Generate an Excel XML document in Asp.net MVC Web Site

Question

I have an ASP.Net MVC site that generates a Microsoft Excel 2003 XML formatted spreadsheet. The spreadsheet looks good, the controller and views both work, but the file won't open in Excel. It opens in the browser because it is an XML document.

I tried changing the ContentType to be the Excel XLS format (application/excel) and that made Excel open the file but it gives a warning message that the file is an XML document, not an XLS document.

How do you make an Excel XML document open in Excel from a web site?

<%@ Page Language="C#" Inherits="System.Web.Mvc.ViewPage" %><%  
this.Context.Response.Clear();  
this.Context.Response.AddHeader("content-disposition", "attachment;filename=State_Report_" + this.ViewData["State"] + ".xml");  
this.Context.Response.Charset = "";  
this.Context.Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.NoCache);  
this.Context.Response.ContentType = "application/excel";  
%><?xml version="1.0"?>  
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>  
<Workbook xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"  
  xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"  
  xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"  
  xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"  
  xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

Eduardo Molteni · Accepted Answer · 2010-01-23 02:05:35Z

3

Try with

Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel"

And keep the .XML extension.

answered Jan 23, 2010 at 2:05

Eduardo Molteni

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1 Comment

Eduardo Molteni Over a year ago

@chrisb: "We do not recomment Automation of Office applications, including Excel, on the server."

DOK · Accepted Answer · 2009-12-22 20:19:11Z

1

Your problem may be in using the file extension .xml, which you're adding in your header. My code that does this same thing does not have a file extension at all.

You might try dropping that .xml extension, or changing it to .xls or .csv.

answered Dec 22, 2009 at 20:19

DOK

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2 Comments

Mark Ewer Over a year ago

First of all, thank you DOK. I tried this and the file now opens in MS Excel but it then gives an error message saying that the file format does not match the extension since I have used the XML format in a file with a .XLS extension. I think my user can live with this, but I would prefer to make it work without a warning message.

DOK Over a year ago

How about .xlsx? That's the newer extension introduced in Excel 2007. This has another suggestion, which may or may not be palatable: itexperience.net/2008/03/17/…

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