---
title: Sheets in OpenUI5 Sites
sidebar_label: OpenUI5
description: Build enterprise-grade applications with OpenUI5. Seamlessly integrate spreadsheets into your app using SheetJS. Bring Excel-powered workflows and data to the modern web.
pagination_prev: demos/index
pagination_next: demos/grid/index
sidebar_position: 10
---

import current from '/version.js';
import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
import CodeBlock from '@theme/CodeBlock';

[OpenUI5](https://openui5.org/) is a JavaScript framework for building enterprise-ready web applications.

[SheetJS](https://sheetjs.com) is a JavaScript library for reading and writing
data from spreadsheets.

This demo uses OpenUI5 and SheetJS to process and generate a spreadsheets. We'll
explore how to load SheetJS in an OpenUI5 app and handle data binding with the
Model-View-Controller pattern.

## Installation

[The "Frameworks" section](/docs/getting-started/installation/frameworks) covers
installation with Yarn and other package managers.

The library should be loaded via script tag in your HTML:

<CodeBlock language="html" value="html">
    {`<script src="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js"></script>`}
</CodeBlock>

This will expose the `XLSX` global object which contains all the necessary methods. 


## Internal State

The various SheetJS APIs work with various data shapes. The preferred state
depends on the application.

### JSON Model

The OpenUI5 JSON Model provides ideal integration for spreadsheet data, enabling direct UI control binding.

#### State

The example [presidents sheet](https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx) has one
header row with "Name" and "Index" columns. The natural JS representation is an
object for each row, using the values in the first rows as keys:

<table>
  <thead><tr><th>Spreadsheet</th><th>State</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody><tr><td>

![`pres.xlsx` data](pathname:///pres.png)

</td><td>

```js
[
  { Name: "Bill Clinton", Index: 42 },
  { Name: "GeorgeW Bush", Index: 43 },
  { Name: "Barack Obama", Index: 44 },
  { Name: "Donald Trump", Index: 45 },
  { Name: "Joseph Biden", Index: 46 }
]
```

</td></tr></tbody></table>

The OpenUI5 `JSONModel`[^1] is a client-side model implementation that stores data as JSON.
Here's a basic example of initializing a model, with a more complete implementation shown later:

<Tabs groupId="lang">
  <TabItem name="JS" value="JavaScript">

```js
sap.ui.define(["sap/ui/model/json/JSONModel"], function (JSONModel) {
    const oModel = new JSONModel({ presidents: [] });
});
```
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>


#### Updating State

The SheetJS [`read`](/docs/api/parse-options) and [`sheet_to_json`](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-output)
functions simplify state updates. OpenUI5's JSONModel provides powerful two-way data binding
capabilities.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  url[(Remote\nFile)]
  ab[(Data\nArrayBuffer)]
  wb(SheetJS\nWorkbook)
  ws(SheetJS\nWorksheet)
  aoo(array of\nobjects)
  model((JSON\nModel))
  url --> |fetch\n\n| ab
  ab --> |read\n\n| wb
  wb --> |wb.Sheets\nselect sheet| ws
  ws --> |sheet_to_json\n\n| aoo
  aoo --> |setProperty\nfrom model| model
```

<Tabs groupId="lang">
  <TabItem name="JS" value="JavaScript">

```js
_loadExcelFile: async function () {
  /* Download from https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx */
  const f = await (await fetch("https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx")).arrayBuffer();
  // highlight-start
  /* parse */
  const wb = XLSX.read(f); // parse the array buffer
  /* generate array of objects from first worksheet */
  const ws = wb.Sheets[wb.SheetNames[0]]; // get the first worksheet
  const data = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(ws); // generate objects

  /* update JSONModel */
    this.getView().getModel().setProperty("/presidents", data);
  // highlight-end
}
```

  </TabItem>
</Tabs>


#### Rendering Data

In OpenUI5, the `Model-View-Controller`[^2] pattern is used to organize code and separate concerns.
The view defines the UI structure, the controller handles the logic, and the model manages the data.

```xml title="Example XML for displayin array of objects"
<mvc:View>
    <Page>
        <!-- The Table component binds to the presidents array -->
        <Table width="300px" items="{/presidents}">
            <!-- Column definitions specify the table structure -->
            <columns>
                <Column>
                    <header> <Text text="Name" /> </header>
                </Column>
                <Column>
                    <header> <Text text="Value" /> </header>
                </Column>
            </columns>
            <!-- ColumnItem template defines how each row should be rendered -->
            // highlight-start
            <items>
                <ColumnItem>
                    <cells>
                        <Text text="{Name}" />
                        <Text text="{Index}" />
                    </cells>
                </ColumnItem>
            </items>
            // highlight-end
        </Table>
    </Page>
</mvc:View>
```


#### Exporting Data

The [`writeFile`](/docs/api/write-options) and [`json_to_sheet`](/docs/api/utilities/array#array-of-objects-input)
functions simplify exporting data. They are typically used in event handlers attached to buttons or other elements.

A button press handler can generate a local file when clicked:

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  state((oModel\ngetProperty))
  ws(SheetJS\nWorksheet)
  wb(SheetJS\nWorkbook)
  file[(XLSX\nexport)]
  state --> |json_to_sheet\n\n| ws
  ws --> |book_new\nbook_append_sheet| wb
  wb --> |writeFile\n\n| file
```

```js
/* get model data and export to XLSX */
 onExport: function() {
    const data = this.getView().getModel().getProperty("/presidents");
    /* generate worksheet from model data */
    // highlight-next-line
    const ws = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(data);
    /* create workbook and append worksheet */
    const wb = XLSX.utils.book_new();
    XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, "Data");
    /* export to XLSX */
    XLSX.writeFileXLSX(wb, "SheetJSOpenUI5AoO.xlsx");
  }
```


