White Paper - SoftArtisans

White Paper
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SoftArtisans would like to thank Jon Flanders for his original vision and prototype of ExcelWriter.
Copyright © 2002 by SoftArtisans Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means without the written permission of SoftArtisans Inc.
This white paper is a working document and is provided "AS IS," without any warranties.
SoftArtisans expressly disclaims any warranties or representations as to accuracy or completeness
of the contents and any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The
contents are not suitable for use in all situations, and any use by you of the contents is at your own
risk; the information in this document may be corrected or updated from time to time. SoftArtisans
will not be liable for damages of any kind, including direct, consequential (including loss of profits,
business, or data) or special damages, which may arise out of or result from reliance on or use of
the information.
1/28/2002 2:39 PM
Revision History
Date
Initials
Description
10/07/01
LM
VSLive!
11/9/01
LM
ExcelWriter V3 Release
12/18/01
LM/RI
V3.02 Update
01/14/02
JG/LM/RI
Update
SoftArtisans
1330 Beacon Street
Suite 400
Brookline, MA 02446
Tel: 617-738-0777 / 877-SOFTART
Fax: 617-738-6278
i
E-mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 1
1.1 WHAT IS EXCELWRITER .........................................................................1
1.2 WHAT EXCELWRITER IS NOT...................................................................2
1.3 HOW EXCELWRITER WORKS ...................................................................2
2
GENERAL INFORMATION.................................................. 4
2.1 OPERATION .........................................................................................4
•
•
•
•
•
2.1.1
How Does it Work?
4
2.1.2
Server Operation
4
2.1.3
Excel Not Required on Server
2.1.4
ExcelWriter CodeWizard
5
2.1.5
Single Multi-threaded DLL
5
2.2.1
Supported Platforms 5
2.3.1
Automated Installation via MSI
2.3.2
Manual Installation via REGSVR32
6
2.3.3
Documentation and Samples
7
2.3.4
Minimal Installation
7
2.4.1
Server Licenses
7
2.4.2
Developer Licenses
8
2.4.3
ExcelWriter Desktop Licenses
2.4.4
Bundling ExcelWriter in Your Solution – OEM Program
2.5.1
Differences Between the Full and LE Versions
2.5.2
Which Version is Right for You?
2.6.1
Microsoft Excel on Win32
2.6.2
Microsoft Excel on Apple Macintosh 16
5
2.2 DEPLOYMENT .......................................................................................5
•
2.3 INSTALLATION .....................................................................................6
•
•
•
•
6
2.4 LICENSING ..........................................................................................7
•
•
•
•
8
9
2.5 EDITION DIFFERENCES...........................................................................9
•
•
11
15
2.6 CLIENT REQUIREMENTS ........................................................................ 16
•
•
3
16
EXCEL AS A REPORTING FORMAT................................... 17
3.1 ADVANTAGES ..................................................................................... 17
•
•
•
•
4
3.1.1
Familiarity of Client
17
3.1.2
Richness
3.1.3
Ease of Modification
3.1.4
Upload Back to Server
17
17
17
USAGE SCENARIOS ........................................................ 19
4.1 INTRANET REPORTING .........................................................................19
4.2 B2B COMMERCE .................................................................................20
ii
4.3 STOCK PORTFOLIO ..............................................................................21
4.4 HUMAN RESOURCES.............................................................................21
•
5
4.4.1
Web-based Payroll
21
FEATURES IN DEPTH ...................................................... 22
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
•
•
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
•
•
EXCEL VERSION COMPATIBILITY ............................................................22
ADDRESSING CELLS .............................................................................22
SETTING CELL VALUES .........................................................................22
IMPORTING FROM A DATABASE ..............................................................23
5.4.1
ADO
23
5.4.2
ODBC
23
5.9.1
MSXML
5.9.2
Excel XML DOM
FORMATTING .....................................................................................23
FORMULAS.........................................................................................24
CHARTING .........................................................................................24
IMAGES ............................................................................................25
XML IMPORT .....................................................................................26
26
27
5.10 SAVING RESULTS ................................................................................29
•
•
•
5.10.1 To Disk
30
5.10.2 To Memory
30
5.10.3 Streamed to Browser 30
5.11 READ AN EXISTING SPREADSHEET* ........................................................31
•
5.11.1 Importing Formulas
•
5.14.1 ExcelApp.Open vs. ExcelTemplate Decision Tree
32
5.12 MODIFYING AN EXISTING SPREADSHEET ..................................................33
5.13 USING TEMPLATE SPREADSHEETS ...........................................................33
5.14 EXCELAPP.OPEN VS. EXCELTEMPLATE .....................................................36
37
5.15 DATA ...............................................................................................38
•
•
6
5.15.1 Formulas
38
5.15.2 Macros, Outlines, Pivot Tables and VBA
39
COMPARISON TO MICROSOFT EXCEL ............................. 40
6.1 EXCEL ON THE WEB SERVER ..................................................................40
•
•
6.1.1
Licensing
40
6.2 OFFICE WEB COMPONENTS ...................................................................40
7
6.1.2
Performance
40
COMPARISON TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES ....................... 43
7.1 CSV FILES ........................................................................................43
7.2 HTML ..............................................................................................43
7.3 CRYSTAL DECISIONS ...........................................................................43
8
ADMINISTRATION ......................................................... 44
8.1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................44
8.2 CONFIGURING IIS ..............................................................................45
8.3 INSTALLATION / UNINSTALLATION.........................................................46
iii
9
CASE STUDIES ............................................................... 47
9.1 MANUFACTURING COMPANY ..................................................................47
9.2 B2B E-COMMERCE COMPANY.................................................................50
9.3 DESTINATION HARDWARE SALES AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY ................53
10
PERFORMANCE............................................................... 56
10.1 BENCHMARKS .....................................................................................56
EXCEL RITER BJECT
VERSUS XCEL BJECT FFICE
W O (V2)
E O O 2000.......................56
10.2SCALABILITY .....................................................................................57
10.3PERFORMANCE LIMITATIONS .................................................................57
•
•
•
10.3.1 ExcelWriter LE
57
10.3.2 ExcelWriter Developer
57
10.4IMPROVING PERFORMANCE ...................................................................58
•
•
11
12
10.3.3 ASP Threading
10.4.1 Using Styles
57
58
10.4.2 Use CopyFromRecordSet or GetDataFromRecordset
61
TECHNICAL SUPPORT..................................................... 62
11.1PRE-SALES SUPPORT ...........................................................................62
11.2MAINTENANCE PROGRAM......................................................................63
11.3TWO-HOUR PRIORITY SUPPORT INCIDENT ...............................................63
11.424-HOUR PRIORITY SUPPORT INCIDENT..................................................63
11.5SUPPORT HOURS ................................................................................63
11.6SELF-HELP SUPPORT............................................................................64
11.7PEER-SUPPORTED DISCUSSION LIST .......................................................64
11.8SOFTARTISANS CONSULTING SERVICES ...................................................64
FOR MORE INFORMATION.............................................. 65
12.1SOFTARTISANS WEB SITES ...................................................................65
•
•
•
•
•
12.1.1 Main ExcelWriter Page
65
12.1.2 News and Announcements
65
12.1.3 Support Site
65
12.1.4 Demo Site
65
12.2EXCEL ON THE WEB .............................................................................66
•
•
12.1.5 Discussion Lists
65
12.2.1 Microsoft Excel Web Site
66
12.3ASP SITES........................................................................................66
13
12.2.2 EXCEL-L Discussion List
66
OTHER PRODUCTS FROM SOFTARTISANS ...................... 67
iv
Introduction
Online reporting is among the best uses of Web technology and a challenging objective
on many Web sites. The most efficient method of delivering timely data to partners,
internal employees, and customers is a self-service Web reporting application. Already,
many
companies
business
calculate
administration
®
formatted in Microsoft
and
over
track
the
sales,
Web.
evaluate
investments,
Traditionally,
most
and
automate
quantitative
data
is
Excel and the business world is proficient in the software. But
most of today’s Web reporting solutions do not produce native Excel—particularly not
richly
formatted
Excel
with
charts,
pivot
tables,
and
VBA.
Difficult
new
software
requires training and may limit users’ capacity and interest to manipulate data that
they receive over the Web. SoftArtisans provides a powerful spreadsheet engine that
generates Excel on the Web. Organizations do not need to stop using Excel because
they move processes to the Web.
With
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter,
developers
quickly
and
easily
build
robust,
scalable
reporting applications that generate native Excel without installing Excel on the server.
A
simple
yet
comprehensive
solution,
ExcelWriter
creates
full-function
Excel
from
a
database, ADO recordset, or an existing workbook. ExcelWriter enables a wide range of
businesses
to
create
high-performance
applications
while
making
efficient
use
of
limited systems, development resources, and users’ Excel proficiency.
ExcelWriter generates
editable Microsoft Excel worksheets and charts in a few easy
steps. This powerful product creates native .xls code, which is
real, full-function
Excel—
not Comma Separated Value (CSV) flat files or Excel look-alikes. ExcelWriter populates
the spreadsheet from the recordset object, and then adds formatting and formulas to
cells—or
serves
you
the
can
open
users
a
clear,
pre-existing
workbook
professionally
or
formatted
template
Excel
workbook.
spreadsheets
ExcelWriter
and
charts.
ExcelWriter is capable of high performance for demanding sites that need to generate
thousands of spreadsheets for many concurrent users each day. Users may save fullfunction,
formatted
accessed
spreadsheets
Excel
spreadsheets
generated
server for easy access.
by
to
immediately
SoftArtisans
manipulate
ExcelWriter
can
be
data.
saved
Heavily
on
the
Custom spreadsheets can be streamed directly to the client
machine.
1.1 What is ExcelWriter
ExcelWriter is a server-side control for developing high-speed Excel Web applications.
It consists of a single, multi-threaded dynamic link library (DLL) that accepts data from
many
sources.
The
data
can
be
gathered
from
an
ActiveX
Data
Object
(ADO)
connection to a database, parsed from an XML document, scripted to gather from a
CSV or other flat file, or retrieved from a pre-existing Excel workbook. It generates
Excel in the native Microsoft binary format (BIFF8 or BIFF7, depending on the what
version of Excel or Excel viewer is installed on the client.). The output can be streamed
via the Internet or intranet to a client machine for display in a browser or with Excel.
These files can also be saved on the server or the client machine hard disk.
ExcelWriter-generated
Excel
files
can
contain
comprehensive
formatting,
formulas,
custom styles, charting, and images. They can consist of single or multiple worksheets.
An Excel file generated by ExcelWriter is virtually identical to having created it directly
in Excel.
1
ExcelWriter does not require the Microsoft Excel object on your server. This control has
no dependencies on Excel. In fact, it generates Excel format output with benchmarked
performance that is at least over
100 times
faster than that of the
Microsoft
Excel
object.
ExcelWriter
can
be
used
from
any
environment
that
supports
COM,
such
as
Active
Server Pages (ASP) or Visual Basic (VB), VB.NET or ASP.NET.
1.2 What ExcelWriter is Not
ExcelWriter is not a visual end-user tool like Microsoft Excel. It is not an ActiveX control
that exists client side.
Rather, it generates native Excel files via server-side scripting
that can be read by Microsoft Excel.
ExcelWriter does not use XML or HTML to represent the spreadsheet. The resultant
spreadsheet is in the native Microsoft binary format. This permits the creation of much
richer
spreadsheets,
including
charts
and
images,
and
allows
for
support
of
many
versions of Excel from Excel ’95 through Excel XP.
ExcelWriter does not have a calculation engine to perform computation on the cells in
the spreadsheet. When formulas are included in a spreadsheet, Excel calculates the
values
when
it
loads
the
spreadsheet.
(Please
note:
since
ExcelWriter
does
not
calculate values, evaluation of formulas is not possible during spreadsheet creation).
ExcelWriter is not a charting engine. It cannot produce static charts in GIF or JPG/JPEG
image
format.
Rather,
it
produces
fully
dynamic
2D
or
3D
Excel
charts
capable
of
referencing data from the same or another worksheet in the workbook.
1.3 How ExcelWriter Works
ExcelWriter
instructs
entirely
consists
ExcelWriter
in
memory
of
a
to
on
series
create
the
of
a
COM
new
server.
objects.
A
spreadsheet.
Working
developer
This
writes
spreadsheet
exclusively
in
a
script
will
memory
be
that
built
enhances
performance and maximizes security.
Here is an example of how a Web developer might use ExcelWriter within an ASP page.
In this case, we’ll assume that a client, accessing the application, has just filled out
some information on a Web form and pressed the “Submit” button.
The ASP forms processing page:
•
•
Validates the user’s input
Based on the user’s input, customizes a query and runs it against a data source,
to produce a recordset
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Instantiates the ExcelWriter object
Creates a blank worksheet(s)
Imports the recordset into the spreadsheet where applicable
Adds formulas
Creates custom styles
Applies these styles and other formatting elements to the worksheet(s)
Adds charts or inserts images
Streams the newly created Excel file to the user’s machine for opening in the
browser or with Excel or for saving locally to the client’s hard disk
2
In this example, every user receives a fresh, new unique spreadsheet in response to
their input.
In addition to streaming the spreadsheet to the user, ExcelWriter could
also save the file to the hard disk of the server.
Figure 1: ExcelWriter is a server-side component that generates a native Excel workbook on the Web
from an existing .xls file, an ASP page, and/or any data source. Simply click a button and display
existing data as a Web form. A second click and you get a full- featured Excel spreadsheet. Save it as an
Excel file on the server or stream to a client. The document is fully editable and virtually all of the standard
formulas are available. It's just that easy!
This provides just one possible scenario for usage of ExcelWriter. We will cover others
later in this document.
3
2 General Information
2.1 Operation
2.1.1 How Does it Work?
ExcelWriter object
In order to create an Excel workbook in the native Microsoft binary format (BIFF) with
ExcelWriter, you must create an instance of the
in a script that is
executed server-side. With ASP, this is done as follows:
Set xlw = Server.CreateObject("SoftArtisans.ExcelWriter")
As with Microsoft Excel, a
Worksheet
is then created:
Set ws = xlw.Worksheets(1)
WorkSheets(1)
Each spreadsheet contains multiple worksheets. Only one worksheet is needed in this
WorkSheets(2)
Cells
example.
The
Next,
first
worksheet
is
and so on.
.
The
second
worksheet
would
be
server
or
are added to the WorkSheet:
ws.Cells("A1").Value = "Name"
ws.Cells("B1").Value = "Count"
ws.Cells("C1").Value = "Dollar"
ws.Cells("A2").Value = "Fred Smith"
ws.Cells("B2").Value = 10
ws.Cells("C2").Value = 37.5
This creates the cells on the worksheet and fills in the values.
Once
the
values
are
filled
in,
the
virtual
workbook
can
be
saved
to
the
streamed to a client machine.
xlw.Save "first.xls", saOpenInExcel
In this case, the spreadsheet is streamed to the client and triggers a “FileDownload”
dialog box that will give the client the choice of opening the file with Excel or saving
the spreadsheet locally. If it is saved, the default name will be
first.xls.
2.1.2 Server Operation
The
ExcelWriter
application
object
requiring
the
should
ability
be
installed
on
to
generate
Excel
a
Web
server
Web
reports.
that
hosts
Once
the
installed,
Web
the
object model’s methods and properties are accessed via an ASP script that runs serverside. A fully formatted, dynamic Excel workbook is created, populated with data from a
data source and then formatted in memory on the server. Depending on the “Save”
option called, the output can be stored as a file on the server or streamed via the
Internet or intranet to a client machine for viewing or saving locally.
4
2.1.3 Excel Not Required on Server
ExcelWriter works without dependency on the Microsoft Excel object so the Excel object
is not required
on the
server. This avoids the performance
penalties and instability
otherwise associated with instantiating multiple copies of the Excel object on a Web
server. In addition to performance improvements, ExcelWriter offers greater licensing
flexibility and ease of deployment than does Excel. This is ideal for a Web reporting
application. There are no per-user or per-seat license costs.
