M
mfouchi
Hi,
I've been using OWC 10 for some time now... specifically the
spreadsheet and chart components.
I just read the revised licensing document that MS published in March,
and I want to know if the application I'm developing complies with the
license agreement.
I've always assumed, up until reading that doc, that if you weren't
allowed to do something with the components, it just wouldn't let you.
So as long as you didn't hack it, you'd be okay. But apparently that
may not be the case.
Here's what my app does:
A client who has OWC10 installed hits our intranet web server. A COM
dll, also running on the server, queries a database, and creates XML
out of the data. It then sends that XML string back to the client
where the Spreadsheet component loads the XML and displays the data.
So far, so good. Here's the iffy part:
I have the sheet locked down, so data cannot be edited directly in the
cell even if Office was installed. Its locked anyway if you don't have
Office installed.
The user may double click on a cell, and a plain HTML modal dialog box
pops up that queries the database again and displays more detailed data
related to that cell. It displays it in a regular HTML table.
The user may then edit the data using a textbox in that HTML table.
Once they click OK, the database gets updated with the new data, and
the process starts over. The dll sends the xml of the new data back to
the client and the spreadsheet displays the new data.
Is this in violation since the interactivity isn't taking place on the
Spreadsheet itself?
I do the same thing with the Chart object. I have a select dropdown
box under the chart that lets you pick a way to filter the data that
the chart is displaying. When you select one, it queries the database
again, sends the filtered data to the Chart object and it displays it.
So, what's the verdict? Do I have to rewrite all of my code to use a
grid / charting component from another company, or am I in the clear?
Thanks.
M
I've been using OWC 10 for some time now... specifically the
spreadsheet and chart components.
I just read the revised licensing document that MS published in March,
and I want to know if the application I'm developing complies with the
license agreement.
I've always assumed, up until reading that doc, that if you weren't
allowed to do something with the components, it just wouldn't let you.
So as long as you didn't hack it, you'd be okay. But apparently that
may not be the case.
Here's what my app does:
A client who has OWC10 installed hits our intranet web server. A COM
dll, also running on the server, queries a database, and creates XML
out of the data. It then sends that XML string back to the client
where the Spreadsheet component loads the XML and displays the data.
So far, so good. Here's the iffy part:
I have the sheet locked down, so data cannot be edited directly in the
cell even if Office was installed. Its locked anyway if you don't have
Office installed.
The user may double click on a cell, and a plain HTML modal dialog box
pops up that queries the database again and displays more detailed data
related to that cell. It displays it in a regular HTML table.
The user may then edit the data using a textbox in that HTML table.
Once they click OK, the database gets updated with the new data, and
the process starts over. The dll sends the xml of the new data back to
the client and the spreadsheet displays the new data.
Is this in violation since the interactivity isn't taking place on the
Spreadsheet itself?
I do the same thing with the Chart object. I have a select dropdown
box under the chart that lets you pick a way to filter the data that
the chart is displaying. When you select one, it queries the database
again, sends the filtered data to the Chart object and it displays it.
So, what's the verdict? Do I have to rewrite all of my code to use a
grid / charting component from another company, or am I in the clear?
Thanks.
M