Excel 2007: The Missing Manual

Chapter 26. Connecting Worksheets to the Web

By now, virtually every computer program—from tax-preparation software to the latest hardware-straining action game—boasts Web features. Excel is no exception. Using its Web savvy, you can:

• Make your worksheet into a Web page. If you want to prepare your worksheet for Web viewing, you can do it by hand, or you can use Excel’s surprisingly good, built-in HTML smarts.

• Put the Web in your worksheet. The Web is full of information, some that’s useful, some that’s mildly interesting, and some that’s downright bizarre. With Excel’s Web query feature, you can extract information from a Web page and analyze it right inside a worksheet.

• Make your worksheet work like a Web page. One of the Web’s signature features is the hyperlink, which lets you jump from one place to another at the click of a mouse. With Excel hyperlinks, you can leap between worksheets and Web pages, or you can just jump to different places in the same workbook.

This chapter shows you how to make all these things happen.

Putting Worksheets on the Web

HTML (short for Hypertext Markup Language) is the language of the Web. Web authors use it to craft pages with text, links, and graphics. In fact, HTML is so popular that it’s no longer restricted to the Web. Even desktop programs often use it as an all-purpose way to display information. A typical Windows computer uses HTML to build help files, format email messages, display operating system updates, and even create fancy desktops. ...