Convert Excel XLSX To XLS

The XLSX format is a Microsoft Excel 2007 format that is not compatible with older versions of the said application. Luckily, there are alternatives to converting a 2007 Excel document to an older version of it. I prefer the online way but there is also a compatibility pack for MS Office that does the trick. The format is currently not supported by GMail attachment viewer or any of the online office suites like Google Docs so you have no choice but to have it converted to an old format else you will not be able to view it.

However, you can easily convert .xlsx spreadsheet to the traditional .xls format using the Microsoft Office compatibility Pack available here. This will help you open, edit, and save .xlsx files in Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003. More details on Office 2007 FAQ.

Alternatively, you can convert .xlsx to .xls or other text formats online using the Zamzar.com service here. Unlike the Microsoft compatibility pack, the Zamzar .xlsx to .xls conversion services will not require a copy of Microsoft Office on your computer.

And if you have OpenOffice, Zamzar can also convert the XLSX file to OpenDocument spreadsheet format.

Bypass MegaUpload Country Limit

Ever get that frustrating MegaUpload message All download slots assigned to your country (?) are currently in use. Please try again in a few hours or install the Megaupload Toolbar for immediate access - with the toolbar installed, there are no more slot limitations for you! whenever you wish to download something? I had no choice but to look for that same file in rapidshare or some other file hosting site instead because at least they base it on the user’s I.P. then there’s a better chance for you to be able to download something than having it based on per country. Enter anonymous surfing, though I won’t go into detail what this concept is all about (as it is not the point of this post).

A good anonymous surfing service such as Anonymouse or Guardster free web proxy can be used to bypass the MegaUpload download limit. Steps to use Guardster to bypass MegaUpload Country limit are:

1. Go to the following site: http://www.guardster.com/subscription/proxy_free.php
2. Input the MegaUpload download link in the Address text box. (where you will see http:// in the box)
3. Uncheck (Unselect) all the options, like No Cookies, No Scripts, No Images, Hide Referrer, Hide User Agent, Hide Title, Hide Header.
4. Click on the button “I agree an wish to surf anonymously”.

Another workaround for MegaUpload slots limit is by using Google Language Tool translation capability.

1. Go to Google Language Tool, and scroll to Translate section. Or you can go direct to Google Translate.
2. Input MegaUpload download link into the tex box (where you can see http://) below the “Translate a web page:”.
3. For “from” option, the default (depending on your Google interface) English to German will do the trick, although other options will likely to allow the hack too.
4. Click on the “Translate” after the language option, and wait for the MegaUpload download page to load, which allows you to start download immediately without the limitation by download limit per country.

Java isEmail

isEmail() method for Java checks if an email address is valid or not. returns boolean.

public static String emailPattern = "^[a-zA-Z][\\w\\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]@[a-zA-Z0-9][\\w\\.-]*[a-zA-Z0-9]\\.[a-zA-Z][a-zA-Z\\.]*[a-zA-Z]$";
 
public static boolean isEmail(String email) {
  Pattern p = Pattern.compile(emailPattern); // Set the email pattern string
  Matcher m = p.matcher(email); // Match the given string with the pattern
  return m.matches();
}

Javascript encode, decode Functions

Handy javascript functions to encode and decode strings.

function urlencode(str) {
  str = escape(str);
  str = str.replace('+', '%2B');
  str = str.replace('%20', '+');
  str = str.replace('*', '%2A');
  str = str.replace('/', '%2F');
  str = str.replace('@', '%40');
  return str;
}
 
function urldecode(str) {
  str = str.replace('+', ' ');
  str = unescape(str);
  return str;
}