2.1.4 ExcelWriter CodeWizard
ExcelWriter Developer editions contain a very useful added component:
CodeWizard.
This
new
component
has
the
ability
to
take
an
Excel
ExcelWriter
workbook
(or
template) as input and to generate an ASP, VB, or ASP.NET file that contains the code
necessary
to
functionality)
reproduce
using
it
(with
ExcelWriter
most,
on
the
if
not
server.
all
of
Using
formatting
and
ExcelWriter CodeWizard
its
included
can
greatly reduce the time and the resources required to script complex Web reports.
2.1.5 Single Multi-threaded DLL
ExcelWriter is a high-performance, multi-threaded set of COM objects built for serving
thousands of concurrent users on a single server. Unlike the Excel object, separate
instances
of
ExcelWriter
can
be
created
safely
on
the
server
to
handle
individual
concurrent requests.
2.2 Deployment
ExcelWriter is designed for easy deployment on your Web server. It is flexible enough
to work with most Windows-based server configurations and security settings.
2.2.1 Supported Platforms
ExcelWriter has the following System Requirements:
•
•
•
Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
Any environment that supports COM or Automation, including:
-
Active Server Pages (IIS3 or IIS4)
Visual Basic
Windows Scripting Host
Visual C++
Internet Explorer
ASP DLL Version 4.0.622 or later (WinNT Server or Workstation) or ASP DLL
Version 5.0 or later (Windows 2000 or Advanced Server)
•
If you intend to create workbooks from databases, install the latest Microsoft
drivers.
The
driver
package
is
available
for
free
for
all
versions
of
IIS
at
http://www.microsoft.com/data/. Choose to download MDAC 2.0 or later. MDAC
includes updates to ADO, OLEDB, and related ODBC drivers
5
2.3 Installation
ExcelWriter can be installed in two ways: by running the automated installation that
uses the Microsoft Installer (MSI), or by doing a manual installation.
The automated installation is easiest to use and deploy. Simply double-click on the
“ExcelWriterVxx.exe” and follow the InstallShield Wizard instructions.
The
manual
installation
option
is
available
for
situations
where
the
use
of
an
auto
installer is disallowed or where minimal installation may be desired.
2.3.1 Automated Installation via MSI
Running the Auto Installation program will:
•
Unpack ExcelWriter files to C:\Program Files\SoftArtisans\ExcelWriter (or to an
alternative location that you specify during the installation)
•
•
Register the ExcelWriter DLL (saexcel.dll)
Create a virtual directory which gives access to the documentation and included
samples
2.3.2 Manual Installation via REGSVR32
To manually install ExcelWriter, you must first run the automatic installation (described
above) to unpack the files. Once the files are unpacked, if you move ExcelWriter to a
new server, you can run either the automatic or manual installation.
To register the ExcelWriter component, do the following:
•
Copy
the
ExcelWriter
DLL
(saexcel.dll)
to
any
stable
directory
on
your
Web
server. For example, to copy the saexcel.dll to c:\winnt\system32\inetsrv, at
the command prompt, type,
“copy saexcel.dll c:\winnt\system32\inetsrv”
•
Manually register the saexcel.dll, as follows.
-
To stop the Web server, open a DOS window, and enter,
"net stop iisadmin /y"
-
To register the saexcel.dll, enter,
-
To restart the Web server, enter,
“regsvr32 path\ saexcel.dll”
"net start w3svc"
-
Optional: If you want to restart FTP and SMTP services, use the following
commands:
"net start msftpsvc"
"net start smtpsvc"
6
2.3.3 Documentation and Samples
ExcelWriter documentation is online at
http://demo.softartisans.com/Excelwriter/default.asp or can be installed (optional). To
install the ExcelWriter documentation and included samples, do the following:
•
Create a virtual directory called ExcelWriter, and map it to the Doc-Samples
directory, as follows:
1.
Open the Internet Services Manager.
2.
Right-click Default Web Site.
3.
Select New -> Virtual Directory. The Virtual Directory Creation Wizard
will open.
4.
Click Next.
5.
Enter ExcelWriter as the alias for your virtual directory, and click Next.
Note: You may use a different alias, but you will need to change the
contents of the global.asa file. To do this, Open doc-samples\global.asa,
and change
Application("vroot") = "/ExcelWriter/"
to,
Application("vroot") = "/YourAlias/"
6.
Browse
to
ExcelWriter's
Doc-Samples
directory
and
click
next.
Unless
you selected a different directory during installation, you will find DocSamples in C:\Program Files\Software Artisans\ExcelWriter.
7.
Check Read, Run, and Browse, and click Next.
8.
Click Finish.
2.3.4 Minimal Installation
The
minimal
installation
of
ExcelWriter
consists
of
simply
registering
the
single
ExcelWriter DLL (saexcel.dll) as described above. No other libraries or DLLs need be
registered or present on the system, besides the standard Windows installation.
2.4 Licensing
ExcelWriter
has
a
simple
license.
Every
machine
where
the
ExcelWriter
DLL
(saexcel.dll) is present and registered must have a valid license from SoftArtisans. This
applies
to
both
production
and
servers
development
workstations.
Whether
the
software was installed by auto or manual installation, or by some other means, a valid
license is required for the machine.
2.4.1 Server Licenses
ExcelWriter server edition is licensed on a per-central processing unit (CPU) basis. This
means that pricing is determined by the number of CPUs that exist on the Web server
that will use ExcelWriter to generate Web reporting in Excel.
The ExcelWriterLE version is licensed strictly on a per-server basis irrespective of the
number of CPUs on that server.
There are no per-user licenses for any version of ExcelWriter. This enables ExcelWriter
to be used on an Internet server without any regard to what the user has installed on
their
PC.
The
user
does
not
need
a
license
7
of
Excel
to
use
ExcelWriter-generated
reports.
In
the
case
of
a
multi-homed,
shared
server
that
may
be
serving
many
different sites concurrently, a server license of ExcelWriter is required for each CPU.
In
the
case
of
a
cluster,
either
by
Microsoft
Clustering
Services
or
Network
Load
Balancing, a license of ExcelWriter is required for every CPU in the cluster. This is the
case even when using an Active-Passive cluster.
2.4.2 Developer Licenses
A low-cost Developer Edition license is available for developers creating solutions using
ExcelWriter.
A
Developer
Edition
license
is
necessary
for
every
machine
where
ExcelWriter is installed for development purposes.
If several developers share a single Web server for development, only a single license
of
ExcelWriter
is
necessary.
If
each
developer
uses
his
own
Web
server
for
development, an ExcelWriter-developer license is required for each development Web
server. If a developer has multiple Web servers or test servers, each Web server or
test server requires a Developer Edition license.
The Developer Edition has precisely the same functionality as the server version, but it
is limited to creating only a single spreadsheet at a time. ExcelWriter’s multi-threaded
capability has been disabled in the Developer Edition.
The Developer Edition must not be used in a production server environment. It is only
to be used to create solutions. Usage of the Developer Edition in a production server
environment is a violation of the license agreement.
The ExcelWriter license in no way allows you to bundle or redistribute ExcelWriter as
part
of
a
solution.
The
Developer
Edition
license
simply
allows
your
developers
to
create solutions around ExcelWriter at lower cost than the full server license. It does
not allow you to bundle or redistribute ExcelWriter in your solution, either within your
organization or to other parties. (Please see the Desktop or OEM licenses if you need to
bundle ExcelWriter in your application.)
2.4.3 ExcelWriter Desktop Licenses
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter Desktop Edition is a high performance control for generating
Microsoft
®
Excel format spreadsheets from your client-side applications. It provides all
the richness of ExcelWriter Server Edition, with the ability to bundle this functionality
into the desktop applications that you create and distribute. Licensing is per-developer
with no run-time royalties. Applications developed using ExcelWriter Desktop Edition
can be used on any Windows client, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me,
Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
No additional software is required to
create an Excel spreadsheet with your ExcelWriter Desktop Edition application on the
client machine. If the application created with ExcelWriter Desktop Edition will access
data from a database, the database must be on or accessible from the client machine.
When using an ADO data source, all client machines running the ExcelWriter Desktop
application must have the latest Microsoft ADO libraries. ExcelWriter Desktop cannot be
installed on a server.
8
2.4.4 Bundling ExcelWriter in Your Solution – OEM Program
The ExcelWriter license specifically prohibits resale or redistribution in any manner. If
you are interested in bundling ExcelWriter in your Web solution, please contact the
SoftArtisans OEM Sales Department at [email protected].
There
are
several
flexible
OEM
programs
that
can
be
tailored
to
meet
your
requirements.
2.5 Edition Differences
The pricing and licensing schemes for ExcelWriter differ depending on the features. The
price of each ExcelWriter (Full) license is determined by the number of CPUs in the
deployment server configuration.
The ExcelWriterLE license is priced strictly on a per-
server basis regardless of the number of CPUs.
A developer license is required for
every development PC where the product is installed.
license.
any
Each server requires a server
There are no per-user, per-IP address, or per-Web site costs associated with
version.
SoftArtisans
also
offers
a
non-expiring
free
version
of
ExcelWriter,
ExcelWriterFree. This freeware version has limited functionality and contains a nonremovable splash page advertisement for SoftArtisans.
There are four major editions of ExcelWriter:
•
ExcelWriter Server
• ExcelWriter Developer Edition
for
enterprise
class
Web
sites
requiring
maximum
functionality and volume.
offers
the
same
functionality
as
ExcelWriter Server, but is limited to only a single spreadsheet created at one
time.
This is the typical development environment. Other restrictions may
apply.
•
ExcelWriterLE Server
o ExcelWriterLE Developer Edition
for entry level Web sites requiring ease of use and minimal
formatting and functions.
offers
the
same
functionality
as
ExcelWriterLE server but is limited to only a single spreadsheet created at
one time.
This is the typical development environment. Other restrictions
may apply.
•
ExcelWriter Desktop
for generating Excel format spreadsheets from your client-
side applications.
•
ExcelWriterFree
provides
the
same
functionality
as
ExcelWriterLE
spreadsheet contains a worksheet that advertises the paid versions.
9
but
every
EDITION DIFFERENCES
ExcelWriter
Server
Edition
Licensing
Per CPU
OS Required
Server Only
Developer
Edition
Per
development
server
Professional/
WorkStation
or Server
ExcelWriterLE
Server Edition Developer
Edition
ExcelWriter
Desktop
ExcelWriter
Free
Per server
Per development
Per developer
server
Free, no
redistribution
Server Only
Professional/
WorkStation
or Server
Professional/
WorkStation
Server Only
Yes
Easy Database Yes
Import
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Templates
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Unlimited
Unlimited
Font type, style,
size, and color;
cell borders,
alignment, and
background
Font type, style,
size, and color;
cell borders,
Unlimited
alignment, and
background
Over 53,
more to come
Over 53,
more to come
Sum, Average
only
Sum, Average
only
Over 53,
more to come
Yes
Max rows:
500
Font type,
style, size,
and color; cell
borders,
alignment,
and
background
Sum, Average
only
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cell
Formatting
Excel
Functions
Numeric
Formatting
Yes
Max Cell
Length
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
Max Number
of Rows
Biff7: Biff8:
16384 65536
Biff7: Biff8:
16384 65536
Biff7: Biff8:
16384 65536
Biff7: Biff8:
16384 65536
Biff7: Biff8:
16384 65536
Max Number 256
of Columns
Max
workbooks
generated per Unlimited
24 hour period
Number of
concurrent
workbooks
Unlimited
that can be
generated
Biff7: Biff8:
255 32000
500
256
256
256
256
256
Unlimited
200*
200*
Unlimited
200*
1
Unlimited
1
1
Unlimited
Bar, column,
and pie only
No
Bar, column,
and pie only
No
Yes
Yes
Bar, column,
and pie only
No
Charting
Yes
Yes
Pictures
Yes
Open Method
or
ExcelTemplate
Object
Yes
Open Method or
ExcelTemplate ExcelTemplate
Object only
Object
ExcelTemplate
Object only
ExcelTemplate
Object only
ExcelTemplate
Object only
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Read Excel
workbooks
Worksheets
contain Ad
ExcelWriter
CodeWizard
ExcelWriterLE and ExcelWriter Free will fail when generating more than 200 workbooks within 24 hours. Generated
workbooks can be streamed to the browser or saved in static files on the hard disk. Static workbooks can be served an
unlimited number of times. Only the generation of new workbooks is limited.
*
10
All editions of ExcelWriter support Microsoft's BIFF7 and BIFF8 file formats. BIFF7 is the
format used in Excel 95, and BIFF8 is used in Excel 97/2000/2002 (XP). BIFF7 and
BIFF8 files can be opened in Excel 97/2000/2002 (XP) and BIFF7 files can be opened in
Excel
95.
Note
that
ExcelWriter
2.0+
produces
spreadsheets
in
BIFF8
format
by
default, ExcelWriter 1.x produces spreadsheets in BIFF7 format only, and not all BIFF8
features are available in Excel 95.
2.5.1 Differences Between the Full and LE Versions
ExcelWriter is tailored
functionality
functionality
while
that
is
specifically for
serving
a
currently
enterprise
large
part
number
of
the
class sites
of
product
requiring a maximum of
requests.
and
no
It
includes
limitation
on
all
of
the
spreadsheet
generation.
ExcelWriterLE is designed for lower volume sites that require ease of use and minimal
formatting
and
functions.
It
has
a
maximum
of
200
new
workbooks
that
can
be
generated during a 24-hour period that begins when the first spreadsheet is created.
The
developer
important
versions
distinction:
are
These
equivalent
versions
to
the
are
comparable
single-threaded
server
and
editions
allow
with
only
a
one
single
spreadsheet to be created at one time. This is typical of the development environment.
The
developer
versions
also
include
the
ExcelWriter
CodeWizard
that
can
automate
development by producing the code for ExcelWriter to easily recreate an existing Excel
file.
