title: Is it possible to read a local Excel 97-2003 file (.xls) in a Flash application?
body: <p>All,</p>
  
  <p>I'm exploring the feasibility of reading data from a local Excel file in a Flash application.</p>
  
  <p>Thanks to Ben Morrow's <strong><em>awesome</em></strong> <em>XLSX READER</em> (https://github.com/childoftv/as3-xlsx-reader), it's possible to read Excel 2007 files.</p>
  
  <p>It works <strong><em>beautifully</em></strong>.</p>
  
  <p>However, that function doesn't read Excel 97-2003 files.</p>
  
  <p>I found this:</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://code.google.com/p/as3xls/" rel="nofollow">http://code.google.com/p/as3xls/</a></p>
  
  <p>Which should read Excel files in Flex, but I'm working on a Flash application, and it looks like as3xls relies on a number of Flex only functions and types (ArrayCollection, NumberFormatter, etc.)</p>
  
  <p>Since I'm not familiar with Flex, I'm having a difficult time making the adjustments myself.</p>
  
  <p>Has anyone built a Flash app that reads Excel 97-2003 files, and is willing to share tips or code?</p>
  
  <p>Many thanks in advance.</p>