[ubuntu-za] [Fwd: OLE object in OOO Spreadsheet]

[Matthew French]

On 12 Mar 2010, at 11:59 AM, Robin Bownes wrote:
> She is an accountant who receives spreadsheets from various companies. One company embeds a scan of an actual statement into a cell of the spreadsheet (.tif file) as an OLE object. The spreadsheet in question was set up, by the company, in Excel, and is sent to her in that format.

I would like to meet the person who set up such a system. I never understand the need for such excessive complexity.

Anyway, short answer is it is unlikely you will succeed.

Longer answer: OLE objects are similar to ActiveX controls on web pages. They rely on proprietary code, often written by third parties, and are compiled exclusively for Windows. (Helloooo lockin.) 

Even if OpenOffice supported OLE - which I don't think it does - they cannot realistically be expected to port every single OLE control out there.

As frans suggested, you will have to install Excel via Wine.

Longer term solution is to find the people who create these solutions and tie them under a slowly dripping shower. Which will provide a pretty good simulation of how their users must feel.

- Matthew