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriterLE
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter
Desktop
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter Free
and
FORMATTING
NUMERIC FORMATTING
GENERAL
NUMBER
CURRENCY
ACCOUNTING
DATE
TIME
PERCENTAGE
FRACTION
SCIENTIFIC
TEXT
SPECIAL
CUSTOM
STYLISTIC FORMATTING
FREEZE PANES
FONT
FONT TYPE
FONT STYLE (REGULAR, BOLD, OR ITALIC)
FONT SIZE
FONT UNDERLINE (NONE, SINGLE, DOUBLE,
ACCOUNTING SINGLE, ACCOUNTING DOUBLE)
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
and
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
11
yes
yes
yes
FONT COLOR
FONT EFFECTS (STRIKETHROUGH, SUPERSCRIPT,
SUBSCRIPT)
CELL HEIGHT AND WIDTH
ROW HEIGHT
AUTOFIT ROW HEIGHT
COLUMN WIDTH
AUTOFIT COLUMN WIDTH
MERGE CELLS
ALIGNMENT
HORIZONTAL (GENERAL, LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT,
FILL, JUSTIFY, CENTER ACROSS SELECTION)
VERTICAL (TOP, CENTER, BOTTOM, JUSTIFY)
TEXT CONTROL (WRAP TEXT)
ORIENTATION
BORDER
BORDER OUTLINE (NONE, OUTLINE)
BORDER LINE STYLE
BORDER LINE COLOR
CELL SHADING COLOR
CELL BACKGROUND PATTERN
BREAK
HORIZONTAL PAGE BREAK
PROTECTION
LOCKED
HIDDEN
HYPERLINK
NON-RELATIVE: HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, MAILTO, UNC
PATH
CHARTING
STANDARD CHARTING
COLUMN: Clustered column, Stacked column, 100%
stacked column, 3D clustered column, 3D stacked
column, 3D 100% stacked column, 3D column
BAR: Clustered bar, Stacked bar, 100% stacked bar, 3D
clustered bar, 3D stacked bar, 3D 100% stacked bar
LINE: Line, Stacked line, 100% stacked line, Line with
data markers, Stacked line with data markers, 100%
stacked line with data markers, 3D line
PIE: Pie, 3D Pie, Exploded Pie, 3D Exploded Pie
XY (Scatter): Scatter, Scatter connected by curves,
with data markers, Scatter connected by curves,
without data markers, Scatter connected by lines, with
data markers, Scatter connected by lines, without data
markers
AREA: Area, Stacked area, 100% stacked area, 3D
area, 3D stacked area, 3D 100% stacked area
DOUGHNUT: Doughnut, Exploded doughnut
RADAR: Radar, Radar with data markers, Filled radar
SURFACE: 3D surface, Wireframe 3D surface, Contour,
Wireframe contour
BUBBLE: 3D Bubble
CYLINDER: 3D All types of column charts with
cylindrical shape
CONE: 3D All types of column charts with cone shape
PYRAMID: 3D All types of column charts with pyramid
shape
12
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
CUSTOM CHARTING
LINE-COLUMN: Clustered column, stacked column,
yes
100% stacked column (with line)
LINE-COLUMN 2 AXES: Clustered column, stacked
column, 100% stacked column (with line)
yes
EXCEL FUNCTION
MATH FUNCTIONS
ABS worksheet function
EXP worksheet function
INT worksheet function
MOD worksheet function
ROUND worksheet function
SUBTOTAL worksheet function
SUM worksheet function
SUMIF worksheet function
STRING FUNCTIONS
LEN worksheet function
MID worksheet function
REPLACE worksheet function
VALUE worksheet function
BOOLEAN FUNCTIONS (AKA logical functions)
AND worksheet function
OR worksheet function
FALSE worksheet function
NOT worksheet function
TRUE worksheet function
IF worksheet function
TIME FUNCTIONS
DATE worksheet function
DAY worksheet function
HOUR worksheet function
MINUTE worksheet function
MONTH worksheet function
NOW worksheet function
SECOND worksheet function
TIME worksheet function
TODAY worksheet function
WEEKDAY worksheet function
YEAR worksheet function
STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS
AVERAGE worksheet function
COUNT worksheet function
COUNTA worksheet function
COUNTIF worksheet function
MAX worksheet function
MEDIAN worksheet function
MIN worksheet function
PERCENTILE worksheet function
STDEV worksheet function
STDEVP worksheet function
ISNUMBER worksheet function
DATABASE FUNCTIONS
DAVERAGE worksheet function
DCOUNT worksheet function
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
13
yes
DCOUNTA worksheet function
DGET worksheet function
DMAX worksheet function
DMIN worksheet function
DPRODUCT worksheet function
DSTDEV worksheet function
DSTDEVP worksheet function
DSUM worksheet function
DVAR worksheet function
DVARP worksheet function
LOOKUP and REFERENCE FUNCTIONS
ROW worksheet function
COLUMN worksheet function
ROWS worksheet function
COLUMNS worksheet function
HLOOKUP worksheet function
VLOOKUP worksheet function
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
14
2.5.2 Which Version is Right for You?
Figure 2: Determining which license your application requires
In order to determine which ExcelWriter version will best fit your requirements, you will
need
to
evaluate
such
factors
as
the
daily
volume
of
Excel
workbook
generation
created by your application, the depth of formatting required, types of charts required,
need for image insertion and whether or not you will need to use pre-existing Excel
files as a data source. ExcelWriterLE may fulfill your needs if you do not expect a high
volume
and
do
not
require
complex
formatting
or
formulas
other
than
“Sum”
and
“Average”, charts other than bar, column or pie, and will not need to open pre-existing
Excel files. (See Figure 2)
Please contact [email protected] for assistance with determining which version
will best suit your requirements. They can also assist with providing information on
upgrading from the LE to the full version, so you can start with a lower cost and, as
your needs grow, possibly upgrade to a more robust edition.
15
2.6 Client Requirements
No software is required on the client in order to download and save an ExcelWriter
generated Excel file. However, to open the file, one of the following must be installed
on the client.
•
Microsoft Excel 95, 97, 2000, 2001(MAC) or 2002 (XP).
•
Microsoft's free Excel 97 Viewer:
(http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/xlviewer.aspx) The
Viewer
Excel 97
allows the user to view and print an Excel spreadsheet, but not to
modify it.
•
Another application that supports the Excel format, such as, Quattro Pro
(http://www.corel.com/) or Gnome/Gnumeric
(http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric)
ExcelWriter is supported for use with the following browsers:
•
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, 5.0 or 5.5 or later on all 32-bit versions of
Windows, including Windows '95, '98, Me, NT, 2000, XP and Macintosh.
•
Netscape
Navigator/Communicator
4.5
or
later
on
all
32-bit
versions
of
Windows.
Please note:
Communicator
for
Macintosh,
Unix
systems,
and
V6.0
have
not
been tested at this time.
SoftArtisans does not
guarantee that all issues can be
resolved for
an unsupported
browser.
2.6.1 Microsoft Excel on Win32
All 32-bit versions of Microsoft Excel 95,97, 2000 and 2002 (XP) for Windows operating
systems are currently supported.
If the client machine does not have Excel installed locally, the user can download and
install Microsoft's free Excel 97 Viewer
(http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/xlviewer.aspx).
formulas will appear as "0" when using the
Excel 97 Viewer.
Please note:
All
2.6.2 Microsoft Excel on Apple Macintosh
Web reports can be accessed on Macintosh clients or on Unix clients through the use of
Excel
2001,
Gnome
/
Gnumeric
(http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnumeric)
Office.
16
or
Star
3 Excel As a Reporting Format
With over 120 million licensed copies of Microsoft Excel being used around the world,
Excel is easily the most popular reporting tool available. SoftArtisans ExcelWriter brings
this preferred format to Web applications. ExcelWriter generates Excel files that are in
the
native
Excel
97
Microsoft
or
2000
Binary
(BIFF8)
format.
format
ExcelWriter
and,
for
Version
2.0
backwards
and
newer
compatibility
support
with
the
previous
versions, the Excel 95 (BIFF7) format.
3.1 Advantages
True
full-formatted
familiarity
with
Excel
this
reporting
widely
is
used
in
high
office
demand
application.
by
The
end
users
richness
due
of
to the
the
data
visualization and the flexibility that is available when working with files received in .xls
format are just a couple of the reasons why Excel is so extensively used. Excel files
also provide cross-platform access.
3.1.1 Familiarity of Client
As
part
of
the
Microsoft
Office
suite
of
products,
Excel
is
the
most
widely
used
spreadsheet application. A large percentage of users already have Excel installed on
their machines. And those that do not have Excel installed can always take advantage
of the free Excel 97 Viewer or use an alternative application that can open and work
with
Excel
files.
The
widespread
familiarity
with
Excel
prevents
the
need
for
comprehensive training on a Web reporting software package.
3.1.2 Richness
ExcelWriter
delivers
formatting,
formulas,
richly
formatted
custom
styles,
native
Excel
charting,
and
files
that
images.
contain
The
comprehensive
ability
to
precisely
control page layout, set page breaks, and format print options is included. This goes
far beyond the static representations of data that are offered by the alternative CSV
files, HTML Tables or PDF files.
3.1.3 Ease of Modification
ExcelWriter generates native Excel files that provide maximum ease of interaction for
the end user. No cutting and pasting is required to save the data.
the
client
machine,
the
spreadsheets
can
be
manipulated,
sorted,
Once received on
and
modified
as
required. Alternatively, where required, these Excel files can be secured and protected
client-side, to avoid tampering or unauthorized access.
3.1.4 Upload Back to Server
Excel files that have been modified client-side, can be uploaded back to the Web server
and
opened
with
the
ExcelWriter
(Full
version
only)
“Cells.GetDataFromExcelSheet”
method. The cell values and cell formats can be extracted for inclusion into a new Excel
workbook that is formatted server-side with ExcelWriter. Alternatively, the cell values
can be used to update a database via ADO. This allows the use of a pre-existing Excel
file as a data source.
17
REPORTING FORMAT COMPARISON
Modifiable by Users
Multi-platform Support
Used for Business
Intelligence/ Decision
Support
Image Support
Dynamic Chart Support
Upload Back to Server
Opened in Browser
Rich Formatting
Microsoft Excel
Adobe® PDF
HTML
CSV
Yes
No
No
Limited
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Limited
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
18
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
4 Usage Scenarios
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter
applications
make
a
dramatic
impact
on
the
distribution
of
information across an enterprise. ExcelWriter can save enormous amounts of time and
effort for both application developers and end users. Users are accustomed to reports
in full-function, richly formatted Excel on their desktop. SoftArtisans ExcelWriter means
that standard Excel documents do not have to be compromised into HTML, flat CSV
files, or any lesser format to be quickly served through the Web. Web applications
seamlessly integrate with common desktop applications.
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter brings the power of Microsoft Excel to the Web. Benefits of
using SoftArtisans ExcelWriter and native Excel spreadsheets on the Web include:
FLEXIBILITY:
•
Users
can
serve
themselves
data
and
generate
Excel
reports
from any location that has Internet access.
DELIVERY SPEED:
•
Concurrent users receive Excel reports faster, when they
need them, without straining the Web server or their patience.
PRODUCTIVITY:
•
Business
administration
can
become
more
automated.
Custom reports for different departments/regions can be automated, reducing
dependency on IT department.
DATA VISUALIZATION FOR EASY ANALYSIS:
•
Native Excel charting (2D &
3D) makes data easy to understand.
CONSISTENCY:
•
Same data and formatting in reports across the corporation—
frequently accessed reports can be saved on the server.
EASE OF USE:
•
just
specially
ExcelWriter makes Web reports accessible to all end users, not
trained
power
users.
Most
business
people
are
familiar
and
proficient in using Microsoft Excel as compared to other Web reporting tools.
TIME MANAGEMENT: Reporting via the Web reduces and eliminates meetings,
•
conference calls, and many customer service issues.
COST EFFECTIVE:
•
per
user
costs.
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter has flexible licensing—there are no
If
users
do
not
have
Microsoft
Excel
installed
on
their
workstation, they can view the Excel spreadsheets with a free viewer.
The
following
scenarios
demonstrate
just
a
few
ways
organizations
can
use
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter.
4.1 Intranet Reporting
ExcelWriter is successfully used in many password-protected intranet sites. Corporate
portals
can
contain
standard
company
documents
online and in native Excel:
•
•
Sales reports
Inventory status
19
that
are
dynamically
generated
•
•
•
•
•
Market share/competitive comparisons
Status reports
Organization charts
Administrative forms
Research information
ExcelWriter
is
commonly
used
for
sales
reporting.
With
ExcelWriter,
static
monthly
reports can provide real time, dynamic information. Executives, sales representatives,
marketing departments, accounting departments, can all access sales data any time.
Popular
reports
may
be
saved
on
the
server
for
easy
access
for
thousands
of
end
users, or custom reports can be generated through dynamic Web forms and drop down
lists. Sales representatives may want to view sales by region with comparative data to
goals or peers. Sales managers can keep track of regional performance. Marketing can
analyze trends and measure success of campaigns. Once the employees download the
spreadsheet to their desktop, they can manipulate data for their own purposes.
advantage
of
having
this
sales
information
in
dynamic
Excel
format
is
that
The
the
information becomes easily accessible anytime to employees.
4.2 B2B Commerce
ExcelWriter can be used for automating many business processes such as delivering
information
to
customers,
partners,
manufacturers,
and
others.
Companies
can
generate Excel spreadsheets to provide account information, online invoices, instant
price
quotes,
documents
sales
from
leads,
the
Web
product
lets
lists,
clients
hours—self-service
applications
provide
hurdles.
many
that
There
are
ways
contacts,
access
a
and
charts.
information
solution
e-commerce
for
The
during
many
businesses
ability
to
provide
own
business
international
business
can
their
use
ExcelWriter
to
deliver information to partners and clients.
For instance, an online office supply store may provide services such as a customer
shopping
lists
in
Excel.
Many
corporations
order
office
supplies
over
the
Web;
the
online store could provide an application that allowed customers to download shopping
lists based on past purchase cycles.
20
4.3 Stock Portfolio
With more and more information at their fingertips, investors are hungry to access upto-the-minute information about their finances. Rather than wait for an appointment
with a broker, clients could access reports on the Web.
With
ExcelWriter,
financial
services
companies
provide
their
clients
Excel
Web
applications such as self-service calculators, planners and worksheets. The developer
can set up the reports from a database with formulas and the clients can run several
different hypothetical scenarios in order to assist with decisions that will help them to
maximize their investments. By allowing clients to access data, companies can reduce
call frequency, providing subsequent savings through decreased staffing requirements.
Clients can track their portfolio and save the
reports to their personal computer to
track stock records and facilitate long-term planning and budgeting.
Native Excel charting and graphing provides simple data visualization for easy trend
analysis.
4.4 Human Resources
Human
Resources
departments
have
saved
a
tremendous
amount
of
staff
time
by
making information available online. HR departments usually have a strong presence
on
intranet
sites.
Employee
handbooks,
policy
distribution,
company-wide
calendar,
personnel forms and payroll information can all be stored in online corporate portals as
Excel files.
4.4.1 Web-based Payroll
Web payroll processing is easy and convenient for both employers and employees. A
business can use ExcelWriter to give employees the option to view and download their
payroll
information
in
Excel
format.
Employees
can
view
payroll
reports,
view
electronic pay stubs including tracking of vacation and sick time. They can modify the
year-to-date spreadsheets to plan their personal budgets as well as review their payroll
history and statements from anywhere.
21
5 Features in Depth
5.1 Excel Version Compatibility
ExcelWriter
generates
Excel
files
that
are
in
the
native
Microsoft
Binary
format.
ExcelWriter is compatible with Excel 95 (BIFF7), 97, 2000 and 2002 (BIFF8).
5.2 Addressing Cells
There are two methods of addressing cells contained in a spreadsheet generated by
ExcelWriter: by
Addressing
Name
cells
by
or by
name
Number
is
.
easier
to
read,
more
intuitive
and
matches
the
cell
references seen in Microsoft Excel. Addressing cells by number is significantly faster,
and is easier to program if it is necessary to walk a number of cells.
It is possible to employ both means of referencing cells within your code.
set xlw = Server.CreateObject("SoftArtisans.ExcelWriter")
set cells = xlw.worksheets(1).cells
'--- By name
cells("B3").value = 123
'--- Same cell by number
cells(3, 2).value = 123
When referencing a cell by number, the format is cells(row,
column).
5.3 Setting Cell Values
An ExcelWriter-created workbook allows for the flexible assignment of cell values by
various methods. Cell values can be assigned programmatically:
•
•
On a cell-by-cell basis with data that has been parsed from a CSV file or an XML file
By iterating through an ADO Recordset and assigning field values to cells on a rowby-row basis
•
By
importing
the
entire
contents
of
the
Recordset
in
a
single
step
with
the
“CopyFromRecordset” or “GetDataFromRecordset” methods
•
Or by extracting data from a pre-existing Excel File and copying it into the newly
created Excel sheet by means of the “GetDataFromExcelSheet” method
ExcelWriter allows you to format these imported cell values as virtually any data types
that
are
supported
by
Excel.
This includes
currency,
date/time,
numeric
data
types
such as integer or floating point number, strings, text, etc. Casting (or changing cell
values from one data type to another) can be accomplished by means of the serverside scripting functions (i.e. VBScript’s CStr() or CINT() functions).
22
5.4 Importing From a Database
As mentioned above, data can be imported into the worksheet being created from any
ADO datasource, either by using the simple one-step pasting method of a rectangular
block
of
data
offered
by
the
“CopyFromRecordset”
or
“GetDataFromRecordset”
methods, or by walking the Recordset object and assigning values via a loop. Multiple
recordsets can be added in a single worksheet or workbook.
5.4.1 ADO
Data
from
worksheets
a
database
via
Microsoft
can
be
made
ActiveX
Data
accessible
Object
for
(ADO).
importing
ADO
into
provides
ExcelWriter
the
ability
to
connect to a database, and by means of a SQL query that can be formulated by using
values retrieved from a client-side form, to retrieve a recordset object that contains the
exact
data
that
a
user
ExcelWriter. ADO can
wishes
to
have
populated
in
the
Excel
file
created
by
be used to filter or sort the data prior to scripting it into an
ExcelWriter-generated worksheet.
