Open Excel file from a link

[k8277]

This has to be something simple that I am overlooking, but I have the following code that is driving me crazy.

<a href="excel.xls" target=_blank>Excel file</a>

I am just trying to open an excel file in a new window, the new window opens however IE attempts to translate the file into html, because all I get is garbage?

What am I missing? Can I not get Excel to open in IE like other applications like Acrobat Reader and Word? I could also live with the link launching Excel and opening that instead of within IE.

 

[Baldwin238]

I'm not 100% on this, but don't you have to save the Excel file as an HTML type first? Choose 'Save as web page' option when saving the file.

Jeff Baldwin

http://golf.jbaldwin.net

http://www.powellsarchery.com

<--- Almost completed !

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

A few questions:

- Do you actually have Excel installed?

- Is this web page (and thus the Excel file) being served by a web server, or running locally?

- if from a web server, have you modified the MIME type for .xls files?

Hope this helps,
Dan


[tt]D'ya think I got where I am today because I dress like Peter Pan here?[/tt]

 

[k8277]

Yes I have Excel installed and I have tried this on multiple machines.

Yes it is being served from IIS and I don't believe the MIME type has ever been modified.

 

[BillyRayPreachersSon]

Does double-clicking an xls file on the test machine load it OK in Excel?

Dan



[tt]D'ya think I got where I am today because I dress like Peter Pan here?[/tt]

 

[k8277]

Yes that is not a problem.

 

[ggriffit]

This is caused by the MIME type settings on the local machine, although you are sending the standard XL Content Type it is up to the local browser as to what it does with it. See the "How do I force Excel to open inside Internet Explorer instead of a separate window? " section at

http://jexcelapi.sourceforge.net/resources/faq/