Open XML in excel file

[prabh singh]

requirement is to open xml in excel format

[Ulf Dittmer]

What do you mean by "xml in excel format"? What do you have so far, and where are you stuck making progress?

[prabh singh]

I am attaching xml in email and requirement is on opening it (double clicking) it should be open in excel file

[Ulf Dittmer]

I don't know that anyone would want to configure their computers to open a spreadsheet application upon double-clicking an XML file; you may want to reconsider that approach.

Why do you not want to send a spreadsheet data file instead, like XLS or XLSX?

[fred rosenberger]

The extension on a file name is really meaningless, except by convention. You could name a text file as a .exe, or an excel file with a .zip extension.

Now, there are two problems:

1) HUMANS assign meaning to them. If I see a file with ".xml" on the end, I assume it is an XML file. If I see a file that ends with ".zip", I assume I need to unzip it before I can read/use it.

2) Computers - and specifically Windows - assign meaning to them. Windows sets up "associations" between file extensions and applications. So, on my windows machine, when I double click on a file with a .doc extension, Windows says "Oh...i need to open that file. It has the '.doc' extension, and I know the user wants me to use MS Word to open those file". Any .xml file is opened with XML Spy. If I doubleclick on a file with an extension there is no association for, my computer asks me "What do you want to open this file with?", and further says "Should I do this for EVERY file with that extension from now on?"

So..the upshot here is that you cannot FORCE someone to open a XML file with excel - the USER gets to decide what to use. After all, what if they don't even HAVE Excel? I personally use OpenOffice for my spreadsheets.

[prabh singh]

thanks fred and Ulf
Actually I have seen sample of xml which on double click open in excel (even in open office ) but many attributes are added to it just for one row in excel almost one page of attributes are added (for style and proper format ) so i thought if any one have done this before can help

[Ulf Dittmer]

I'm still curious about this:

Why do you not want to send a spreadsheet data file instead, like XLS or XLSX?

[fred rosenberger]

prabh singh wrote:Actually I have seen sample of xml which on double click open in excel (even in open office )

yes. It CAN happen, if the user associates Excel with .xml extensions. I've not really dug into these pages, but they look like they might explain it better:

one
two

The upshot being - You cannot send someone a file and FORCE them to use a specific program on double-click. THEY get to determine what program opens what files.

[prabh singh]

ok thanks i will see these and Ulf Dittmer actually i want to send xml as it can be readable by other application

[prabh singh]

i am following this link but want to this automatically
http://www.excel-easy.com/examples/xml.html

[Ulf Dittmer]

What kind of application? XML is a format not many apps will be able to make use of, as opposed to TXT or CSS, both of which are readily exported from a spreadsheet app.

I think meaningfully importing XML into a spreadsheet will be a challenge, too, assuming you can get the user to map double-clicking an XML file to a spreadsheet, which as I said is unlikely.

[prabh singh]

Ulf Dittmer yes but it was client requirement
finally done that
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"
xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<Worksheet ss:Name="Report">
<Table>
<Row>
<Cell><Data ss:Type="String">a1</Data></Cell>
<Cell><Data ss:Type="String">b1</Data></Cell>
</Row>
<Row>
<Cell><Data ss:Type="String">a2</Data></Cell>
<Cell><Data ss:Type="String">b2</Data></Cell>
</Row>
</Table>
</Worksheet>
</Workbook>