XlsView documentation

XlsView, version 1.00

overview
This is a Total Commander Lister plugin which displays text and numbers from spreadsheet (xls) files created by OpenOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel and similar programs. It does not require any program or library to be installed on your system. Reads BIFF files from version 2 to version 8 (see disclaimer) with full unicode support.

installation
If you have TC version 5.51 or higher, open Configuration menu, choose Options and open the Edit/View page. Click on Configure internal viewer, then on LS-Plugins and then on Add. Find the xlsview.wlx file and add it to the list. Close all dialogs.
If you have TC 5.50 then add these two lines to the [ListerPlugins] section of the wincmd.ini file:
123=somepath\xlsview.wlx
123_detect="EXT="XLS""
and correct the number and path.

disclaimer
I do not promise this plugin will properly read any type of data from any excel version. In fact, I'm pretty sure it won't. If you encounter an error (plugin displays incorrect data, ignores a file or crashes) please send me an e-mail describing symptoms and I will try to fix that. If the document is reasonably small and contains no confidential data, send it (pack it first) too.
All names mentioned in this document are property of their respective owners.

keyboard shortcuts

Ctrl+C copy cell or range of cells to clipboard

Ctrl+A select entire grid; unused areas will not be copied

W increase column width to fit the text

F choose font

Ctrl+Tab display next sheet (also: > (without Shift) or just Tab)

Ctrl+Shift+Tab display previous sheet (also: < (without shift) )

Default keys for cursor movement and selection are also supported, as well as Lister's default keys ( N, P, 1-9 and Esc ).

non-english characters
In order to properly display unicode characters (cyrillic, extended latin and other), unicode font must be selected first. If the plugin does not detect one itself, use an option from the popup menu to choose it. For documents saved with older versions of excel, you may have to select the appropriate code page.

faq

Q: The plugin doesn't display far east text properly. What do I do?

A: If the workbook was saved with recent version of Excel or Calc, choosing a unicode font should do the job. If it doesn't, sorry. Don't e-mail me about it unless you're a gifted Chinese programer who knows exactly what to do about this.

Q: What if a cell contents is calculated by a macro?

A: It will not be read or executed. Macro sheets will not be read at all, even if they contain normal data.

Q: What if a document contains a macro virus?

A: Then use this lovely plugin to safely read the file and copy its data to clipboard. After that, erase the file.

Q: I don't think I have a unicode font. Where do I get one?

A: If you have Office 2000 or newer, Arial Unicode is included on the cd. Otherwise, find one on the internet. (Watch the file size before downloading. There are nice ones smaller than 500K so avoid anything bigger than that.)

the end
To get the latest version of this plugin or others written by me, visit darkone.dzaba.com.
Feel free to send any comments, suggestions, complaints or wishes to darkone@darkone.dzaba.com

Ivan Petrovic

Ctrl+C	copy cell or range of cells to clipboard
Ctrl+A	select entire grid; unused areas will not be copied
W	increase column width to fit the text
F	choose font
Ctrl+Tab	display next sheet (also: > (without Shift) or just Tab)
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	display previous sheet (also: < (without shift) )

Q:	The plugin doesn't display far east text properly. What do I do?
A:	If the workbook was saved with recent version of Excel or Calc, choosing a unicode font should do the job. If it doesn't, sorry. Don't e-mail me about it unless you're a gifted Chinese programer who knows exactly what to do about this.
Q:	What if a cell contents is calculated by a macro?
A:	It will not be read or executed. Macro sheets will not be read at all, even if they contain normal data.
Q:	What if a document contains a macro virus?
A:	Then use this lovely plugin to safely read the file and copy its data to clipboard. After that, erase the file.
Q:	I don't think I have a unicode font. Where do I get one?
A:	If you have Office 2000 or newer, Arial Unicode is included on the cd. Otherwise, find one on the internet. (Watch the file size before downloading. There are nice ones smaller than 500K so avoid anything bigger than that.)