Microsoft KB Archive/234774

= How to automate Excel from an HTML Web page by using JScript =

Article ID: 234774

Article Last Modified on 5/11/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Excel 2007
 * Microsoft Office Excel 2003
 * Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2

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This article was previously published under Q234774



SUMMARY
This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate a Microsoft Office Excel workbook from an HTML page.



MORE INFORMATION
This article illustrates JScript code that automates Excel. JScript has no internal means of creating SAFEARRAYs. When using automation, if you call a function that requires a SAFEARRAY, you can use VBScript to create the SAFEARRAY. The code below demonstrates this combination of JScript and VBScript code.

Building the automation sample
 Start Notepad.  Paste the following code into Notepad.   Press the button to start Excel and display quarterly data.  Function CreateNamesArray ' Create an array to set multiple values at once. Dim saNames(5, 2) saNames(0, 0) = "John"

saNames(0, 1) = "Smith" saNames(1, 0) = "Tom" saNames(1, 1) = "Brown" saNames(2, 0) = "Sue" saNames(2, 1) = "Thomas" saNames(3, 0) = "Jane" saNames(3, 1) = "Jones" saNames(4, 0) = "Adam" saNames(4, 1) = "Johnson" CreateNamesArray = saNames End Function 

 function AutomateExcel {

// Start Excel and get Application object. var oXL = new ActiveXObject("Excel.Application"); oXL.Visible = true; // Get a new workbook. var oWB = oXL.Workbooks.Add; var oSheet = oWB.ActiveSheet; // Add table headers going cell by cell. oSheet.Cells(1, 1).Value = "First Name"; oSheet.Cells(1, 2).Value = "Last Name"; oSheet.Cells(1, 3).Value = "Full Name"; oSheet.Cells(1, 4).Value = "Salary"; // Format A1:D1 as bold, vertical alignment = center. oSheet.Range("A1", "D1").Font.Bold = true; oSheet.Range("A1", "D1").VerticalAlignment = -4108; //xlVAlignCenter // Create an array to set multiple values at once.

// Fill A2:B6 with an array of values (from VBScript). oSheet.Range("A2", "B6").Value = CreateNamesArray; // Fill C2:C6 with a relative formula (=A2 & " " & B2). var oRng = oSheet.Range("C2", "C6"); oRng.Formula = "=A2 & \" \" & B2"; // Fill D2:D6 with a formula(=RAND*100000) and apply format. oRng = oSheet.Range("D2", "D6"); oRng.Formula = "=RAND*100000"; oRng.NumberFormat = "$0.00"; // AutoFit columns A:D. oRng = oSheet.Range("A1", "D1"); oRng.EntireColumn.AutoFit; // Manipulate a variable number of columns for Quarterly Sales Data. DispalyQuarterlySales(oSheet); // Make sure Excel is visible and give the user control // of Excel's lifetime. oXL.Visible = true; oXL.UserControl = true; } function DispalyQuarterlySales(oWS) {     var iNumQtrs, sMsg, iRet;

// Number of quarters to display data for. iNumQtrs = 4; // Starting at E1, fill headers for the number of columns selected. var oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E1", "E1").Resize(1,iNumQtrs); oResizeRange.Formula = "=\"Q\" & COLUMN-4 & CHAR(10) & \"Sales\""; // Change the Orientation and WrapText properties for the headers. oResizeRange.Orientation = 38; oResizeRange.WrapText = true; // Fill the interior color of the headers. oResizeRange.Interior.ColorIndex = 36; // Fill the columns with a formula and apply a number format. oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E2", "E6").Resize(5,iNumQtrs); oResizeRange.Formula = "=RAND*100"; oResizeRange.NumberFormat = "$0.00"; // Apply borders to the Sales data and headers. oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E1", "E6").Resize(6,iNumQtrs); oResizeRange.Borders.Weight = 2; // xlThin // Add a Totals formula for the sales data and apply a border. oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E8", "E8").Resize(1,iNumQtrs); oResizeRange.Formula = "=SUM(E2:E6)"; // 9 = xlEdgeBottom oResizeRange.Borders(9).LineStyle = -4119; //xlDouble oResizeRange.Borders(9).Weight = 4; //xlThick // Add a Chart for the selected data.

oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E2:E6").Resize(5,iNumQtrs); var oChart = oWS.Parent.Charts.Add; oChart.ChartWizard(oResizeRange, -4100, null, 2); // -4100 = xl3dColumn oChart.SeriesCollection(1).XValues = oWS.Range("A2", "A6"); for (iRet = 1; iRet <= iNumQtrs; iRet++) { oChart.SeriesCollection(iRet).Name = "=\"Q" + iRet + "\""; }     oChart.Location(2, oWS.Name); // 2 = xlLocationAsObject // Move the chart so as not to cover your data. oWS.Shapes("Chart 1").Top = oWS.Rows(10).Top; oWS.Shapes("Chart 1").Left = oWS.Columns(2).Left; }   </BODY> </HTML> </li> Save the file to a directory of your choice with the file name Excelaut.htm.</li> Close Notepad and start Internet Explorer.</li> In the Address bar, type C:\ \excelaut.htm, where  is the directory you saved the file in.</li> When Internet Explorer loads the file, you'll see one sentence with a button. When you press the button, Excel will start on the client's machine and fill with data.</li></ol>

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