[Wine] Re: running VBA code/macros within Linux

[Rob]

Rob wrote:

> 
> Albretch Mueller wrote:
> 
>>  Hi,
>> .
>>  I know you can run Windows applications using WINE (winehq.com), but has
>> anyone tried, say, running Word or Excel VBA code/macros based on Windows
>> run time libraries?
>> .
>>  the thing is that in their faq
>> (http://www.winehq.com/site/docs/wine-faq/index) they don't even mention
>> this possibility and searching on; VBA Word, doesn't give you any hits,
>> even though WINE does link to windows native dll's
>> .
>>  Perhaps anyone hasn't tried that yet. Perhaps I haven't looked in the
>>  right
>> place
>> .
>>  Could you point me to examples/tutorials?
> 
> Albretch,
> 
> Firstly, I have disabled the automatic email response to you as I believe
> it is rude to ask for help here and want any answers or further discussion
> sent to you by email!
> 
> Back to your question.  Yes, VBA code can be run under MS Office products
> under WINE - I did so some time ago.  The problem is that I have tried
> more
> recently and the macros did *not* run reliably [with Word 97/Excel 97]. 
> It is possible that the original test was done under an evaluation copy of
> the CrossOffice product environment - a commercial version of WINE
> optimised mainly for MS Office products - I really cannot remember as it
> was a few years ago :(
> 
> I'd suggest you try to get VBA & Word/Excel to run under a recent version
> of WINE before you look elsewhere.
> 
> As well, I used a product called winetools to help set up the WINE
> environment - greatly simplifies the process, but it's a bit long in the
> tooth and apparently has problems in some areas.  I believe that there was
> a new project (wine doors)  set up to effectively replace winetools, but
> I'm not sure what has happended since I last looked - at least 6 months
> ago.
> 
> A few sites to look at re WINE setup if you need them (not VBA specific
> AFAIK):
> 
> http://www.wine-doors.org/trac
> http://www.von-thadden.de/Joachim/WineTools/
> http://sidenet.ddo.jp/winetips/
> http://frankscorner.org/index.php?p=ie6
> http://mc1soft.com/linux/index.html
> 
> HTH
> 
A (few) further thoughts...

At the time I was working with WINE I had continual frustration with things
not working fully as they would under Windows itself - mainly things like
help files in Office 97 apps. (not the newer html type help).  Also display
was a bit off too, but mostly bearable.

Eventually I tried using the FOSS (virtual environment) app QEMU and set up
a Windows 98 Environment - word/excel, incl macros IIRC worked well.
Couldn't work out sound, but that was unimportant for me.

The main issue was that using the apps in that environment was not quite as
transparent as with WINE, but then I did not do lots of testing, etc under
QEMU.  I found later on that I had not used a feature of QEMU that would
have greatly helped, but by that time I'd totally broken Linux (Mandriva
2005) and needed to reload everything. Short version - I never bothered
with Win apps since then, but I still really need to do some work again in
this area fairly soon with Excel/VBA as I have an application I built (and
still need) and can't be bothered to redo it by learning StarBasic (OOo).

So there are the 2 possibilities - you could also use VMWare to create a
windows environment (this can be done for free now, but don't know of the
details - FWIW it is free, but *not* FOSS)

        Rob (again)