What is xlsx?
The xlsx npm package is a library that provides tools to parse and write various spreadsheet formats including XLS, XLSX, and CSV. It allows for the manipulation of spreadsheet data programmatically, making it a useful tool for tasks such as data analysis, reporting, and conversion between different spreadsheet formats.
What are xlsx's main functionalities?
Reading XLSX files
This feature allows you to read the contents of an XLSX file into a workbook object, which can then be manipulated or queried using the xlsx package's API.
const XLSX = require('xlsx');
const workbook = XLSX.readFile('path/to/your/spreadsheet.xlsx');
Writing XLSX files
This feature enables you to create a new XLSX file or modify an existing one and save it to disk. You can add new data, create new sheets, and perform various other operations before writing the file.
const XLSX = require('xlsx');
const workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, 'Sheet1');
XLSX.writeFile(workbook, 'path/to/your/new/spreadsheet.xlsx');
Converting JSON to a worksheet
With this feature, you can convert an array of JavaScript objects (typically representing rows of data) into a worksheet that can be added to a workbook and eventually written to a file.
const XLSX = require('xlsx');
const worksheet = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet([{name: 'John', age: 30}, {name: 'Jane', age: 28}]);
Parsing cell data
This feature allows you to parse data from individual cells or ranges of cells within a sheet. You can extract the data in a JSON format for easy manipulation and use in your application.
const XLSX = require('xlsx');
const workbook = XLSX.readFile('path/to/your/spreadsheet.xlsx');
const firstSheetName = workbook.SheetNames[0];
const worksheet = workbook.Sheets[firstSheetName];
const cellValue = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(worksheet);
Other packages similar to xlsx
exceljs
exceljs is another npm package that provides similar functionalities to xlsx. It allows for reading, writing, and streaming Excel data. Compared to xlsx, exceljs offers a more modern API and additional features such as streaming I/O, which can be beneficial for handling large files or working with data on-the-fly.
sheetjs
sheetjs, also known as xlsx, is actually the same package as xlsx. It is a community-driven fork of the original xlsx package with additional features and improvements. It is often used interchangeably with xlsx.
node-xlsx
node-xlsx is a simpler and more lightweight alternative to xlsx. It focuses on parsing and building XLSX/CSV files. While it may not have as many features as xlsx, it can be easier to use for basic tasks and has a smaller footprint.
xlsx
Currently a parser for XLSX/XLSM/XLSB files. Cleanroom implementation from the
ISO 29500 Office Open XML specifications, [MS-XLSB], and related documents.
Installation
In node:
npm install xlsx
In the browser:
<!-- JSZip must be included before xlsx.js -->
<script lang="javascript" src="/path/to/jszip.js"></script>
<script lang="javascript" src="/path/to/xlsx.js"></script>
Usage
The node version installs a binary xlsx2csv
which can read XLSX/XLSM/XLSB files and output the contents in various formats. The source is available at xlsx2csv.njs
in the bin directory.
See http://oss.sheetjs.com/js-xlsx/ for a browser example.
Note that older versions of IE does not support HTML5 File API, so the base64 mode is provided for testing. On OSX you can get the base64 encoding by running:
$ <target_file.xlsx base64 | pbcopy # the pbcopy puts the content in the clipboard
Simple usage (walks through every cell of every sheet and dumps the values):
var XLSX = require('xlsx')
var xlsx = XLSX.readFile('test.xlsx');
var sheet_name_list = xlsx.SheetNames;
xlsx.SheetNames.forEach(function(y) {
for (z in xlsx.Sheets[y]) {
if(z[0] === '!') continue;
console.log(y + "!" + z + "=" + JSON.stringify(xlsx.Sheets[y][z].v));
}
});
Some helper functions in XLSX.utils
generate different views of the sheets:
XLSX.utils.sheet_to_csv
generates CSVXLSX.utils.sheet_to_row_object_array
interprets sheets as tables with a header column and generates an array of objectsXLSX.utils.get_formulae
generates a list of formulae
Notes
.SheetNames
is an ordered list of the sheets in the workbook
.Sheets[sheetname]
returns a data structure representing the sheet. Each key
that does not start with !
corresponds to a cell (using A-1
notation).
.Sheets[sheetname][address].v
returns the value of the specified cell and .Sheets[sheetname][address].t
returns the type of the cell (constrained to the enumeration ST_CellType
as documented in page 4215 of ISO/IEC 29500-1:2012(E) )
For more details:
bin/xlsx2csv.njs
is a tool for nodeindex.html
is the live demobits/90_utils.js
contains the logic for generating CSV and JSON from sheets
Tested Environments
- Node 0.8.14, 0.10.1
- IE 6/7/8/9/10 using Base64 mode (IE10 using HTML5 mode)
- FF 18 using Base64 or HTML5 mode
- Chrome 24 using Base64 or HTML5 mode
Tests utilize the mocha testing framework. Travis-CI and Sauce Labs links:
Test Files
Test files are housed in another repo.
XLS Support
XLS is available in js-xls.
License
Please consult the attached LICENSE file for details. All rights not explicitly granted by the Apache 2.0 license are reserved by the Original Author.
It is the opinion of the Original Author that this code conforms to the terms of the Microsoft Open Specifications Promise, falling under the same terms as OpenOffice (which is governed by the Apache License v2). Given the vagaries of the promise, the Original Author makes no legal claim that in fact end users are protected from future actions. It is highly recommended that, for commercial uses, you consult a lawyer before proceeding.
References
ISO/IEC 29500:2012(E) "Information technology — Document description and processing languages — Office Open XML File Formats"
OSP-covered specifications:
- [MS-XLSX]: Excel (.xlsx) Extensions to the Office Open XML SpreadsheetML File Format
- [MS-XLSB]: Excel (.xlsb) Binary File Format
Badges