This is the GNU solution you probably want. http://www.xlhtml.org/ This utility converts Excel files into HTML file. If you chain utilities, you should be able to convert Excel files to HTML then to ASCII or some other format. Or you could open it under lynx or some other apps. Hope this helps! On Thu, 10 Jan 2002 11:35:19 -0600 "Martin G. McCormick" <martin@dc.cis.okstate.edu> wrote: > Is there any non graphical utility in Linux or UNIX that > will read Excel documents? I run up against one of these about > twice a year or so on a very irregular basis. It is possible to > use the strings utility on the binary and at least tell what it > is about, but it totally destroys any formatting and only serves > to satisfy my curiosity as to what words, etc were in there. > It's a really dirty way to access it so I am asking if there is > anything better or if anybody who can tell me about it knows the > format of an Excel document. If I need to write such a utility, > I would love to make it freely available so others can use it so > I don't want to go the non disclosure route at all. > > Martin McCormick /----------------------------------------------------\ | Gil Andre -- Technical Writer -- gandre@arkeia.com | | Knox Software: http://www.arkeia.com | |A bug in the code is worth two in the documentation.| \----------------------------------------------------/