SoftArtisans ExcelWriter Guide

ExcelApplication.Open* vs. ExcelTemplate

* ExcelApplication.Open is not available in ExcelWriterSE, ExcelWriterLE, and ExcelWriterFree.

ExcelWriter provides two means of using a preset spreadsheet format to generate a new spreadsheet:

ExcelApplication's Open method (see Modifying an Existing Spreadsheet)

ExcelTemplate (see Template Spreadsheets and How To Use Templates)

Using ExcelApplication.Open is slower than using ExcelTemplate because the ExcelApplication object is larger and more complex than the ExcelTemplate object. However, the ExcelApplication object is rich in features, and can modify spreadsheets at run time, while ExcelTemplate can only fill in cell values. The following table summarizes the differences between the two.

Note: You can use ExcelTemplate and ExcelApplication together, as demonstrated in the sample Using ExcelTemplate with ExcelApplication.

	ExcelApp.Open	ExcelTemplate
Supported Excel formats	BIFF7 (Excel 95) and BIFF8 (Excel 97/2000/XP). Note: If you open a BIFF7 (Excel 95) format spreadsheet, you cannot apply BIFF8 features to it. ExcelWriter will save the spreadsheet in BIFF7 format.	BIFF8 only. ExcelTemplate does not support BIFF7 format templates, and will not generate BIFF7 format files.
Available in ExcelWriterSE/LE/Free	No.	Yes.
Modifications at run time	Yes.	No.
Can bind to data markers	No.	Yes.
Performance	ExcelApplication's large object model makes it a slower means of modifying an existing file than ExcelTemplate.	Because it is compact, ExcelTemplate is a faster means of populating a new spreadsheet with data from a preformatted file than ExcelApp.Open.
Flexibility	ExcelApplication is rich in features (including database import) which can be applied to an existing spreadsheet at run time.	ExcelTemplate only inserts cell values (recordsets, variables, and arrays).
Data Sources	ADO recordset (see GetDataFromRecordset), Excel spreadsheet (see GetDataFromExcelSheet) and two dimensional array(see Range.Value).	ADO recordset, Variables, and Arrays (see Datasource).
Requires modification of an existing Excel spreadsheet before opening.	No.	Yes. To use an existing Excel spreadsheet as a template, you must add data markers to it.
Supports Macros and VBA	ExcelApplication preserves existing Macros and VBA but cannot create new Macros and VBA.	ExcelTemplate preserves existing Macros and VBA but cannot create new Macros and VBA.