Microsoft Javascript Add-In: read/write to Excel, Access

Question

I am trying to create a Microsoft Word Add in. I would like the javascript Add in to have the ability to read and write to Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel files. This is trivial with VBA, but I do not want to divide up the user experience between my Javascript add in and a VBA button in the original Word document. I would like to be able to read and write from the Javascript add in somehow.

I know I have access to things like Word.run(function (context) {..... from the docs, but example functions have nothing to do with accessing other documents.

What is the right way to access other Microsoft documents from a Javascript add in to read and write?

Thanks.

Answer 1

By "other Microsoft documents" I'll assume you are talking about any related files the user has stored on their PC. But these JavaScript for Office add-ins are essentially just web pages running in an embedded browser, and applications running in a browser are sandboxed and just don't have access to the local computer (without installing client helper applications).

So your app will need to prompt the user to upload a file to your web server where you can interact with the file using a relevant API (which would be a completely different topic). Or you can use web-based APIs to interact with web-based file systems (OneDrive/Graph, Dropbox, etc.).