This article refers to the last FarPoint Edition of the Spread Product line. Spread is now developed by GrapeCity, Inc. Since the acquisition, Spread for Biztalk Server has been removed from the product line and SpreadJS, a JavaScript version, has been added.
FarPoint Spread is a suite of Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet components available for .NET, COM, and Microsoft BizTalk Server. Software developers use the components to embed Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet features into their applications, such as importing and exporting Microsoft Excel files, displaying, modifying, analyzing, and visualizing data. Spread components handle spreadsheet data at the cell, row, column, or worksheet level.
1991 Spread released as a DLL control as the initial product offering from FarPoint Technologies, Inc.1990sSpread VBX released.Spread ActiveX released.These components are now known as Spread COM.2003 Spread for Windows Forms released as a completely new managed C# version prompted by the launch of Visual Studio .NET.2003 Spread for Web Forms (now Spread for ASP.NET) released.2006 Spread for BizTalk released.2009 FarPoint Technologies acquired by GrapeCity.Spread for Windows Forms: 5.0Spread for Web Forms: 5.0Spread COM: 8.0Spread for BizTalk: 3.0FarPoint Spread for Windows Forms is a Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet component for Windows Forms applications developed using Microsoft Visual Studio and the .NET Framework. Developers use it to add grids and spreadsheets to their applications, and to bind them to data sources. In version 4.0, new cell types were added to display barcodes and fractions, and exports for XML and PDF were added.
FarPoint Spread for ASP.NET is a Microsoft Excel-compatible spreadsheet component for ASP.NET applications. Developers use it to add grids and spreadsheets to their applications,
FarPoint Spread 8 COM allows COM and ActiveX applications to incorporate spreadsheet features. In the 1997 book Visual Basic 5 for Windows for Dummies, Wally Wang lists an early version of Spread COM in Chapter 35: The Ten Most Useful Visual Basic Add-On Programs.
FarPoint Spread for BizTalk Server allows developers to integrate Microsoft Excel documents into Microsoft BizTalk applications. Spread for BizTalk Server includes two components:
Spreadsheet Pipeline Disassembler - Parses data from Microsoft Excel (XLS and Excel 2007 XML, CSV, TXT) documents into XML data for processing through Microsoft BizTalk Server receive pipelines.Spreadsheet Pipeline Assembler - Assembles data from Microsoft BizTalk applications into Microsoft Excel (XLS or Excel 2007 XML) or PDF documents for transport through Microsoft BizTalk Server send pipelines.Developers find it a useful tool for organizations with Microsoft BizTalk Server Enterprise Application Integration. Prior to this release, BizTalk users wanting to use Excel data had to manually open the files and copy and paste data between the two applications.
These features are common to all versions.
Predefined cell types, including:currencydate timenumberpercentregular expressionbuttoncheck boxcombo boxhyperlinkimageFormula support, including:cross-sheet referencingover 300 built-in functionsImport and export:import to Microsoft Excel-compatible filesexport to Microsoft Excel-compatible filesexport to HTML filesexport to XML filesDesign-time spreadsheet designerData-binding with customizable optionsHierarchical data views, with parent rows and child viewsGrouping of rows or columnsSorting by row or column on multiple keysCell spanningMultiple row and column headersBound and unbound modesSupport for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010Support for Windows Azure AppFabricIntegrated chart controlCustom cell typesCell notesChild controlsSplitter barsBuilt-in and custom skins and stylesPDF exportMicrosoft Excel 2007 XML Support (Office Open XML, XLSX)Floating Formula BarRange Selection for FormulaAutomatic Completion (type ahead)Support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010Support for Windows Azure AppFabricIntegrated chart controlAJAX-enabledSupport for Open Document Format (ODF) filesMultiple edits on multiple rows without server round tripsClient-side column and row resizingLoad on demand, which loads data from the server as needed for viewingNative Microsoft Excel import and exportIn-cell editingMultiple edits on multiple rows without server round tripsClient-side column and row resizingMultiple sheetsSearchingFilteringValidationsCell spansPDF exportCustom cell typesCell notesVirtual mode for data loadingUnicode supportCustomizable printingText tipsImport and export:Microsoft Excel 97Excel 2000Excel 2007 (requires the .NET Framework)Enhanced printing64 bit DLLIntegration of Microsoft Excel data into Microsoft BizTalk applicationsDesign-time spreadsheet schema wizard and spreadsheet format designerAdobe Portable Document Format PDF (*.pdf)HTML Web Page (*.html)Microsoft Excel Workbook (*.xls)Plain Text (*.txt)Comma-Separated Values (*.csv)Open Document Format (Spread for ASP.NET) 
