I am working on a set of drawings that need to have a Excel spreadsheet inserted. I have been struggling with this for a couple of days and can't seem to make the scale and sizing work properly. Is there documentation that could assist me with this task? Can it be done?



dg

Yes, it can be done but it is fiddly and appropriate sizing/scaling can only be achieved through trial and error.  Unfortunately I can't offer any further advice other than to try and get the proportions of the OLE window (the rectangle that hosts the spreadsheet) the same as the area being inserted then, to scale, hold down the Shift key while dragging a corner handle as this will maintain those exact proportions.

Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com

Rob -



Are you referring to the black rectangle that is in the background after inserting the object?



dg

Yes, that's right.

You could try a couple of different techniques to get the spreadsheet info in:

1. Copy your spreadsheet then in Stardraw select Edit | Insert New Object, then Create New | Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet and paste in the data from your spreadsheet.
2. Select Edit | Insert New Object, then Create from File, navigate to your spreadsheet and choose OK (will require re-sizing)

Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com

Rob -

No go on the suggestions I am afraid.  Neither approach seems to work.   I get a 7X10 grid when I initially insert the object (either new or file) and I am unable to resize to accomodate the area I need on the original spreadsheet.   When I attempt to change the object size, it simply enlarges the grid and does not increase the area.  

I am under pressure to insert this wire chart for submittal on a project.   Please see the attached spreadsheet file that I am trying to insert.   I need an answer to this problem ASAP.

Hi Dave,

To be perfectly honest with you, OLE has its limitations - really it is geared towards very simple operations like embedding an image.  It is not intended for hosting large spreadsheets in drawings, and in fact I think you may be attacking this from the wrong angle altogether.

Forget for a minute what you are trying do and think about what is the problem you are trying to solve.  For instance, is the problem that you want the spreadsheet data and the drawing to be printed on the same piece of paper?  Or is it that you want a simple, self-contained way for people to be able to cross reference the text and the drawing? 

Note that these are statements are not 'leading' in the way that "I want to insert a spreadsheet" is.  By looking at what you need to achieve we can usually figure out the best solution for any particular task.  For example, it may be that you'll get what you need by simply pasting the drawing into the spreadsheet.

So, what is the problem you're trying to solve?

Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com

Rob -

Let me count to ten and then I will answer.  . . . . .

The short answer is I would like to position the spreadsheet that I attached in my last post to in a drawing.  The wire chart is directly relevant to the diagram and for my installers it would be convenient to have the information on the same sheet.   I don't need OLE at all.  A bitmap would work - but I can't get that do work either.  

I am frankly suspicious of whether Stardraw can accomplish this at all.   I have lost a week of time on this and am ready to give up.   I wish software developers would not put a feature like "Insert objects" in the menu structure of a program if the feature doesn't work.   My frustration also comes from attempting to call the US office on this issue and they were completely unable to deal with the problem and suggested I go to the forums - a classic round robin.   We have spent alot of money on this software to have to go through this.

So if you think I am being unfair, here is your challenge - attach a Stardraw drawing with my spreadsheet inserted.  The inserted object can be a bitmap, pdf, word doc chart, spreadheet or jpeg - I don't care.   Prove me wrong!  

dg

Hi Dave,

While I understand your frustration, you have repeated a statement of what you're trying to do, instead of explaining what the problem is that you're trying to solve.

Since you've asked me to do it, the attached zip contains a Stardraw (.S01) file containing a bitmap generated from your spreadsheet and inserted into the drawing through OLE.

Since OLE functionality is machine specific and your computer may not be configured correctly - again, machine-dependence is a limitation of OLE, not Stardraw - the .S01 may not display on your machine as it does on mine so I also include in the zip file a PDF generated from the drawing which will be machine-independent.

I am still trying to determine what the problem is that you're trying to solve.  Do you mean that you need to be able to generate a hardcopy (printed page) that includes both the data from the spreadsheet alongside the data from the drawing?  If we understood what you want to achieve, rather than what you're trying to do, we could suggest the best and most efficient solution.

Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com

Rob -

I guess you called my bluff.   I thought I had described my requirement in the second paragraph of my last post but I guess I was not clear.    My problem is that I have created a wirechart in Excel that I would like to insert into an existing drawing for the purpose of hardcopy print.   That print will be used in both the project submittal process and as a working drawing in the field.   The information in the spreadsheet is static and does not need to be dynamically linked in any way to the target drawing.   That is why a picture (bitmap) of the Excel spreadsheet is perfectly fine as an object.    When I attempt to do what you have done I get a different result.   I will attach a screen capture so you can see what I see.    I have also sent you a private email with my contact information so we may more effciently discuss this on the phone.

dg

Rob -

Interestingly, I can copy and paste the object (Excel Chart bitmap) from your drawing into mine with no problem and it looks great.   I don't get it.

dg