How to distribute a workbook as a stand-alone application?

[Paul Gallagher]

I expect this is anything but trivial, but I would like to know what I need
to learn in order to do it.

I have an Excel workbook that I use as a piece of data
importation/analysis/reporting software. It's comprised of six worksheets,
has about 20,000 lines of VBA code and about 30 userforms, and uploads report
data to Access. I'd like to be able to distribute it to colleagues, but for
a number of reasons, I'd like to be able to distribute it as a stand-alone
application that doesn't require the use of Microsoft Office products.

I get the impression that this is possible, perhaps using Visual Studio.Net
and Visual Studio Tools for Office, but I'm completely unfamiliar with these
products. I'm also by no means an expert or professional programmer,
obviously, having taught myself VBA as I went along developing this workbook.
That said, I would like to learn, and would like to know exactly what it is
that I need to know, if that makes any sense.

I've seen a few products that advertise the ability to transform your Excel
books into applications, but I don't have much confidence that all the
funcitonality will be carried over, especially the ability to upload to a
database. I'd rather try to develop the application manually.

Thanks for any input at all!

Paul

 

[Bob Phillips]

How do you expect to be able to create a stand-alone application that uses
Excel worksheets, and uploads to an Access database without using Office
products?

You can create a VB app that has forms, manages data, and even creates
reports, but if you want to use Excel worksheets or an Access database, you
need those products.

--

HTH

RP
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)

 

[Fredrik Wahlgren]

I expect this is anything but trivial, but I would like to know what I need
to learn in order to do it.

I have an Excel workbook that I use as a piece of data
importation/analysis/reporting software. It's comprised of six worksheets,
has about 20,000 lines of VBA code and about 30 userforms, and uploads report
data to Access. I'd like to be able to distribute it to colleagues, but for
a number of reasons, I'd like to be able to distribute it as a stand-alone
application that doesn't require the use of Microsoft Office products.

I get the impression that this is possible, perhaps using Visual Studio.Net
and Visual Studio Tools for Office, but I'm completely unfamiliar with these
products. I'm also by no means an expert or professional programmer,
obviously, having taught myself VBA as I went along developing this workbook.
That said, I would like to learn, and would like to know exactly what it is
that I need to know, if that makes any sense.

I've seen a few products that advertise the ability to transform your Excel
books into applications, but I don't have much confidence that all the
funcitonality will be carried over, especially the ability to upload to a
database. I'd rather try to develop the application manually.

Thanks for any input at all!

Paul

You can't. The closest thing to what you want is to make a COM/Automation
add-in.

/Fredrik

 

[Paul Gallagher]

Hmm, I thought that that was exactly the point of the Office Developer
editions...to generate solutions (applications, whatever you want to call
them) that operate with the same functionality as a customized excel workbook
or access database, but that cannot be modified so easily by the user and do
not require an actual copy of Office to run them.

The documentation for Office 2000 developer says that you can deploy
solutions with a distributable and royalty-free MsAccess runtime, and I
assume you can do the same for Excel-type functionality. If every user
would need the office software to run the app, then what's the point of using
any of the Developer tools? Why not just distribute a workbook?

 

[Bob Phillips]

Hmm, I thought that that was exactly the point of the Office Developer
editions...to generate solutions (applications, whatever you want to call
them) that operate with the same functionality as a customized excel workbook
or access database, but that cannot be modified so easily by the user and do
not require an actual copy of Office to run them.

MS is a business, and a vey good businees (read successful). And how do they
make so much money, by selling millions of copies of OS and Office. It's a
cash cow.

The documentation for Office 2000 developer says that you can deploy
solutions with a distributable and royalty-free MsAccess runtime, and I
assume you can do the same for Excel-type functionality. If every user
would need the office software to run the app, then what's the point of using
any of the Developer tools? Why not just distribute a workbook?

Flexibility, versatility, and size. A stand-alone is smaller, anjd eaier to
ditribute than a workbook. Actually, if you are not using the Access
functionality, you could probably get away with that by creating the mdb on
your machine, and distribute that as well. Access is not really my forte, so
I am not sure what runtime functionality is provided. But if you want to use
any of the Excel product functionality, be it directly or by automation, you
need that product.

Do you expect to be able to use an Oracle database without an Oracle
licence?

 

[Paul Gallagher]

Got it. Since I'm new to this I've just been going on some assumptions. I
wondered how MS would profit from allowing Office development and
redistribution.

Anyway, thanks for helping to explain. I think the most important reasons
for wanting a stand alone still apply and include some of the ones you
mentioned. I don't really know anyone that doesn't have Office to begin
with. And since the raw data I'm working with is in Excel, it's a moot point
anyway.

Thanks again for clarifying.