Using Excel.Application in ASP where Excel is installed on Client Machines instead of the Server.

Question

Hi,

I have a server with an asp page on it that generates a report in Excel, using the Excel.Application object. Normally, Excel would have to be installed on the server to work. I was wondering, however, if it is possible to utilise the excel install on client machines to do this instead, as I can't install Excel on the server?

Thanks for any help you can give

Answer 1

To do that you would need to fetch raw data into the users browser and use JavaScript to automate excel via its COM object model, this would be pretty horrific for a multitude of reasons, not least the security reconfiguration your users would have to perform on their machines.

YMMV but ADO can be used to create excel files.