#### Complete Component

This complete component example fetches a test file and displays the contents in a table.
When the export button is clicked, an event handler will export a file:

```xml title="webapp/view/Main.view.xml"
<mvc:View
    controllerName="sheetjs.openui5.controller.Main"
    displayBlock="true"
    xmlns="sap.m"
    xmlns:mvc="sap.ui.core.mvc"
    xmlns:core="sap.ui.core"
    core:require="{formatter: 'sheetjs/openui5/model/formatter'}">
    <Page>
        <VBox width="auto" alignItems="Start">
            <Table width="300px" items="{/presidents}">
                <columns>
                    <Column>
                        <header>
                            <Text text="Name" />
                        </header>
                    </Column>
                    <Column>
                        <header>
                            <Text text="Value" />
                        </header>
                    </Column>
                </columns>
                <items>
                    <ColumnListItem>
                        <cells>
                            <Text text="{Name}" />
                            <Text text="{Index}" />
                        </cells>
                    </ColumnListItem>
                </items>
            </Table>
            <Button text="Export XLSX" press=".onExport" />
        </VBox>
    </Page>
</mvc:View>
```

```js title="webapp/controller/Main.controller.js"
sap.ui.define(
    ["./BaseController", "sap/ui/model/json/JSONModel"],
    function (BaseController, JSONModel) {
        "use strict";

        return BaseController.extend("com.demo.xlsx.controller.Main", {
            onInit: function () {
                /* initialize model */
                const oModel = new JSONModel({
                    presidents: [],
                });
                this.getView().setModel(oModel);

                /* load data when component is initialized */
                this._loadExcelFile();
            },

            _loadExcelFile: async function () {
                const f = await (await fetch("https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx")).arrayBuffer();
                const wb = XLSX.read(f);
                const ws = wb.Sheets[wb.SheetNames[0]];
                const data = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(ws);
                this.getView().getModel().setProperty("/presidents", data);
            },

            onExport: function () {
                const data = this.getView().getModel().getProperty("/presidents");
                const ws = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(data);
                const wb = XLSX.utils.book_new();
                XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, "Data");
                XLSX.writeFileXLSX(wb, "SheetJSOpenUI5AoO.xlsx");
            },
        });
    }
);
```

<details open>
  <summary><b>How to run the example</b> (click to hide)</summary>

:::note Tested Deployments

This demo was tested in the following environments:
| OpenUI5 | generator-easy-ui5 | Date |
|:--------|---------|---------|
| `1.131.1` | `3.8.1`  | 2024-12-24 |

:::

1) Create a new site:

```bash
npm i -g generator-easy-ui5
npx yo easy-ui5 app
```

:::note Use the provided defaults:

 - Application id: `sheetjs.openui5`
 - Framework: `OpenUI5`
 - Version: `1.131.1`
 - Author: `SheetJS`
 - Create new directory: `Y`
 - Initialize git: `N`

:::


2) Install the dependencies and start server:

```bash
cd sheetjs.openui5
npm install
npm start
```

3) Open a web browser and access the displayed URL (`http://localhost:8080`)

4) Add SheetJS to your project by including this script tag in `webapp/index.html`:

<CodeBlock language="html" value="html" title="webapp/index.html">
    {`<script src="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js"></script>`}
</CodeBlock>

5) Replace `webapp/view/Main.view.xml` with the complete implementation above.
6) Replace `webapp/controller/Main.controller.js` with the complete implementation above.

The page will refresh and show a table with an Export button. Click the button and the page will
attempt to download `SheetJSOpenUI5AoO.xlsx`.

7) Build the site:

```bash
npm run build
```

The generated site will be placed in the `dist` folder.

8) Start a local web server:

```bash
npm run start:dist
```

Access the displayed URL (typically http://localhost:8080) with a web browser and test the page.

When the page loads, the app will fetch https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx and
display the data from the first worksheet in a TABLE. The "Export XLSX" button
will generate a workbook that can be opened in a spreadsheet editor.

</details>

### HTML

The main disadvantage of the Array of Objects approach is the specific nature
of the columns.  For more general use, passing around an Array of Arrays works.
However, this does not handle merge cells[^3] well!

