Settings

ModelxcelPro doesn’t have one Options dialog — each feature area carries its own settings, and they don’t all persist the same way. This reference maps every settings surface to where it opens and, crucially, where its choices live: per-user on your machine, per-workbook beside or inside the file, or only for the current session.

The four persistence scopes

Before the map, the one idea that explains the whole table below — a setting lives in one of four places, and that determines whether it follows you or your file:

  • Per-user (machine). A JSON file under %APPDATA%\ModelxcelPro\. Follows your Windows profile across every workbook; doesn’t travel with a shared file.
  • Per-workbook (sidecar). Stored inside the feature’s companion file (.mxaudit / .mxreview) next to the workbook. Travels only if that sidecar travels.
  • In the workbook. Written into the workbook itself (theme styles + document properties). Travels with the .xlsx.
  • Session-only. Held in memory; resets to defaults when Excel (or the add-in) restarts. Not saved anywhere.

Where each settings dialog lives

SettingsOpen it fromStoredScope
FormattingFormat → Settings (keytip SE)smart-formatting-settings.jsonPer-user (some session-only)
Formula EditorInside TrustLensformula-editor-settings.jsonPer-user
CalcScope / Pretty PrintThe CalcScope cockpit (no separate dialog)pretty-print-settings.jsonPer-user
ProofProof → Settingscausality-settings.jsonPer-user
CompareCompare → (dropdown) → Settings…comparison-settings.jsonPer-user
AuditAudit Trail window → Settings (open via Audit → Audit Trail, AT)In the .mxaudit sidecarPer-workbook
ReviewReview Issues window → Settings (open via Audit → Review Issues, RI)In the .mxreview sidecarPer-workbook
MapWorksheet Map pane → Settings (open via Map → Worksheet Map, WM)In memorySession-only
Risk Heatmap colorsMap → Risk Heatmap → Customize Colors…In memorySession-only
ThemesFormat → Themes → Customize… (TH)In the workbook (styles + document properties)In the workbook

What each area controls

FormattingNumber-format strings (Number/Date/Percent/Factor/Ratio), the automation toggles (auto-format, auto-save, auto-fit, empty-ref highlighting, the keyboard-shortcut master switch), undo depth, an optional text-case transform, and flag-CF handling.Formula Editor (TrustLens)The in-cell editor surface: auto-expand, sync Excel selection, line numbers, rainbow parentheses, font family/size, beautify indent, and the optional F5 stage/restore preview.CalcScope / Pretty PrintThe reading cockpit’s remembered state: window geometry, label visibility, whether the Step Evaluator and Calculation Explanation panes open by default, and the dock/pin side.ProofSource-kind labels, hints, order and visibility for binding, plus the proof-budget defaults Replay Proof uses.CompareWhat to compare (values/formulas/formatting/names/validation/comments), numeric tolerance, alignment, financial-model analysis with per-metric thresholds, and output-attribution defaults.Audit & ReviewReviewer defaults (name/initials/default status/tag), grid behavior, and — for Review — the custom status workflow and colors. Stored with the workbook’s sidecars.Map & HeatmapWorksheet Map: which cell kinds to analyze, color scheme, display and performance options. Risk Heatmap: per-category colors and presets. Both reset each session.ThemesThe named-style palette for headers, inputs, totals and more. Applied into the workbook and recorded in its document properties, so the look travels with the file.

Two things that surprise people

Some formatting settings deliberately reset each session

In the Formatting Settings dialog, the number-format strings, auto-fit, empty-ref highlighting, the keyboard-shortcut switch, and the flag-CF mode persist per user — but Auto Format, Auto-Save, Undo Levels, and the text-case transform are session-only and reset every time Excel launches, by design.

Audit & Review settings live with the workbook; Compare settings live with you

Audit and Review settings are per-workbook — they ride inside the .mxaudit / .mxreview sidecars, so a custom review workflow follows that model. Compare, Proof, Formatting, and the editor settings are per-user JSON in %APPDATA% — they follow you, not the file. Map and Risk Heatmap settings don’t persist at all.

Where to go next

Formatting SettingsThe most-used dialog, in full detail.Comparison settingsTolerance, alignment, and financial analysis.Proof settingsSource kinds and the proof budget.File typesThe sidecars and stores these settings live in.