Can you clarify the position with regard to .XLSX files. Our customers are starting to ask about being able to import using the native 2007 / 2010 format, either via FlexCel or TAdvGridExcelIO.
My answer is currently to convert to .XLS and import. This is obviously a perfectly fine answer, but it doesn't "look" like we are moving things forward if we have to revert to "old" formats.
FlexCel 5 VCL (which includes xlsx support) is going fine, we are dedicating most of the time to it right now. It just takes a lot of time because there are too many new things.
AdvExcelIO I am not so sure on how we will handle it yet, since it uses the old engine, and with the new one we don't have a "lite" FlexCel to use in here, we are working in the full FlexCel version (which we can0t include in the tms pack). It is one thing that we still need to define how to do it, but will probably take a little longer.
I don't want to give the idea that AdvExcelIO won't be retroffited. It will, it is just that it isn't our priority now and so it will take longer.
Yes, I have an estimate, but no, I can't make it public. I have been promising it too long and there has always been something that stopped it. But we are dedicating most of our development time right now and it isn't that far away.
Yes. FlexCel 5 VCL is a port of FlexCel .NET. So it includes exporting to pdf/html, recalcuilation, and a thousand of other features.
Glad to hear that, as we *are* under great pressure to deliver it :) And doing the most we can, without forgetting our .net customers either.
Sadly I can't give an estimate since I have been too wrong in the past. We are already very delayed, and nobody in this world wants to see this finished more than me, but we just can't ship crap. So until it is stable enough we just can't ship it no matter how much we would like.
Again, I am very sorry to have to say this, but that's what I can say. We will keep on working as we always have, but sometimes it looks like the farther we move, the farther it goes.
I was just checking back to see if there was an update on the FlexCel 5 VCL status since I asked at the beginning of June. I see that you posted a reply to Mathias only a month ago, so I assume the postition is still the same i.e. you're working hard on it and it will only be delivered when you're happy with the quality?
I only checked back today as we have one of our partners asking us for an update. Still no absolute urgent need on our part, but it will be a good quick hit for us when all of your hard work pays off !
You are right, position is the same, but status has advanced. Problem is, FlexCel.NET keeps advancing too, and so we keep adding things in the todo list.
I would say that yes, it will appear before 6 months (we are internally already generating xlsx files with VCL here but I don't want to get too exited, there is still a lot of work to do). But as said before, this isn't 100% sure.
Well, I just rechecked to make sure, but I never spoke about FlexCel 4:)
The new version coming is a port of the .NET version (currently at 5.3) and will have the same version number, as it will simplify support. Even when it will be a big version jump (and justified too, because there are tons of stuff coming), we will make sure that everybody who bought FlexCel 3 in a reasonable window of time gets it for free.