gnumeric as a file translation server

["James R. Van Zandt" <jrv vanzandt mv com>]

I monitor a mailing list supporting blind users of Linux.  This user
needs to read and write Excel files.  How hard would it be to set up a
command line interface to gnumeric (or its libraries) to translate
files from Excel to CVS and back?  

        - Jim Van Zandt


> From: Cheryl Homiak <chomiak chartermi net>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> X-Loop: blinux-list redhat com
> Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 23:30:10 -0600 (CST)
>
> Sorry for the post to two lists; I meant to send to blinux originally and
> accidently sent to blinux-newbie.
>
> I am being hired for a job which I do in my home; basically being
> payed through Personal Care Medical Assistance for doing some of my
> daughter's care. My problem is the timesheets.'The timesheets are
> just simple normal timesheets where you put in the dates ad
> time/hours; they have all these long lists of tasks you hae to check
> that you did, and you have to check them on the one time sheet for
> each day. Each time sheet is used for a week.
>
> Since my job isn't in an office, I can't go into the office to fill
> them out. I was asked if I had a friend who could come "every day" to
> help me fill them out, to which I of course said I did not. At first
> they were going to just let me mark for each day on a computerized
> text list of tasks which I would then email in and would be
> transferred to a pre-signed timesheet, but the idea of pre-signing a
> time sheet caused major waves from the top. Their time sheets are in
> xcel; they are telling me there is a linux program that can take the
> xcel timesheets and that I "save it as xcel" but I am suspicious that
> this my require using Xwindows. They also asked me about the
> possibility of doing an "electronic signature" about which I know
> nothing. It's very frustrating; if I could just write up a time-sheet
> with all the tasks listed and checked and all the other info they
> need included on the seet, I probably could do it fairly easily; then
> I'd either have to find a way to print it and mail it or find a way
> to get around the signature problem. As it is, they seem to want this
> on their time sheet, and I have major concerns about whether their
> timesheet is going to translate into something meaningul for me,
> something where I can actually have confidence that I am checking the
> right boxes. If you mess up a time sheet, it not only delays your
> pay, but you have to go into the office and sit there and re-do the
> sheet, if I understand correctly. With my daughter's needs, having to
> do this would be a major problem.  Is there a text-based linux
> program I can use that will take xcel forms, make them intelligible
> to me, and still spit them back out in the correct form for my
> employer?
>
> Can anybody tell me anything about "electronic signatures"?  Any
> other suggestions would be appreciated; even unreasonable ideas will
> probably be given consideration at this point!!!  Thanks.
>
> -- 
>                               Cheryl