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This queue is for tickets about the Spreadsheet-WriteExcel CPAN distribution.

Maintainer(s)' notes

If you are reporting a bug in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel here are some pointers

1) State the issues as clearly and as concisely as possible. A simple program or Excel test file (see below) will often explain the issue better than a lot of text.

2) Provide information on your system, version of perl and module versions. The following program will generate everything that is required. Put this information in your bug report.

    #!/usr/bin/perl -w

    print "\n    Perl version   : $]";
    print "\n    OS name        : $^O";
    print "\n    Module versions: (not all are required)\n";

    my @modules = qw(
                      Spreadsheet::WriteExcel
                      Parse::RecDescent
                      File::Temp
                      OLE::Storage_Lite
                      IO::Stringy
                      Spreadsheet::ParseExcel
                      Scalar::Util
                      Unicode::Map
                    );

    for my $module (@modules) {
        my $version;
        eval "require $module";

        if (not $@) {
            $version = $module->VERSION;
            $version = '(unknown)' if not defined $version;
        }
        else {
            $version = '(not installed)';
        }

        printf "%21s%-24s\t%s\n", "", $module, $version;
    }

    __END__

3) Upgrade to the latest version of Spreadsheet::WriteExcel (or at least test on a system with an upgraded version). The issue you are reporting may already have been fixed.

4) Create a small but complete example program that demonstrates your problem. The program should be as small as possible. At the same time it should be a complete program that generates an Excel file. If the Spreadsheet::WriteExcel section is part of a much larger program then simplify it down to the essentials. Simulate any DB reads with an array.

5) Say if you tested with Excel, OpenOffice, Gnumeric or something else. Say which version of that application you used.

6) If you are submitting a patch you should check with the author whether the issue has already been patched or if a fix is in the works. Patches should be accompanied by test cases.

Asking a question

If you would like to ask a more general question there is the Spreadsheet::WriteExcel Google Group.

Report information
The Basics
Id: 6411
Status: resolved
Priority: 0/
Queue: Spreadsheet-WriteExcel

People
Owner: jmcnamara [...] cpan.org
Requestors: egon.berg [...] fuchs-europe.de
Cc:
AdminCc:

Bug Information
Severity: Important
Broken in: 0.42
Fixed in: (no value)

Attachments


Subject: OUTLOOK destroys generated files
I have a Problem with files generated by Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG Version 0.42/1.0.1 under cygwin and Windows 2000/XP, Perl 5.8.0/5.8.2. If Itry to send a file with outlook XP the file length grows and the receiver could not open the file with Excel XP. If i open and save the file first with excel and send it then with outlook no problem ocurs. Files generated with Spreadsheet::Writeexcel are not affected. I have tested this behavior with several PC and different files, always with the same result. Outlook let the files always grow (This is not a virus, its only a strange behavior of outlook), if the file was saved from Excel or comes from Spreadsheet::Writeexcel everything is OK, if it comes from Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG the file becomes corrupt.
This was brought to my attention from another source in the last week. The problem occurs because Outlook edits the outgoing Excel file and adds some routing information to the end of the file. The added fields are: _AdHocReviewCycleID _EmailSubject _AuthorEmail _AuthorEmailDisplayName As you observed, it only affects Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG files. Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG uses OLE::Storage_Lite to create the OLE container that the Excel file is stored in. It would seem that OLE::Storage_Lite's OLE container gets corrupted when Outlook adds the additional data. Try the attached updated version of OLE::Storage_Lite and see if there is any improvement. It would be nice if Outlook just sent the attachment without editing it (and silently including the sender's email address). ;-) John. --
Download Storage_Lite.zip
application/zip 10.3k

Message body not shown because it is not plain text.

From: egon.berg [...] fuchs-europe.de
[JMCNAMARA - Tue May 25 19:54:12 2004]: Show quoted text
> > This was brought to my attention from another source in the last
week. Show quoted text
> > The problem occurs because Outlook edits the outgoing Excel file and > adds some routing information to the end of the file. The added > fields are: > > _AdHocReviewCycleID > _EmailSubject > _AuthorEmail > _AuthorEmailDisplayName > > As you observed, it only affects Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG files. > > Spreadsheet::Writeexcel::BIG uses OLE::Storage_Lite to create the OLE > container that the Excel file is stored in. It would seem that > OLE::Storage_Lite's OLE container gets corrupted when Outlook adds
the Show quoted text
> additional data. > > Try the attached updated version of OLE::Storage_Lite and see if
there Show quoted text
> is any improvement. > > It would be nice if Outlook just sent the attachment without editing > it > (and silently including the sender's email address). ;-) > > John.
Thank you for your fast answer, I have tested Spreadsheet::Write::Excel::Big with the new version of OLE::Storage_Lite and everything works fine. But is it possible to have this patched version of OLE::Storage_Lite also on CPAN ? It would save other users with the same problem a lot of searching. Egon
[guest - Wed May 26 03:20:55 2004]: Show quoted text
> I have tested Spreadsheet::Write::Excel::Big with the new version of > OLE::Storage_Lite and everything works fine. But is it possible to > have this patched version of OLE::Storage_Lite also on CPAN ? It would > save other users with the same problem a lot of searching.
I have contacted Takanori Kawai, the author of OLE::Storage_Lite, and he has agree to allow me to maintain the module. I will upload the patched version as soon as the CPAN permissions are sorted out. John. --
From: Nigel Williams
Many thanks for your speedy resolution of the problem. I have included the patched version of OLE::Storage_Lite and my users are able to e- mail the Excel files with Outlook 2002 also. [JMCNAMARA - Wed May 26 17:01:25 2004]: Show quoted text
> [guest - Wed May 26 03:20:55 2004]: >
> > I have tested Spreadsheet::Write::Excel::Big with the new version
of Show quoted text
> > OLE::Storage_Lite and everything works fine. But is it possible to > > have this patched version of OLE::Storage_Lite also on CPAN ? It
> would
> > save other users with the same problem a lot of searching.
> > I have contacted Takanori Kawai, the author of OLE::Storage_Lite, and > he > has agree to allow me to maintain the module. > > I will upload the patched version as soon as the CPAN permissions are > sorted out. > > John.
OLE::Storage_Lite version 0.12 has been uploaded to CPAN. http://search.cpan.org/~jmcnamara/OLE-Storage_Lite/ This should resolve the reported problem, and other problems, when using Spreadsheet::WriteExcel::Big. John. --