Introduction
  Welcome
  The Web Reporting Solution
  What is ExcelWriter?
  Features and Benefits
  New in This Version  V4
  Requirements
  Edition Differences
  Frequently Asked Questions
  Troubleshooting

Quick Start
  Creating Your First Spreadsheet
  Adding a Formula
  Adding Formatting
  Importing from a Database

Features In Depth
  Addressing Cells
  Setting Values
  Output Options
  Adding Charts
  Reading an Existing Spreadsheet
  Modifying an Existing Spreadsheet
  The Range Object
  Template Spreadsheets
  How to Use Templates
  ExcelApp.Open vs. ExcelTemplate
  Using ExcelTemplate with PivotTables
  Templates and Charts
  Reliable Spreadsheet Download  V4
  Page Setup
  Formatting Headers & Footers
  Protecting your Worksheet
  Multilingual Support  V4
  XML Import

HotCell Technology  V4
  What is HotCell Technology?
  Upload Example
  Advanced POST Example
  Advanced Upload Example

Programmer's Reference
  Object Model
      ExcelTemplate Object
      ExcelApplication Object
         3DProperties Object
         Area Object
         Axis Object
         Cells Object
         Cell Object
         Charts Object
         Chart Object
         ChartFrame Object
         Font Object
         Line Object
         PageSetup Object
         Pictures Object
         Picture Object
         Range Object
         SeriesCollection Object
         Series Object
         Style Object
         Worksheets Object
         Worksheet Object
  Formula Functions
  Formula Calculation Operators
  Formatting Codes
  Chart Codes

Installation
  Quick Installation
  Configuring IIS
  Security Considerations

External Links
  ExcelWriter Home Page
  Technical Support
  ExcelWriter Demos
  SoftArtisans Home Page
  E-mail General Questions
  E-mail Technical Support
  Legal Information

What is ExcelWriter?

SoftArtisans ExcelWriter is a high-performance solution that generates native Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (not Excel look-alikes) on a Web server. A few simple lines of code generate editable presentation-quality spreadsheets that can be saved or viewed instantly by thousands of concurrent users.

ExcelWriter is a multi-threaded, single DLL, built for the most demanding Web sites that may need to generate thousands of spreadsheets per day. ExcelWriter does not require the Microsoft Excel object on your server and generates Excel format output with benchmarked performance that is over 100 times faster than that of the Microsoft Excel object.

ExcelWriter offers over seventy chart styles. Once you select a style, you can customize every detail of your chart, using ExcelWriter's many charting properties. ExcelWriter includes over fifty Excel functions and most Excel formatting options, including multiple sheets, fonts, boundaries, and many more.

ExcelWriter can populate a spreadsheet from an ADO recordset. Once populated, you can format cells and add formulas to produce a polished, accurate Excel spreadsheet.

V4  SoftArtisans Hotcell Technology allows users to send revised data back to any data source to maintain an up-to-date, centralized location for your business critical information.

Note on ExcelWriter Editions

SoftArtisans offers four production editions of ExcelWriter. Not all ExcelWriter features are available in ExcelWriterSE, ExcelWriterLE, and ExcelWriterFree. For more information, see ExcelWriter Editions.
  
ExcelWriter offers several methods for creating Excel files. You can use an existing Excel file, an ExcelWriter template, or generate Excel from code:
Using a Template
Maximum Speed
Generate a new spreadsheet from an Excel template file. The spreadsheet can reference data from any combination of recordsets, variables and arrays. This method generates spreadsheets with the greatest speed while providing the ability to produce presentation-quality reports by anyone with minimal Excel experience.
Using an Existing Spreadsheet
Increased Flexibility
Utilize an existing spreadsheet and modify it in code. This is the most powerful method because all Excel features and functionality are preserved in the newly generated spreadsheet. You can easily enhance spreadsheets, at runtime, with ExcelWriter's extensive design and charting capabilities.
Pure Coding
Completely Dynamic
Generate an xls file from code alone. This dynamic approach provides total control, at runtime, of every element in the resulting spreadsheet.
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What ExcelWriter is Not

ExcelWriter is not a visual end-user tool like Microsoft Excel. It is not an ActiveX control that exists on the client. Rather, it generates native Excel files via server-side scripting that can be read by Microsoft Excel.

ExcelWriter does not use XML or HTML to represent the spreadsheet. The resultant spreadsheet is in the native Microsoft binary format (BIFF8). This permits the creation of rich spreadsheets, including charts and images, and allows for support of all versions of Excel from Excel 95 through Excel XP.

ExcelWriter does not have a calculation engine to perform computation on the cells in the spreadsheet. When formulas are included in a spreadsheet, Excel calculates the values when it loads the spreadsheet. (Please note: since ExcelWriter does not calculate values, evaluation of formulas is not possible during spreadsheet creation).

ExcelWriter is not a charting engine. It cannot produce static charts in GIF or JPG/JPEG image format. Rather, it produces fully dynamic 2D or 3D Excel charts capable of referencing data from the same or another worksheet in the workbook.

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