GoCalc

1. Introduction — What is GoCalc?

GoCalc is a powerful Microsoft Excel add-in designed for engineers, analysts, and technical teams who rely on structured spreadsheet workflows. It transforms Excel into a fully integrated workspace by combining a calculation engine, template library, PDF reporting, Python scripting, VBA macro management, and an AI chat assistant — all accessible from a single ribbon tab.

How GoCalc Works

GoCalc automates engineering calculations by linking a shared template library directly to your Excel workbook. Each calculation case is a row in the workbook — GoCalc reads the inputs, runs the template formulas, and writes the results back automatically.

2. System Requirements

Before installing GoCalc, verify that your system meets all of the following prerequisites:

3. Installation

3.1 Download

Download the latest GoCalc installer from the official website. The installer is a standard Windows .exe or .msi package.

3.2 Run the Installer

1. Close Microsoft Excel if it is currently open.
2. Click Install and wait for the installer to complete.
3. When prompted, allow the installer to register the Excel add-in automatically.
4. Click Finish. Launch Excel — the GoCalc ribbon tab will appear.

4. First Launch

Open Microsoft Excel after installation. The GoCalc tab will appear in the ribbon. Click it to begin using the tool.

5. Ribbon Overview

The GoCalc ribbon tab is organized into logical groups. Here is a visual overview of the buttons and what they do:

6. Core Concepts

Calculation Table Format

The core of GoCalc is a table-based calculation format. Each row is one independent calculation case. The first row defines variable names; every subsequent row is a separate run.

The Template Library gives your team access to a shared collection of pre-built calculation workbooks. All calculation templates are stored in a single folder location to maintain consistency — this can be a local directory, a network share, or a SharePoint/cloud-synced folder.

Step 1 — Link the Template Library Folder

1. Click the Library button in the GoCalc ribbon menu.
   The Library panel opens on the right side of Excel.
2. Right-click inside the library window and select "Set Library".
   A folder browser dialog will appear.
3. Select the path to your template library folder — for example, a SharePoint-synced folder on your local machine or a mapped network drive.
4. Click Open to confirm. GoCalc saves this path and the library reloads with all available templates.

Step 2 — Browse & Apply a Template

1. Use the search bar or category tree to browse templates.
2. Click a template name to preview its input/output structure.
3. Click Use Template to create a new workbook based on the selected template.

Adding Templates to the Library

Any workbook can be published to the shared library:

1. Open the workbook you want to publish.
2. Click Library → Publish Current Workbook.
3. Fill in the metadata form (title, category, tags, description).
4. Click Publish. The workbook is copied to the library folder.

Calc WB automates structural calculations by reading each row of the calculation table, copying the input variables into the template, running the formulas, and writing the output results back — row by row, for the entire workbook.

Each row in the workbook represents a separate calculation case. The program identifies the template associated with each case, copies it to a temporary folder, assigns all input variables, executes the calculation, and retrieves the results back into the table.

How to Run

1. Open the target calculation workbook.
2. Ensure all input values are set on the input sheets.
3. Click Calc WB in the GoCalc ribbon.
4. A progress dialog shows each step as it executes.
5. When finished, review the results on the output sheets.

CalcWB Settings

Calc WS executes only the active sheet's calculation logic. This is ideal when iterating on a specific step without re-running the entire workbook.

1. Navigate to the worksheet you want to execute.
2. Click Calc WS in the GoCalc ribbon.
3. Only the macros and formulas assigned to that sheet run.
4. Results are written back to the output cells on the same sheet.

The Sheet Manager provides a tree-view of all sheets in the workbook with drag-and-drop reordering, batch rename, show/hide, and color-coding capabilities.

Key Actions

GoCalc's Macro Runner extends Excel's native VBA by letting you assign named macros to specific sheets or to the whole workbook, then execute them as part of the automated calculation run.

Workbook-Level Macros (Macro WB)

1. Click Macro WB in the ribbon to open the workbook macro editor.
2. Click Add Macro. Enter a name and select the macro's VBA module.
3. Set the trigger: Before Calc, After Calc, or Manual.
4. Click Save. The macro appears in the macro list.
5. Click Run to execute it immediately, or it will run automatically on the next Calc WB cycle.

