Integrating ColdFusion with Microsoft Office

Samuel Neff

June 26, 2004

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About the Presenter• Samuel Neff (sam@blinex.com)

Senior Software Engineer at B-Line ExpressTeam Macromedia Volunteer for CF

• Before CF, three years specific experience in Office devWord, Excel, Visual Basic for Applications

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Agenda• Introduction – Why integrate?

• Automation

• Office Web Components

• OLE Document Properties

• Microsoft Jet

• HTML/XML/CSS Hybrid

• Pure XML

• Comparisons, alternatives, and resources

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Why integrate with Office?• Consistent reproduction of reports

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Why integrate with Office?• Give users editable documents

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Why integrate with Office?• Leverage features of the Office suite

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Why integrate with Office?• Gain control unavailable with HTML

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Why so many options?• Long lived product

• Evolution of technologies

• Techniques intended for specific integration environments

• "Flavor of the week" technology

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Why don't we teach just the best?• All options have pros and cons

• Trade off features, performance, and complexity

• Apply most appropriate option for situationnot one size fits all

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Automation• Launch MS Office on the server

• Control through COM

• Most common and most powerful

• Can do anything an Office user can do

• Record Macro to learn office model

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, 97—2003

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Automation How-To• Start or connect to Excel

• Create or open a workbook

• Manipulate the data

• Save to a file

• Serve the file

• Example, create a pie chart01_Autmation_Create_Excel_Chart.cfmX

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Automation Example<cfobject name="xlApp" action="create" class="Excel.Application">

<cfset xlWbs = xlApp.Workbooks><cfset xlWb = xlWbs.add("")><cfset xlWs = xlWb.activeSheet>

<cfset c = xlWs.range("A2")><cfset c.value2 = "Tom"><cfset c = xlWs.range("B2")><cfset c.value2 = 120>

<cfset xlRange = xlWs.range("A1:B4")><cfset xlCharts = xlWb.charts><cfset xlChart = xlCharts.add()><cfset xlChart.chartType = -4102> <cfset xlChart.setSourceData(xlRange, 2)> <cfset xlChart.location(1, "Sales By Employee")>

<cfset xlWb.saveAs(fileName)><cfset xlWb.close()>

<cfcontent type="application/vnd.ms-excel" file="#fileName#">

X

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Automation Drawbacks• Slowest method

• Single threaded—not scalable

• Requires read/write from file system

• Requires Office and Windows on server

• Not safe for unattended execution "Microsoft does not currently recommend, and does not support,

Automation of Microsoft Office applications from any unattended, non-interactive client application or component (including ASP, DCOM, and NT Services), because Office may exhibit unstable behavior and/or deadlock when run in this environment."

• http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;257757

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Office Web Components (OWC)• COM interface to MS Office data objects

• Much MS Office functionality

• Safe for server side use

• Thread safe – Office XP & 2003 versions only

• Office 2000—2003

• Spreadsheet, PivotTable, Chart

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OWC How-To• Very similar to Automation

• Create a reference to an OWC components

• Manipulate the object

• Save the file

• Serve the file

• Example, create a bar chart02_OWC_Chart_Image.cfm

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OWC Example<cfset chSpace = createObject("com", "OWC10.ChartSpace")>

<cfset chChart = chSpace.Charts.Add()><cfset chChart.Type = 0>

<cfset chSer = chChart.SeriesCollection.Add()><cfset chSer.SetData(1, -1, valueList(salesData.name))> <cfset chSer.SetData(2, -1, valueList(salesData.sales))>

<cfset chSer.Caption = "Sales"><cfset chSpace.Border.Color = -2> <cfset chChart.HasLegend = True><cfset chChart.HasTitle = True>

<cfset chSpace.ExportPicture(absPath, "gif", 600, 512)>

<img src="#relPath#" width="600" height="512" border="0" />

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OWC Drawbacks• Requires Office and Windows on server

• Office 2000 version not designed for server usehttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid

=kb;en-us;Q317316

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OLE Properties• COM interface to any OLE compound

document

• Simple two-way transfer of small amounts of data

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, 97—2003

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OLE Properties How To• Instantiate a PropertyReader object

• Get a reference to the document properties

• Read or set properties as desired

• Release the COM objectWARNING: There is no "close" methodThe file is closed when the object is releasedCan only be done on-command in CFMX 6.1

• Example, read the author of documents03_DSO_List_With_Info.cfm

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OLE Properties Example<cfset fileName = expandPath("files\03_DSO_List\FlashForCFers.ppt")>

<cfobject action="create" type="com" class="DSOleFile.PropertyReader" name="propReader">

<cfset fileProps = propReader.GetDocumentProperties(fileName)> <cfoutput> #fileName# is written by #fileProps.author#</cfoutput>

<cfset releaseComObject(fileProps)><cfset releaseComObject(propReader)>

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OLE Properties Drawbacks• Appropriate only for small specific data

• Often requires VBA code within the document template

• Requires existing file as template for create

• Requires Windows on the server

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Jet Engine• Familiar database interaction

• Efficient read and write of data

• Excel 97—2003

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Jet Engine How-To• Create a datasource to an empty MS Access

databaseProxy datasource, used for dynamic connections

• Query the Excel file as if it's a databaseSpecify connection info in the FROM clause

