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Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software that stores and organizes data, and presents it in various formats. It is widely used for financial data due to its useful formulas. The IronXL software library can be used to import and read Excel files in C#.
IronXL - Excel Library
IronXL - .NET Excel Library is a .NET Excel library that prioritizes ease of use, accuracy, and speed for its users. It helps you import and read Excel documents and create and edit an Excel file efficiently with lightning-fast performance. It works without MS Office Interop. This means even without Excel installed, it provides all the functionalities to read Excel files. This makes IronXL a powerful tool for developers to import and read Excel files in C#.
IronXL is available on all platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS, Docker, Azure, and AWS. It is compatible with all .NET Frameworks. IronXL is a versatile library that can be integrated into Console, Desktop, and Web ASP.NET Applications. It supports different workbook formats like XLS and XLSX files, XSLT and XLSM, CSV, and TSV.
Some Important Features
- Open, read Excel files, and search data from different spreadsheet formats like XLS/CSV/TSV/XLSX files.
- Export Excel Worksheets to XLS/XLSX/CSV/TSV/JSON.
- Encrypt and decrypt XLSM/XLTX/XLSX files with passwords.
- Import Excel sheets as
System.Data.DataSet
andSystem.Data.DataTable
objects. - Excel file formulas are recalculated every time a sheet is edited.
- Intuitive cell range settings with a
WorkSheet["A1:B10"]
easy syntax. - Sort Cell Ranges, Columns, and Rows.
- Styling Cells - Font, Font Size, Background color, Border, Alignment, and Numbering formats.
How to Import Excel Workbook in C#
Prerequisites
To use IronXL in C# to read Excel files, the first step is to ensure the following components are installed on the local computer:
- Visual Studio - It is the official IDE for developing C# .NET applications. You can download and install Visual Studio from the Visual Studio Download Page.
- IronXL - It is the library that helps work with Excel sheets in C#. It must be installed in a C# program before using it. IronXL can be downloaded from the IronXL NuGet Package or Manage NuGet packages in Visual Studio tools. You can also download the .NET Excel DLL from Iron Software's website.
Adding Necessary Namespaces
Once Visual Studio and IronXL are installed, the IronXL assembly reference for using IronXL should be included in the source code. Add the following line of code at the top of the file within the new project where IronXL functions will be used:
using IronXL;
using IronXL;
Imports IronXL
Open an Existing Excel file in C#
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets are also referred to as Excel Workbook. Each workbook contains multiple worksheets, and a single worksheet contains tabular cells with its value. To open and read an Excel file using IronXL, it should be loaded using the WorkBook
class and Load
method present in the IronXL library. The code goes as follows:
// Supported Excel spreadsheet formats for reading include: XLSX, XLS, CSV, and TSV
WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx");
// Supported Excel spreadsheet formats for reading include: XLSX, XLS, CSV, and TSV
WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx");
' Supported Excel spreadsheet formats for reading include: XLSX, XLS, CSV, and TSV
Dim workbook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx")
This opens the Excel file in the workbook instance reference variable. As it can have multiple worksheets, it can be used to open a specific worksheet or all at once. The following code opens the first WorkSheet
in the sheet
instance variable:
WorkSheet sheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First();
WorkSheet sheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First();
Dim sheet As WorkSheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First()
This will open the first sheet in the Excel file, and now Excel data can be read from and written to this sheet.
Opened Excel file
Excel file
Read Data from Imported Excel file
Once the Excel file is imported, it is ready for reading data. Reading Excel file data in C# using IronXL is very simple and easy. You can read Excel cell values by simply mentioning the cell reference number.
The code below retrieves the value of a cell with reference number "C2":
// Select cells easily in Excel-notation and return the value
int cellValue = sheet["C2"].IntValue;
// Display the value
Console.WriteLine(cellValue);
// Select cells easily in Excel-notation and return the value
int cellValue = sheet["C2"].IntValue;
// Display the value
Console.WriteLine(cellValue);
' Select cells easily in Excel-notation and return the value
Dim cellValue As Integer = sheet("C2").IntValue
' Display the value
Console.WriteLine(cellValue)
The output is as follows:
Read Excel
Now, let's read data from a range of cells in the opened Excel file. The code goes as follows:
// Read from a range of cells elegantly.
foreach (var cell in sheet["A2:A6"])
{
Console.WriteLine("Cell {0} has value '{1}'", cell.AddressString, cell.Text);
}
// Read from a range of cells elegantly.
foreach (var cell in sheet["A2:A6"])
{
Console.WriteLine("Cell {0} has value '{1}'", cell.AddressString, cell.Text);
}
' Read from a range of cells elegantly.
