node-xlsx

What is node-xlsx?

The node-xlsx package is a powerful tool for parsing and writing Excel files in Node.js. It allows you to read data from Excel files, manipulate it, and write it back to new Excel files. This package supports both .xlsx and .xls formats.

What are node-xlsx's main functionalities?

Reading Excel Files

This feature allows you to read data from an Excel file. The `parse` method reads the file and returns an array of worksheets, each containing an array of rows and columns.

const xlsx = require('node-xlsx');
const workSheetsFromFile = xlsx.parse(`${__dirname}/myFile.xlsx`);
console.log(workSheetsFromFile);

Writing Excel Files

This feature allows you to write data to an Excel file. The `build` method creates a buffer from the data, which can then be written to a file using Node's `fs` module.

const xlsx = require('node-xlsx');
const data = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]];
const buffer = xlsx.build([{name: 'mySheetName', data: data}]);
require('fs').writeFileSync('myFile.xlsx', buffer);

Manipulating Excel Data

This feature allows you to manipulate data within an Excel file. You can read the file, modify the data, and then write the updated data back to a new file.

const xlsx = require('node-xlsx');
const workSheetsFromFile = xlsx.parse(`${__dirname}/myFile.xlsx`);
workSheetsFromFile[0].data[0][0] = 'New Value';
const buffer = xlsx.build(workSheetsFromFile);
require('fs').writeFileSync('myFile.xlsx', buffer);

Other packages similar to node-xlsx

xlsx

The xlsx package is another popular library for reading and writing Excel files in Node.js. It offers a wide range of features and is known for its performance and reliability. Compared to node-xlsx, it has a more extensive API and better documentation.

exceljs

The exceljs package provides a comprehensive set of features for working with Excel files, including support for styling, formatting, and creating complex worksheets. It is more feature-rich compared to node-xlsx, especially in terms of formatting and styling capabilities.

sheetjs

The sheetjs package, also known as js-xlsx, is a highly versatile library for parsing and writing spreadsheet files. It supports a wide range of formats and offers extensive functionality for data manipulation. It is comparable to node-xlsx but offers more flexibility and support for different file formats.

README

node-xlsx

Features

Straightforward excel file parser and builder.

• Relies on SheetJS xlsx module to parse/build excel sheets.
• Built with TypeScript for static type checking with exported types along the library.

Install

npm install node-xlsx --save

Quickstart

Parse an xlsx file

import xlsx from 'node-xlsx';
// Or var xlsx = require('node-xlsx').default;

// Parse a buffer
const workSheetsFromBuffer = xlsx.parse(fs.readFileSync(`${__dirname}/myFile.xlsx`));
// Parse a file
const workSheetsFromFile = xlsx.parse(`${__dirname}/myFile.xlsx`);

Build an xlsx file

import xlsx from 'node-xlsx';
// Or var xlsx = require('node-xlsx').default;

const data = [
  [1, 2, 3],
  [true, false, null, 'sheetjs'],
  ['foo', 'bar', new Date('2014-02-19T14:30Z'), '0.3'],
  ['baz', null, 'qux'],
];
var buffer = xlsx.build([{name: 'mySheetName', data: data}]); // Returns a buffer

Custom column width

import xlsx from 'node-xlsx';
// Or var xlsx = require('node-xlsx').default;

const data = [
  [1, 2, 3],
  [true, false, null, 'sheetjs'],
  ['foo', 'bar', new Date('2014-02-19T14:30Z'), '0.3'],
  ['baz', null, 'qux'],
];
const sheetOptions = {'!cols': [{wch: 6}, {wch: 7}, {wch: 10}, {wch: 20}]};

var buffer = xlsx.build([{name: 'mySheetName', data: data}], {sheetOptions}); // Returns a buffer

Spanning multiple rows A1:A4 in every sheets

import xlsx from 'node-xlsx';
// Or var xlsx = require('node-xlsx').default;

const data = [
  [1, 2, 3],
  [true, false, null, 'sheetjs'],
  ['foo', 'bar', new Date('2014-02-19T14:30Z'), '0.3'],
  ['baz', null, 'qux'],
];
const range = {s: {c: 0, r: 0}, e: {c: 0, r: 3}}; // A1:A4
const sheetOptions = {'!merges': [range]};

var buffer = xlsx.build([{name: 'mySheetName', data: data}], {sheetOptions}); // Returns a buffer

Spanning multiple rows A1:A4 in second sheet

import xlsx from 'node-xlsx';
// Or var xlsx = require('node-xlsx').default;

const dataSheet1 = [
  [1, 2, 3],
  [true, false, null, 'sheetjs'],
  ['foo', 'bar', new Date('2014-02-19T14:30Z'), '0.3'],
  ['baz', null, 'qux'],
];
const dataSheet2 = [
  [4, 5, 6],
  [7, 8, 9, 10],
  [11, 12, 13, 14],
  ['baz', null, 'qux'],
];
const range = {s: {c: 0, r: 0}, e: {c: 0, r: 3}}; // A1:A4
const sheetOptions = {'!merges': [range]};

var buffer = xlsx.build([
  {name: 'myFirstSheet', data: dataSheet1},
  {name: 'mySecondSheet', data: dataSheet2, options: sheetOptions},
]); // Returns a buffer

Beware that if you try to merge several times the same cell, your xlsx file will be seen as corrupted.

• Using Primitive Object Notation Data values can also be specified in a non-abstracted representation.

Examples:

const rowAverage = [[{t: 'n', z: 10, f: '=AVERAGE(2:2)'}], [1, 2, 3]];
var buffer = xlsx.build([{name: 'Average Formula', data: rowAverage}]);

Refer to xlsx documentation for valid structure and values:

• Format

Troubleshooting

This library requires at least node.js v10. For legacy versions, you can use this workaround before using the lib.

npm i --save object-assign

Object.prototype.assign = require('object-assign');

Contributing

Please submit all pull requests the against master branch. If your unit test contains javascript patches or features, you should include relevant unit tests. Thanks!

Available scripts

Script	Description
start	Alias of test:watch
test	Run mocha unit tests
test:watch	Run and watch mocha unit tests
lint	Run eslint static tests
compile	Compile the library
compile:watch	Compile and watch the library

Authors

Olivier Louvignes

• http://olouv.com
• http://github.com/mgcrea

Copyright and license

Apache License 2.0

Copyright (C) 2012-2014  Olivier Louvignes

   Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
   you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
   You may obtain a copy of the License at

       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
   limitations under the License.

Except where noted, this license applies to any and all software programs and associated documentation files created by the Original Author and distributed with the Software:

Inspired by SheetJS gist examples, Copyright (c) SheetJS.