5.4.2 ODBC
In order to import data from databases, it is recommended that you first install the
latest Microsoft drivers on your machine. There are specific ODBC Drivers available that
will allow you to create connections to most major databases such as Access, Oracle,
or
SQL
Server.
The
driver
package
http://www.microsoft.com/data/.
for
Choose
to
each
version
download
of
MDAC
2.0
IIS
or
is
free
later.
at
MDAC
includes updates to ADO, OLEDB, and related ODBC drivers.
5.5 Formatting
Once cell values have been set, the accurate and easy-to-understand display of that
data
is
dependent
on
properly
executed
formatting
of
the
cells
contained
in
the
worksheet.
Cells are formatted by the application of fonts, formats and styles. This can be done in
the
server-side
scripting
either
prior
to
or
as
a
follow-up
to
the importation
of
cell
values in the script.
Fonts determine the text representation of a cell, such as the font name, the size, the
color, etc.
A font can be included as a property of a style or format.
Format and style share many characteristics. Both are used to set the look of text,
defining
properties
such
as
alignment,
text
wrap
and
so
on.
However,
a
format
is
specific to one cell.
A style ensures that a set of cells have the same look. If the style is changed, all cells
that reference the style will automatically update with the modified formatting.
A style can be used repetitively for each cell in a set of cells. Once a style is applied to
a cell, it is possible to override specifics of style by using the cell's format. Updating a
style will automatically update all cells where the style was applied.
23
Wherever possible, create a set of custom styles and fonts and then apply them to
multiple cells rather than setting individual format properties on a per cell basis. This
will help to avoid exceeding Excel’s maximum limit of approximately 4074 separate
styles and formats (combined) that can be included in a workbook.
The
custom
styles
that
are
defined
can
include
numerous
properties
that
set
such
things as text alignment and display (mentioned above), cell patterns and color fill, cell
”
borders, etc. The “Style.Number
property can be included to specify how numbers
and dates are to be displayed in these cells. This “Number” property is equivalent to
the “Format.Number” property used when formatting on a per cell basis. This property
can be set to any of the predefined choices available in the “Formatting Code” table
that is part of the ExcelWriter documentation or to a customized mask that is created.
5.6 Formulas
ExcelWriter supports almost all major math, string, boolean, time, statistical, database,
lookup and reference formulas or functions that are part of Excel.
Formulas
can
be
inserted
into
any
cell
in
a
worksheet
by
using
the
“Cell.Formula”
property. They can be inserted into the spreadsheet either by hard coding the address
for
the
cell
“NumRows”
where
the
to
contain
(the
last
it
return
row
of
or
by
value
the
dynamic
of
pasted
the
coding
which
includes
“CopyFromRecordset”
recordset
will
be
a
variable
method
positioned
in
which
the
such
as
indicates
worksheet)
to
provide a sum at the bottom of a column.
In ExcelWriter, formulas can reference data across worksheets, as follows:
ws3.Cells(1,1).Formula = "=sum(sheet1!A1,Sheet2!A2)"
ws3.Cells(2,1).Formula = "=sum(sheet1!A1:A3)"
When applying a formula to a cell, always include the entire string in double quotation
marks (“”) and begin the string with an equal sign (=), as you would when creating a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
With ExcelWriter, formulas cannot be executed server-side to retrieve values for use in
the script. All formulas are executed at the time that the file is downloaded and opened
in Excel. (Please note:
If the downloaded files are
opened client side with the free
Microsoft Excel Viewer, all formulas will be rendered with “0” as the resultant value.)
5.7 Charting
ExcelWriter offers the ability to create full-formatted, native Excel workbooks that can
include charts in 2D or 3D format. The server edition currently supports fifteen major
chart
types
and
over
seventy
subtypes.
(Please
note:
The
ExcelWriterLE
version
available chart types are bar, column, and pie).
ExcelWriter is not a charting engine
and
.jpeg
cannot
be
used
to
produce
static
.gif
inclusion into an HTML page.
24
or
representations
of
charts
for
One or more charts can be added on the same worksheet in which the data being
referenced
is
contained.
Charts
are
added
using
the
“Add”
method
of
the
“Charts”
collection object and specifying the range on a worksheet in which the chart should be
positioned:
Set Charts = ws.Charts
Set Chart = Charts.Add(ChartType, [SubType], [UpperLeftRow],
[UpperLeftColumn], [LowerRightRow], [LowerRightColumn])
Once the chart type has been established and positioned within a worksheet, data can
be
referenced
by
means
of
the
creation
of
a
“SeriesCollection”
object.
The
X-Axis
(Category) data is added as follows:
SeriesCollection.CategoryData = "A1:A3"
The Y-Axis (Value) data is added by means of this object’s “Add” method as follows:
Set SeriesCollection =Chart.SeriesCollection
SeriesCollection.Add(Area, , [Vertical])
Area
The parameter
specifies the values from which to plot the data series. Area may
be a range of cells (such as, "A1:C3"), or a sequence of values (such as,"{5,7,9}").
The optional parameter
Vertical
specifies whether to plot the series from a range of cell
values by row or by column. When
by
row.
When
Vertical
is
set
to
Vertical
1,
is set to 0, ExcelWriter will plot the series
ExcelWriter
will
plot
the
series
by
column.
The
default value of Vertical is 0.
Data can be referenced across worksheets by the use of absolute, cross-sheet ranges
as follows:
SheetName!$Column$Row:$Column$Row
ExcelWriter allows you to create such elements as a chart title, legend, category and
value axis titles and data labels, and grid lines.
By first creating and then referencing custom fonts in the “TextFont” property, chart
titles and legend text can be fully customized for font type, color, and size.
By
using
the
“Area”
“MarkerFormat”,
“AreaFormatting”
object,
“Wall3D”,
from
which
and
is
available
“ChartFrame”,
automatic
to
for
manipulating
it’s
custom
also
or
the
possible
none,
and
“Series
to
Area”,
toggle
to
set
the
the
“BackgroundColor”, “ForegroundColor” or “Pattern” for the chart area, plot area, or the
data series markers, and other elements of the chart.
5.8 Images
The ExcelWriter Server Edition also offers the ability to import images or pictures into a
workbook.
The
primary
method
for
inserting
a
picture
is
by
“CreateFromFile” method of the “Pictures” object:
Set Pictures = ws.Pictures
Pictures.CreateFromFile(UpperLeftColumn, UpperLeftRow,
LowerRightColumn, LowerRightRow, FileName)
25
means
of
the
“UpperLeftColumn”,
“UpperLeftRow”,
“LowerRightColumn”,
and
“LowerRightRow”
specify the location of the picture in the worksheet. “FileName” specifies the complete
path and name of the file from which you are creating a picture.
Since ExcelWriter is a server-side control, it does not have the ability to adjust the
display of an image based on the screen resolution of the monitor that will be used to
display
the
worksheet
and
the
included
image.
Therefore,
when
employing
the
“CreateFromFile” method to specify the range of cells in which to display the image,
the image may appear somewhat distorted, when displayed at certain resolutions, from
being stretched or shrunken to fill the area specified in the range.
The “BorderlineType” and “BorderLineWeight” properties of the image borderline can
be
specified.
properties:
By
correctly
“LowerDeltaX”,
manipulating
“LowerDeltaY”,
the
horizontal
and
“UpperDeltaX”,
and
the
vertical
offset
“UpperDeltaY”,
an
image can be made to overflow the boundary rows and columns or to shrink inward in
order to create a buffer or white space around the image.
An image can also be made to move dynamically, when required, by means of the
“Move” method of the “Picture” object.
5.9 XML Import
As mentioned earlier, ExcelWriter can be used to display, in an Excel worksheet, data
that has been parsed from an XML file which is being used as a datasource and that is
available on the Web server.
5.9.1 MSXML
In order to parse data and to make it available for importing into the Excel workbook
being
created
by
ExcelWriter,
an
XML
parser
is
required.
Microsoft
offers
its
own
version of an XML parser with MSXML.
In order to make MSXML available for use in the ASP page that contains ExcelWriter,
an instance of the server-side parser must be created as follows:
Set XML = Server. CreateObject(“MSXML2.DOMDocument”)
Once the XML object is available, the XML source file can be accessed via the “load”
method (with error handling):
Xml_file = Server.MapPath(“my_xml.xml”)
Dim bRet
BRet = XML.Load(xml_file)
If (bRet = False) Then
Response.Write Err.Description
End If
26
5.9.2 Excel XML DOM
The
XML
“Document
Object
Model”
(DOM)
is
a
programming
interface
for
XML
documents. It defines the way a document can be read and manipulated. Once the
XML
file
is
provides
a
loaded
means
in
for
the
the
ASP
page
that
server-side
includes
scripting
to
the
ExcelWriter
navigate
its
object,
structure
in
this
DOM
order
to
import the data contained in the document’s various “nodes” into the Excel worksheet
on a cell-by-cell basis.
The DOM represents a tree view of the XML document. The documentElement is the
top-level
of
the
tree.
This
element
has
one
or
many
childNodes
that
represent
the
branches of the tree.
A Node Interface is used to read and write the individual elements in the XML node
tree. The childNodes property of the documentElement can be accessed with a for/each
construct to enumerate each individual node.
Here’s a code snippet, continued from above, that demonstrates how to “walk” the XML
DOM in order to retrieve the data to be imported into the Excel file being created by
ExcelWriter:
Private Sub BuildWorksheet(ByRef parent, ByRef sheet)
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
node
row
cell
nRow
nCol
For Each node In parent.childNodes
If node.nodeName = "Table" Then
For Each row In node.childNodes
If Not row.Attributes.getNamedItem("ss:Index") & _
Is Nothing Then
nRow = & _
row.Attributes.getNamedItem("ss:Index").nodeValue
End If
For Each cell In row.childNodes
If Not cell.Attributes.getNamedItem("ss:Index") & _
Is Nothing Then
nCol = & _
cell.Attributes.getNamedItem("ss:Index").nodeValue
End If
If Not cell.firstChild Is Nothing Then
sheet.Cells(nRow, nCol) = & _
cell.firstChild.firstChild.nodeValue
End If
nCol = nCol + 1
Next
nRow = nRow + 1
Next
End If
Next
End Sub
27
Dim XLW, XML
Set XLW = Server.CreateObject("SoftArtisans.ExcelWriter")
Set XML = Server. CreateObject(“MSXML2.DOMDocument”)
Xml_file = Server.MapPath(“my_xml.xml”)
Dim bRet
bRet = XML.Load(xml_file)
If (bRet = False) Then
Response.Write Err.Description
End If
Set doc = XML.documentElement
Dim strSheetName
Dim node
For Each node In doc.childNodes
If node.nodeName = "Worksheet" Then
strSheetName = & _
node.Attributes.getNamedItem("ss:Name").nodeValue
XLW.Worksheets.Add strSheetName
Set tempSheet = XLW.Worksheets(CStr(strSheetName))
BuildWorksheet node, tempSheet
'--- Create Worksheet 1 to contain the data table
Set WKS = tempSheet
Set Cells = WKS.Cells
End If
Set tempSheet = Nothing
Next
28
Once the Excel file in memory on the server has successfully imported the data, the
worksheet
can
then
be
formatted,
manipulated
and
saved
or
streamed
using
the
various options available with the ExcelWriter “Save” method.
Figure 3: Resulting spreadsheet for XML sample
5.10 Saving Results
ExcelWriter provides a number of options for saving or streaming the Excel files that it
creates with server-side scripting. The option that will best suit the requirements of the
application is specified in the “Save” method of the “ExcelApplication” principal object.
The “Save” method takes three parameters and returns the output file as a series of
“bytes”:
varBytes = xlw.Save "filename", option1, option2
“FileName” contains either the name of the file with which you wish to stream it, or the
full path to the location on the server where you wish to save the file.
“Option1” specifies the manner in which the file is saved or streamed:
•
saDefault (= 0)
•
saOpenInExcel (= 1)
•
saOpenInPlace (= 2)
29
“Option2” specifies the format in which the file is saved or streamed:
•
saFileFormatDefault (in V2 or later =8, in V1.x =7)
•
saFileFormatExcel95 (= 7)
•
saFileFormatExcel97 (= 8)
•
saFileFormatExcel2000 (= 8)
5.10.1
To Disk
In order to save the file as a flat file on the Web server’s hard disk, the “Save” method
will contain only the “filename” parameter with the full path of the file as it is to be
saved on the server’s hard disk:
xlw.Save "d:\excelreports\report1.xls"
5.10.2
To Memory
If the “Save” method is followed with three empty parameters, the file will be returned
as a sequence of bytes in memory (a variant of type VT_UI1 | VT_ARRAY):
varBytes = xlw.Save
5.10.3
Streamed to Browser
The “Save” method can be used to designate that the newly created file should be
streamed to a client machine via HTTP protocol in order to be launched directly in the
client’s browser.
Or it can be used via a “File Download” dialog, to present the client
with the choice of opening the file in a new window with Excel, or of saving the file to
their hard drive. The exact method is specified by means of “Option1”.
5.10.3.1
In-place Activation
When “Option1” of the “Save” method includes the “saOpenInPlace” (=2) constant, as
follows:
xlw.Save "report.xls", saOpenInPlace
the downloaded file will be opened with Excel (or the freeware “ExcelViewer”) directly
in the client browser.
30
5.10.3.2
In a Separate Window
When “Option1” of the “Save” method includes the “saOpenInExcel” (=1) constant, as
follows:
xlw.Save "report.xls", saOpenInExcel
the
downloaded
window. If the
file
will
force
client chooses
a
“File
Download”
dialog
box
to
appear
in
the
“Open this file from its current location”, the
client
file will
launch and display in Excel (if installed) in a separate window. If “Save this file to disk”
is chosen, the client will be allowed to save the file locally with the name of the file as
specified in the first “filename” parameter of the “Save” method.
5.11 Read an Existing Spreadsheet*
* This feature is not available in ExcelWriterLE.
With ExcelWriter, you can get data from an existing Excel spreadsheet and copy it to
another spreadsheet. To read from an existing sheet use the “Cells” object method
GetDataFromExcelSheet. GetDataFromExcelSheet can be called more than once in
the process of creating a new spreadsheet.
GetDataFromExcelSheet can only retrieve cell values. To retrieve charts, formulas,
macros, and VBA, use ExcelTemplate or ExcelApplication.Open.
GetDataFromExcelSheet takes seven parameters, and returns a range object:
Range = cells.GetDataFromExcelSheet(FileName, [Source],
[IncludeFormatting], [FirstRow], [FirstCol], [MaxRows], [MaxCols])
Once the range has been imported into the new worksheet, it can be accessed via
server side scripting. This enables setting formulas or charts that reference imported
cell values, updating a database via ADO code that parses out the data, and adding
or modifying formatting.
31
Parameter
Definition
Default Value
[MaxRows]
The name of the source file, that is, the
spreadsheet from which ExcelWriter is
reading.
Optional. Specifies the first cell in the
source range of cells. Source may include
both sheet number and cell name (e.g.
"Sheet2!$B$11"), or a cell name alone (e.g.
"B11"). If Source does not include a sheet
reference, ExcelWriter will read from the
first sheet in the workbook.
Optional. When set to True, ExcelWriter will
copy the original formatting with the data
from the existing spreadsheet.
Optional. First row in the destination sheet.
Optional. First column in the destination
sheet.
Optional. Maximum number of rows to write
in the destination sheet.
[MaxColumns]
Optional. Maximum number of columns to
write in the destination sheet.
FileName
[Source]
[IncludeFormatting]
[FirstRow]
[FirstColumn]
""
If you do not assign a Source
value, ExcelWriter will start
reading at cell A1 in the first
worksheet.
True
1
1
16384 in Excel 95 (BIFF7)
65536 in Excel 97/2000 (BIFF8)
256
(Limit imposed by Microsoft's
BIFF7 and BIFF8 formats, not by
ExcelWriter)
To get data from an existing Excel workbook,
1.
Use GetDataFromExcelSheet to specify the source file, and, optionally, the first
source cell, the first destination cell, and the maximum numbers of rows and
columns to copy.
