xsheetjs/docbits/20_import.md

Acquiring and Extracting Data

Parsing Workbooks

API

Extract data from spreadsheet bytes

var workbook = XLSX.read(data, opts);

The read method can extract data from spreadsheet bytes stored in a JS string, "binary string", NodeJS buffer or typed array (Uint8Array or ArrayBuffer).

Read spreadsheet bytes from a local file and extract data

var workbook = XLSX.readFile(filename, opts);

The readFile method attempts to read a spreadsheet file at the supplied path. Browsers generally do not allow reading files in this way (it is deemed a security risk), and attempts to read files in this way will throw an error.

The second opts argument is optional. "Parsing Options" covers the supported properties and behaviors.

Examples

Here are a few common scenarios (click on each subtitle to see the code):

Local file in a NodeJS server (click to show)

readFile uses fs.readFileSync under the hood:

var XLSX = require("xlsx");

var workbook = XLSX.readFile("test.xlsx");

For Node ESM, the readFile helper is not enabled. Instead, fs.readFileSync should be used to read the file data as a Buffer for use with XLSX.read:

import { readFileSync } from "fs";
import { read } from "xlsx/xlsx.mjs";

const buf = readFileSync("test.xlsx");
/* buf is a Buffer */
const workbook = read(buf);

Local file in a Deno application (click to show)

readFile uses Deno.readFileSync under the hood:

// @deno-types="https://deno.land/x/sheetjs/types/index.d.ts"
import * as XLSX from 'https://deno.land/x/sheetjs/xlsx.mjs'

const workbook = XLSX.readFile("test.xlsx");

Applications reading files must be invoked with the --allow-read flag. The deno demo has more examples

User-submitted file in a web page ("Drag-and-Drop") (click to show)

For modern websites targeting Chrome 76+, File#arrayBuffer is recommended:

// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function handleDropAsync(e) {
  e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault();
  const f = e.dataTransfer.files[0];
  /* f is a File */
  const data = await f.arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
}
drop_dom_element.addEventListener("drop", handleDropAsync, false);

For maximal compatibility, the FileReader API should be used:

function handleDrop(e) {
  e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault();
  var f = e.dataTransfer.files[0];
  /* f is a File */
  var reader = new FileReader();
  reader.onload = function(e) {
    var data = e.target.result;
    /* reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file) -> data will be an ArrayBuffer */
    var workbook = XLSX.read(data);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  };
  reader.readAsArrayBuffer(f);
}
drop_dom_element.addEventListener("drop", handleDrop, false);

https://oss.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/ demonstrates the FileReader technique.

User-submitted file with an HTML INPUT element (click to show)

Starting with an HTML INPUT element with type="file":

<input type="file" id="input_dom_element">

For modern websites targeting Chrome 76+, Blob#arrayBuffer is recommended:

// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function handleFileAsync(e) {
  const file = e.target.files[0];
  const data = await file.arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
}
input_dom_element.addEventListener("change", handleFileAsync, false);

For broader support (including IE10+), the FileReader approach is recommended:

function handleFile(e) {
  var file = e.target.files[0];
  var reader = new FileReader();
  reader.onload = function(e) {
    var data = e.target.result;
    /* reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file) -> data will be an ArrayBuffer */
    var workbook = XLSX.read(e.target.result);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  };
  reader.readAsArrayBuffer(file);
}
input_dom_element.addEventListener("change", handleFile, false);

The oldie demo shows an IE-compatible fallback scenario.

Fetching a file in the web browser ("Ajax") (click to show)

For modern websites targeting Chrome 42+, fetch is recommended:

// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

(async() => {
  const url = "http://oss.sheetjs.com/test_files/formula_stress_test.xlsx";
  const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
  /* data is an ArrayBuffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
})();

For broader support, the XMLHttpRequest approach is recommended:

var url = "http://oss.sheetjs.com/test_files/formula_stress_test.xlsx";

/* set up async GET request */
var req = new XMLHttpRequest();
req.open("GET", url, true);
req.responseType = "arraybuffer";

req.onload = function(e) {
  var workbook = XLSX.read(req.response);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
};

req.send();

The xhr demo includes a longer discussion and more examples.

http://oss.sheetjs.com/sheetjs/ajax.html shows fallback approaches for IE6+.

