How to use ExcelEverywhere

In this article we'll be explaining how to use ExcelEverywhere to create an online survey form. Forms are commonly used on the web as a way of obtaining information from users. Users simple fill in or select values for a series of questions and then, when they are satisfied with their answers, they click on a button to submit the information.

Hide the columns

The example survey form that we'll be creating in this article allows users to provide feedback on a fictitious training course. Each time someone fills out the survey form and clicks on the 'Submit' button, the web page automatically generates and sends an email containing a summary of the users responses.

During this article we will be using the following software:
  • MS Excel 97, 2000, or 2002.
  • ExcelEverywhere for HTML.
  • A web server with MS FrontPage server extensions, for example IIS on Windows or Apache on Linux.
  • MS Frontpage.

The article consists of 3 parts

  • Creating the original survey spreadsheet in Excel.
  • Using ExcelEverywhere to create a web page from the spreadsheet.
  • Setting up the web page to be used with MS FrontPage Server Extensions.

Creating the original survey spreadsheet in Excel

The raw spreadsheet before we added formatting

The survey spreadsheet will consist of two columns that will be displayed on the resulting web page, one column containing the questions of the survey, and the other column containing the input cells for the user’s responses. Extra columns are also used in the example survey spreadsheet for the options that will be displayed in dropdown list boxes.

Note! The original survey spreadsheet contains no formulas. We do not need formulas for this example.


Step1: Enter the headings and questions

Both the headings and the questions that make up the survey form should be entered as text into the spreadsheet.

Use a new spreadsheet cell for each separate heading or question.

Step 2: Create the cells for the answers to the questions

The cells that you want the user to use to enter their responses to the survey questions should all be marked by setting the background color to an arbitrary unique color. All cells must have the same color, for example in the survey spreadsheet we’ve used bright yellow.

Next, each of the marked response cells should be defined as input cells. The choice of which kind of input cell to use in each case will depend upon the format of the response required from the user. The three basic sorts of input cells are: Textbox cells, where the user enters a free text response; Dropdown list cells, providing a user with a list of choices; and Checkbox cells, allowing the user to select between two values (true/false). Instructions for adding each of these input cells can be found below:

Creating Textbox input cells

For responses where the user will simply enter some text, no special action is required in the spreadsheet.

Creating Dropdown list input cells

To create a Dropdown list input cell:

Tip: Add an extra element first in the list, so that you can recognize that the user didn't select anything, for example, instead of having just the two options:
  • Yes
  • No

use three options instead:

  • -- Select Yes or No --
  • Yes
  • No


  1. Write each entry you want to appear in the list in a separate cell alongside the cell that you want to use for the dropdown list.
  2. Create a named range for the list of choices by first highlighting the cells, and then selecting Name/Define… from the Insert menu (using a named range makes it easier to add or remove entries from the list).
  3. Select the cell where the dropdown list should appear and select Validation… from the Data menu.
  4. In the Data Validation dialog, select List in the Allow: field and then set the Source: to equal the named range that you created in stage 2 above (e.g. =your_named_range).

Creating Checkbox input cells

In order to create a Checkbox input cell simply type the text ‘FALSE’ into a cell, and ExcelEverywhere will create an unchecked checkbox.

Step 3: Hide rows and columns

The final step in creating the survey spreadsheet is to hide the areas of the spreadsheet that shouldn't be visible on the webpage. This can be achieved simply:

Finished version of the web page

howtouse.gif (11068 bytes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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