Convert Spreadsheet Files

Export has special configuration options that allow greater control over the conversion of spreadsheet files.

Convert Hidden Text in Microsoft Excel Files

Normally, Export does not convert hidden text from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet because it is assumed that the text should not be exposed. You can change this default behavior and convert text in hidden rows, columns, and sheets by adding the following lines to the formats_e.ini file:

[Options]
gethiddeninfo=1

Convert Headers and Footers in Microsoft Excel 2003 Files

Normally, Export does not convert headers and footers from Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheets. You can change this default behavior and convert headers and footers by adding the following lines to the formats_e.ini file:

[Options]
ShowHeaderFooter=1

Specify Date and Time Format on UNIX Systems

In Microsoft Excel you can choose to format dates and times according to the system locale. On Windows, KeyView uses the system locale settings to determine how these dates and times should be formatted. In other operating systems, KeyView uses the U.S. short date format (mm/dd/yyyy). You can change this by specifying the formats you wish to use in the formats.ini file.

To specify the system date and time format on UNIX systems

Convert Very Large Numbers in Spreadsheet Cells to Precision Numbers

You can export numbers in Microsoft Excel files and write them to the output without formatting. By default, numbers are exported in the format specified by the Excel file (for example, General, Currency, and Date). Spreadsheets might contain cells that have very large numbers in them. Excel displays the numbers in a scientific notation that rounds or truncates the numbers.

To export numbers without formatting, add the following options in the following lines to the formats_e.ini file:

[Options]
ignoredefnumformats=1

Extract Microsoft Excel Formulas

Normally, the actual value of a formula is extracted from an Excel spreadsheet; the formula from which the value is derived is not included in the output. However, KeyView enables you to include the value as well as the formula in the output. For example, if Export is configured to extract the formula and the formula value, the output might look like this:

245 = SUM(B21:B26)

The calculated value from the cell is 245, and the formula from which the value is derived is SUM(B21:B26).

NOTE: Depending on the complexity of the formulas, enabling formula extraction might result in slightly slower performance.

To set the extraction option for formulas, add the following lines to the formats_e.ini file:

[Options]
getformulastring=option

where option is one of the following:

Option Description
0 Extract the cell value only. This is the default.
1 Extract the formula only.
2 Extract the formula and the cell value.

NOTE: If a function in a formula is invalid, and option 1 or 2 is specified, only the calculated value is extracted.

Set Minimum Image Size

You can set a minimum size limit for the images to export from spreadsheet files. This option can improve performance for documents that have lots of very small images.

To set the minimum image size, add the following lines to the formats_e.ini file:

[ss_flags]
process_images_with_min_width=N
process_images_with_min_height=M

where N and M are the minimum image dimensions, in pixels. For example:

[ss_flags]
process_images_with_min_width=150
process_images_with_min_height=250