How to prevent an Excel file from being opened simultaneously by a different user on a network?

[stormcloud]

Software situation: Windows 10 and Excel 2013. in an INTRANET there is an attendance list generated by Excel and saved (with VBA) as a pdf-file. If someone wants to modify his attendance record — for example to change his flexible working hours or free time — then he could open the underlying Excel-sheet using Excel through a php-link. So far, so good, this works fine.

Here is the problem: when a second user tries to modify his attendance list, he receives no warning that the Excel-sheet is already open. Both users modify their data, however only the data of the user who last closes the Excel-sheet is saved. The data of the user who first closes is lost (or the inverse—not certain).

If you do the same procedure with the Explorer in WINDOWS, you get the message that the file can be opened in read-only mode.

How should I deal with this case? How can I integrate a VBA-script which prevents the simultaneous access by two or more users?

 

[SpillerBD]

IntraNet.
Is the file being opened in a local session of Excel (desktop) or in a Web-Based Excel?

 

[stormcloud]

The file is opened in a local session of Excel

 

[Fazza]

Databases intrinsically handle multiple users. Have the Excel file as a front end & store the data in an mdb file. Then multiple users can make changes at the same time.

 

[SpillerBD]

The file is opened in a local session of Excel

If stored on a SharePoint or OneDrive location, then the file is copied to local desktop and then handled by the desktop application. Sharing and multi-user editing only works when using the web-app and OneDrive or OneDrive for Business (aka SharePoint). SharePoint environments can also present a different method where the file is checked out, preventing other users from editing.