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Mosaic and Spreadsheet Files

Windows Mosaic Clients Macintosh Mosaic Clients

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

Windows Mosaic Clients

The following steps are needed to customize your Windows Mosaic client:

1. Locate the MOSAIC.INI file. This file should be located in your C:\WINDOWS subdirectory.
   
   
2. Using any text editor, check your MOSAIC.INI file to see whether it already includes a [Viewers] section. Now you'll take one of two steps:
   .
   • If a [Viewers] section does not exist in your MOSAIC.INI file, add the following lines:
     
     [Viewers]
     TYPE0="application/x-excel"
     application/x-excel="c:\winprogs\excel\excel.exe %ls"
     

   • If a [Viewers] section already exists in your MOSAIC.INI file, add the following lines at the bottom of the section:
     
     TYPEn="application/x-excel"
     application/x-excel="c:\winprogs\excel\excel.exe %ls"

     again providing the proper path to your Microsoft Excel program and substituting for n the lowest TYPE number not used in the section.

3. Next, check your MOSAIC.INI file to see whether it already includes a [Suffixes] section.
   
   
   • If a [Suffixes] section does not exist in your MOSAIC.INI file, add the following lines:
     
     [Suffixes]
     application/x-excel=.xls,.wks,.wk1,.wk3
     
     

   • If a [Suffixes] section already exists in your MOSAIC.INI file, add the following line at the bottom of the section:

     application/x-excel=.xls,.wks,.wk1,.wk3
     
     
4. Save your updated MOSAIC.INI file and restart Mosaic for these parameters to go into effect.

Macintosh Mosaic Clients

The following steps are needed to customize your Macintosh Mosaic client:

1. Go to the Options menu and select Preferences...
   
   
2. In the Preferences window, click on Helper applications...   The Helper configuration window has two parts:
   
   
   • Document Type -> Application
   • Extension -> Document Type
     
     
3. In the "Document Type -> Application" column, click on Add document type...   A "New document type" box will open.
   
   
   • In the "New document type" box, type in  application/x-excel   and click OK to return you to the helper configuration window.
     
     
   • Scroll the "Document Type -> Application" list box until you come to the application/x-excel ->TeachText entry. Highlight this entry and then click on the Set Application box.
     
     
   • Clicking on the Set Application box will open a standard Macintosh file location window. Locate the folder containing the spreadsheet program. Click on Open with Microsoft Excel selected.
     
     
   • In the Pick a File Type window, select the XLS option under file type to ensure that your Macintosh will treat the downloaded spreadsheet in the same manner as a spreadsheet created in Excel. Click in the Launch automatically check box to have Mosaic invoke Microsoft Excel immediately after a spreadsheet document is downloaded. Click the OK button.
     
     

   • You will then be notified that the changes will not take effect until you restart Mosaic. Click OK again to return you to the Helper configuration window.

4. In the "Extension -> Document Type" column, click on Add Extension...  An input box will open.

   • At the input box, type the extension XLS .
     
     
   • Scroll down the Mime type list and highlight the application/x-excel entry. Click the OK button.
     
     
   • Repeat this step for extensions WKS, WK1, and WK3 if you want Mosaic to recognize all types of Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets in addition to Excel spreadsheets.
     
     
5. When you are done adding extensions, click on the OK button to return to the Preferences window and then on the Apply button to set these preferences. You should now restart Mosaic to put these preferences into effect.
   
   

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Last Modified:  Feb 12, 2003. Contact SRS