If you saved or published interactive data from Excel, you should not open the resulting HTML file in Excel to make modifications. Instead, you should modify the original workbook (.xls file) from which you originally published and then republish the interactive items on the Web page, or open the Web page in a design program and make modifications. The recommended design programs are Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, Microsoft Office Access 2003, and Microsoft Visual Basic.
Which design program you choose depends on what kinds of changes you want to make and how you published or saved the data.
When to use Excel When you want to make changes that use Excel features, you should open the original workbook (.xls) file you used to publish or save the Web page, make changes in the workbook, and republish the data. You should not open an interactive Web page in Excel for the purpose of making changes. The AutoRepublish feature (available in the Publish dialog box) allows you to specify that previously published items should be automatically republished every time the original workbook is saved.
If you do not have access to the original workbook, you can export interactive spreadsheets and PivotTable lists to Excel by using the control's Export to Microsoft Excel
toolbar button in the Web browser or use FrontPage or data access page Design view in Access to change the Web page.
When to use Microsoft FrontPage Use FrontPage when you want to do the following:
- Rearrange items on your Web page and customize the interactive functionality for spreadsheets, PivotTable lists, and charts
- Use advanced Web site management tools and gain access to other Web sites
- Use design-time controls
- Add ActiveX controls that are available only from FrontPage
- Change the formatting or add a theme or make the page look like other Web pages
When to use data access page Design view in Microsoft Access Use Access when you want to do the following:
- Add controls, such as text boxes and drop-down list controls, that display data from an Access or Microsoft SQL Server database
- Add a chart that shares the same data as your external data range
- Add ActiveX controls that are available only in data access page Design view
If you use Access to modify the page by adding Microsoft Office Web Component controls or by adding controls that aren't bound to database data, when you republish the page, users with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01 or earlier will still be able to use the page. However, if you add controls other than Microsoft Office Web Component controls and those controls are bound to database data (Access or SQL Server database data), users will also need to have Internet Explorer 5 or later to use the page in the browser.
When to use Visual Basic Use Visual Basic when you want to add custom controls or when you want to use the Microsoft Office Web Components as COM controls or in Visual Basic forms.
Modifying the HTML code You can use an HTML editor, such as FrontPage, or a text editor, such as Notepad, to make changes such as moving items on the Web page. However, any changes you make directly to the HTML code might not be supported in Excel or other Office programs if you try to open the file later in one of those programs.
Making temporary changes using the Web browser You can make changes to your Web page while you have it open in a Web browser, but any changes you make are temporary and are not saved when you exit the browser.
Without interactivityWhen you save or publish noninteractive data, such as an entire workbook without interactivity, you can open the resulting HTML file directly in Excel, make changes, and save the file. Noninteractive Web pages are the only kinds of Web pages you should open and modify in Excel.