For Each cell In sheet("A2:A6")
Console.WriteLine("Cell {0} has value '{1}'", cell.AddressString, cell.Text)
Next cell
The code is very simple, clean, and clear. The range of cells can be referenced with simple syntax as shown in a foreach
loop: sheet["A2:A6"]
and each cell can be iterated using a foreach
loop to get its value. Here, you will see the names in column A from row 2 to row 6 on the console output:
Read Range of Cells
For more details on reading and writing cell values, check this tutorial on reading Excel files in C#.
Import all Data from an Excel file
IronXL can be used to read Excel sheets at once using Rows and Columns indexes. The following IronXL code samples help to get the entire Excel file data in the same format on the console output:
WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx");
WorkSheet sheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First();
// Traverse all rows of Excel WorkSheet
for (int i = 0; i < sheet.Rows.Count(); i++)
{
// Traverse all columns of specific Row
for (int j = 0; j < sheet.Columns.Count(); j++)
{
// Get the value as a string
string val = sheet.Rows[i].Columns[j].Value.ToString();
Console.Write("{0}\t", val);
}
Console.WriteLine();
}
WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx");
WorkSheet sheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First();
// Traverse all rows of Excel WorkSheet
for (int i = 0; i < sheet.Rows.Count(); i++)
{
// Traverse all columns of specific Row
for (int j = 0; j < sheet.Columns.Count(); j++)
{
// Get the value as a string
string val = sheet.Rows[i].Columns[j].Value.ToString();
Console.Write("{0}\t", val);
}
Console.WriteLine();
}
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic
Dim workbook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("test.xlsx")
Dim sheet As WorkSheet = workbook.WorkSheets.First()
' Traverse all rows of Excel WorkSheet
For i As Integer = 0 To sheet.Rows.Count() - 1
' Traverse all columns of specific Row
For j As Integer = 0 To sheet.Columns.Count() - 1
' Get the value as a string
Dim val As String = sheet.Rows(i).Columns(j).Value.ToString()
Console.Write("{0}" & vbTab, val)
Next j
Console.WriteLine()
Next i
Output File
The Console output of reading an Excel file
Summary
In this article, we learned how to import and read an Excel file in C# without any Microsoft Excel installed. Then we considered multiple ways to read data from an Excel spreadsheet. IronXL also helps create Excel files in C# without any Excel installed.
IronXL provides an all-in-one solution for all MS Excel document-related tasks to be implemented programmatically. You can perform formula calculation, string or number sorting, trimming and appending, find and replace, merge and unmerge, save files, etc. You can edit cell values and also set cell data formats along with validating spreadsheet data. It also supports CSV files and helps you to work with Excel-like data.
Try IronXL for Free and explore its features. It can be licensed for commercial use with its Lite package starting at only $749.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .NET Excel library that allows users to import, read, create, and edit Excel files without requiring Microsoft Excel to be installed?
IronXL is a .NET Excel library that allows users to import, read, create, and edit Excel files with ease and speed. It works without requiring Microsoft Excel to be installed on the system.
What platforms support a library that helps with Excel file operations in .NET?
IronXL is compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS, Docker, Azure, and AWS, and supports all .NET Frameworks.
Can different Excel file formats be handled in a .NET application?
Yes, IronXL supports various workbook formats such as XLS, XLSX, CSV, and TSV, among others.
How do you import an Excel workbook in C# using a library designed for Excel operations?
To import an Excel workbook in C#, you need to load it using the WorkBook class and the Load method provided by the IronXL library. For example: WorkBook workbook = WorkBook.Load('test.xlsx');
Is it necessary to have Microsoft Excel installed to use a library for Excel file operations?
No, IronXL does not require Microsoft Excel to be installed on your machine, as it operates independently of Excel.
What are some key features of a library that facilitates Excel file manipulation in .NET?
Key features of IronXL include opening and reading various Excel file formats, exporting worksheets to different formats like JSON, encrypting and decrypting files, and providing intuitive syntax for cell range settings.
How can you read data from an Excel file using a .NET library for Excel operations?
You can read data from an Excel file using IronXL by accessing cell values through cell reference numbers, or by iterating over a range of cells using simple syntax such as sheet['A2:A6'].
Is it possible to read an entire Excel sheet at once with a .NET library for Excel files?
Yes, IronXL allows you to read an entire Excel sheet at once by traversing all rows and columns using indexes.
What is the purpose of adding namespaces in C# when working with a library for Excel file manipulation?
Adding namespaces in C# is necessary to include the IronXL assembly reference in the source code, which allows the use of IronXL functions.
Where can I download a library for handling Excel operations in .NET?
IronXL can be downloaded from the IronXL NuGet Package or from Iron Software's website. It can also be managed using NuGet packages in Visual Studio tools.