Spread Sheets & Swishmax

[pbarcia76]

Hi All,

Has anybody created spread sheets in SwishMax?!? I am creating a spread sheets that have 5 rows and 20 columns max and just wondering if anybody have some tute they can Share

Thanks

Pat
SwishMax User

[catbert303]

moved from flash general help to swish help

[wcoleman]

Pat,

Do you mean insert Excel sheets into SwishMax, or create a spreadsheet within SwishMax. If it is the latter what mathematical capabilities would the spreadsheet need?

Cheers,

Flick

[pbarcia76]

Flick

That is correct! Its a Excel spread sheet that I am trying to create within SwishMax. Their is no mathematical equation included withing the sheet. Its just a list of construction project that if I click on it (link_) it will bring them to another page with a detail description of the project, which is another issue I can deal with once I get the sheet working. I have discovered that I could put the entire sheet pasted as JPEG but their is no interaction.

Thanks

Pat

[wcoleman]

Pat,

I am still a little confused. If the spreadsheet is not going to calculate anything, then what interactivity are you looking for? If you want to be able to update the spreadsheet from Excel, that can probably be done, but I would have to think about the scripting a little bit. The other option would be to pop-up a new window from Swishmax that opened Excel (this then would assume your viewer had Excel), and that is easy to do. Otherwise I would suggest the image as a solution, with invisible buttons over the relevant portions of the image to give some interactivity.

Cheers,

Flick

[wld]

To pbarcia76:
Are you talking about doing something like this web site , just click on states to see example. If so then all you need is to do is draw a box,
insert a couple vertical lines, convert to a group, then copy
and paste, then place inside a sprite, and then add some dynamic
text fields and add a url link and your done. And its fairly
simple to update. Now if you have php and msaccess, you could just
convert the data to text or asp from excel spreadsheet and then
just use data fields. Thats it basically in a nutshell.
Hope this helps. wld.
FYI: also checkout the download section at this web site .

[pbarcia76]

That is actually what I did was create a rectangular shape and then vertical lines and then group all of it. Then add to URL to each project(dynamic txt) that will pull information about the project. I got it working as far as the sheet but I need to create a database of some sort that will pull those information, which of course another issue. But as far as the sheet, your idea was absolutely rigth WLD.

I apologize FLICK I didnt mean to confuse you

[wcoleman]

Originally posted by pbarcia76


I apologize FLICK I didnt mean to confuse you

Think nothing of it - I am easily confused.

Cheers,

Flick

[wld]

To pbarcia76:
Glad it worked out for you, and Flick don't feel like
the Lone Ranger I was born confused and will die that way. WLD.

[pbarcia76]

Thank You Both for the unsurpassed help and suggestion you have given

I truly appreciate it...!

[Jrexi]

Originally posted by wcoleman
Pat,

I am still a little confused. If the spreadsheet is not going to calculate anything, then what interactivity are you looking for? If you want to be able to update the spreadsheet from Excel, that can probably be done, but I would have to think about the scripting a little bit. The other option would be to pop-up a new window from Swishmax that opened Excel (this then would assume your viewer had Excel), and that is easy to do. Otherwise I would suggest the image as a solution, with invisible buttons over the relevant portions of the image to give some interactivity.

Cheers,

Flick

Hey Flick,

I didn't know EXCEL can be integrated with Swish...I would love to know more. Is it possible to have an Excel file on the server pass into into Swish? If so, this would be a great application for something I am working on now. It would also be great to create a graph in Swish based on data from an Excel file.

Is any of this possible?

Thanks.

Jrexi

[Jrexi]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by wcoleman
Pat,

I am still a little confused. If the spreadsheet is not going to calculate anything, then what interactivity are you looking for? If you want to be able to update the spreadsheet from Excel, that can probably be done, but I would have to think about the scripting a little bit. The other option would be to pop-up a new window from Swishmax that opened Excel (this then would assume your viewer had Excel), and that is easy to do. Otherwise I would suggest the image as a solution, with invisible buttons over the relevant portions of the image to give some interactivity.

Cheers,

Flick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Hey Flick,

I didn't know EXCEL can be integrated with Swish...I would love to know more. Is it possible to have an Excel file on the server pass into into Swish? If so, this would be a great application for something I am working on now. It would also be great to create a graph in Swish based on data from an Excel file.

Is any of this possible?

Thanks.

Jrexi

[pbarcia76]

Hi Jrexi,

The only thing that I can do at this point with an Excel (.XLS) spread sheet is to imbed the whole file as JPEG. Meaning If you have some sort of mathematical calculations within the spread sheet, it's not going to work. One thing that I have discovered and I am still working on it is, since SwishMax (only)support PHP you can create spread sheet base on PHP scripting. You can also incorporate Graphical Interface with it as well. I hope that answers your question.

Flick, you're more than welcome to say.....I am absolutely wrong!!!

[wcoleman]

Jrexi,

My use of this has always been to open the Excel file in a separate window, which is running Excel. I suspect that you could pass variables back and forth but have never thought the problem through.

Sorry not to be of much help,

Flick

[wld]

Hey Guys:
The one way to do the Excel thing would be the following:
1. create a database is msaccess
2. import excel file (xls) into msaccess
3. save to whatever table
4. turn routine into a macro
5. in msaccess create a query ,then save as asp table
6. use php to import into dyna fields
That is if all your interested in is importing the results,
coarse the first time will be slow but once you got the
routine down, al it will be is just a series of mouse clicks.
Like I say this is just one way to approach the situation,
and for charts well use the data and do some tweaking, you
won't be the first or last to do work arounds. wld.

[Frets]

There are several chart building swf tools that
can work with db's to spit out charts on demand
as it were.

http://www.globfx.com/
is the only one that comes to mind.

as noted above excel files can't be read
directly in swishmax however there are several
ways to translate them
conversion to standard db and query via serverside.

[Frets]

Okay all starting to make sense now.

What we want is an external db That is called
from the swf file to display the row content.
Acheiveable highly-
needs to be a format that can be read by middleware
ergo excel out msaccess or MySql in
Middleware language....depends on the hosting environment
asp and msaccess for IIS win hosting
php and Mysql for all others.

Be prepared if you haven't entered this arena
It is a lot of head work for newbies.

[swishguru]

You could save the Excel file in a MS XML format (Called SpreadSheetML) and then read that into your SWiSHmax movie, parse it, do whatever it is you want then save it back in the same SpreadSheetML format.

You can also create Excel spreadsheets this way.

Best wishes

Ian