How to create an Excel spreadsheet from your CatBase database

Tables

In order to provide compatibility with many different versions of Excel, CatBase creates Excel files in HTML table format. So, there are two steps required to publish your data to Excel:

1. Set up a Table Style
2. Set up a Publishing Style Sheet and tell it to use the Table Style you set up

1. Set up a Table Style

To create a new Table:

1. At the main window, click on the Setup button and choose Table Styles (note: it might say "Tables" in your version of CatBase)
2. In the Search Dialogue window, click on Create a New Record
3. A new Table Style is created.
4. Click on the Excel tab (if your version doesn't have an Excel tab, choose the Web tab - it will still work)

1. Enter a name for your table style - for example "Excel table"
2. Select different alignment options if you wish
3. If you don't want a header row, un-select the Include Header Row checkbox
4. Choose style sheets for the header and body rows (note: the interpretation and handling of these styles varies among different versions of Excel)
5. Save your Table Style (click on the green checkmark)
6. If you then see another new Table Style, just cancel it by clicking on the red x.

2. Set up a Publishing Style Sheet

Once you've created a Table Style you are ready to set up your Publishing Style sheet. This is what tells CatBase exactly which fields you want to include in your spreadsheet.

1. At the main CatBase window, click on the Style Sheets button and choose Publishing Style Sheets
2. Click on Create a new Record in the Search Dialogue window
3. Enter a name for your Publishing Style Sheet - "Excel Export", for example
4. Select the table that you want to create the spreadsheet from.
5. Choose Excel from the Default Publishing Destination pop-up menu
6. Click on the Prefs tab
7. Choose a Sort Order from the pop-up Sort Order menu, or click on the New Sort Format button to create a new Sort
8. Click on the Paragraphs tab

A word about Paragraphs ...

When you publish to a spreadsheet, you will create just one Paragraph. This will represent one row in the spreadsheet. You'll simply add the fields you want to include to that Paragraph; each field will become a column in the spreadsheet.

1. Click on Add a Paragraph
2. Enter a name for the Paragraph, such as Rows
3. Click on the Preferences tab
4. In the Tables area, select the Create a Table from this Paragraph check box and choose your Excel table style - for example:

5. DO NOT un-check Include all field even if empty!
6. DO NOT check Each record in its own table!
7. Click on the Details tab
8. Click Add an Element
9. Select the field you want to create the first column from (you can also choose Text, a Formula or Calculation)
10. Click on the Tables tab
11. 
12. You have various options here :
    1. Column Header: This is the heading that will appear at the top of each column. It defaults to the name of the selected filed, but you can change it to something else.
    2. Column Width: Enter the width for the column in your default measurement (eg inches or cm)
    3. Cell Fill Colour: You can choose a background colour for the column if you wish (otherwise it will be white)
    4. Style Sheets: You already selected stylesheets for the Header and the Body rows in your Table Style. But you can choose a different style sheet for individual columns if you wish (note, though, that different versions of Excel deal with this setting in different ways).
    5. Grouping: This options allows you to group two consecutive fields into one column. For example, you might group together a Text Element and a field.
13. Save the Element
14. Add more Elements as needed - one for each column you want to create
15. When you've added all your fields, save the Paragraph
16. Save the Publishing Style Sheet
17. You're now ready to create your spreadsheet.

Creating the Spreadsheet

1. Find the data you want to publish (click on the Find Data button on the main CatBase window, select the appropriate table, and search for the records you want to publish)
2. Click on the Publish button
3. Select your Excel Publishing Style Sheet and save the file
4. This will create a file named yourfilename.xls
5. When it's finished, double-click on the .xls file
6. It should open up in Excel. If you see a message saying that the file is not in a recognised format, or a similar comment, just click on the Yes button to open the file.