‘ Convert XLS ’ Command Line

Command Line Explained

‘Convert XLS’ can be run without a user interface with command line arguments much like in the good old DOS days.  Alternatively you can initiate command line execution by going to the operating system 'command prompt' or within Windows at the START-RUN menu and typing it in there.  Lastly, the command line interface can be used from Batch files (files with *.BAT extension). 

There are two approaches to using the command line:

     A)  Specify a 'Conversion Job' that was built using the graphical user interface (GUI); or

     B)   Specify a 'Conversion Task' in detail from the command line.

See the  'Convert Xls' documentation for a full explanation and reference.  Below we focus specifically on using 'Convert XLS' to bulk print Excel files.

COMMAND LINE PRINTING

The special process associated with printing is 113. 

/P#	Meaning	Extra Parameters: /1{Parameter1} … /n{Nth Parameter}
113	Print worksheet(s) in one or more workbooks. Bulk print Excel	sPrinter^OriginalSheet^sRange^lNumCopies^lFromPage^lToPage^bCollate^bPrintToFile /1 = sPrinter (not sure what this is, use the user interface to see strings associated with printers) /2 = sSheetsToPrint (by name or number) /3 = sRange (leave blank for ‘used range’) /4 = lNumber of copies /5 = lPageFrom (leave empty to start printing from the beginning) /6 = lPageTo (leave empty to terminate printing at the end) /7 = bCollate ("TRUE" or "FALSE"). Set to "TRUE" to collate multiple copies /8 = bPrintToFile ("TRUE" or "FALSE"). Set to "TRUE" if printing to a file. You must specify a target file if printing to a file.

This special process can clear the contents that you specify in the range that you specify.

Special Parameters Described in Detail

/1{sPrinter} String associated with the printer you wish to print to. If you are not sure about this, use the graphical user interface and save a ‘conversion job’ from the file menu. Open this ‘conversion job’ file in notepad to see the string associated with the printer you used.

/2{ sSheetsToPrint } Name or number of the sheet(s) to print. Required.

/3{sRange} Range of cells being printed (i.e. "A1:B4, J10"). Leave empty for ‘used range’.

/4{lNumberOfCopies} Numeric value specifying the number of copies to print

/5{lPageFrom} You can optionally specify a range of pages to print by using this and the lPagesTo parameters. Leave empty to simply print the range chosen

/6{lPageTo} You can optionally specify a range of pages to print by using this and the lPagesTo parameters. Leave empty to simply print the range chosen

/7{bCollate} If doing numerous copies of a print job that has more than one page, you may want to keep them in proper order by setting this parameter to "TRUE".

/8{bPrintToFile} Set to "TRUE" to print to a file. If you are printing to a file, the target file must be specified.

Examples:

EXAMPLE 1: Print the 2nd sheet in a workbook

To print 1 copy of the 2nd worksheet and a specific range of cells in "C:\ExcelFiles\Summary.XLS" the following syntax would be used:

ConvertXLS.EXE /S"C:\ExcelFiles\Summary.XLS" /T"C:\ExcelFiles\Summary.XLS" /P113 /1"HP Deskjet 550" /2 2 /3 A19:F19,Z12 /4 1

Batch print xls files by modifying the example above to meet your specific needs.

See Also:
Web Based Documentation which includes example usage of the command line.