Controlling Word from ASP.NET

[carlor]

Hi there,

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask this, but here goes.

We are working on an ASP.NET app that needs to interact with Word.
Essentially, there are 3 things we need to do and I was hoping someone could
tell us once and for all if it's possible. Now, it is highly unlikely that we
would be able to use an ActiveX control... but there is a slim possibility.
That being said, we need to plan for not using ActiveX.

1. User clicks a button on a web page, a mail merge is performed and a Word
doc prints directly and transparently to the user's local printer.

2. User clicks a button on the web page, mail merges are performed and a
selected list of documents print directly and transparently to the user's
local printer.

3. User clicks on a button on the web page, a mail merge is performed and
the document is opened in Word on the client's system.

So folks, what do you say? Is it possible without an ActiveX control? Is it
possible WITH and ActiveX control?


Thank you in advance,

Carlo.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?Y2FybG9y?=,

I suppose it's possible, if you can posit Word 2003 and NOT use mail merge. Set
up the basic docs in Word, save them as WordProcessingML (XML). Use Transforms
to merge data into them, send them to the user's machines with a command-line to
print. That should open Word and print them (same as choosing Print from the
Windows Explorer). Or you can choose to open them from a command line. Assuming
you have that amount of control of the user's machine through ASP.NET.

We are working on an ASP.NET app that needs to interact with Word.
Essentially, there are 3 things we need to do and I was hoping someone could
tell us once and for all if it's possible. Now, it is highly unlikely that we
would be able to use an ActiveX control... but there is a slim possibility.
That being said, we need to plan for not using ActiveX.

1. User clicks a button on a web page, a mail merge is performed and a Word
doc prints directly and transparently to the user's local printer.

2. User clicks a button on the web page, mail merges are performed and a
selected list of documents print directly and transparently to the user's
local printer.

3. User clicks on a button on the web page, a mail merge is performed and
the document is opened in Word on the client's system.

So folks, what do you say? Is it possible without an ActiveX control? Is it
possible WITH and ActiveX control?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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