XLL Host
XLL Host is a software module that can be used
by client applications to run Excel add-ins (XLLs) without the Excel application
being present.
XLL Host is useful when the following conditions apply:
- The EXCEL.EXE application cannot be deployed (e.g. on a web server).
- The XLL add-in cannot be reengineered and rebuilt as a standard DLL or assembly. This is typically because the source code is not available, for commercial or for historical reasons.
Client applications can use XLL Host objects either through .NET assemblies or through the COM interface. Client applications can therefore be written in any of the following languages:
- C++
- C#
- Visual Basic
- Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
- Java
- Any language that supports calling either .NET or COM objects.
Licensing XLL Host
If you are interested in licensing XLL Host, please send email to us at sales@planatechsolutions.com.
We can arrange for a trial period and we can provide technical support before and during your trial.
More information
The topics listed below contain the essentials for getting you started with XLL Host.
- Architecture
- A description of the architecture of XLL Host, and an examination of its role in the application stack.
- Wrapper classes
- An introduction to wrapper classes, which expose the add-in functions of a specific XLL add-in.
- Creating a wrapper project
- The procedure for creating a wrapper project, which provides standard .NET objects and methods for calling the add-in functions in the XLL.
- How to build a Plug-in Emulator
- Details on providing an Excel emulator to handle API callbacks that are not built into the XLL Host module.