About getting design help for spreadsheets
From Microsoft Office Web Components
If you have a Microsoft Office 2003 license and the Microsoft Office Web Components installed, you can create and modify spreadsheets in several programs. You can create the spreadsheet in one program, and later use a different program to modify the spreadsheet or the Web page that it's on.
The choice of which design program you use depends on the amount of design or administrative work you want to do on the Web page itself, the type of data you want to use, and your own familiarity with different design programs.
Microsoft Excel If you want to try different formulas, adjust references, import data from other sources, or design an interactive chart to reflect the data in your spreadsheet, Excel is an excellent design environment to use to create spreadsheets.
Microsoft FrontPage If you want to create a Web page or modify spreadsheets published from Excel, FrontPage is the recommended design program. You can create spreadsheets on Web pages in FrontPage in addition to modifying spreadsheets that were designed in other programs. Use the extensive Web page editing and administrative features of FrontPage to add controls, graphics, themes, and more to your Web page, and then make the page part of your Web site. FrontPage is available in Office 2003.
Microsoft Access If you want to create Web pages that operate on and display data from databases, and your users have Internet Explorer 5.01 SP2 or later, use data access page Design view in Access to create spreadsheets. You can use Access to establish a connection from an Access database to the Web page, and then you can use formulas in the spreadsheet to return values from the database to the spreadsheet. Access is available in Office 2003.
Microsoft Visual Basic If you need a more comprehensive programming environment than the scripting capabilities provided by Excel, FrontPage, and Access, you can design spreadsheets in Microsoft Visual Basic. Use Visual Basic when you want to include a spreadsheet or calculation engine in a custom solution. Users can view and interact with spreadsheets on the Visual Basic forms in your programs. Instead of a browser, your form becomes the run-time environment, and your program can automate many spreadsheet or calculation features.
When you are working in a design program, you can get help in the following ways:
- Design program Help For information about the commands and features available in the design program that you can use to work with spreadsheets, see Help in the design program. For example, in Microsoft FrontPage, click Microsoft FrontPage Help
.
Microsoft Excel provides both general Help about saving Excel data for use on Web pages, and specific information about saving spreadsheets for use on Web pages. To access this Help in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help
. - Spreadsheet design-time Help If you have access to the Commands and Options dialog box in another design program, you have access to design-time Help topics. In a spreadsheet that you have created or activated in a design program, click Help
in the Commands and Options dialog box or click Help on the spreadsheet toolbar.
Getting help with writing scripts and programs that use spreadsheets
You can use scripts and programs to automate spreadsheets, or you can include spreadsheets in run-time programs other than Web browsers
Writing scripts Microsoft Office programs provide the Microsoft Script Editor to help you write scripts. For example, you can use the Script Editor in Microsoft FrontPage to customize a spreadsheet. For information about running the Script Editor, see Help in your Office design program. In the Script Editor, you can display additional Help about using its features and writing scripts.
Object model Help For help developing a program or script to work with a spreadsheet, you can display information about the object model, properties, and methods specific to spreadsheets. This object model Help is installed whenever you install the Microsoft Office Web Components, of which the Spreadsheet Component is one. Depending on the design program you're using, you can access this Help in either of two ways:
- Help in Microsoft Visual Basic In Visual Basic or Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), you can create a reference to the Office Web Components library. You will then have access to Help through the object browser or by selecting a keyword and pressing F1. For information about creating references and using object model Help, see Help in Visual Basic or VBA.
- Help in other environments If you are using another development environment, locate and double-click the Help file owcvba11.chm.
Getting help for the Spreadsheet Web Part
The Spreadsheet Web Part combines the use of several technologies, including Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Office Web components. The Spreadsheet Web Part is in essence the Spreadsheet component hosted within a Web Part. The Help information you might need to use this Web Part is available from several different locations.
Getting Spreadsheet Web Part Help
The Spreadsheet Web Part Help topics are context-sensitive Help topics that answer questions you might have specific to the Web Part, such as what is its purpose, how to use it, what are the common and custom properties, how to make connections to other Web Parts, and how to troubleshoot problems.
This Help information becomes available when you install the Microsoft Office Web Parts and Components product on a Windows SharePoint Services server.
To display Spreadsheet Web Part Help information, on the Web Part menu, click Help.
Getting Microsoft Office Spreadsheet Component Help
The Spreadsheet Component is self-contained and can be incorporated into other Microsoft Office products and user-designed applications. The Microsoft Office Web Components contain a separate Help system designed to explain how to use them.
This is the Help information you are reading now, which becomes available when you install the Microsoft Office Web Components on your computer.
To get Office Spreadsheet Component Help information, on the Spreadsheet Component toolbar, click Help.
Getting Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Help
The Windows SharePoint Services Help system provides information you may need about features related to the Spreadsheet Web Part, especially creating, using, and managing Web Part Pages.
This Help information becomes available when an administrator installs Windows SharePoint Services on a server.
To display this Help information, click Help on the top link bar.
Getting Data Connection Wizard Help
The Data Connection Wizard is used in several Microsoft Office applications, including the Spreadsheet component and the Spreadsheet Web Part.
This Help information becomes available when one or more Microsoft Office products are installed on your computer.
To display this Help information, see the following Help topics in any Microsoft Office product: "More about Office data connection files" and "More about data sources".
Getting Custom Spreadsheet Web Part Help
The Help information for creating a custom Spreadsheet Web Part is available in Microsoft Office Excel 2003.
This Help information becomes available when Office Excel 2003 is installed on your computer.
To display this Help information, see the following Help topics in Office Excel 2003 Help: "About the Spreadsheet Web Part," "Create a data-bound Spreadsheet Web Part," and "Create a connectable Spreadsheet Web Part." In the Table of Contents, click Excel and the Web and then click Use the Spreadsheet Web Part.
Getting help from additional Microsoft Web sites
The following Microsoft Web sites are good sources of additional, up-to-date information about using and customizing the Spreadsheet Web Part: