Export data to Microsoft Word form fields in linux

[acidbox]

I have been struggling with this issue for the past week with no avail. Let me explain what I am trying to accomplish.

Firstly, I am running linux server (Apache, PHP 4.1.1).

I spent all last week trying to get COM to work, and finally figured out that this only works on windows servers, (go figure).

Anyway, here is what I need to do.

1.) Open word
2.) Open Template file that includes form fields (.dot)
3.) Populate form with data passed from php script
4.) Save as a new file with a predetermined filename passed from the script.

If I could figure out how to accomplish those 4 tasks simulateously, it would be a miracle.

I somewhat figured out how to do steps 1 & 3 with this code that I modified from code that I found on sourceforge. Other than that I am completely lost.

The link for this code was posted in This Message.

<?php
###########################################
## START - EXPORT CODE TO MICROSOFT WORD ##
###########################################
//note: if word file for dump desired, link to this page like:
//<a href='dump.php?w=1'>link</a>
//if this parameter is not included, file returned will be in excel format
if ($w==1)
	{
		$file_type = "msword";
		$file_ending = "doc";
	}
else
	{
		$file_type = "vnd.ms-excel";
		$file_ending = "xls";
	}

header("Content-Type: application/$file_type");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=" . $case_id . "-R.$file_ending");
header("Pragma: no-cache");
header("Expires: 0");

$sql = "SELECT * FROM cases WHERE case_id = '$case_id'";
$query = mysql_query($sql);
$i = 0;
while($row = mysql_fetch_row($query))
	{
                          echo(" data to export to word goes here");
	}

return (true);

###########################################
## END - EXPORT CODE TO MICROSOFT WORD   ##
###########################################
?>

Any help would be appreciated. I really don't know if this is possible or not.

Thanks again for any help!

[mmilano]

what if you just created a csv file from your mysql database?

if you don't know how, you can just load up phpmyadmin and it will generate one for you.

otherwise i dont' know.

[acidbox]

I don't think that would be very useful. I need the script to be able to do this on the fly without having to manually go into phpMyAdmin. Also, I have no idea how to get word to detect that it has received a .csv and import it into form fields.

[vmusic]

Hi,
I doubt you'll actually be able to do this on the Linux box because.... the only way to 'safely' alter an MS Word file is through a microsoft tool. Like Word itself, or VB type or C++ type program.

For example.. I took an MS Word Template (the Advertising Budget one) - and saved it on my local pc in some folder. I altered it with a generic text editor and saved it. It corrupted it. So I doubt you'll be able to do this on Linux with php without corrupting it.

• See my other reply for some other ideas, based on this apparent limitation

Vmusic

[vmusic]

Since I doubt you'll be able to 'alter' an MS Word file through php on a linux box.....

ANOTHER IDEA(S) -- -- -- If you take the above limitation, you could create some type of text file with your data in it, and then move it to a platform where you'd run some VB program on it. OR

If this project has some money.... you could try to get ChilliSoft (Now called SUN One Active Server Pages) loaded on your linux box. This will allow you to run ASP pages.. or more importantly run VB type code

FINANALLY.... one last idea. Instead of using a Word Template.. would it possible to create a file with an RTF extension? Then this can be opened in MS Word.

If you've already thought of all these ideas, sorry. Trying to help. Hey please read my 09/07 forum posting.. I need some help with parsing an MS Word file.

Good Luck!!

[acidbox]

Well thanks for the idea.... I cannot believe that there is no way to do this in linux. Someone should create a bridge that will allow unix users to utilize com libraries or something of that nature. After all, we are only sending instructions to the clients computer, who in turn, does all the work.

Thanks for the info guys. If anyone else has any bright ideas, i'd love to hear them..

[acidbox]

How would I got about creating a RTF document in word? Is that something different than just sending plain text to word? If there are some routines I could use to delclair a RTF document, I might try that.

I'm still looking for a way to do this if anyone has anymore ideas.

Are there COM libraries for linux or something?

[chadedge]

I've recently been working on a small project that seems related:

1) Take basic information about a new client (currently stored in an Act! 2000 database), rekey it into a webinterface (php form)

2) Convert the user information into a standardized format for contracts and agreements.

3) Convert their loan information (loan amount, interest rate, start-date, etc) and calculate the loan amortization schedule.

4) Insert all information into 7 RTF templates. This includes inserting a table into the loan repayment document.

5) Output a page allowing user to download the 7 documents to a file folder marked for the new client.

Upcoming step using MIME, email the 7 RTF files to the new client automatically.

Everything works like a charm, I've got an ereg_replace function that loops through the documents and plugs in the right data, resaving with the client Last_First-docname.rtf.

The only glitch right now is getting the table into the rtf correctly. RTF files are fux0red when it comes to table code.

I highly recommend using the RTF method, since it will work with more versions of Word than your .doc files (and yeah, you'll corrut them like crazy).

[bastien]

SAMBA in the linux docs...it has functionality to run WIN programs and win32 APIs on linux...

[metin]

Look here for ways of creating rtf documents with Php:

http://www.artlung.com/lab/php/rtf/
http://www.paggard.dlight.ru/rtf_gen/

[chadedge]

So far I haven't found anyone capable of editing tables and such data from existing documents.

Such as, the loan amortization schedule, tabbing out the data would not have shown up well. Instead a table made the most sense.

I got it to work, and I'm sweating balls from it.

I also have looked at SAMBA in order to automatically copy the data back onto a WIN2k server (where we store client files).

ODBC is handling taking the data back out of MySQL, and Act! 2000 posts the data into the html/php form, so we're nearly off those systems (it will be nice to get rid of QuickBooks, Act!, Access, etc).