Excel/VBA Web interface

**MCCCLXXXV** · 08-11-2009, 09:51 AM

Hi all,

I'm wondering if there is a way to create a webpage (intranet) that will request data input from the user and then run an Excel macro on a remote machine and return the output of the macro to the user via the webpage.

The excel sheet currently requires a list of names in column A. When those names are entered columns B through Y automatically update via formulas that pull in data from a local database. After the data is pulled in, a macro can be run that ends up producing a list of all the data in sentence-form. This list is generated into a new, blank workbook and saved to a specific location.

I want to create a page that requests this list of names from the user. Once the user clicks "Go", a script (?) would run that essentially updates the excel sheet with the input data and runs the macro. The final list would then be returned to the webpage.

I'm not looking for a complete solution to this becasue I know this probably requires a ton of custom work. I'm just looking for a jump-off point. I'm not familiar with web applications at all and I'm just wondering where I would get started.

Thanks,
Joe

**royUK** · 08-11-2009, 09:59 AM

Excel vba cannot be run by any form of web page

**MCCCLXXXV** · 08-11-2009, 10:06 AM

OK, what about just getting the first part done? Can I make a webpage that requests the input from the user and fills it into the excel sheet to get the raw data from columns B through Y? I can write the macro in a different language as long as I can get the data from the local excel sheet.

**royUK** · 08-11-2009, 10:10 AM

I think you need to write html form to gather the information. Usually this information is stored in a database such as Access, you might be able to use Excel.

**romperstomper** · 08-11-2009, 10:21 AM

You can automate Excel via ASP using a scripting language - see here for example - assuming you have Excel installed on the server. It's more of a web question than an Excel one though really.

**MCCCLXXXV** · 08-11-2009, 10:31 AM

awesome. I'll take a look into ASP. thanks

**Dennis7849** · 10-29-2013, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by MCCCLXXXV

awesome. I'll take a look into ASP. thanks

I've been working on a project that does this stuff. I use some free 3rd party applications to help.

1. I use Google Docs(Form) to provide for user inputs. These inputs are automatically sent to a Google Docs(spreadsheet) where they are collected.
2. I use Excel's Web Data linking to link to the Google Docs(spreadsheet).
3. I do whatever processing is needed in Excel.
4. For outputs I do emails and publish a worksheet(saved as .htm) to my web server. I did have issues using FTP from the command line. So I use a free program called BitKinex. It is so nice. No FTP command BS, just a single shell command.