Re: Excel by XML generation

On Wed, Dec 16, 2020 at 10:54 AM Darren Strong <darren@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I've seen Python suggested many times, but, isn't that a replacement for RPG?

It can be, and I use it that way, but it doesn't have to be.

So, wouldn't I have to embed all the report logic in Python? The multiple tabs, selection criteria, variable sorts, would need to be migrated to Python?

Well, you do have some wiggle room as to how much logic you want to
put in RPG and how much in Python. But I did say you just have to make
the one call, so yes, after you've done what you can in RPG (to gather
and set up data in a staging area, for example), there has to be some
point at which you just hand over ALL remaining work to Python. (Doing
a back-and-forth style with Python would probably be both harder to
set up and slower than what you're already doing with POI.)

All I can tell you is that it is probably less painful than you'd
expect. Python is a remarkably easy and powerful language. I only keep
recommending it because I don't consider myself an especially gifted
programmer, yet I found it ludicrously easy to learn. If you have any
familiarity with Java, you can use Python exactly like a super-duper,
not-fair-it's-so-easy version of Java. (And then, once learned, you
find yourself using Python for more and more and more things. It's a
great replacement for CL, too.)

But, if you're more comfortable with integrating C into your project
instead, by all means, try libxlsxwriter. It has most of the important
stuff from the Python version that I use.

John Y.