The [`sheet_to_html`](/docs/api/utilities/html#html-table-output) function generates HTML that is aware of merges and other worksheet
features. Using OpenUI5's `core:HTML`[^4] control, we can render this HTML directly. During export, we extract the table element from the
rendered HTML and use [`table_to_book`](/docs/api/utilities/html#html-table-input) to create a workbook that maintains all the worksheet
features.

In this example, the component directly renders the HTML table in the model through OpenUI5's `core:HTML`[^4] control. For export, we extract
the inner table from the rendered HTML using `getElementsByTagName("table")[1]`, then pass it to [`table_to_book`](/docs/api/utilities/html#html-table-input)
to create a workbook that preserves all features.


```xml title="webapp/view/Main.view.xml"
<mvc:View
        controllerName="sheetjs.openui5.controller.Main"
        displayBlock="true"
        xmlns="sap.m"
        xmlns:mvc="sap.ui.core.mvc"
        xmlns:core="sap.ui.core"
        xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <Page>
        <content>
            <core:HTML content="{/tableHTML}" />
            <Button text="Export XLSX" press=".onExport"/>
        </content>
    </Page>
</mvc:View>
```

```js title="webapp/controller/Main.controller.js"
sap.ui.define(
    [
        "sap/ui/core/mvc/Controller",
        "sap/ui/model/json/JSONModel"
    ],
    function (Controller, JSONModel) {
        "use strict";

        return Controller.extend("sheetjs.openui5.controller.Main", {
            onInit: function () {
                /* the component state is an HTML string */
                const oModel = new JSONModel({
                    tableHTML: "",
                });
                this.getView().setModel(oModel);

                /* load data when component is initialized */
                this._loadExcelFile();
            },

            _loadExcelFile: async function () {
                const f = await (await fetch("https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx")).arrayBuffer();
                const wb = XLSX.read(f); // parse the array buffer
                const ws = wb.Sheets[wb.SheetNames[0]]; // get the first worksheet
                const opts = {
                    header: `<table id="excel-table">`,
                    footer: `</table>`
                };
                const tableHTML = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_html(ws, opts); // generate HTML
                this.getView().getModel().setProperty("/tableHTML", tableHTML); // update state
            },

            /* get live table and export the XLSX */
            onExport: function () {
                const tableHTML = this.getView().getModel().getProperty("/tableHTML"); // get HTML string from the model
                const div = document.createElement("div"); // create temporary div to parse HTML
                div.innerHTML = tableHTML; // insert HTML into div

                const table = div.getElementsByTagName("table")[1]; // get inner table (bypasses outer wrapper)
                const wb = XLSX.utils.table_to_book(table); // convert table element to workbook
                XLSX.writeFileXLSX(wb, "SheetJSOpenUI5HTML.xlsx");
            },
        });
    }
);
```

<details open>
  <summary><b>How to run the example</b> (click to hide)</summary>

:::note Tested Deployments

This demo was tested in the following environments:
| OpenUI5 | generator-easy-ui5 | Date |
|:--------|---------|---------|
| `1.131.1` | `3.8.1`  | 2024-12-24 |

:::

1) Create a new site:

```bash
npm i -g generator-easy-ui5
npx yo easy-ui5 app
```

:::note Use the provided defaults:

- Application id: `sheetjs.openui5`
- Framework: `OpenUI5`
- Version: `1.131.1`
- Author: `SheetJS`
- Create new directory: `Y`
- Initialize git: `N`

:::


2) Install the dependencies and start server:

```bash
cd sheetjs.openui5
npm install
npm start
````

3) Open a web browser and access the displayed URL (`http://localhost:8080`)

4) Add SheetJS to your project by including this script tag in `webapp/index.html`:

<CodeBlock language="html" value="html" title="webapp/index.html">
    {`<script src="https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js"></script>`}
</CodeBlock>

5) Replace `webapp/view/Main.view.xml` with the complete implementation above.
6) Replace `webapp/controller/Main.controller.js` with the complete implementation above.

The page will refresh and show a table with an Export button. Click the button and the page will
attempt to download `SheetJSOpenUI5HTML.xlsx`.

7) Build the site:

```bash
npm run build
```

The generated site will be placed in the `dist` folder.

8) Start a local web server:

```bash
npm run start:dist
```

Access the displayed URL (typically http://localhost:8080) with a web browser and test the page.

When the page loads, the app will fetch https://docs.sheetjs.com/pres.xlsx and
display the data from the first worksheet in a TABLE. The "Export XLSX" button
will generate a workbook that can be opened in a spreadsheet editor.

</details>


[^1]: See [`JSONModel`](https://sdk.openui5.org/1.38.62/docs/api/symbols/sap.ui.model.json.JSONModel.html) in the OpenUI5 documentation.
[^2]: See OpenUI5's [MVC Documentation](https://sdk.openui5.org/topic/91f233476f4d1014b6dd926db0e91070) for detailed explanation of the pattern implementation.
[^3]: See ["Merged Cells" in "SheetJS Data Model"](/docs/csf/features/merges) for more details.
[^4]: See [`core:HTML`](https://sdk.openui5.org/1.38.62/docs/api/symbols/sap.ui.core.HTML.html) in the OpenUI5 documentation.