• Example, reading uploaded data04_Jet_Read.cfm

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Jet Engine Example<cfset tempFile = expandPath("files\04_Jet_Read_Temp.xls")>

<cffile action = "upload" fileField = "fileName" destination = "#tempFile#" nameConflict = "overwrite">

<cfquery name="excelData" datasource="proxy"> SELECT Salesperson, SalesAmount FROM "Excel 8.0; DATABASE=#tempFile#; HDR=YES".[Sales$]</cfquery>

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Jet Engine Drawbacks• Very specific formatting requirements

Highly subject to user error, particularly reading

• Requires existing file as template for create

• Requires Windows serverTechnically feasible on Unix boxes, but requires

special drivers

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HTML/XML/CSS• Fast and familiar technologies

• Code is more often reusable

• Create most common documents

• Easy to create examples of target outputSave as HTML

• Does not require anything more than ColdFusion on serverEven works on Unix servers!

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, 2000—2003

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HTML/XML/CSS How-To• Create HTML Document

• Include MS Office specific CSS and XML as needed

• Serve to HTML

• Example, create mailing labels05_HTML_Labels.cfm

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HTML/XML/CSS Example<style> @page Section1 { size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:.5in 13.6pt 0in 13.6pt; } div.Section1 { page:Section1; } p { margin:0in 5.3pt 0in 5.3pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; }</style>

<cfcontent type="application/msword" reset="no">

<cfheader name="Content-Disposition" value="attachment; filename=Labels01.doc">

...html...

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HTML/XML/CSS Drawbacks• Limited documentation

• Can't reproduce all functionalityCharts, forms, some labels

• Some features require Web Archive filter in Office 2000

• Some Office 2000 installations require an “MHT” extension for Multipart-MIME files

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XML• Pure XML implementation

• Create nearly any document

• Easy to create examples of target outputSave as XML

• Does not require anything more than ColdFusion on serverEven works on Unix servers!

• Excel 2002, Word, Excel, PowerPoint 2003

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XML How-To• Generate XML document

• Serve XML document

• Example, sales report06_XML_Report.cfm

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XML Example<?xml version="1.0"?><Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"> <Worksheet ss:Name="Sales Report"> <Table> <Row> <Cell> <Data ss:Type="String">Tom</Data> </Cell> <Cell> <Data ss:Type="String">Books</Data> </Cell> <Cell> <Data ss:Type="Number">50</Data> </Cell> </Row> </Table> </Worksheet></Workbook>

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XML Drawbacks• Does not support charts

• For XP, Excel only Excel and Word in Office 2003

• Custom XML Schema

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XML Mapping• New feature in Office 2003

• Use an XML Schema to map data elements to fields or cells

• After mapping, import a conforming XML file

• Fields automatically filled in

• Data can be changed and re-exported back to XML

• Requires a lot of user interaction

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Comparison MatrixAuto OWC OLE JET HTML XML Map

Safe for server • • • • •

Office on Server • •

Windows on Server • • • •

Read data • • • • •

Write data • • • • • • •

Word • • • • •

Excel • • • • • • •

PowerPoint • • •

Leverage ever-day knowledge • •

Auto-generate examples • • • •

Often requires client-code • •

Subject to user error • •

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Alternatives• RTF

Supported on most word processorsMarker based text encoding

• PDFSupported by most usersCOM, Executable, XSL-FO

• SWFSupported by most usersFlashPaper—not server-side yet, but possibly in futureXSL-FO SWFRVML (http://www.kinesissoftware.com)

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Resources• CF Comet :: Coldfusion & COM

http://www.cfcomet.com/

• INFO: Considerations for Server-Side Automation of Office http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;257757

• OFF2000: Licensing the Office 2000 Web Components and Office Server Extensions http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;243006

• HOWTO: Use Server-Side Charting to Generate Charts Dynamically http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;244049

• INFO: Limitations of Office 2000 Web Components When Used Server-Side http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q317316

• Microsoft Office XP Web Component Toolpack http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=BEB5D477-2100-4586-A13C-50E56F101720&displaylang=en

• Dsofile.exe Lets You Edit Office Document Properties from Visual Basic and ASP http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;224351

• Microsoft® Office HTML and XML Reference http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnoffxml/html/ofxml2k.asp?frame=true

• Serving Word (HTML/XML/CSS) http://www.rewindlife.com/archives/000032.cfm

• HOWTO: Format an Excel Workbook While Streaming MIME Content http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;271572&Product=asp

• Microsoft Office 2003 XML http://www.microsoft.com/seminar/shared/asp/view.asp?url=/seminar/en/20030801DEVT1_76/manifest.xml

• XML in Office XP http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnoffpro01/html/XMLOfficeXPPartI.asp

• HOWTO: Use ASP to Generate a Rich Text Format (RTF) Document to Stream to Microsoft Word http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;270906&Product=asp

Thank you.

Blog: http://www.rewindlife.comThis Presentation: http://www.rewindlife.com/archives/000118.cfm Contact: sam@blinex.com

See me at MAX 2004: http://www.macromedia.com/go/maxMXEurope 2004: http://www.mxeurope.org