Example VBA — Auto-format Output Sheet

VBASub FormatOutputSheet()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("O_Results")

    ' Apply orange header style
    With ws.Rows(1)
        .Interior.Color = RGB(230, 81, 0)
        .Font.Color = RGB(255, 255, 255)
        .Font.Bold = True
    End With

    ' Auto-fit all columns
    ws.Columns.AutoFit

    MsgBox "Output sheet formatted successfully.", vbInformation
End Sub

GoCalc can compile selected sheets into a single polished PDF with an automatic table of contents, page numbering, cover page, and section dividers — no manual formatting required.

Generating a Report

1. Click PDF Report in the GoCalc ribbon.
2. The Report Settings dialog opens. Choose which sheets to include.
3. Set the output filename and destination folder.
4. Configure header/footer text, page size (A4/Letter), and margins.
5. Enable or disable the automatic Table of Contents generation.
6. Click Generate PDF. The file opens automatically when done.

Report Settings Reference

Use Combine to merge several Excel workbooks (by copying their sheets) or to concatenate multiple PDF files into one output document.

Combining Excel Workbooks

1. Click Combine in the ribbon → select Combine Workbooks.
2. Click Add Files and select the workbooks to merge.
3. Drag to reorder the files in the merge list.
4. Choose whether to include or exclude hidden sheets from each source file.
5. Set the output filename and location.
6. Click Combine. A new workbook is created with all sheets merged.

Combining PDF Files

1. Click Combine → Combine PDFs.
2. Add PDF files and set their order.
3. Click Merge PDFs. The merged PDF opens when done.

The embedded Python IDE allows you to write Python scripts that can read from and write to Excel ranges directly, enabling advanced data processing, NumPy/SciPy calculations, and custom automation that goes beyond VBA.

Setting Up Python

Before using the Python IDE, set the Python executable path in Settings → Python → Executable Path. Point it to your Python installation (e.g., C:\Python312\python.exe or a virtual environment).

Required Libraries

bashpip install openpyxl pandas numpy xlwings

Reading Excel Data in Python

Pythonimport xlwings as xw

# Connect to the active Excel workbook
wb = xw.Book.caller()
ws = wb.sheets["I_Inputs"]

# Read a named range
load_value = ws.range("B5").value
area        = ws.range("B6").value

# Perform calculation
stress = load_value / area

# Write result back to Excel
result_sheet = wb.sheets["O_Results"]
result_sheet.range("D5").value = stress
result_sheet.range("D5").color = (255, 243, 224)  # orange-pale background

print(f"Calculated stress: {stress:.4f} kPa")

Running a Script

1. Click Python in the GoCalc ribbon to open the IDE panel.
2. Write or paste your script in the editor.
3. Click Run ▶ (or press F5).
4. Output and errors appear in the console pane below the editor.
5. Results written via xlwings appear live in the active workbook.

The AI Chat Panel embeds an AI assistant directly into the GoCalc interface. Ask it to explain formulas, generate Python or VBA code, debug errors, or answer engineering questions — all within Excel.

Opening the Chat

1. Click AI Chat in the GoCalc ribbon.
2. The chat panel opens on the right side of Excel.
3. Type your question or request and press Enter.
4. The AI responds inline. Code snippets include a Copy button.

Example Prompts

• "Write a VBA macro to auto-fit all columns in Sheet1."
• "Explain what this formula does: =SUMPRODUCT((A2:A100>0)*B2:B100)"
• "Generate a Python function that calculates the moment of inertia of an I-section."
• "What is the GoCalc naming convention for calculation sheets?"

16. Settings & Configuration

Access Settings via GoCalc ribbon → Settings. All preferences are stored in a JSON config file at %APPDATA%\GoCalc\settings.json.

17. License Registration

GoCalc requires a valid license to operate. Contact us to obtain your license key.

18. Troubleshooting

19. Glossary