SoftArtisans WordWriter 2.5.1 Readme
Features & Benefits	Deliver Microsoft Word at the Speed of the Web Part of SoftArtisans OfficeWriter 2.5.1 October 2004
WordWriter Editions
System Requirements
Installation
Release Notes
New in Version 2.5.1
Version Differences
Documentation and Samples

Features & Benefits

• WordWriter generates full function, native Microsoft Word files from a template and one or more data sources.
  
  
• WordWriter allows you to take advantage of Microsoft Word's familiarity:
  
  
  • Use Word to design template reports.
  • Use Word's familiar Mail Merge feature to create report fields.
  • Preview your report in Word before running WordWriter.
  
  
• WordWriter is a high performance solution. Built for the most demanding sites, WordWriter easily generates thousands of Word files per day.
  
  
• WordWriter's simple and intuitive object model makes it very easy to use.
  
  
• WordWriter development is template-driven and requires minimal coding.
  
  
• WordWriter allows you to save the generated Word file on the server, stream it to the client, or both.
  
  
• WordWriter fully supports Unicode documents and values and can be used in a multilingual environment (where client and server are running different languages).
  
  
• WordWriter includes OfficeWriter Assistant*, a complete HTTP client and file transfer engine that can be used from Internet Explorer or from VBA Macros within your Word documents, allowing you to add rich client-side functionality to your OfficeWriter applications. For more information, see the OfficeWriter Assistant documentation.

* This feature is not available in WordWriterSE, WordWriterLE, or WordWriterFree. See WordWriter Editions.

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WordWriter Editions

SoftArtisans offers four editions of WordWriter:

• WordWriterEE
  Creates, modifies and delivers native Microsoft Word documents over the Web from Word templates and one or more data sources. WordWriterEE can import multiple row data sources to a template.
  
  
• WordWriterSE
  Like WordWriterEE, WordWriterSE generates Word files from a template and one or more data sources, but WordWriterSE imports only single row data sources.
  
  
• WordWriterLE
  WordWriterSE offers the same functionality as WordWriterSE, but is limited to 200 Word files per day.
  
  
• WordWriterFree
  WordWriterFree is a 30-day evaluation edition of WordWriterLE. Word documents generated by WordWriterFree contain a SoftArtisans ad.
  
  

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System Requirements

Server Requirements

• Windows 2000, 2002 (XP), or 2003.
  
  
• Microsoft .NET Framework Redistributable version 1.0 or later. The .NET Framework version number must be the same as the J# version number - use .NET Framework 1.0 with J# 1.0, or use .NET Framework 1.1 with J# 1.1.
  
  
• J# Redistributable Package version 1.0 or later. The .NET Framework version number must be the same as the J# version number - use .NET Framework 1.0 with J# 1.0, or use .NET Framework 1.1 with J# 1.1.

Microsoft Word is not required on the server. This prevents the performance penalties and instability associated with instantiating multiple copies of the Word object on a Web server.

Client Requirements

To create WordWriter templates, you will need:

• Microsoft Word 97, 2000, or 2002 (XP)

WordWriter does not fully support templates created in Word 2003. If a template contains certain new Word 2003 features, WordWriter will report an error. As a work-around, if you create templates in Word 2003, save the templates in Word XP/2000 file format.

No software is required on the client to download and save a Word file. To enable opening of Word files, one of the following must be installed on the client.

• Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002 (XP), 2003.
• Microsoft's free Word Viewer. The Word Viewer allows the user to view and print Word 97 and 2000 files, but not to modify them.
• Another application that supports the Word format, such as, StarOffice or OpenOffice for Unix.

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Installation

Automatic Installation

To run the automatic installation, double-click OfficeWriter-2.x.x-Win.exe and follow the instructions. By default, the automatic installation will save WordWriter and its documentation and samples in the directory C:\Program Files\SoftArtisans\OfficeWriter. You can select a different directory during the installation process.

WordWriter includes the .Net assembly SAWW2NET.dll and SAWW2CCW.dll, a COM callable wrapper (CCW) that allows you to use WordWriter from ASP. SAWW2NET.dll is installed in:

1. The Global Assembly Cache (GAC)
   SAWW2NET.dll must be installed in the GAC to allow the CCW to work. If you do not plan to use WordWriter in ASP, you can remove SAWW2NET.dll from the GAC.



2. OfficeWriter\WordWriter\doc-samples\samples\bin
   This is the bin directory for WordWriters samples. If you remove SAWW2NET.dll from the GAC, the WordWriter samples will still run, because they use the assembly in the bin directory.

During the automatic installation process you will be asked to enter the WordWriter license key that you received with your order confirmation. To see all OfficeWriter license keys installed in the registry, or to add or remove a key (for example, when upgrading) run LicenseManager.exe (included with WordWriter).

There is one installer for OfficeWriter. Depending on which license key is entered during installation (or updated later with the license utility), different functionality will be unlocked for the product. If you leave the key field blank during installation, you will get the free limited edition of WordWriter. If you enter a key for a 30-day evaluation you will get a full-featured version of the product which expires after 30 days.

