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How do I get GP on Terminal server to open up Excel installed on user's machine?
I do not want to run Excel from Terminal server.
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Am I the only one in this world having this issue? Where is Microsoft?
I would say the reason you are not getting a response is nobody does really this, it's just not what Terminal Server would be designed to do. What we do (50 users, two client boxes, with Citrix wrapper) is load the Office suite on the client machines as a requirement for any install. Users use the Excel client on the remote boxes and save files to share or to their local machines as needed.
Same here - makes for some fun when working with new users that think Excel is running on the local and can not find the files in their local folders - but often that is a one time issue - once they learn - most users will generate a report / file to excel on TS and then save it to local - leave Terminal Server and then work locally with the data.
Clients machines do have office suite installed but when GP is launched via terminal server and Excel icon is clicked on SmartList toolbar; it tries to launch Excel on Terminal Server and complains about not being installed AND then an error message that GP is shutting down which shuts down GP.
Clarifying.... when I say load the client with Office it's the Terminal Server machine(s) which house the GP remote clients I am referring to. Your experience here is exactly what I would expect GP to do in this case. You need your IT team to load Office on the terminal server machines.
Tim, This makes much more sense now...
Is there a way to have SmartList open up Excel from the client's machine?
Back in 2001, I was successfully able to use Dex.ini on Citrix to use local copy of client's Dex.ini and use local office but I forgot what I did to get that done.
I don't see it to be honest, that's well past my experience anyway. I think you get into the GAC at some point and it's more a network issue as to where programs look for COM objects etc....
I think SmartList code probably similar to below:
Code is developed using an Excel COM add in, it's going to reference the COM library on the local machine when it runs. When it's not there you get your error:
Logic calls are to/from the COM instance (if it was able to make one), not to pathed objects.
I've never seen reference to external applications in the dex.ini, Leslie Vail has compiled an awesome and very detailed list of Dex.INI as a reference:
https://community.dynamics.com/gp/b/gplesliev/archive/2014/02/20/dex-ini-switches-my-complete-list
Good luck with this
Tim
Tim,
Why don't you create data connection directly from the Excel client to the SQL Server? This way you can take the middleman (the GP Client and Smartlist) out of the equation. This would also allow your users to refresh the data on demand.
Regards,
Kirk
For us, I don't like to use Excel to SQL directly (and don't), reasons for me: code control, user experience, security. The middleman provides security and end user configurability and in my mind lessens the effort on our team.
When I need a one off I would write and deploy an SSRS report.
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