Example: To get data from C:\spreadsheets\workbook1.xls, sheet 2, starting at
cell B3, without formatting, and copy to cells B3:F12 in the destination file, use,
Set ResultRange = ws.Cells.GetDataFromExcelSheet
("C:\spreadsheets\workbook1.xls", "Sheet2!$B$3", False, 3, 2, 10, 5)
2.
Save the destination file.
Example:
xlw.Save "c:\workbook2.xls"
5.11.1
Formulas
Importing Formulas
contained
in a
cell that is imported
as
part
of
the
range
object
can
be
copied. However, the cell values that are the result of the execution of the formula
will not be available on the server. This means, for example, that if the requirement
is to obtain the "sum" of a certain set of cells server-side for reference in an ADO
update to a database, the true value will not be accessible and the cell value for the
cell containing the formula will read as "0".
32
5.12 Modifying an Existing Spreadsheet
You can open and modify an existing spreadsheet, and save it with a new name or
stream it to the browser (preserving the original file). This allows you to use a preset
format
for
similar
Alternatively,
use
a
spreadsheets,
template.
To
rather
than
determine
recreate
which
the
method
is
format
best
for
for
each.
you,
see
ExcelApp.Open vs. ExcelTemplate, section 5.14.
If either saOpenInPlace or saOpenInExcel is used in the Save method and the new
spreadsheet is given the same name as the original file that exists on the server, the
original file will not be overwritten.
The
original
spreadsheet
can
include
macros,
VBA,
charts,
etc.
-
they
will
be
preserved in the new spreadsheet.
Note:
If you open a BIFF7 (Excel 95) format spreadsheet, you cannot apply BIFF8
features to it, and ExcelWriter will save the spreadsheet in BIFF7 format.
To modify an existing spreadsheet,
1.
Open the spreadsheet, using the ExcelApplication object's Open method:
Set objExcelApp = Server.CreateObject("SoftArtisans.ExcelWriter")
objExcelApp.Open "c:\folder\file.xls
Note:
ExcelApplication.Open
cannot
open
a file containing data markers
(that is, a template).
2.
Create at least one Worksheet, for example,
set order = xlw.worksheets(1)
3.
Assign cell values, for example,
order.cells("A7").value = "Margaret Anderson"
order.cells("A8").value = "32 Andover Lane"
order.cells("A9").value = "Lawrence, NY"
Save the modified file with a new name.
5.13 Using Template Spreadsheets
ExcelWriter's ExcelTemplate object generates new files from template spreadsheets.
ExcelTemplate imports an ADO recordset (or recordsets) to a template and generates
a new spreadsheet.
Note:
The ExcelTemplate object supports Excel's BIFF8 (Excel
97/2000/XP) format only; ExcelTemplate does not support BIFF7 (Excel 95) format
templates, and will not generate BIFF7 format files.
The
ExcelTemplate
property
object
-
object
DataSource.
model
is
simple
includes
Compared
and
two
to
methods
the
compact,
-
Open
ExcelApplication
making
and
Process
object,
ExcelTemplate
a
-
and
one
ExcelTemplate's
faster
means
of
generating a file from an existing spreadsheet than ExcelApplication.Open. However,
while the ExcelApplication object is rich in features, and can modify spreadsheets at
run time, ExcelTemplate only imports recordsets.
33
An
template is a file created in Microsoft Excel that contains data
data marker specifies a database column to import to the spreadsheet
ExcelWriter
markers. A
column containing the marker. The format of a data marker is:
%%=Recordset.ColumnName
For
example,
if
cell
B6
contains
the
data
%%=Recordset.OrderID,
marker
where
Recordset represents the Orders table in the database, ExcelWriter will import the
OrderID column to the spreadsheet's column B.
This example uses the Northwind
database.
Template
Spreadsheet generated from template
To generate a spreadsheet from a template,
1.
In
Microsoft
Excel,
create
a
template
spreadsheet.
Include
data
markers
indicating database columns to import to the spreadsheet. For example, to
insert the Products table's UnitsInStock Column in Excel column C, first row 3,
enter
%%=Products.UnitsInStock
in
cell
C3.
Optionally,
include
in
the
template any values, formulas, formatting, charts, pivot tables, etc.
2.
In a server-side script,
1.
Create an instance of the ExcelTemplate object:
Set objTemplate =
Server.CreateObject("SoftArtisans.ExcelTemplate")
2.
Create an ADO database connection, connect to and query the
database, and create a recordset, e.g.,
Set adoConnect = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
strConn = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" &_
Server.MapPath(Application("vroot") & "northwind.mdb")
sqlText = "SELECT top 20 * from Orders"
adoConnect.Open strConn
Set Recordset = adoConnect.Execute(sqlText)
3.
Use the ExcelTemplate object's Open method to open the template:
objTemplate.Open "c:\templates\template.xls"
4.
Set the template's DataSource(s) to the Recordset(s) returned from
the database, using any of the following formats.
34
Format
Data Marker
Code
1 Generic
%%=DataSourceName.FieldName
obj.Datasource("DataSourceName") =
MyRecordset
2 Implicit Bind
%%=FieldName
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset
%%=#1.FieldName
%%=#2.FieldName
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset1
3 Bind by order
%%=DataSourceName.#1
%%=DataSourceName.#2
4 Bind by field
position
2 Implicit Bind
& with
3 Bind by order
1,
2,
3
&
4
obj.Datasource("DataSourceName") =
MyRecordset
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset1
or
%%=FieldName
%%=#2.FieldName
obj.Datasource ("#1") = MyRecordset
obj.Datasource ("#2") = MyRecordset1
Generic, Implicit,
Bind by order, and %%=#1
Bind by field
%%=#2.#2
position
5.
Use
the
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset
obj.Datasource = MyRecordset1
ExcelTemplate
object's
Process
method
to
generate
the
spreadsheet:
objTemplate.Process "c:\template_result.xls", saOpenInExcel
Process takes two parameters: the name and path of the generated
spreadsheet,
and
an
optional
process
method.
Assign
the
process
method parameter by name or number:
saProcessDefault
saProcessOpenInExcel
saProcessOpenInPlace
saProcessOpenForScripting
0
1
2
3
35
5.14 ExcelApp.Open vs. ExcelTemplate
ExcelWriter provides two means of using a preset spreadsheet format to generate a
new spreadsheet:
•
ExcelApplication's Open method (see Modifying an Existing Spreadsheet)
•
ExcelTemplate (see Using Template Spreadsheets)
Note:
data
An ExcelWriter template is a file created in Microsoft Excel that contains
markers
ExcelWriter
template,
and
can
be
opened
documentation,
not
a
Microsoft
the
with
term
Excel
the
ExcelTemplate
"template"
template
(.xlt).
refers
to
However,
object.
an
In
the
ExcelWriter
ExcelWriter
can
open and generate both .xls and .xlt files. Use an .xlt file the same way you
would an .xls file.
Using
ExcelApplication.Open
is
slower
than
using
ExcelTemplate
because
the
ExcelApplication object is much larger than the ExcelTemplate object. However, the
ExcelApplication object is rich in features, and can modify spreadsheets at run time,
while ExcelTemplate can only import recordsets. The following table summarizes the
differences between the two. To determine which method is right for you, consult the
decision tree below.
Note:
You can use ExcelTemplate and ExcelApplication together, as demonstrated in
the sample Using ExcelTemplate with ExcelApplication.
ExcelApp.Open
ExcelTemplate
BIFF7 (Excel 95) and BIFF8 (Excel
97/2000/XP).
Supported Excel
formats
Modifications at run
time
Can open a file
containing data
markers
Performance
Flexibility
Data Sources
BIFF8 only. ExcelTemplate does
not support BIFF7 format
Note: If you open a BIFF7 (Excel 95) format templates, and will not generate
workbook, you cannot apply BIFF8 features to BIFF7 format files.
it. ExcelWriter will save the workbook in BIFF7
format.
Yes
No
No
Yes
ExcelApplication's large object model makes it Because it is compact,
ExcelTemplate is a faster means
a slower means of modifying an existing file
of modifying an existing file than
than ExcelTemplate.
ExcelApp.Open.
ExcelApplication is rich in features (including ExcelTemplate only imports
database import) which can be applied to an database recordsets
existing workbook at run time
ADO recordset (see GetDataFromRecordset), ADO recordset
Excel workbook (see GetDataFromExcelSheet)
Requires modification
of an existing Excel
No
workbook before
opening
Supports Macros and
VBA
Yes. To use an existing Excel
workbook as a template, you
must add data markers to it.
ExcelApplication preserves existing Macros
and VBA but cannot create new Macros and
VBA
36
ExcelTemplate preserves
existing Macros and VBA but
cannot create new Macros and
VBA
To
determine
which
method
of
using
a
preset
workbook
format
is
right
for
you,
consider the following,
•
Do you have an Excel file that you would like to use as a model workbook? If
you do, is modifying the file an option? Using ExcelApp.Open does not require
modification
of
the
file,
while
using
ExcelTemplate
requires
adding
data
markers to the file.
•
Do
you
want
to
ExcelTemplate
offers
an
be
only
able
to
allows
abundance
of
modify
you
to
features
the
generated
import
at
run
workbook
recordsets,
time,
while
including
charting,
picture insertion, formatting, and many more.
5.14.1
ExcelApp.Open vs. ExcelTemplate Decision Tree
37
at
run
time?
ExcelApplication
formulas,
5.15 Data
ExcelWriter offers a “GetDataFromExcelSheet” method that is part of the “Cells” object.
This method provides the ability to use a pre-existing Excel file (located on the Web
server or on a networked server) as a data source when creating the new Excel file
with server side scripting.
This functionality allows for the import of cell values and cell formatting (optional) from
a range of cells that is specified in the pre-existing workbook. This range can then be
pasted into the new spreadsheet in the precise location required for creation of the new
file.
The “GetDataFromExcelSheet” method takes seven parameters and it returns a range
object, as follows:
Range = cells.GetDataFromExcelSheet(FileName, [Source],
[IncludeFormatting], [FirstRow], [FirstCol], [MaxRows], [MaxCols])
The first “FileName” parameter contains the full path and the name of the source file
(as a string) of the spreadsheet from which ExcelWriter is reading.
The second “Source” parameter specifies location of the first cell in the source range of
cells.
“Source”
can
include
both
the
sheet
number
and
"Sheet2!$B$11"), or the cell name alone (e.g. "B11"). If
the
Source
cell
name
(e.g.
does not include a
sheet reference, ExcelWriter will read from the first sheet in the workbook. If you do
not
assign
Source
a
value,
ExcelWriter
will
start
reading
at
cell
“A1”
in
the
first
worksheet.
The third “IncludeFormatting” parameter is optional (the default is “True”) and dictates
whether
to
values.
The
“MaxCols”
copy
formatting
following
are
optional
from
four
and
the
source
parameters:
specify
how
sheet
in
“FirstRow”,
to
place
the
addition
to
“FirstCol”,
imported
importing
the
“MaxRows”,
range
object
cell
and
in
the
during
the
destination spreadsheet.
This
“GetDataFromExcelSheet”
method
can
be
called
more
than
once
creation process of the new spreadsheet.
Once the range has been imported into the new worksheet, it can be accessed via
server side scripting. This allows the ability to set formulas or charts that reference
imported cell values, update a database via ADO code that parses out the data, or to
add or modify formatting.
5.15.1
Formulas
The
implementation
current
of
reading
from
a
pre-existing
worksheet
has
one
limitation relating to working with formulas that are part of the cell data imported with
the “GetDataFromExcelSheet” method.
38
Formulas contained in a cell that is imported as part of the range object can be copied.
However, the cell values that are the result of the execution of the formula will not be
available,
server-side,
are
not
yet
accessible.
This
means,
for
example,
that
if
the
requirement is to obtain the “sum” of a certain set of cells server-side for reference in
an ADO update to a database, the true value will not be accessible and the cell value
for the cell containing the formula will read as “0”.
5.15.2
Macros, Outlines, Pivot Tables and VBA
Open a pre-existing file or template that has been created and designed directly in
Excel and uploaded to the Web server. The template can then be loaded into memory
on
the
server
and
made
available
for
use
in
creating
a
new
Excel
workbook
with
ExcelWriter.
In this manner, all features of the Excel template can be passed into the new Excel file
and become part of the new file that can then be saved or streamed. This will include
the
ability
directly
to
support
supported
in
virtually
the
all
features
ExcelWriter
and
object
macros, VBA, pivot tables, etc.
39
functionalities
model.
This
of
Excel
includes
that
such
are
things
not
as
6 Comparison to Microsoft Excel
ExcelWriter offers some very important advantages over the Excel object when used in
a
traditional
client/server
application
(the
Desktop
edition)
or
on
a
Web
server
(ExcelWriterLE or Server editions) to generate and stream true native Excel reports.
6.1 Excel on the Web Server
ExcelWriter has no dependency on the Excel object when creating native Excel files.
This means that it is not necessary to have Excel installed on the server at all. This is a
major benefit due to lower licensing costs and ease of deployment as well as for the
performance
and
stability
of
the
server
when
handling large
volumes
of
concurrent
requests for Excel reports.
6.1.1 Licensing
ExcelWriter
licensing
is
on
a
per-CPU
or
per-server
basis
(ExcelWriterLE
and
all
developer versions). This means that there are no per-user or run-time royalty costs
associated with any version of ExcelWriter.
Microsoft Excel licensing requires, not only that the Web server creating Excel reports
has a license for Office, but also that each client that is receiving the downloaded Excel
reports must have a valid license for Excel on the local machine. Using the Excel object
to generate Excel reporting on an intranet would require an enterprise level license for
Office. ExcelWriter licensing provides far greater flexibility and reduced overall costs for
the generation and streaming of Excel reports via the Web.
6.1.2 Performance
ExcelWriter
server
is
a
stability
multi-threaded
when
handling
server-side
multiple
DLL
that
concurrent
provides
requests.
a
greater
measure
Instantiating
of
multiple
copies of the Excel object can be dangerous, as the objects do not always close out
when they are no longer in use.
This can place a heavy load on the server that could
eventually result in a server crash. The ExcelWriter .dll can be set to nothing in the ASP
code that kills the current process and releases all resources.
Benchmark comparisons show that ExcelWriter is capable of generating native Excel
files at speeds up to 100 times faster than the Excel object. See test results at:
http://www.softartisans.com/softartisans/excelwriterbenchmarks.html
6.2 Office Web Components
Starting with Office 2000, Microsoft is offering a set of Office Web Components (OWC)
that enable a scaled-down version of some of Excel’s key features to be integrated into
a Web reporting solution.
There are four principal Office Web Components:
•
•
•
•
Spreadsheet
Pivot Table
Chart
Data Source
40
These Office Web Components are COM components. This means that any COM-aware
client, such as ASP, Visual Basic, and Visual C++, can use them.
They are a collection
of ActiveX controls which bring many of Excel’s advanced data-representation features,
such as interactive spreadsheets, charts, and pivot tables to Web pages.
also
integrate
seamlessly
into
many
design
environments,
such
The OWC
®
as
Microsoft
FrontPage, Visual InterDev, and Visual Basic.
The
three
display-oriented
components
(Chart,
Pivot
Table,
and
Spreadsheet)
each
provide powerful functionality for viewing and interacting with data while hosted within
Internet Explorer.
The OWC offer advanced client-side interaction.
They expose several events that can
be handled by client-side script. Excel can also manage data binding among the Office
Web Components.
This means that if you publish a chart, the Spreadsheet component
will also be included in the Web page and its data will be bound to the chart so changes
made to the data are reflected immediately in the chart.
Microsoft, however, has crippled the use of Office Web Components for Web reporting
applications with a severe licensing scheme that is not conducive to using this solution
for an Internet (or intranet) site.
In order to use OWC in a Web application, Microsoft currently requires a license for
Office
2000
or
later
on
both
the
server
generating
the
reports
and
on
the
client
machine that is used to view the reports, even in cases where the client is viewing
static charting images or HTML tables. This makes the generation of reporting rather
costly and dangerous, as the Web site administrators have no means for verifying that
users receiving output have complied with Microsoft’s licensing requirements.
