Hi:
TAGSETS.EXCELXP has its own method of using Microsoft "field codes" for inserting Page X of Y page numbering into the Worksheet XML. The suboption is the PRINT_FOOTER suboption, as shown below. It does NOT use ODS ESCAPECHAR syntax -- which was originally designed for the "paged" destinations of PDF and RTF.
XML and HTML are not "paged" destinations. The ONLY page control that you have when an HTML file or an XML file is opened in Excel is with an internal Microsoft page control syntax. TAGSETS.EXCELXP surfaces that "control" via the PRINT_HEADER and PRINT_FOOTER suboptions. Do note that in the code below, &L (for left justify), &R (for right justify), &C (center justify), &P (current page) and &N (total pages) are NOT SAS macro variables -- they are the Microsoft "codes" for modifying the header and footer in the XML, as described in the DOC='HELP' output in the SAS log.
For other problems with the generated XML, you might want to open a ticket with Tech Support.
cynthia
[pre]
ods listing close;
options topmargin=1in
bottommargin=1.5in
leftmargin=.5in
rightmargin=.5in;
ods tagsets.excelxp file='c:\temp\testfoot.xls' style=sasweb
options(doc='help' embedded_footnotes='yes'
print_footer_margin='0.5'
print_footer='&L One &C Two &R Page &P of &N');
title;
footnote;
proc print data=sashelp.shoes(obs=100);
var region product sales inventory;
run;
ods _all_ close;
[/pre]