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metropodame · 03-02-2007, 18:54

i'm dealing with quite a stupid situation these days. Someone asked me to turn his website into a standards-compliant one. Only his website is made with office excel and it sucks! it's a weird combination of xml and html.

I have two options in order to help the guy:
- find a software that will clean it up for me
- start it over from scratch

what do you suggest?

Dusteh · 03-02-2007, 19:24

No software can clean up an excel mess. I've seen one of those myself and its insane.

Dreamweaver can clean up word formatting but I think your only option is to redesign it from scratch. Especially as the guy has specifically asked you to make it standards compliant.

I could be wrong, can't say for sure until I see the code myself.

gkwinspired · 03-02-2007, 20:16

I'm with Dusteh - I feel it would probably quicker - maybe not in the early stages - but in the long run.

metropodame · 03-02-2007, 20:28

I feared that...
But still, i saw that Tidy claims to be able to clean most office-made websites. Wouldn't it be nice if i could clean-up the html with Tidy, and then extract the style-related html atributes from the new file and turn them into nice css with some software...I'd sure love that..

Jayx · 04-02-2007, 05:13

Everybody wants it the easy way.

Sorry, I have to agree - start from scratch.

skyrocket · 04-02-2007, 06:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by metropodame

I have two options in order to help the guy:
- find a software that will clean it up for me
- start it over from scratch

I don't think even Tidy could clean up an Excel generated web page. You're asking the impossible! I'd love to see some of the code soup it has made - it would give us all a real good laugh. It would be like tackling the Exxon Valdez Alaska oil spill with a bottle of Jif and a packet of scouring pads. We're talking an awful lot of oily Penguins here. Having said that, there is this software I know of that you could try but I haven't used it myself and don't believe it can do the job effectively anyway. Which leaves you with one option... If you want it done properly as web standards compliant I agree it has to be started from scratch.

Dusteh · 04-02-2007, 06:14

Cleaning up the code - and making the site standards compliant are two different things to me. Even if you clean it, the whole structure will still be completely out of whack. You are thinking of getting it to meet with the standards by just getting it past a validator. You need to be thinking about structure and usability, thats what the standards mindset is about.

RaelRode · 04-02-2007, 06:45

OK it made in excel so burn it quick. redo the whole thing its easier than "fixing" it. You cant fix anything made by Microsucky.

mattp · 04-02-2007, 22:13

Can we see it? Even if you're going to redesign it, it would be interesting to see what kind of trash Excel produced.

03-02-2007, 18:54	#1 (permalink)
metropodame Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2	streamline a site made in office excel i'm dealing with quite a stupid situation these days. Someone asked me to turn his website into a standards-compliant one. Only his website is made with office excel and it sucks! it's a weird combination of xml and html. I have two options in order to help the guy: - find a software that will clean it up for me - start it over from scratch what do you suggest?

03-02-2007, 19:24	#2 (permalink)
Dusteh Sir digby chicken caesar Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 4,306	No software can clean up an excel mess. I've seen one of those myself and its insane. Dreamweaver can clean up word formatting but I think your only option is to redesign it from scratch. Especially as the guy has specifically asked you to make it standards compliant. I could be wrong, can't say for sure until I see the code myself. __________________ unconsolidated isoparms

04-02-2007, 06:14	#7 (permalink)
Dusteh Sir digby chicken caesar Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 4,306	Cleaning up the code - and making the site standards compliant are two different things to me. Even if you clean it, the whole structure will still be completely out of whack. You are thinking of getting it to meet with the standards by just getting it past a validator. You need to be thinking about structure and usability, thats what the standards mindset is about. __________________ unconsolidated isoparms

04-02-2007, 22:13	#9 (permalink)
mattp Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 73	Can we see it? Even if you're going to redesign it, it would be interesting to see what kind of trash Excel produced. Last edited by mattp : 04-02-2007 at 23:12.

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03-02-2007, 20:16	#3 (permalink)
gkwinspired Come on IE - GO GECKO! Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wasilla, Alaska Posts: 93	I'm with Dusteh - I feel it would probably quicker - maybe not in the early stages - but in the long run.

03-02-2007, 20:28	#4 (permalink)
metropodame Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2	I feared that... But still, i saw that Tidy claims to be able to clean most office-made websites. Wouldn't it be nice if i could clean-up the html with Tidy, and then extract the style-related html atributes from the new file and turn them into nice css with some software...I'd sure love that..

04-02-2007, 05:13	#5 (permalink)
Jayx Now with added sarcasm. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: George, South Africa Posts: 349	Everybody wants it the easy way. Sorry, I have to agree - start from scratch.

04-02-2007, 06:45	#8 (permalink)
RaelRode Designers are strange :) Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Shrewsbury, UK Posts: 1,735	OK it made in excel so burn it quick. redo the whole thing its easier than "fixing" it. You cant fix anything made by Microsucky.

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