When using OWC for an intranet reporting solution, the corporation must possess an
Enterprise license for Office 2000 or later, or must, at least, upgrade all user licenses
to Office 2000 (or later) licenses. Again, this can be rather costly. OWC cannot be used
at all on the Internet.
The
Office
Web
functionality.
Components
differ
greatly
from
ExcelWriter
in
their
server-side
Because they are a collection of four separate controls, they cannot be
used to generate a single file with multiple objects.
instance, represents a single sheet.
The Spreadsheet component, for
Multiple sheets cannot be created within the same
component and a chart or PivotTable cannot be embedded within that spreadsheet.
41
This becomes a considerable problem when using ASP to create a file and stream it to
the client. OWC contains no intrinsic support for ASP.
Content cannot be streamed
back to the browser, but must be first written to a file on the server’s hard drive, then
read and returned to the client.
This means that to return a spreadsheet and a chart
to the client through ASP, multiple files must first be saved to the Web server’s hard
drive, then somehow sent to the client.
1.
OWC
programming
is
much
This limitation has several implications:
more
difficult.
Unique
temporary
files
must
constantly be created and deleted.
2.
Security is compromised because IUSR_machinename must have “write” access
to the server’s file system.
3.
Performance suffers tremendously because data must be written to and read
from disk.
The Office Web Components bring individual bits of Excel’s functionality to a Web page,
but binding them and displaying them programmatically can be exceedingly complex.
Also, the end user’s ability to manipulate spreadsheets and charts
subset of Excel functionality supported by the Web Components.
is limited to the
For instance, the
user cannot add new series to a chart or add charts to the page to see a different view
of the data.
In
comparison,
when
ExcelWriter-generated
files
are
streamed
to
a
client
machine,
they can trigger the opening of an instance of Excel within the browser, offering the full
functionality of the Excel application, including saving the workbook as an xls file.
means
that
the
user
can
edit
data,
reformat
cell
properties,
and
rework
the
This
chart
representation of the data.
ExcelWriter files can be viewed using either Netscape or Internet Explorer browsers.
This is not the case with OWC, which, as ActiveX controls, require the use of Internet
Explorer 4.0 or later.
ExcelWriter generates workbooks that can contain multiple worksheets in true native
Excel format (BIFF8, or BIFF7 when required). This is opposed to OWC output that is
XML and NOT true native Excel format.
In addition, starting with version 3.0, ExcelWriter is able to open and copy complex
templates, created directly with Excel, that contain such features as macros, outlines,
and VBA. These features can be preserved in the workbooks that it saves or streams.
This is not possible when using OWC to generate Web reporting.
42
7 Comparison to Other Alternatives
7.1 CSV Files
ExcelWriter generates native Excel files (BIFF8) that contain virtually all of the features
and
functionality
of
files
created
directly
with
formatting and insertion of charting and images.
Excel
itself.
This
includes
in-depth
ExcelWriter-generated reports can be
customized to present a rich and attractive presentation where required.
This provides a vast improvement over the generation of simplified CSV files. “Comma
Separated Values” files consist of nothing more than pure data that is output with no
integral
ability
to
manipulate
the
presentation
of
this
data
in
an
attractive
and
approachable format.
7.2 HTML
Although
generating
Web
reports
as
HTML
tables
certainly
allows
for
a
far
richer
presentation of data than does the generation of CSV files, it still has disadvantages.
HTML output is primarily static by nature and requires complex client side scripting in
order
to
provide
users
with
any
ability
to
interact
with
the
data
that
has
been
presented to them. If the user wishes to import the data into a client side application
such as Excel, itself, they will be forced to cut and paste as required. The data can be
saved, but most formatting will be lost.
ExcelWriter output is dynamic. The native Excel files (BIFF8) that it outputs can be
downloaded and opened directly with Excel. These downloaded files contain all of the
requested data along with the rich formatting elements, such as charts, formulas or
images, added in the server-side creation of the file. Once the user has the opened
Excel file in front of them, they are free to interact with the data and make whatever
manipulations they desire. This includes updating data, modifying chart types, adding
and deleting rows or columns.
7.3 Crystal Decisions
Crystal Decisions allows for the presentation of data in a single proprietary format. It is
important to note that with this reporting package, the reports are not output as true,
native Excel. Furthermore, exporting capabilities are minimal at best. This reporting
package also entails a significant learning curve prior to beginning any development
efforts. ASP, C++ and VB developers will find that they are unable to carryover much
of their programming knowledge and skills.
ExcelWriter, in comparison, provides native Excel files (BIFF8) that are easily exported
to Excel and other financial programs capable of working with this format. The object
model is highly intuitive and extremely familiar to programmers who have worked with
object oriented programming. ASP, C++ and VB developers will have no problem in
applying their current skill set to building applications that include ExcelWriter.
43
8 Administration
ExcelWriter, which consists of a single server-side DLL, offers ease of administration
from
the
initial
configuration
installation
process,
and
on
the
Web
extending
to
server,
the
through
upgrade
or
the
Web
application
uninstallation
process.
In
addition, for most typical usage scenarios for ExcelWriter, server-side security settings
are simple to configure.
8.1 Security Considerations
To
understand
the
security
of
ExcelWriter
it
is
necessary
to
have
background
knowledge in IIS and ASP security.
In
most
cases
where
ExcelWriter
is
simply
being
used
to
stream
files
to
a
client
machine or to return the resultant spreadsheet to memory, security context is not an
issue. This is due to the fact that, in both of these cases, ExcelWriter does not write
any intermediate files to the hard disk of the server. Since everything is performed in
memory, security considerations are not relevant.
The
rest
of
modification
generated
this
to
section
security
spreadsheet
deals
with
settings
is
special
on
written
the
to
uses
server.
the
hard
of
ExcelWriter
This
disk
includes
of
the
that
the
may
case
server
and
involve
where
the
ExcelWriter
functionality is used to open that pre-existing spreadsheet in order to extract data or
reference
image
files
for
inclusion in the
newly
created
spreadsheet
in
the
server’s
virtual memory.
ASP provides three levels of authentication:
•
•
•
Anonymous
Basic
NT Challenge/Response
When a user hits a Web page, the security of the page is verified. If there are no
restrictions, such as NTFS permissions, anonymous access is used.
When there are
NTFS permissions in place, IIS will negotiate with the browser and determine if the
user can be authenticated.
IIS uses a special NT account, typically called “IUSR_MachineName”, as the default
anonymous
account.
An
administrator
can
change
this
default
account.
With
IIS3,
there was only one anonymous account for the entire server. With IIS 4 or later, it is
possible
to
have
different
anonymous
accounts
for
each
virtual
server
or
Web
application on the server.
With Basic and NT Challenge/Response, an authentication mechanism is in place that
identifies
the
user
who
is
requesting
the
page.
With
either
Basic
or
NT
Challenge/Response, IIS/ASP will actually perform an NT login for that specific user.
This
means
that
a
given
page
is
executing
as
a
specific
NT
user:
either
“IUSR_MachineName” or the actual authenticated NT domain user. This technique is
known as
impersonation
and is a standard feature of NT services.
44
This has strong implications for ExcelWriter if you are trying to save the generated
spreadsheet on the hard disk of the Web server or to read in data or include images
from files stored on the server. When ExcelWriter attempts to create, read or write
files, it will be executing in the security context provided by IIS/ASP.
If a non-authenticated user is creating a spreadsheet, ExcelWriter will only be able to
extract
data
or
include
images
from
files
or
folders
that
are
accessible
to
this
“IUSR_MachineName” account with, at a minimum, “read” privileges. It will only be
able
to
write
the
resultant
Excel
file
to
a
folder
on
the
Web
server
that
has,
at
a
minimum, “write” privileges for this account.
If an authenticated user is creating a spreadsheet, ExcelWriter will only be able to write
to
locations
determined
by
that
specific
user's
NT
domain
permissions.
The
same
obviously applies to attempts to extract and include data or images as noted above.
For more information, see Microsoft KB Article Q207671
(http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q207671)
8.2 Configuring IIS
ExcelWriter provides, as part of the integral “Save” method, an option to stream its
newly generated Excel file to a client machine for viewing or saving locally. This can be
in addition to or instead of saving the file to a location on the Web server.
When
streaming
downloaded
accomplished
file
files,
ExcelWriter
should
simply
by
open
using
can
be
further
directly
in
the
the
configured
client
“saOpenInPlace”
to
browser.
option
in
specify
This
the
is
that
the
normally
second
input
parameter of the “Save” method as follows:
xlw.Save "report.xls", saOpenInPlace
However, due to the diverse types and versions of browsers that are currently in use
on
prospective
recipients’
machines,
the
browser
does
not
always
understand
the
“ContentType” of the file that it has received. Some browsers, rather than opening the
file may, instead, pop up a “File Download” dialog box offering the user the option to
launch the file in a new window with Excel.
45
If
this
behavior
is
inconvenient
for
the
Web
application,
then
the
following
method
provides a simple “workaround” for browser inconsistencies that should guarantee that
the spreadsheet will open directly in the browser window. To apply this workaround,
you will need to,
1.
Associate
Excel's
.xls
extension
with
asp.dll
when
configuring
your
virtual
directory:
a.
Open the Internet Services Manager.
b.
Right-click the virtual directory containing your ExcelWriter scripts, and
select properties.
c.
Click
Configuration.
If
the
Configuration
button
is
disabled,
first
click
Create.
d.
Select the App Mappings tab.
e.
Click Add.
f.
Browse to select asp.dll, typically in c:\winnt\system32\inetsrv.
g.
Enter xls in the Extension text box.
h.
Select "All Verbs."
i.
j.
k.
2.
Do not
Check "Script Engine."
check "Check that file exists."
Click Ok.
Rename your ExcelWriter scripts with the extension .xls. For example, at the
DOS command prompt, enter, "ren xlgen.asp xlgen.xls."
do not
If you associate the .xls extension with asp.dll within the settings of a virtual directory,
save standard Excel spreadsheets in this directory. If you do, ASP will attempt
to interpret these Excel spreadsheets as ASP script and will fail.
8.3 Installation / Uninstallation
As noted earlier in this document, ExcelWriter can be installed in two ways: by running
the automated installation that uses the Microsoft Installer (MSI), or by doing a manual
installation.
The automated installation is easiest to use and deploy. Simply double-click on the
“ExcelWriterVxx.exe” file and follow the InstallShield Wizard instructions.
For
environments
where
server
administration
is
strictly
controlled,
where
auto-
installers are disallowed, or where the minimal installation is required, the installation
of ExcelWriter can be as easy as the simple copying of the ExcelWriter “SAEXCEL.DLL”
to
a
properly
secured
folder
on
the
server
and
registering
it
by
means
of
the
ExcelWriter
was
REGSVR32 utility.
The
upgrade
and
the
uninstallation
procedures
are
quite
simple.
If
installed with the auto installer, simply use the “Add/Remove Programs” functionality
of
Windows
to
documentation
unregister
and
samples.
and
If
remove
the
ExcelWriter
“SAEXCEL.DLL”
and
was
all
copied
of
to
its
the
associated
server
and
manually registered with REGSVR32, simply use this utility to unregister the .dll prior
to removing it.
Either
uninstallation
process
should
always
version of ExcelWriter.
46
be
employed
prior
to
installing
a
newer
9 Case Studies
9.1 Manufacturing Company
MAJOR MEDICAL MANUFACTURER INCREASES SALES BY
IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND INTERNAL
COMMUNICATIONS USING EXCELWRITER
OVERVIEW
Customer:
Major medical equipment manufacturer
Hardware and Software:
Server:
Database:
Clients:
HP LC2000
NetServer/ Windows NT Server 4.0
Microsoft® Access 2000
150+ Internet Explorer IE 4.0, Windows NT 4.0
Business Situation:
This global company needed a cost-effective, scalable, efficient reporting system for
tracking and sharing customer information across departments.
Solution:
The company chose SoftArtisans ExcelWriter to build a dynamic reporting system on the
Sales & Marketing intranet site. The server-side solution enabled them to move their
system to the Web quickly and easily, and to continue using richly formatted Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet and charts.
Benefits:
•
•
•
•
Leverage users' proficiency in Microsoft® Excel.
Save months of development time.
High performance and scalability.
Sales force has critical customer information available 24 hours a day.
COMPANY PROFILE
The ExcelWriter customer is a worldwide leader in clinical measurement and diagnostic
solutions that focuses on high-growth healthcare areas including portable diagnostic
and
monitoring
related
equipment,
professional
out-of-hospital
services
and
support.
defibrillators,
To
meet
cardiology
their
sales
products
and
and
marketing
objectives, the company required a cost-effective, scalable, efficient reporting system
for
tracking
and
sharing
customer
information
across
departments.
They
were
effectively collecting hospital equipment inventory and obtaining industry market share
information,
but
needed
to
improve
efficiency
in
information for use across departments and regions.
47
updating
and
delivering
current
SITUATION
To bolster a more proactive and targeted approach to their customers, the company
realized that if up-to-date inventory and market share data was always available to
sales representatives, the sales representatives would gain a better understanding of
customers’ present and future needs. By qualifying and improving the sales approach,
they could strengthen their leadership position and increase share in the high-growth
U.S.
market.
The
company's
marketing
department
sought
an
affordable,
efficient
system for delivering current inventory and market share information to their sales
force.
They
intranet
track
decided
site.
the
The
on
an
project,
installed
base
online
named
of
reporting
the
their
application
Competitive
own
and
their
for
the
Information
Sales
Matrix
competitors’
&
Marketing
(CIM),
patient
would
monitoring,
ultrasound, and cardiology equipment at 6,800 U.S. hospitals. The sales tool would
encourage more appropriate and useful recommendations to customers.
SOLUTION
The Best of Both Worlds: Easy for Development and Familiar to End-Users
The marketing department’s Web programmer searched for a server-side solution that
would provide dynamic reporting and charting functionality. Since the former reports
were
produced
programmer
in
richly
wanted
to
formatted
recreate
®
resource-hungry Microsoft
Microsoft
this
Excel
standard
spreadsheets
format
on
the
and
Web.
charts,
the
Putting
the
Excel on the server was not an option; they might have
150 concurrent users and Microsoft Excel was too resource intensive. After considering
other Web reporting and charting products, the programmer chose the full version of
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter for the CIM project.
He cites the following reasons for his decision:
•
ExcelWriter
generates
comfortable
with
native
receiving
Excel;
this
the
sales
information
in
force
Excel
was
already
spreadsheets
familiar
and
and
charts
so
there would be no need for training on new software.
•
ExcelWriter's
high
performance
and
scalability--hundreds
of
employees
could
access reports at once.
•
•
ExcelWriter's logic integration for making "smart" spreadsheets.
ExcelWriter
provided
a
finished
product--the
sales
force
reacts
positively
to
presentation-quality material.
•
•
ExcelWriter was a cost-effective and flexible solution
ExcelWriter was simple to use and the help documentation was easy to navigate
and well organized.
•
The company was very pleased with the courteous and responsive service that they
received from SoftArtisans sales and technical staff.
This manufacturer is known for their dedication to innovative technology. SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter was a perfect fit for the business problem at hand.
48
Charting a Course for Success
The Web programmer developed the custom, real-time CIM reporting application with
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter and some ASP script in a few short months. The inventory
information that is collected by customer engineers continues to be entered into the
Microsoft Access database. Now the database feeds the server-side application and the
information is immediately available to the sales force across the country. The CIM
intranet application keeps track of patient monitoring and ultrasound imaging systems
and can be researched and understood by several different queries. These include a
vendor
display,
information
quantity,
is
an
opportunity
organized
serial
number,
at
the
system
display,
hospital
type,
and
a
market
department
contact
share
level:
person
in
display.
equipment
hospital
Customer
install
date,
department,
and
predominant vendor.
