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Posted by C. (http://symcbean.blogspot.c on May 19, 2009, 7:23 am
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On 18 May, 21:23, <news.freedom2surf.net> wrote:
> >Sorry but integrating Microsoft Office products with **anything else**
> >does not fit in the same sentance as "easy" or "robust". Excel is
> >however, the least bad. Don't even try to generate native files if you
> >value your sanity/career. If you can't solve your problems using csv
> >format files, then build a spreadsheet calling ODBC directly.
> >No chance - build your spreadsheet and put a datasource in it.
> This does not sound good news. Expanding on your suggestion some more I want
> to know more about "build a spreadsheet calling ODBC directly"
http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=excel+odbc+query
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> Where can I find more about this? Does this method allow me to insert images
> into Cells and can I insert rows.
You can't insert images into cells natively in Excel - so you
certainly won't be able to do it via any API / File format.
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> Any method that does not allow me to insert rows is completely useless to
> me.
Which also eliminates the possiblity of using Excel as an ODBC
datasource.
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> Actually the file does not HAVE to be excel format, as long at it can be
> opened in Excel and the format dictated. So for example if there is a way I
> can create an openOffice file that would be readable in Excel and the
> results be predictable this would be acceptable?
Microsoft Products don't integrate well with products from other
vendors. Some people think this is a deliberate strategy - see also
http://catb.org/esr/halloween/halloween1.html
It currently has no support for OASIS, and given the bad feeling about
how the "Open XML" accreditation process was progressed, there is not
likely to be any method of converting files in the near future.
Lotus 123 might work, given the restraints on image handling in Excel.
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> Finally you mention PDF. My understanding is that creating a PDF file from
> PHP / MySQL is no easy feat either?
It's a walk in the park compared with what you are proposing.
C.
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> have to put lots of Excel spreadsheets. I was hoping it would not be
> necessary but it is unavoidable.
>
> Therefore I'm looking for some good libraries out there that will make
> this as easy and robust as possible. Don't even mind if I have to pay a
> reasonable amount if it really does make a difference.
>
> note also would be hoping to do some complex stuff such set column sizes
> and maybe even marked cells as locked.
>
> Is there anything out there that can do this?