Excel in HTML

[brian]

I am trying to insert an excel document with a calculation into a web
site for one of my clients. So far this has not worked properly. It
will insert the document but the calculation that my client set up
does not function. I do not use Excel and do not know how to proceed
with trying to get this information onto their site. I have read some
information about Active X Controller for Excel, which if I understand
correctly this will allow me to include the Excel document (as is)
into an .html page. I have found several Active X "plugins" to
accomplish this task but they are all for Windows OS. I am on a MAC
OS.

If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be much
appreciated.

Regards,
Brian S. Bean

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm afraid I can't offer a solution because this is a web design issue & I'm
not a [particularly qualified] web designer, but perhaps I can offer a
little clarification:

HTML is nothing but a page description language and therefore doesn't
support calculations. A calculation control can be designed into a web page
using various methods, one of which is ActiveX Controls. As you've found,
however, ActiveX is *not* supported on the Mac - purportedly for good
reason - and isn't even supported in all Windows-based browsers. IOW, even
if you have the necessary work done to create the ActiveX-based objects
there is no guarantee that all visitors to that site would be able to view
the result - especially if they're using something other than IE 6 or later
(which leaves out anyone on a Mac). The web server (IIRC) also has to
support MS Web Extensions or some such, which many do not.

Bottom line: I'd suggest that if this is an important issue you should
enlist the services of a qualified web design specialist who understands
what need to be done for maximum compatibility.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Brian,

The ability to have a web page include operational calculation formulas was
not included in the Mac version of Excel.

You can create such a spreadsheet if you use Windows Excel. There is an "add
interactivity" set of preferences in the Save As dialog box. It may require
that the site be visited with Internet Explorer for Microsoft Windows.

This is one of those features that was not implemented on the Mac
intentionally. Microsoft is under the impression that Mac users do not care
about or want this sort of feature.

Mac users supposedly have complained bitterly over the years about "feature
bloat" and "proprietary" behaviors that required Microsoft only solutions.
This is a case in point of an expensive to implement feature that falls into
the category of "bloatware" and "evil Microsoft."

So MacBU listened and decided we Mac users don't want this. IE was killed on
the Mac and there is no reason to implement this Excel functionality on the
Mac side because it would be evil and bad to have it.

The anti-Microsoft crowd knows better than we do. So we don't get this
feature to keep them happy.

It's people like you and me who are the ones in the wrong. We want our
computers to do more instead of less. I guess we don't make enough noise to
overshadow the other loud mouths.

-Jim

I am trying to insert an excel document with a calculation into a web
site for one of my clients. So far this has not worked properly. It
will insert the document but the calculation that my client set up
does not function. I do not use Excel and do not know how to proceed
with trying to get this information onto their site. I have read some
information about Active X Controller for Excel, which if I understand
correctly this will allow me to include the Excel document (as is)
into an .html page. I have found several Active X "plugins" to
accomplish this task but they are all for Windows OS. I am on a MAC
OS.

If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be much
appreciated.

Regards,
Brian S. Bean

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi Again,

I neglected to include how to solve your problem on a Mac.

There are two possible paths you can take, neither of which is very
attractive IMHO.

Ugly solution #1:
Use a virtual machine or buy a PC. Run Windows. Run Excel in Windows.

Ugly solution #2:
Use Google documents.
http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

Both solutions are expensive. #1 is costly in time to set up, purchase all
the software and make sure your computer is beefy enough to handle it all.
But at least you get to own your document and can work with HTML code if you
want to.

#2 is costly because you essentially turn your life over to Google, who will
sell you and everything you do on the internet to anyone with money and
along the way will treat you as a target (for advertising dollars). You may
have to pay rent to Google for this privilege. Such are the joys of the
latest fads, which are killing the concept of user owned software and
control.

-Jim

Hi Brian,

The ability to have a web page include operational calculation formulas was
not included in the Mac version of Excel.

You can create such a spreadsheet if you use Windows Excel. There is an "add
interactivity" set of preferences in the Save As dialog box. It may require
that the site be visited with Internet Explorer for Microsoft Windows.

This is one of those features that was not implemented on the Mac
intentionally. Microsoft is under the impression that Mac users do not care
about or want this sort of feature.

Mac users supposedly have complained bitterly over the years about "feature
bloat" and "proprietary" behaviors that required Microsoft only solutions.
This is a case in point of an expensive to implement feature that falls into
the category of "bloatware" and "evil Microsoft."

So MacBU listened and decided we Mac users don't want this. IE was killed on
the Mac and there is no reason to implement this Excel functionality on the
Mac side because it would be evil and bad to have it.

The anti-Microsoft crowd knows better than we do. So we don't get this
feature to keep them happy.

It's people like you and me who are the ones in the wrong. We want our
computers to do more instead of less. I guess we don't make enough noise to
overshadow the other loud mouths.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info