workbooks.open function fails to open an existing excel file when used in ASP, but works in VB.

[san]

Hi all,
The following script (asp code) works like a charm on my workstation
IIS


Dim objExcel
Dim objWorkBook
Set objExcel = CreateObject("EXCEL.APPLICATION")
Set objWorkBook = objExcel.Workbooks.Open("C:\test\test.xls")
objWorkBook.SaveAs ("C:\test\test2.xls")
objWorkBook.Close True
Set objWorkBook = Nothing
Set objExcel = Nothing


The code above is just a sample, the actual app is ASP and involves DB
access, reading/writing excel files, ...
Trying to narrow the scope I found out that the simple script above
does not work on the server, rather works fine on my workstation IIS.
(Note: My workstation also has IIS)
The test.xls file is the most simple XL file ever, and the path is OK
The NT account I use definitely has write permissions on the target
directory, and test2.xls does not exist when I run the script.

Excel is installed on the server and works normally when used as a
client app.
But it seems to fail miserabily when used as an activeX object. The
script above says it can't find the file, but both the directory and
the fiel definitely exist on the server.

Any ideas what could break / alter the way excel works when used as an
activeX object from another App/Script ?

Any comments welcome

Santhosh

 

[Robin Hammond]

Just reading the script there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it,
although you could make it objWorkbook.Close False (rather than true).

However, excel is definitely not recommended as a server side application.

I have had some success running the office web components as a server side
component although even this is not fully supported by MS. For simple
actions like the ones you are showing, the OWC may be a better route to go.
There is a lack of documentation on OWC, but most things will work as they
would in Excel, with a far smaller memory overhead and faster create/destroy
times.

Robin Hammond
www.enhanceddatasystems.com