Thanks for all suggestions. IMO fpspread...pas is too complex for & I'd need to hack thro' thousands of lines - maybe a simple program to read xls into csv, as in b) below could be added?.
Here, fyi, In looking around I came up with these 2 : a) googled 'read xls' http://exceldatareader.codeplex.com/ Unfortunately I don't use c# but the mechanisms for reading spread look simple in the referenced page ie 1 line! Guess one could try to use the excel.dll in te reference in fpc & then access it from fpc b) using a <10 line vbs program referenced here to create a csv file then getting the data from that http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1858195/convert-xls-to-csv-on-command-line This is the way I'm doing it, running the vbs file from cmd using exec etc, simple if crude!. john On 1 October 2013 12:15, John Lee <johnel...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks - as you say (with nice irony) it isn't a simple format, and I > don't pretend to understand it, indeed it is 'doing my head in' - but I > don't want to write .xls or do charts etc, just read some cells (only in in > excel 2003, seems to be v11 according to help) - maybe my hope of a few > lines, with one or two units 'used', isn't possible but there seem to be > millions of lines here. Is there an example of reading cells from named > spread that you could point to? > > John > > > On 1 October 2013 08:44, Felipe Monteiro de Carvalho < > felipemonteiro.carva...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> The source code of fpspreadsheet is open ... just copy/paste/modifiy >> it for your needs: >> >> >> https://sourceforge.net/p/lazarus-ccr/svn/HEAD/tree/components/fpspreadsheet/xlsbiff8.pas#l50 >> >> But BIFF8 is not a simple format, there is no simple answer to your >> question. It is encapsulated in a OLE Document storage system to start >> with, which is something pretty complex. >> >> BIFF2 till BIFF5 (Excel 5.0) were simple formats, but that's not the >> format you are looking for from your question. >> >> Felipe >> >> On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 9:45 PM, John Lee <johnel...@gmail.com> wrote: >> > Thanks - that looks excellent, but the 'uses' list for this, for non >> lazarus >> > users, has, I guess, lots of things in it. >> > >> > The problem is also that I'm trying to implement this hack in an old >> version >> > of pascal, v2.2.2 for which I only have the compiler & basic rtl stuff - >> > that's why I'd just like some info for a quick hack eg some bullets or >> some >> > idea what I need to do eg to read the no or string in eg cell x23 of >> sheet >> > jim in fred.xls. >> > >> > John >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > On 30 September 2013 16:38, Felipe Monteiro de Carvalho >> > <felipemonteiro.carva...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> You mean like this library does? >> http://wiki.freepascal.org/FPSpreadsheet >> >> >> >> Felipe Monteiro de Carvalho >> >> >> >> On Mon, Sep 30, 2013 at 5:33 PM, John Lee <johnel...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> > File produced by excel 2003. Can anyone tell me the basic ideas, >> >> > formats, >> >> > pitfalls - I'd just like to write a short routine & don't want to >> fight >> >> > with >> >> > the complexities of the lazarus based stuff. Prepared to >> experiment... >> >> > >> >> > TIA John >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> >> > fpc-pascal maillist - fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org >> >> > http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/fpc-pascal >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Felipe Monteiro de Carvalho >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> fpc-pascal maillist - fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org >> >> http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/fpc-pascal >> > >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > fpc-pascal maillist - fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org >> > http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/fpc-pascal >> >> >> >> -- >> Felipe Monteiro de Carvalho >> _______________________________________________ >> fpc-pascal maillist - fpc-pascal@lists.freepascal.org >> http://lists.freepascal.org/mailman/listinfo/fpc-pascal >> > >
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