How to automate Excel from an HTML Web page by using JScript
1/24/2020
3 minutes to read
Applies to:
Microsoft Excel
In this article
Summary
This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate a Microsoft Office Excel workbook from an HTML page.
More Information
This article illustrates JScript code that automates Excel. JScript has no internal means of creating SAFEARRAYs. When using automation, if you call a function that requires a SAFEARRAY, you can use VBScript to create the SAFEARRAY. The code below demonstrates this combination of JScript and VBScript code.
Building the automation sample
Start Notepad.
Paste the following code into Notepad.
Press the button to start Excel and display quarterly data.
Function CreateNamesArray()
' Create an array to set multiple values at once.
Dim saNames(5, 2)
saNames(0, 0) = "John"
saNames(0, 1) = "Smith"
saNames(1, 0) = "Tom"
saNames(1, 1) = "Brown"
saNames(2, 0) = "Sue"
saNames(2, 1) = "Thomas"
saNames(3, 0) = "Jane"
saNames(3, 1) = "Jones"
saNames(4, 0) = "Adam"
saNames(4, 1) = "Johnson"
CreateNamesArray = saNames
End Function
function AutomateExcel()
{
// Start Excel and get Application object.
var oXL = new ActiveXObject("Excel.Application");
oXL.Visible = true;
// Get a new workbook.
var oWB = oXL.Workbooks.Add();
var oSheet = oWB.ActiveSheet;
// Add table headers going cell by cell.
oSheet.Cells(1, 1).Value = "First Name";
oSheet.Cells(1, 2).Value = "Last Name";
oSheet.Cells(1, 3).Value = "Full Name";
oSheet.Cells(1, 4).Value = "Salary";
// Format A1:D1 as bold, vertical alignment = center.
oSheet.Range("A1", "D1").Font.Bold = true;
oSheet.Range("A1", "D1").VerticalAlignment = -4108; //xlVAlignCenter
// Create an array to set multiple values at once.
// Fill A2:B6 with an array of values (from VBScript).
oSheet.Range("A2", "B6").Value = CreateNamesArray();
// Fill C2:C6 with a relative formula (=A2 & " " & B2).
var oRng = oSheet.Range("C2", "C6");
oRng.Formula = "=A2 & \" \" & B2";
// Fill D2:D6 with a formula(=RAND()*100000) and apply format.
oRng = oSheet.Range("D2", "D6");
oRng.Formula = "=RAND()*100000";
oRng.NumberFormat = "$0.00";
// AutoFit columns A:D.
oRng = oSheet.Range("A1", "D1");
oRng.EntireColumn.AutoFit();
// Manipulate a variable number of columns for Quarterly Sales Data.
DispalyQuarterlySales(oSheet);
// Make sure Excel is visible and give the user control
// of Excel's lifetime.
oXL.Visible = true;
oXL.UserControl = true;
}
function DispalyQuarterlySales(oWS)
{
var iNumQtrs, sMsg, iRet;
// Number of quarters to display data for.
iNumQtrs = 4;
// Starting at E1, fill headers for the number of columns selected.
var oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E1", "E1").Resize(1,iNumQtrs);
oResizeRange.Formula = "=\"Q\" & COLUMN()-4 & CHAR(10) & \"Sales\"";
// Change the Orientation and WrapText properties for the headers.
oResizeRange.Orientation = 38;
oResizeRange.WrapText = true;
// Fill the interior color of the headers.
oResizeRange.Interior.ColorIndex = 36;
// Fill the columns with a formula and apply a number format.
oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E2", "E6").Resize(5,iNumQtrs);
oResizeRange.Formula = "=RAND()*100";
oResizeRange.NumberFormat = "$0.00";
// Apply borders to the Sales data and headers.
oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E1", "E6").Resize(6,iNumQtrs);
oResizeRange.Borders.Weight = 2; // xlThin
// Add a Totals formula for the sales data and apply a border.
oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E8", "E8").Resize(1,iNumQtrs);
oResizeRange.Formula = "=SUM(E2:E6)";
// 9 = xlEdgeBottom
oResizeRange.Borders(9).LineStyle = -4119; //xlDouble
oResizeRange.Borders(9).Weight = 4; //xlThick
// Add a Chart for the selected data.
oResizeRange = oWS.Range("E2:E6").Resize(5,iNumQtrs);
var oChart = oWS.Parent.Charts.Add();
oChart.ChartWizard(oResizeRange, -4100, null, 2); // -4100 = xl3dColumn
oChart.SeriesCollection(1).XValues = oWS.Range("A2", "A6");
for (iRet = 1; iRet <= iNumQtrs; iRet++) {
oChart.SeriesCollection(iRet).Name = "=\"Q" + iRet + "\"";
}
oChart.Location(2, oWS.Name); // 2 = xlLocationAsObject
// Move the chart so as not to cover your data.
oWS.Shapes("Chart 1").Top = oWS.Rows(10).Top;
oWS.Shapes("Chart 1").Left = oWS.Columns(2).Left;
}
οnclick="AutomateExcel">
Save the file to a directory of your choice with the file name Excelaut.htm.
Close Notepad and start Internet Explorer.
In the Address bar, type C:*path*\excelaut.htm, where path is the directory you saved the file in.
When Internet Explorer loads the file, you'll see one sentence with a button. When you press the button, Excel will start on the client's machine and fill with data.
References
This article parallels other articles that describe the same process using different languages. For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
219151 How to automate Microsoft Excel from Visual Basic
179706 How to use MFC to automate Excel and create and format a new workbook
For more information about how to automate Excel from a HTML page, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
198703 How to automate Excel from a client-side VBScript
For more information about Office Automation, visit the following Microsoft Office Development support Web site: Microsoft Support