When you install WordWriter, you will also be given the option to install ExcelWriter. If your license key is only for WordWriter, and you choose to install ExcelWriter as well, a free limited version of ExcelWriter will be installed. If you ordered an evaluation or full version of the whole OfficeWriter suite, you will receive one OfficeWriter key which will unlock both products.

If you received two keys - one for ExcelWriter and one for WordWriter - enter either during the installation process. After installing, run LicenseManager.exe (in \OfficeWriter) and add the second key.

When you update a license key, IIS must be reset before the new license will take effect.

Installing WordWriter at the Application Level

If you removed WordWriter from the GAC, it will only be available to the WordWriter samples. To make WordWriter available to another application, include a directory called bin at the application's top level, and save a copy of SAWW2NET.dll in this directory:

1. At the top level of your application, create a directory called bin.
   
   
2. Copy SAWW2NET.dll OfficeWriter\WordWriter to your application's bin directory.

Installing WordWriter in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC)

By default, SAWW2NET.dll is installed in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), and is therefore available to all .NET applications on your machine. If you removed SAWW2NET.dll from the GAC, and would like to reinstall it globally:

1. Open a command prompt window and move to the directory OfficeWriter\WordWriter.
   
   
2. Enter gacutil /i SAWW2NET.dll.



3. Open the file machine.config (in [Windows directory]\Microsoft.NET\Framework\[.NET version directory]\CONFIG).



4. Add the following line to the assemblies node of machine.config:
   
   

   <add assembly="SAWW2NET, Version=x.x.x.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=f593502af6ee46ae"/>

   OR

   Create a text file containing the following lines, and save it as web.config. Save web.config at the top level of your application.

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
   <configuration>
   <system.web>
   <compilation>
   <compilers>
   </compilers>
   <assemblies>
   <add assembly="SAWW2NET, Version=x.x.x.x, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=f593502af6ee46ae"/>
   <add assembly="*" />
   </assemblies>
   </compilation>          
   </system.web>
   </configuration>

Removing WordWriter

1. From the Start menu, go to Settings -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs.



2. Select SoftArtisans OfficeWriter and click Remove.

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Release Notes

• WordWriter does not support the Microsoft Word following formatting options:
  
  
  • Mapped field
  • Vertical formatting
  • NumberedItem
  
  
• If a WordWriter template's data source is a database table, WordWriter will populate the template with data from the first record in the table.
  
  
• WordWriter supports Microsoft Word 97, 2000, and 2002 (XP). Do not use WordWriter to open files created in earlier versions of Microsoft Word.



• WordWriter does not fully support templates created in Word 2003. If a template contains certain new Word 2003 features, WordWriter will report an error. As a work-around, if you create templates in Word 2003, save the templates in Word XP/2000 file format.



• WordWriter cannot process "fast-saved" Word files. When creating a WordWriter template, make sure that "Allow fast saves" (in the Word "Options" sheet) is unchecked.



• WordWriter does not support the following features in template repeat blocks: diagrams, text boxes, comments, smart tags, and footnote and endnote references.



• Repeat blocks can not be nested. Bookmarks placed within repeat block are removed.



• In some cases, after WordWriter processes a template, the link between a button in the generated Word file and the button's VBA code may be broken.
  
  
• The evaluation version of WordWriter is a 30-day version of WordWriterFree.

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New in Version 2.5.1

• Multiple data sources in the main document



• Image insertion



• Improved field marker syntax



• Field lookup from repeat block to non-repeat block data sources
• A field can now be marked optional, using the "optional" modifier
• Ordinals can be used to reference fields and data sources


• Field marker and bookmark collections



• Improved performance

New in Version 2

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Version Differences

New in Version 2.0.2

• Issues resolved:
  
  • Handling of the dbNull fields
    
  • Improved error messages.

New in Version 2.0.3

• Issues resolved:
  
  • Minor changes to the documentation and samples.
    
    

New in Version 2.0.5

• No changes.

New in Version 2.0.6

• Issues resolved:
  
  • COM wrapper throws an exception when an array of colum names is passed to SetRepeatBlock method

New in Version 2.5.1:

• Multiple data sources in the main document
• Image insertion
• Improved field marker syntax
• Field lookup from repeat block to non-repeat block data sources
• A field can now be marked optional, using the "optional" modifier
• Ordinals can be used to reference fields and data sources
• Field marker and bookmark collections
• Improved performance

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Documentation and Samples

WordWriter includes comprehensive documentation and many sample applications. You can run all samples and view sample code from the documentation. You can also run the samples separately. WordWriter's automatic installation process will create virtual directories for the documentation and samples.

To run the integrated documentation and samples, open a browser window and enter the URL "http://localhost/officewriter/Wordwriter".

To run the samples separately, open a browser window and enter the URL "http://localhost/officewriter/Wordwriter/samples".

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