The
spreadsheets
application
is
and
queried
charts
it
are
uses
the
formatted
current
during
data
in
development.
the
Access
Each
database
time
to
the
quickly
populate the cells. The spreadsheets were designed with conditional formatting—color
codes alert the employee to the most promising opportunities and high priorities in
their district. Rather than receiving biannual reports, now employees serve themselves
current information anytime. The CIM application dynamically presents information to
employees
function
in
the
®
Microsoft
format
Excel
that
they
are
spreadsheets
already
and
accustomed--richly
charts.
Sales
formatted,
representatives
can
full
easily
evaluate their local customers to plan an effective strategy. The polished reports do not
lose any formatting and function if the user downloads the spreadsheet to the client
machine. The sales person can further manipulate the data in Microsoft
own
machine
those
hospital
for
additional
purposes--for
departments
that
don't
instance,
always
they
have
might
®
Excel on their
provide
accessible,
a
service
accurate
to
inventory
records of their own.
BENEFITS
High Performance and Scalability
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter is a scalable, high-performance solution. As the CIM project
grows,
the
company
is
not
limited
on
the
amount
of
users
or
the
amount
of
spreadsheets generated. There are no per-user costs with SoftArtisans.
The intranet application was designed to strengthen their leadership, enter new areas
of the market, and increase market penetration. The application is expected to provide
invaluable
sales
support.
It
enables
representatives
to
provide
superior
service,
be
attentive to customer’s needs and purchasing cycles, and increase business. The CIM
application
strategy.
is
The
an
important
system
has
module
been
integrated
previewed
by
with
the
overall
marketing
and
sales
was
and
met
marketing
with
much
enthusiasm. The company will measure the success and return on investment by how
much the sale force accesses and uses the CIM system. The company anticipates that
the
improvements
in
customer
service
and
substantial impact on sales.
49
internal
information
sharing
will
have
a
9.2 B2B E-commerce Company
FAMILIAR EXCEL REPORTS ENABLE PORTUM TO INCREASE B2B
WEB APPLICATION ADOPTION RATE AMONG PROCUREMENT
MANAGERS
SoftArtisans ExcelWriter allows Portum to present data in a format (Excel)
that is familiar and easily manipulated by non-technical users of the Portum
Auction and Request for Quotes System.
OVERVIEW
Customer:
Portum AG is a neutral B2B intermediary, providing strategic procurement and
negotiation solutions for enterprises and marketplaces.
Hardware and Software:
Server:
Database:
Clients:
Windows 2000
ExcelWriter
FileUp
SQL Server 2000
Excel 97
Excel 2000
IE4.x+
Netscape 4.0 +
Business Situation:
Portum needed fast, full function, formatted Excel activity reports generated from the
Web without Microsoft Excel installed on the server. The Portum Internet Trading
Platform (ITP) combines the Portum Auction Engine and the Portum RfX-Engine with
training, a customer care team and integration services. The ITP supports the complete
procurement process. It starts with supplier identification, request for information/
quotation, and the online negotiation. In addition, the Portum BidXchange can be used
for contract and data transmission.
Solution:
Portum now uses SoftArtisans ExcelWriter as part of the Portum Internet Trading
Platform hosted on their Extranet. This application is one of Portum’s main product
offerings. ExcelWriter is used to generate the activity reports for procurement managers
who use Portum’s product. Because most procurement managers have been using Excel
for years, ExcelWriter’s ability to generate native Excel workbooks is a major benefit of
the application.
Benefits:
•
•
•
•
•
Complete Excel-generating application development in one month.
Enable procurement organizations to interact with suppliers in real time, increase
the competition, and reduce product costs.
Standardize and automate routine procedures.
Reduce time required for negotiations and contract awarding.
Enable procurement managers to make targeted and objective purchasing
decisions.
50
COMPANY PROFILE
Portum is Europe’s leading neutral intermediary and provider for strategic sourcing and
negotiation solutions for enterprises and marketplaces. Through a combination of easyto-use
while
consulting
buyers
state-of-the-art
and
and
business
sellers
in
Internet-based
services,
the
Portum
strategic
applications
increases
sourcing
and
and
the
tailor-made
performance
procurement
first-class
of
process.
industrial
The
product
offering includes online auctions and Internet based request-for-quotations (RFQs).
SITUATION
Portum’s
reports
product
to
users
usually
procurement
are
managers
procurement
managers.
Portum
delivers
activity
through
Web.
activity
reports
include
the
The
complex formulas and formatting—and could be accessed by thousands of concurrent
users.
Because
of
the
wide
use
of
Microsoft
Excel
among
procurement
managers,
Portum decided that their Web application should generate activity reports in Microsoft
Excel format. Many procurement managers are not familiar with the technical part of
Internet business transaction methods, but would be comfortable using Excel.
SOLUTION
Portum
included
considered
Crystal
ExcelWriter.
several
techniques
Reports,
ExcelWriter
Microsoft
was
the
only
of
generating
Office
Web
solution
that
Excel
on
a
Components,
provided
a
Web
server.
and
means
These
SoftArtisans
for
fast,
full-
function dynamic native Excel reports with licensing freedom and high performance for
thousands of concurrent users.
For the past seven months, Portum has been using SoftArtisans ExcelWriter as part of
the Portum Internet Trading Platform (ITP) hosted on the Portum Extranet. ITP is one
of the main product offerings of Portum and is critical to their business. SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter is used to generate the activity reports for procurement managers who use
Portum’s product. Portum believes that the ability to generate activity reports in fullfunction
native
Excel
contributes
to
the
adoption
of
their
Web
solution.
Most
procurement managers have been using Excel for years.
Each day, the Portum ITP solution generates an estimate of 200 different reports for
more
than
5,000
suppliers
across
the
globe
in
various
industries.
The
reports
are
streamed to users’ client machines via a browser, into Excel. The activity reports that
Portum generates with ExcelWriter are sometimes 50-sheet workbooks. Some of the
Excel features that the activity reports use include advanced Excel formatting—font,
cell, colors etc. ExcelWriter exposes the most
Generation
of
reports
is
fast
and
consumes
common Excel objects
minimal
server
and functions.
resources.
Portum
has
ExcelWriter running on three servers.
Portum is also using SoftArtisans FileUp product in order to upload auction documents.
BENEFITS
Easy-to-use Web Application Increases Portum Product Adoptions
Because
of
users’
familiarity
with
Excel,
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter
contributes
to
the
overall adoption and success of the Portum ITP product. Customers can access activity
reports via the Portum extranet any time.
51
There is no need for users of the Portum ITP solution to be trained on new software—
they
have
been
using
Excel
for
years
and
prefer
to
receive
activity
reports
in
this
familiar format.
Simplified, Accelerated Development
With
SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter,
Portum
was
able
to
build
this
functionality
into
their
application within only a month of one developer’s time. SoftArtisans customer service
and support have impressed them.
“We are very pleased with the close--almost personal--support provided us during the
early period of adoption. We are especially grateful for assistance given us when we
encountered some difficulties supporting generated Excel files in different languages.
Within two days, we were able to obtain a fix from a very helpful Technical Support
person from SoftArtisans.”
-
Arial Sagum, Web Project Manager, Portum AG
52
9.3 Destination Hardware Sales and Manufacturing Company
YAKIMA WEB TEAM CUTS REPORTING DEVELOPMENT TIME BY
75% USING SOFTARTISANS EXCELWRITER
OVERVIEW
Customer:
Yakima Products
Arcata, CA
Hardware and Software:
Server:
Database:
Client:
Windows 2000
SQL Server 2000
Excel 97, 2000, XP
IE and Netscape
Business Situation:
Yakima's Fit Team needed a cost-effective, efficient Web reporting system that would
allow them to quickly access modify and share reports in the familiar Microsoft Excel
format.
Solution:
Yakima used SoftArtisans ExcelWriter to build a dynamic reporting system for their
Intranet. Their new reporting solution enabled the Fit Team to have a self-service
reporting application without having Microsoft Excel or space-intensive files sitting on the
server.
Benefits:
•
•
•
•
Saved weeks of in-house development time
High user satisfaction due to familiar, flexible, easy to use Microsoft Excel format
Reporting system is self-service and is available to users 24 hours a day
High performance and scalable system
COMPANY PROFILE
Yakima
builds
the
highest
quality
products
for
the
enthusiast
heading
out
to
their
favorite outdoor destination. For years, Yakima has been known as a rack company,
but their thirst for new products has helped them grow into a Destination Hardware™
company. All of Yakima's products incorporate characteristics that define the company:
security and a playful attitude.
53
SITUATION
At Yakima, the Fit Team is charged with assuring there is a Yakima rack product that
fits
every
make
and
model
of
vehicle.
In
order
to
accomplish
this,
the
team
must
access a mass of data about vehicles and about their own products. The team originally
entered all of their data into Excel manually, which was very time consuming. In an
attempt to make the Fit Team's reporting more efficient and manageable, Yakima's
Web Development team tried to create a solution in Web format, but viewing the data
in
HTML
did
not
meet
the
reporting
needs
of
the
Fit
Team.
The
team
needed
to
manipulate the data to make it useful, so they were forced to cut and paste the data
from the HTML format into Excel, which is a very messy and time consuming process,
during which formatting is lost. Yakima needed a better way to provide a link between
the data on their server and a familiar and flexible presentation format for the enduser.
SOLUTION
Yakima
looked
at
several
possible
solutions
to
solve
their
reporting
problem.
One
option was a large reporting product, which was very expensive and provided many
extraneous features that Yakima would never use. Then, the development team tried
to make use of macros to pull the data into Excel, but due to the complicated masses
of data involved in the Fit Team Reports project, macros were not an optimal solution.
After
a
comprehensive
evaluation
period,
Yakima
purchased
ExcelWriter.
The
development team was impressed with the online documentation; ease of application
development and by the personal support that backs every SoftArtisans product. They
found that it was easy to integrate their existing database with ExcelWriter in order to
produce
with.
the
The
flexible
Fit
Excel
Team
output
users
that
their
appreciated
end-users
the
were
one-click
accustomed
to
fully
to
working
formatted,
easily
customized, native Excel spreadsheets.
BENEFITS
SoftArtisans
proved
development
team
to
be
was
a
able
very
to
reliable
pull
large
solution
from
quantities
of
the
very
first
complicated
report.
data
from
The
their
database and create robust, fully editable Excel reports. The Web Team at Yakima,
consisting of one developer/manager and one full-time developer, estimated that the
Fit List Reports project would take two developer-weeks to complete. With ExcelWriter,
it only took the team two to three development days to complete the project. With the
time
and
development
ExcelWriter
tool
paid
resources
for
itself.
that
Yakima
Yakima
saved
plans
to
in
use
their
very
first
ExcelWriter
for
project,
many
the
other
projects.
The high-performance, multi-threaded ExcelWriter dynamic link library (DLL) allowed
Yakima to save space and to ensure reliability on their production server. They have
found
that
ExcelWriter
serves
native
Excel
reports
with
charting,
formatting
and
formulas quickly and efficiently.
The CodeWizard, included with ExcelWriter, also helped Yakima in their development.
It allowed them to take existing Excel spreadsheets and create ASP code needed for
their
ExcelWriter
formatting
that
application.
the
Fit
Team
Not
had
only
did
this
allow
already
put
into
accelerated the development process.
54
them
past
to
Excel
capture
reports,
the
but
existing
it
also
Now that the Fit Team Reports project is completed and other teams within Yakima
have seen how fast and easy the reporting process is, they are asking the development
team to create ExcelWriter applications for their departments. For Yakima, SoftArtisans
ExcelWriter is the Web reporting solution of choice.
Yakima Web Application With and Without ExcelWriter
ExcelWriter
Time to Complete
Without ExcelWriter
2.5 Development Days (Resulting 10 Development Days (Resulting in
in dynamic Microsoft Excel reports) static HTML reports)
Development Cost (Dev. Days * 2
Developers * Industry Avg.
$2,000
Salary)
Report Format Flexibility
All Microsoft Excel functionality
$8,000
Inflexible HTML format
"ExcelWriter allows any type of data to be displayed countless ways due to the
flexibility of Excel being the output. Finally, database information can be arranged in an
exciting and fresh way that doesn't require a lot of development time."
—Tyler Thompson, Web Systems Manager, Yakima
“ExcelWriter saved a lot of time because it allowed us [Web developers] to create a
report quickly that was easily manageable by the end user. No longer did we have to
create preformatted static Web-based reports, but instead were able to create dynamic
and ever-changing Excel files.”
—
Brett McKinney, Web Programmer, Yakima
55
10 Performance
10.1 Benchmarks
ExcelWriter Object (V2) versus Excel Object Office 2000
CRITERIA:
Test variables:
•
•
•
Number of files
Number of rows
Number of columns
Process:
•
•
•
•
•
Start time is recorded
Iteration starts
Files created based on number of files, rows and columns specified
At the end of the iteration the time is recorded, equated from start time
Created files are kept in folder relational to application
Characteristics:
•
•
•
Two sheets per file
One font per sheet applied
Italic, Bold and Horizontal alignment applied to first sheet
Two Styles (objects) are used with ExcelWriter. Within the styles, the font and
other characteristics are applied. The style is assigned after the value is set to the cell.
When creating spreadsheets using the Excel object, the font and characteristics are
applied after the value is set to the cell.
NOTE:
HARDWARE:
•
•
•
•
Operating system: Windows 2000 Server SP1
Processors: 2 x 700Mhz
Memory: 128 Megs
Make: Dell PowerEdge 1300
56
TEST RESULTS:
Number of Files:
25
Number of Rows:
50
Number of Columns: 50
ExcelWriter:
Time elapsed:
Excel object:
Time elapsed:
Results:
9 seconds
16 min 24 seconds
ExcelWriter is over 100 times faster than the Excel Object.
10.2 Scalability
ExcelWriter consists of a single "SAEXCEL.DLL" installed on the server that is used to
generate Excel reports. ExcelWriter is a high-performance, multi-threaded COM object
built for serving thousands of concurrent users on a single server.
10.3 Performance Limitations
10.3.1
ExcelWriter LE
In ExcelWriterLE, a maximum limit of 200 new workbooks can be generated during the
twenty-four hour period that commences with the creation of the first spreadsheet.
With subsequent requests for new spreadsheets, ExcelWriter will display a message
that advises that the daily usage limit has been reached. The counter will be reset at
the conclusion of this period. This limitation does not exist in the Server edition.
10.3.2
ExcelWriter Developer
As noted earlier, both the ExcelWriter Developer and the ExcelWriterLE Developer
versions offer the full capabilities of the corresponding ExcelWriter Server and
ExcelWriterLE versions with one important exception: Developer versions are singlethreaded models and as such cannot process more than a single report request at one
time. This is typical of the development environment and should not pose a problem
unless stress testing is required. (In this case, it is possible to secure a full-functional
multi-threaded evaluation version by contacting [email protected])
10.3.3
ASP Threading
Although ExcelWriter is capable of handling large numbers of concurrent requests for
report generation, the ASP threading model that is part of IIS is still subject to the
limitations. If the Web application that includes the ExcelWriter object is running on an
IIS
4
server,
the
default
(“AspProcessorThreadMax”)
setting
for
the
ASP
set
to
is
maximum
a
default
number
value
of
of
“10”.
available
With
IIS
threads
5,
the
default setting is “25”.
It’s important to understand that this setting can dramatically influence the scalability
of Web applications, and the performance of the server in general. Since it defines the
maximum number of ASP requests that can execute simultaneously, it can inhibit the
performance of ExcelWriter, when used in high volume applications.
57
.
If required, the value of “AspProcessorThreadMax” setting can be increased
This will
allow the server to create more threads to handle more concurrent requests. (Please
note: If this metabase property is changed, the Web server instance must be stopped
and
restarted
in
order
for
the
change
to
take
effect.)
Details
on
this
setting
are
available at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/iisref/html/psdk/asp/apro0blk.asp.
10.4 Improving Performance
There are some important pointers to be aware of when attempting to maximize the
performance of ExcelWriter in creating Excel files.
10.4.1
Using Styles
Microsoft
unique
Excel
formats
includes
contains
and
an
styles
upper
limit
available
to
4096
of
an
16 built-in and six default formats.
on
individual
the
total
Excel
combined
File.
