SpreadsheetServer is a simple and cost-effective solutions for handling online forms, spreadsheets and databases.

SpreadsheetServer Tour

The following 30 screenshots illustrates what SpreadsheetServer is all about.

SpreadsheetConverter converts an Excel spreadsheet into a web page. The web page is a standard web form and it still calculates just like the original spreadsheet. This web page can be accessed by a modern browser from many different operating systems: Windows, Apple OSX, Linux.

In the following text spreadsheet and form are the same thing, since the form was created from a spreadsheet.

SpreadsheetServer is a complete application built using the same technology as SpreadsheetConverter. You do not need SpreadsheetConverter to use SpreadsheetServer.

SpreadsheetServer stores the content of the forms into a database,

  • data can be searched, sorted, filtered just as in Microsoft Excel,
  • data can be imported and exported to Excel,
  • users are authentificated to make sure they do not access or change things they shouldn't change.
  • anynomous users, called Guests, can fill in a form.

Fill in a form anonymously

SpreadsheetServer contains an advanced authentification system, but we start the tour with a form that we have configured so that anonymous users can fill in them.

Click at the link

School Store order form

and the School Store order form is opened.

Login not required for School Store (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Login not required for School Store

We order 2 adjustable base cap and 2 short polo sleeve, and as usual, the totals are updated immediately.

Totals are recalculated immediately (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Totals are recalculated immediately

We press 'Save' and the input cells are locked and the data is saved into the database. If we want to edit the form pres 'Edit', edit some values and press 'Save'.

Save locks the form (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Save locks the form

Log in before we can fill in a form

The form Expense report can only be used by users that have logged in. When you click on the link

Expense report

you will have to sign in first. Use 'demo' as user name and 'demo' as password.

Forms can be protected by login (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Forms can be protected by login

Next, the form will be opened and you can fill in your last trip.

An online expense report (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

An online expense report

We had a meeting over lunch with a guy a Ford.

Fill in the miles and cost (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Fill in the facts

We press 'Save' and the input cells are locked and the data is saved into the database.

Save data into DB (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Save data into DB

Press 'List' and you will see all expense reports. We configured the system to allow every one that is logged in to see all expense reports. An alternative is to let the user only see his own expense report, and only let a few users see all expense reports. You decide this type of configuration on per-form basis.

There were 2 expense reports in the system.

List all expense reports (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

List all expense reports

The List view works exactly like Excel's filters. You can sort the rows on a column, and filter them. We selected to sort the expense reports on the first name.

Use Excel's sorting and filtering online (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Use Excel's sorting and filtering online

The rows are sorted. You can see the active filters and sorting at the bottom. Click on 'Show' to show the row as a form

Click on 'Show' to show the row as a form (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Click on 'Show' to show the row as a form

And an old expense report is opened.

Open existing expense report (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Open existing expense report

Press 'Edit' and fill in the second row.

Edit old expense report (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Edit old expense report

And press Save.

The expense report is updated (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

The expense report is updated

Forms can have comments and attached documents

We can add comments to a filled in form. Press 'Comment/Attach' and write a comment. You can comment both your own forms, and other users forms.

Add a note to a expense report (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Add a note to a expense report

The comment is shown at the bottom of the form. A form can have many comments.

Comments shown at the bottom (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Comments shown at the bottom

We can also attach files to forms. These files are stored in the database and are accessable by everyone who is authenticated to see the form and who has logged in.

We attach a spreadsheet called erf.xls.

Files and Microsoft Office documents can be attached (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Files and Microsoft Office documents can be attached

The comment is shown at the bottom of the form. A form can have many attached files.

File links at the bottom (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

File links at the bottom

Click on the link to download the document. You can either save the document to disk or open it directly in the relevant program.

Download documents by clicking on the link (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Download documents by clicking on the link

A simple To Do list

SpreadsheetConverter supports two different kinds of spreadsheets: forms and databases. A database spreadsheet contains one record per row, and form spreadsheet contain one record per spreadsheet.

A to do list is an example of a spreadsheet database.

Press 'List' and select 'To Do list' from the select form drop down list.

Switch to another form (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Switch to another form

The to do list has 5 columns: Priority, Date In, Assigned, Date close, and Description.

To Do List (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

To Do List

Press 'Edit' to make the grid editable. You can either edit existing rows, or add new rows at the bottom.

Edit makes the whole grid editable (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Edit makes the whole grid editable

You can edit as many rows as you want. Changed cells are marked with an orange background. The disk icon means that these rows need to be saved.

Edit several rows at once (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Edit several rows at once

When you press 'Save' all rows are saved.

Saved (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Saved

Press 'Lock' to prevent further editing.

Lock prevents editing (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Lock prevents editing

Custom filters work just as in Excel. We want to find all rows which are assigned to 'dc'. Select 'Custom' from the 'Assigned' menu.

Custom filters (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Custom filters

Select 'Equals' and enter 'dc'

Find all rows assigned to dc (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Find all rows assigned to dc

And press OK

Press OK to apply filter (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Press OK to apply filter

In our database, we had 4 rows assigned to dc.

Only show the rows assigned to dc (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Only show the rows assigned to dc

Save as Excel

The data is not locked in into SpreadsheetServer. You can very easily export it to Excel.

Press 'Save as Excel' and all rows, with the current filter applied, are exported to Excel.

Export to Excel (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Export to Excel

The browser asks if you want to open the Excel file directly or save them to disk.

Where should the file be saved? (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Where should the file be saved

The 4 rows that were assigned to dc are now opened in Excel. Use Excel's autofilter as usual. The formatting of the cells are also correct.

Rows opened in Excel (Press Ctrl-Click for full size)

Rows opened in Excel

Just as Excel!

As you saw in this tour, we have created an online web-based system for handling forms and databases. As much as possible, things are done as in Excel, for example filtering and sorting.