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Microsoft essentially says 'don't install Word server-side' [0]. The 3rd party you've linked to would be a more appropriate route. You can automate in other wa

Microsoft essentially says 'don't install Word server-side' [0]. The 3rd party you've linked to would be a more appropriate route. You can automate in other ways, such as interacting with COM via a scripting language or development language client-side. That is supported. If you're dead-set on a web-based application, then yeah, go 3rd party. [0] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/considerations-for-server-side-automation-of-office-48bcfe93-8a89-47f1-0bce-017433ad79e2 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/considerations-for...

bredren 2y ago
Thanks for the feedback. I don't think client side manipulation is an option as the result needs to be made available directly via a web-based SaaS. The licensing issue seems thorny. If this were as easy to set up and use as the comment I quoted suggested, we would need to get some validation that any end user performing "exports" had their own valid license to Word at the time of export. I'm not sure what the secret sauce is in the third party libraries is that can't be done at a much more limited scope by manipulating the docx directly. The most complex thing seems to be the determination of page numbers associated with various headings and the ability to refresh this on the fly.
- nullindividual 2y ago
  Licensing is a thorny issue. Office follows the Universal License Terms [0] which have various restrictions, such as not offering Office to 3rd parties and all users internal to a company who use a service like yours would require an Office CAL themselves. You would need a Volume License subscription for Office client. Retail copies are most definitely not licensed for this use-case. This would include anyone using your software -- they would need to have a volume licensed copy of Office. I would suggest talking to a company like CDW who can assist with license terms or Microsoft Licensing -- don't take an HN or any other forum reply as a definitive answer. Microsoft typically doesn't let you get away 'cheap' when you use their software like this. And they've covered all of the bases you can think of to be cheap. Since docx is 'open', any masochistic third party can write a library to interact with it -- or just take from the likes of LibreOffice and adapt it for server-side software. This avoids the Microsoft licensing discussion. [0] https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/product/ForallSoftware/all https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/product/ForallSoft...

bredren 2y ago

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think client side manipulation is an option as the result needs to be made available directly via a web-based SaaS. The licensing issue seems thorny. If this were as easy to set up and use as the comment I quoted suggested, we would need to get some validation that any end user performing "exports" had their own valid license to Word at the time of export. I'm not sure what the secret sauce is in the third party libraries is that can't be done at a much more limited scope by manipulating the docx directly. The most complex thing seems to be the determination of page numbers associated with various headings and the ability to refresh this on the fly.

nullindividual 2y ago
Licensing is a thorny issue. Office follows the Universal License Terms [0] which have various restrictions, such as not offering Office to 3rd parties and all users internal to a company who use a service like yours would require an Office CAL themselves. You would need a Volume License subscription for Office client. Retail copies are most definitely not licensed for this use-case. This would include anyone using your software -- they would need to have a volume licensed copy of Office. I would suggest talking to a company like CDW who can assist with license terms or Microsoft Licensing -- don't take an HN or any other forum reply as a definitive answer. Microsoft typically doesn't let you get away 'cheap' when you use their software like this. And they've covered all of the bases you can think of to be cheap. Since docx is 'open', any masochistic third party can write a library to interact with it -- or just take from the likes of LibreOffice and adapt it for server-side software. This avoids the Microsoft licensing discussion. [0] https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/product/ForallSoftware/all https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/product/ForallSoft...