Backend integration

I would like to fetch some data from other sites or from a web service, how can I do that?

It is easy to do, but requires some knowledge in JavaScript and HTML. Just add a JavaScript function that fetches the data and stores it into respective fields. If you look at the web page, you see that the form fields are named with the same names as the corresponding spreadsheet cells. You can make the new fields hidden and/or read-only.

Does SpreadsheetConverter support webqueries?

No, but it is easy to write code in ASP, ASP.NET, JSP, PHP to insert and retrieve data.

What is the underlying language to support the functionality of the spreadsheets?

The HTML-version generates JavaScript, the ASP.NET version generates JScript, the JSP-version generates Java.

Can I write code to replace the macros in ASP or Java?

Yes, you can write functions of your own.

Are the cells accessable from C#, VB.NET and Java?

The cells are accessable, but not as a grid, but as variables and arrays. We optimized the grid away, since it in theory can contain 1,000,000 cells per sheet.

How do I pre-populate input fields with data retrieved from a database?

There are several solution. For example, you can send them over an URL with the syntax http://www.foo.com/calc.htm?bar=56 will set the field call bar to 56. You name cells in Excel.

This assumes that you are prefilling an input cell. Here is a better solution that can be used to set any value.

If you know ASP, the simplest solution is to take the HTML page, make it into a ASP-page over replace statements like

p1A1 = 1234

with

p1A1 = <%= reference to variable which contains the value for cell A1 on sheet 1 %>

where 1234 is the default value that you set in Excel and which you want to read from the database instead.

This solution also works for PHP.

If you want to set constants, see <a href=”/tutorials/programmers/in itialize-values-on-server/Default.htm”>How to initialize values on the server</a>

Does SpreadsheetConverter support DDE funtionality?

No.