This
This further reduces to
number
"cap"
4074
of
of
4096
the available
number of total combined formats and styles available to the developer formatting an
Excel file with ExcelWriter.
ExcelWriter
itself
poses
no
such
limitations
in
the
creation
process.
It
allows
the
creation of Excel files that can contain unlimited numbers of unique formatting.
Since ExcelWriter output can be richer than Microsoft Excel is capable of reading, a
common error that developers may experience when attempting to open ExcelWriter
generated files with Microsoft Excel is as follows:
SoftArtisans.ExcelWriter.1 error '80020009'
Number of formats has exceeded Excel's limit
Because of this Excel limitation, it is imperative that, when using ExcelWriter to format
a
native
Excel
understanding
file
of
on
the
the
fly
with
server-side
repercussions
of
ASP
choosing
code,
to
the
employ
developer
has
"Cells.Format"
a
clear
versus
"Cells.Style".
Attempting
to
format
large
numbers
of
cells
by
applying
“Cells.Format”
via
looping
often causes the error above, as the following sample illustrates:
<%
'--- Convert Recordset output to Spreadsheet input and
'--- Import the data in one step, pasting from cell (2,1) with the
headers appearing
‘--- in row 2
FirstRow = 2
FirstCol = 1
NumRows = cells.CopyFromRecordset(oRs, True, FirstRow, FirstCol)
'--- Format, on a cell by cell basis, all rows in column 1 to
"text" and all rows in
'--- column 2 to "currency"
58
For r = FirstRow +1 to NumRows +2
‘--- This value formats a cell as text
ws.cells(r, FirstCol).Format.Number = 49
‘--- This value formats a cell as currency
ws.cells(r, FirstCol +1).Format.Number = 7 next
%>
By employing this formatting method, you will use up the pool of available formats
quickly since the application of format to each cell counts as a unique instance of a
format.
When Excel files are created directly with Excel, the application of formatting is subject
to a built-in optimization process. That makes a comparison of included formats and
removes
identical
format
objects.
ExcelWriter
currently
does
not
include
this
same
optimization technique.
Currently, to avoid bumping up against this format limit, it is suggested that ".Style"
be used in place of ".Format" wherever possible when applying formats to more than a
single cell. A single custom style can be created and then applied to an entire row or
column
instance
of
cells
of
by
means
formatting
of
looping.
when
This
considered
unique
style
toward
will
the
then
total
count
as
available
a
single
pool
of
formats/styles.
Here is a reworking of the previous formatting sample to employ a custom "TextStyle"
and "CurrencyStyle" to format multiple cells:
<%
'--- Convert Recordset output to Spreadsheet input
'--- Import the data in one step, pasting from cell (2,1)
‘--- with the headers appearing in row 2
FirstRow = 2
FirstCol = 1
NumRows = cells.CopyFromRecordset(oRs, True, FirstRow, FirstCol)
'--- Create a custom Font to be used in formatting the worksheet
Set Font1 = XLW.CreateFont
Font1.name = "Times New Roman"
Font1.size = 10
'--- Create a custom "TextStyle" which will format
‘--- cells as "text"
Set TextStyle = XLW.CreateStyle
TextStyle.Number = 49
TextStyle.Font = Font1
'--- Create a custom "CurrencyStyle" which will format
‘--- cells as "Currency"
Set CurrencyStyle = XLW.CreateStyle
CurrencyStyle.Number = 7
CurrencyStyle.Font = Font1
59
'--- Use looping to apply the custom styles
‘--- rows in column 1 and column 2
For r = FirstRow +1 to NumRows +2
‘--- This value formats a cell
ws.cells(r, FirstCol).Style =
‘--- This value formats a cell
ws.cells(r, FirstCol +1).Style
Next
%>
Please
note:
If
you
change
any
properties
of
your
to all
as text
TextStyle
as currency
= CurrencyStyle
custom
style
after
making
application of this style, all cells formatted with this style in your worksheet will be
changed accordingly.
Figure 4: Resulting spreadsheet for Style sample
60
10.4.2
Use CopyFromRecordSet or GetDataFromRecordset
With ExcelWriter, ADO can be used to return a recordset from a datasource and the
included field values and headers (optional) can then be imported into the Excel file
that is being created.
In cases where the recordset contains a rectangular block of data that could simply be
pasted into the worksheet as it comes from the database, consider the following:
ExcelWriter offers two very important one-step methods for copying a block of data
held in the recordset object and pasting it to a specific location in the worksheet that is
being built up in virtual memory on the server.
The first method:
worksheet,
“CopyFromRecordset”
including
field
headers
is
used
(unless
to
import
otherwise
the
recordset
specified),
and
into
to
the
return
“NumRows”, the total number of rows that were imported. This “NumRows” value is
extremely useful for such purposes as moving around the virtual worksheet in order to
apply formatting to all data-filled cells in a column or locating the row that follows the
end of the recordset so that formulas can be inserted as totals.
“CopyFromRecordset” is used as follows:
NumRows = cells.CopyFromRecordset(ADO-RecordSet, [ShowHeaders
(True/False)][FirstRow], [FirstColumn], [MaxRows], [MaxColumns])
The first parameter contains a pointer to the recordset object that has been returned
via ADO. This is the only required parameter. The Recordset’s Field headers will be
imported unless “False” is added as a second parameter (the default is “True”).
The next four optional parameters are used to specify the exact location to where the
imported data will be pasted as well as how may rows and columns of data will be
imported.
The second method:
“GetDataFromRecordset”
is
almost
identical
to
the
above
method with one important exception. This method returns a “Range” object instead of
a variable that relates the number of records returned. This “Range” object can then be
auto-formatted for column width using the “Range.AutoFitWidth” method so that each
column will be correctly adjusted to fit the data that is contained in the cells in that
column.
“GetDataFromRecordset” is used as follows:
Range = cells.GetDataFromRecordset(ADO-RecordSet, [ShowFieldNames
(True/False)][FirstRow], [FirstColumn], [MaxRows], [MaxColumns])
As with the previous method, the first parameter contains a pointer to the Recordset
Object
that
Recordset’s
has
Field
been
returned
headers
will
via
be
ADO.
This
imported
is
the
unless
only
required
“False”
is
parameter.
added
as
a
The
second
parameter (the default is “True”).
The
next
four
parameters
are
“CopyFromRecordset” method.
the
same
as
the
optional
parameters
in
the
They are used to specify the exact location to where
the imported data will be pasted as well as how may rows and columns of data will be
imported.
61
11 Technical Support
SoftArtisans Technical Services team and resources are among the best in the industry.
Contact SoftArtisans by e-mail or telephone:
•
Send
e-mail
to
[email protected].
Each
incoming
e-mail
is
assigned
a
unique tracking number.
•
By telephone: In the U.S. call toll-free 1-877-SOFTART (763-8278), and press “3”
for Technical Support. Outside the U.S., call +1-617-738-0777, and press “3” for
Technical Support.
We are able to solve your problem more rapidly if you submit the following information
with your problem report:
•
The name of your product (e.g., SoftArtisans ExcelWriter)
•
The exact version of the DLL (e.g., saexcelwriter.dll)
•
The exact version of the ASP.DLL
•
The exact version of the operating system and browser on client machine(s).
•
The exact version of the operating system and IIS that are running on the server,
including any service packs.
•
The ASP scripts that you are using including both the form and the form processing
scripts, if they are in separate files.
•
The exact error message that is received.
•
A description of the exact nature of the problem, including when in the process that
the problem occurs.
•
Are you running samples or your own code?
•
Your order number, if you have one.
Free Support
Our dedicated and quick responding support team is happy to answer your e-mail and
telephone inquiries on an as-available basis. Support is usually able to respond in less
than one or two days, however there is paid, guaranteed priority support if you have
an urgent issue.
11.1 Pre-sales Support
Our sales engineers are eager to provide sales consultations to help you determine
which ExcelWriter solution is right for you and get you started on your evaluation of
the product. ExcelWriterFree is available for download on the SoftArtisans Web site. If
you
would
like
to
evaluate
a
full
version
of
ExcelWriter,
please
contact
[email protected] and we will be happy to provide the full evaluation for you.
62
11.2 Maintenance Program
ExcelWriter
ExcelWriter
ExcelWriter
priority
annual
maintenance
customers.
releases
support
for
Annual
one
incidents
program
year
with
is
now
maintenance
a
from
available
includes
maintenance
guaranteed
to
our
free
purchase
response
existing
major
date
within
one
and
new
upgrades
and
on
three
business
(3)
day.
ExcelWriter annual maintenance cost is 20% of the product list price. For example:
•
If
you
purchased
an
ExcelWriter
1.0
server
license,
the
cost
for
annual
maintenance would be $999.
•
If
you
purchased
a
1-CPU
ExcelWriter
server
license,
the
cost
for
annual
ExcelWriter
server
license,
the
cost
for
annual
maintenance would be $500.
•
If
you
purchased
a
4-CPU
maintenance would be $2,000.
Please
contact
SoftArtisans
today!
By
e-mail:
[email protected]
or
telephone:
877-SOFTART or 617-738-0777.
11.3 Two-hour Priority Support Incident
For
each
within
purchased
two
business
two-hour
hours
of
support
placing
incident,
your
call
SoftArtisans
or
sending
guarantees
your
e-mail.
a
response
There
is
no
guarantee that we will be able to provide an immediate resolution of your problem, but
we will work on it until we can come to a conclusion. We will always provide you an
expected date to issue you a patch if necessary.
You may purchase a two-hour priority support incident at
http://www.softartisans.com/softartisans/tecsup.html
11.4 24-hour Priority Support Incident
For
each
within
purchased
one
business
24-hour
day
of
support
placing
incident,
your
call
SoftArtisans
or
sending
guarantees
your
e-mail.
a
response
There
is
no
guarantee that we will be able to provide an immediate resolution of your problem, but
we will work on it until we can come to a conclusion.
You may purchase a 24-hour priority support incident at
http://www.softartisans.com/softartisans/tecsup.html
11.5 Support Hours
SoftArtisans Technical Support hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m., and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (GMT-5 hours)
63
11.6 Self-help Support
Many questions are quickly answered with SoftArtisans comprehensive support
http://support.softartisans.com/.
There
you
will
find
SoftArtisans
products
site,
latest
documentation, an extensive knowledge base, and frequently asked questions.
11.7 Peer-supported Discussion List
Join the SoftArtisans Peer Supported Discussion List for ExcelWriter!
http://discuss.softartisans.com/archives/xlw-l.html
SoftArtisans offers product-specific peer support discussion lists as a great resource
while you are evaluating software or developing your application. Get help from other
developers using SoftArtisans ExcelWriter.
This
list
is
monitored,
but
not
edited
or
reviewed,
by
SoftArtisans
Technical
Staff.
SoftArtisans Technical Support will help out on an as available basis.
The names of the subscribers of this list are kept confidential.
11.8 SoftArtisans Consulting Services
Our skilled Web developers can assist you in developing applications that use
SoftArtisans components. Our consulting service takes full of advantage of our
expertise and can save you valuable time and resources. Technical representatives will
provide the following services for licensed or presales customers developing Web
applications for the Windows/IIS platform with ASP, ASP.NET and VB.
Scope of Consulting Services
For an hourly fee, SoftArtisans can provide consulting and development services for
Web applications that use SoftArtisans products:
•
Debug any part of an application.
•
Write sections of code for use in a Web application.
•
Write entire Web applications.
•
Provide in-depth consultation on Windows administration and security.
Please
contact
SoftArtisans
Technical
Support
and
Services
to
discuss
your
project:
By e-mail: [email protected]
By telephone: In the U.S., call toll-free 1-877-SOFTART
(763-8278), and press "3" for
technical services. Outside the U.S., call +1-617-738-0777, and press "3" for technical
services.
64
12 For More Information
12.1 SoftArtisans Web Sites
12.1.1
Main ExcelWriter Page
The main ExcelWriter page can be found at:
http://www.softartisans.com/excelwriter.html
12.1.2
News and Announcements
SoftArtisans maintains a monthly newsletter
detailing new versions,
tips, tricks and
special promotions. The newsletter can be found at
http://discuss.softartisans.com/archives/newsletter.html
Subscribe by sending an email message to [email protected] with the
following command in the BODY of your email message:
SUB NEWSLETTER
There is also a separate mailing list specific to ExcelWriter announcements that can be
found at:
http://discuss.softartisans.com/archives/excelwriter-ann.html
12.1.3
Support Site
Self-service technical support, including a searchable knowledge base and Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) can be found at:
http://support.softartisans.com/
12.1.4
Demo Site
SoftArtisans maintains a comprehensive live demo site.
It is regularly updated with
new and interesting samples. All the source code to the live demos can be downloaded
as well:
http://demo.softartisans.com/
12.1.5
Discussion Lists
In addition to technical support provided by SoftArtisans, there is a peer-supported
discussion list for ExcelWriter technical issues:
http://discuss.softartisans.com/archives/xlw-l.html
65
12.2 Excel on the Web
12.2.1
Microsoft Excel Web Site
http://www.microsoft.com/office/excel/default.htm
12.2.2
EXCEL-L Discussion List
Excel Developer's Mailing List
http://eva.dc.lsoft.com/archives/excel-l.html
12.3 ASP Sites
4 Guys from Rolla
http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/
Wrox’s ASPToday
http://www.asptoday.com/
66
13 Other Products from SoftArtisans
If you are new to SoftArtisans (http://www.softartisans.com/), you may be interested
in some of our other Web server controls.
SOFTARTISANS ASPSTUDIO
Power Pack of Active Server Controls
SoftArtisans
ASPstudio
is
the
best-selling
value
pack
of
powerful
server
controls
designed for rapid Web application development and deployment. This comprehensive
Web developers package combines the industry's most popular and powerful controls
into
a
complete
solution-at
a
tremendous
saving.
The
ASP
Guild
International
recognized ASPstudio with the prestigious Top Tool 2000 award. ASPstudio provides
the simplest and fastest means to producing robust scalable Web applications. Quick
development
return
on
cycles,
increased
investment.
This
productivity,
suite
includes
and
the
lower
highest
costs
provide
quality
an
controls
immediate
to
help
you
manage all the functionality you need--file transfers, transactional file management,
system administration, data validation, and Web-based email. Along with the excellent
product
documentation
and
an
extensive
knowledge
base,
a
dedicated
and
quick-
responding technical team supports ASPstudio products. All SoftArtisans products are
backed with a 30-day guarantee and all minor releases are free. ASPstudio includes the
following SoftArtisans components:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
SoftArtisans FileUp
SoftArtisans JFile
SoftArtisans XFile
SoftArtisans Check
SoftArtisans FileManagerTX
, the standard in file upload and secure download.
, for Java-based file uploads and downloads.
, for ActiveX file uploads and downloads.
, for complete form validation.
SoftArtisans Admin
SoftArtisans Archive
SoftArtisans FileManager
SoftArtisans SMTPmail
SoftArtisans ImgWriter
, for transactional file management.
for NT system administration.
, for creating and extracting ZIP and CAB archives.
, providing all of your file management needs in a
single, easy-to-use component.
•
•
to send e-mail from any client.
for
image
processing,
creation,
management
and
caching.
SOFTARTISANS FILETRANSFER BUNDLE
• SoftArtisans FileUp
• SoftArtisans JFile
• SoftArtisans XFile
SOFTARTISANS .NET INITIATIVE
SoftArtisans POP3 for .NET
SoftArtisans TreeView for .NET
includes the following components:
, the standard in file upload and secure download.
, for Java-based file uploads and downloads.
, for ActiveX file uploads and downloads.
:
•
•
to retrieve e-mail from any POP3 server
to easily navigate your .NET Web site
For more information about SoftArtisans ExcelWriter, ASPstudio, or .NET products, visit
the SoftArtisans Web site at http://www.softartisans.com/.
67
www.softartisans.com
1330 Beacon Street, Suite 400 Brookline, MA
02446
Toll Free (US only): 1(877)SOFTART - International: 1(617)738-0777 - Fax: 1(617)738-6278