calculator is called mileage-tracker-wrap.xlsx, there will be a folder called mileage-tracker-wrap with your converted calculator. You cannot upload this uncompressed folder, only the specially prepared and compressed zip file. Scroll down past the folder and locate the mileage-tracker-wrap.zip file.
2. Login to your Wrapsite.
3. Select the ExcelWraps page on the Administration dashboard. This is where your Wraps live.
   
4. Click on Import and browse to the zip file from WrapCreator to upload the Wrap’s most recent zip file to the wrapsite. Whenever you update the Wrap definition spreadsheet, convert it again and upload it again to the server in exactly the same way.
5. Create links to the Wrap’s instances.

Read more on the help page for Wrap administration.