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Microsoft Internet Explorer and Spreadsheet Files

Microsoft Internet Explorer can be readily customized to retrieve data from a webserver in spreadsheet form and transfer control to Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet application. This customization can be easily accomplished on both Macintosh and Windows Internet Explorer clients; the customization procedures are, however, quite different on each client. After they are are completed, you will only need to click on a hyperlink to a spreadsheet to have Internet Explorer transfer the spreadsheet file to your computer and automatically launch Microsoft Excel or your local spreadsheet program.

Determining browser version

To find out what version you are currently using, go to the "Help" option on the Internet Explorer browser toolbar and click on "About Internet Explorer". You will see a screen displaying the version you have, i.e., "Internet Explorer 3.0".

Windows Internet Explorer 3.0 or earlier

The following steps are needed to customize your Windows Internet Explorer client in the Windows 95 environment:

1. Go to the View pull-down menu and select Options...

2. The Options dialog box contains clickable tabs. Select the Programs tab, then click the "File Types" button under the Viewers category.

3. Scroll down the list in the Registered file types: windows and look for Microsoft Excel Worksheet. If the file type is not present, click on New Type... which will bring up an Add New File Type window.
   
   
   

4. Check the following boxes, making changes where necessary:

• For "Description of type", enter  Microsoft Excel Worksheet

• "Associated extension" should include: .xls, .xlw, .xlm, .xlt, .xll and .xlb.

• For "Content Type (MIME)", enter application/x-excel

• Below "Actions", select the New... button

• In the "New Action" window, type open in the "Action" field.

• Click on the Browse... button. Go to the directory or folder that contains your Excel executable. Highlight Excel and click "OK".

• Click on "OK" to close the "Add New File Type" window.

5. You should now be able to open a spreadsheet file within Internet Explorer
   .

Windows Internet Explorer 3.01 or later

The following steps are needed to customize Internet Explorer versions 3.01 through 4.01 for Windows 95:

1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
   
   
2. On the View menu, click Options...
   
   
3. In the Options window, click the File Types tab.
   
   
4. In the "Registered File Types" box, select the spreadsheet application (i.e. Microsoft Excel Worksheet) and click the Edit... button.
   
   
5. To open spreadsheet files within Microsoft Excel, in Internet Explorer 3.01, 3.02, or 3.02a, click the "Open Web Documents in Place" check box to clear it. In Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.01, or 5, click the "Browse in Same Window" check box to clear it.

Macintosh Internet Explorer Clients  

The following steps are needed to customize your Macintosh Internet Explorer client:

1. Go to the Edit menu and select Preferences...

2. In the Preferences window, click on the File Helpers tag; this will show a list of helpers for various file types.
   
   

3. Look for Microsoft Excel. If the file type is not present, create a new entry by selecting the Add... button which will open a Edit File Helper window. Check the following boxes, making changes where necessary:

• Fill in the Descriptions field to describe the type of file; for instance,   Microsoft Excel
  
  
• "Mime" type should be set to application/x-excel
  
  
• The "Extension" field should include .xls, .wks, .wk1, .wk3
  
  This will prompt Internet Explorer to recognize all types of Excel spreadsheets as well as Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets. Select the "Encoding" text option.
  
  
• "File type" should be set to xls
  
  This will ensure that the Macintosh computer will treat the downloaded spreadsheet in the same manner as a spreadsheet created in Excel.
  
  
• In the "Handling" section, click on the Browse... button.
  
  Go to the directory or folder that contains your Excel executable, and then click Open. Click Ok, and then click Ok again.
  
  Scroll down the "How to Handle" list and select Save and Use a Helper. This option will prompt Internet Explorer to save the .xls file on the hard drive and automatically open Microsoft Excel. Within Excel, locate and open the .xls file.
  
  

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Last Modified:  Feb 12, 2003. Contact SRS