Local file in a PhotoShop or InDesign plugin (click to show)

readFile wraps the File logic in Photoshop and other ExtendScript targets. The specified path should be an absolute path:

#include "xlsx.extendscript.js"

/* Read test.xlsx from the Documents folder */
var workbook = XLSX.readFile(Folder.myDocuments + "/test.xlsx");

The extendscript demo includes a more complex example.

Local file in an Electron app (click to show)

readFile can be used in the renderer process:

/* From the renderer process */
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

var workbook = XLSX.readFile(path);

Electron APIs have changed over time. The electron demo shows a complete example and details the required version-specific settings.

Local file in a mobile app with React Native (click to show)

The react demo includes a sample React Native app.

Since React Native does not provide a way to read files from the filesystem, a third-party library must be used. The following libraries have been tested:

• react-native-file-access

The base64 encoding returns strings compatible with the base64 type:

import XLSX from "xlsx";
import { FileSystem } from "react-native-file-access";

const b64 = await FileSystem.readFile(path, "base64");
/* b64 is a base64 string */
const workbook = XLSX.read(b64, {type: "base64"});

• react-native-fs

The ascii encoding returns binary strings compatible with the binary type:

import XLSX from "xlsx";
import { readFile } from "react-native-fs";

const bstr = await readFile(path, "ascii");
/* bstr is a binary string */
const workbook = XLSX.read(bstr, {type: "binary"});

NodeJS Server File Uploads (click to show)

read can accept a NodeJS buffer. readFile can read files generated by a HTTP POST request body parser like formidable:

const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const http = require("http");
const formidable = require("formidable");

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  const form = new formidable.IncomingForm();
  form.parse(req, (err, fields, files) => {
    /* grab the first file */
    const f = Object.entries(files)[0][1];
    const path = f.filepath;
    const workbook = XLSX.readFile(path);

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  });
}).listen(process.env.PORT || 7262);

The server demo has more advanced examples.

Download files in a NodeJS process (click to show)

Node 17.5 and 18.0 have native support for fetch:

const XLSX = require("xlsx");

const data = await (await fetch(url)).arrayBuffer();
/* data is an ArrayBuffer */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

For broader compatibility, third-party modules are recommended.

request requires a null encoding to yield Buffers:

var XLSX = require("xlsx");
var request = require("request");

request({url: url, encoding: null}, function(err, resp, body) {
  var workbook = XLSX.read(body);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
});

axios works the same way in browser and in NodeJS:

const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const axios = require("axios");

(async() => {
  const res = await axios.get(url, {responseType: "arraybuffer"});
  /* res.data is a Buffer */
  const workbook = XLSX.read(res.data);

  /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
})();

Download files in an Electron app (click to show)

The net module in the main process can make HTTP/HTTPS requests to external resources. Responses should be manually concatenated using Buffer.concat:

const XLSX = require("xlsx");
const { net } = require("electron");

const req = net.request(url);
req.on("response", (res) => {
  const bufs = []; // this array will collect all of the buffers
  res.on("data", (chunk) => { bufs.push(chunk); });
  res.on("end", () => {
    const workbook = XLSX.read(Buffer.concat(bufs));

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook HERE */
  });
});
req.end();

Readable Streams in NodeJS (click to show)

When dealing with Readable Streams, the easiest approach is to buffer the stream and process the whole thing at the end:

var fs = require("fs");
var XLSX = require("xlsx");

function process_RS(stream, cb) {
  var buffers = [];
  stream.on("data", function(data) { buffers.push(data); });
  stream.on("end", function() {
    var buffer = Buffer.concat(buffers);
    var workbook = XLSX.read(buffer, {type:"buffer"});

    /* DO SOMETHING WITH workbook IN THE CALLBACK */
    cb(workbook);
  });
}

ReadableStream in the browser (click to show)

When dealing with ReadableStream, the easiest approach is to buffer the stream and process the whole thing at the end:

// XLSX is a global from the standalone script

async function process_RS(stream) {
  /* collect data */
  const buffers = [];
  const reader = stream.getReader();
  for(;;) {
    const res = await reader.read();
    if(res.value) buffers.push(res.value);
    if(res.done) break;
  }

  /* concat */
  const out = new Uint8Array(buffers.reduce((acc, v) => acc + v.length, 0));

  let off = 0;
  for(const u8 of arr) {
    out.set(u8, off);
    off += u8.length;
  }

  return out;
}

const data = await process_RS(stream);
/* data is Uint8Array */
const workbook = XLSX.read(data);

More detailed examples are covered in the included demos