Convert .xls to .csv

harney

Does anyone know of a tool that can convert .xls files to .csv?

I am looking for a tool that I can use within an existing product so it would have to fall under the GPL.

I have tried google, but cant see anything so far.

Cheers.

oscarBravo

OpenOffice.org?

voxpop

hssf - http://jakarta.apache.org/poi/hssf/index.html

its a java api to access xls files

jaqian

harney wrote:

Does anyone know of a tool that can convert .xls files to .csv?

I am looking for a tool that I can use within an existing product so it would have to fall under the GPL.

I have tried google, but cant see anything so far.

Cheers.

Excel can save to *.csv! Just go to File > Save As > under "Save As Type" scroll down to CSV

Have you many files to convert? Are you talking a batch job or is it on a file by file basis? If its one at a time then just use Excel, if its a Batch job then good luck

Btw OpenOffice will both open excel files and save as to *.cvs if you want. OpenOfice is gpl and can be found at www.openoffice.org

harney

Hi all

Thanks for the help so far.

I understand that we could use Excel to convert the files - the problem is we want that transparent to the customer.

Previously they have been able to give us excel files and we, apparently, have been converting them.

As the system moves to a windows platform we are looking to enable the same transparency.

jaqian

How do you mean transparency? Where you able to demonstarte transparency before? What was your previous OS/platform?

harney

By transparently I mean the user saves as xls and does not have to play with the save as function.

The files were sent to a Sun box and prepared for upload to an ldap directory. At the moment we have someone trying to track down what scripts might have been used - but its not pretty

We will probably have to go with the save as option, but I was just wondering/hoping there might be a small app out there we could use.

jaqian

Interesting. Didn't know ppl still used csv files. Sorry couldn't have been more help.

voxpop

Angry_Penguin wrote:

hssf - http://jakarta.apache.org/poi/hssf/index.html

its a java api to access xls files

*ahem*

maybe a little more explaining is needed - write a java app using the above libs and once you have the excel file inside java, export it out however you like - xml would be good

harney

Angry_Penguin wrote:

*ahem*

maybe a little more explaining is needed - write a java app using the above libs and once you have the excel file inside java, export it out however you like - xml would be good

Cheers Angry

I will pass it along to those that will do a little less squinting and scratching while look at it.