Re: Can I modify an existing Excel cell before saving spreadsheet

[Scott Klement <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Kent,

When HSSFRow_GetCell() returns *NULL (0 in the debugger is *NULL), it 
means that it couldn't find the cell you requested.  Perhaps you 
requested a cell that doesn't exist?  (Cells that haven't been created 
look the same as blank cells when you view them in Excel, but cells that 
haven't been created don't technically exist, and aren't saved to the 
XLS file.)

Either you're specifying a cell that doesn't exist, or you've got one of 
the parameter wrong (like the Row object, or the Sheet object that you 
previously used to get the row object, etc...)

Anyway, in my code, I usually want to change a cell that exists, or add 
a cell that doesn't, so I do something like this:

   cell = HSSFRow_getCell(row: colno);
   if (cell = *null);
        HSSFRow_createCell(row: colno);
   endif;

... then proceed to set the cell value....

Good luck




Hohlen, Kent wrote:
> I am modifying a program that converts a spool file to a spreadsheet.  I
> added multiple lines of comments to the report and now I am trying to
> get the comments on the spreadsheet.  If the comments are for the same
> detail line, then the user wants all those comments in the same cell.
> We read one line from the report and determine what kind of line it is
> on the report and then create the cell or a new row.  
>
>  
>
> The report looks sort of like this
>
>  
>
> Page Headings
>
> Selection Criteria
>
> Column headings
>
> Detail Line
>
> Comment
>
> Comment
>
>  
>
> Detail line
>
> Comment
>
>  
>
> And so on...
>
>  
>
> The program's logic goes sort of like this.
>
>  
>
> If this is a detail line, break each column into a cell.
>
> If this is a comment line, put comment into next cell after last column
> cell.
>
>  
>
> If a second comment line is read, I would like to append what is in the
> cell with the comment line just read.  Can I use the following
> procedures to get an existing cell and update it?  
>
>  
>
> // Do this to get the cell object and get the cell's value.
>
> Cell = HSSFRow_GetCell( Rw : CellNumber )  - to get the comment cell
>
> String = String_getBytes( HSSFCell_getStringCellValue( Cell ) - get the
> string in the cell
>
>  
>
> // build new string here. 
>
>  
>
> // Update the ccell
>
> NewString = Create_String( String ) - convert the new string to a java
> string
>
> HSSFCell_setCellValueStr( Cell : NewString ) - update the cell with the
> new string
>
>  
>
>  
>
> I am trying to update a cell in a spreadsheet before the book has been
> saved.  Is this possible?  The JVM fails at String = String_getBytes(
> HSSFCell_getStringCellValue( Cell ).  When I put it into debug Cell = 0.
> Cell is defined like HSSFCell.  I don't have all the error messages in
> the job log when it fails right now, but the one that sticks out is the
> "pointer not set" error.  It almost looks to me like it can't find the
> cell and fails.
>
>  
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>  
>
> Thanks,
>
>  
>
> Kent Hohlen