2Web Technologies announced the release of XL2Web, a new software tool that converts Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and models into interactive Web applications and Web services in minutes without the need for programming. The product offers a fast, secure, version-controlled means of Web-enabling and distributing interactive spreadsheets.The software can also be used to permit fast development of online calculators and other interactive Web content using Excel as the authoring tool.

XL2 Web consists of two components: XL2Web Publisher, an Excel plug-in that enables spreadsheet authors to quickly define the publishable areas of a given Excel file and then converts and automatically uploads the model to a server; and XL2Web JEngine, a Java Servlet that presents the published model to end users in their browser or makes the model accessible as a SOAP-compatible Web service that can be easily integrated into any application.

The XL2Web platform supports complex, multi-page Web applications with virtually all Excel functions including multiple worksheets and workbooks, charts, images, cell formatting, data tables, data validation, GoalSeeks, and support for proprietary and third-party function libraries. End users can access any XL2Web-enabled model from a Web browser without browser plug-ins or the need to install Excel, making it usable remotely or with Blackberrys and other specialized computing devices. XL2Web’s ability to rapidly convert spreadsheet assets into Web-based applications and Web services without IT programming eliminates the costs and duplication of effort involved in recoding a spreadsheet for Web use.