Alternative for Microsoft Office

Because of Microsoft’s new license policy one of our customers is looking for other Office software (like Word, Excel, Powerpoint). They are trying OpenOffice from Sun Microsystems. The problem is the use of globals or locals with datatype “Automation” in Navision. Has anybody experience with this subject and maybe a solution, for instance an OCX or a dll?

OCXs/COMs and other niceties are all Microsoft Technologies, It’s not really a smart move from your customer to decide to go with another Office package which would not be Microsoft compliant. It make even less sense since Navision has now been acquired with Microsoft. Not going with Microsoft Office because it’s expensive is not a valid reason when you’ve got a Microsoft product as your ERP. But then if your customer is not willing to never do any sort of integration they can sure can go with anything which will run on a Win platform. All that to say is that the decision maker have got to think long term here … ###### tarek_demiati@ureach.com

Hello Bernie. Tarek provides some good points; however, I’m confused as to what problems you are having with automation. Are you stating that it’s not possible to automate star office? Have you checked on the star office developer usergroups? Obviously, I wouldn’t expect you to find examples of C/Side or X++ code; however, you should be able to translate code from another language to C/Side or X++. By the way, I could help if your customer was using Corel. /Michael

Hello Tarek and Michael. Thank you for your reactions. I agree with the objections of Tarek but our customer has chosen for OpenOffice. I am not saying that it is impossible to automate OpenOffice. Just want to know if someone has done it before, so I don’t have to invent it myself!

I think that previously in this forum some tries about using StarOffice with automations and so was working fine with navision… but i cannot remember a lot about it. For sure Microsoft will try to force the users to use their programs specially now… but i don’t see why they cannot use other software too if they want. OCX it’s not only used by Microsoft programs, and i think that OpenOffice should have things you can use for that… Check on Sun’s forums about OpenOffice interaction with other programs. I think the only problem you can find is finding what procedures to follow for using automations and so with it for creating documents and so.