Excel: C# with Excel Interop
By: harminders
Posted on: October 20, 2012
Excel with C# using Interop.Excel
This article will demonstrate some basic skills of controlling Excel by using C#,
including Create, Open, Save Excel files, Add/Delete
Sheet, Add/Delete/Hide rows and columns, format cells and Export data to Excel. I
hope this resource is
useful for some of you.
Import Namespace
using Microsoft.Office.Core;
using Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel;
using System.IO;
using System.Reflection;
1. How to Open an Excel File, or Create a New Excel File
Application app = new Application();
Workbooks objWBs = app.Workbooks;
_Workbook _objWB = objWBs.Add(xxx);
Open an existing Excel file, please replace �xxx� with the excel file path.
Create a new Excel file, please replace �xxx� with �true�.
Note: There is only one worksheet in the Excel file.
2. Get, Delete and Add Sheet
Sheets shs = _objWB.Sheets;
2.1 Get
//i is index of the sheet which you want get: _Worksheet _objWS =
(_Worksheet)shs.get_Item(i)
2.2 Delete
//must do when delete app.DisplayAlerts = false;
_objWS.Delete();
2.3 Add
a(before),b(after):after which sheet; c:NumberOfSheets to add;d:type (normal,
hidden or charttype)
app.Worksheets.Add(a,b,c,d);
2.4 Rename Sheet
_objWS.Name = "xxx";
3. Delete Rows and Columns
3.1 Delete Rows
((Range)_objWS.Rows[3, Missing.Value]).Delete(XlDeleteShiftDirection.xlShiftUp);
3.2 Delete Columns
_objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[1, 2],
_objWS.Cells[_objWS.Rows.Count, 2]).Delete(XlDeleteShiftDirection.xlShiftToLeft
);
4. Add Rows and Columns
4.1 Add Rows
((Range)_objWS.Rows[11, Missing.Value])
.Insert(Missing.Value, XlInsertFormatOrigin.xlFormatFromLeftOrAbove);
4.2 Add Columns
_objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[1, 1], _objWS.Cells[_objWS.Rows.Count, 1])
.Insert(Missing.Value, XlInsertShiftDirection.xlShiftToRight);
5. Format Cells
5.1 Get Cell
//Get cell object _objWS.Cells[row, cell]
5.2 Set Formula
//input formula in the cell _objWS.Cells[row, cell] = "=Sum(A1/B1)";
5.3 Merge Cells
((Range)_objWS.Rows[1, Missing.Value]).Merge(Missing.Value);
5.4 Set Row Height and Column Width
((Range)_objWS.Rows[3, Missing.Value]).RowHeight = 5;
((Range)_objWS.Rows[3, Missing.Value]).ColumnWidth = 5;
5.5 Set Cell Color (56 Choices) Color Table Attached
((Range)_objWS.Rows[1, Missing.Value]).Interior.ColorIndex = 3;
5.6 Set Font Size
((Range)_objWS.Cells[1, "B"]).Font.Size = 8;
5.7 Set Font Bold
((Range)_objWS.Rows[1, Missing.Value]).Font.Bold = false;
5.8 Set Cell or Field Horizontal and Center
((Range)_objWS.Cells[2, 1]).HorizontalAlignment = XlVAlign.xlVAlignCenter;
5.9 Set Field Borders
((Range)_objWS.Cells[3, 3]).Borders.LineStyle = 3;
5.10 Set Border Lines (Upside, Downside, Left Side and Right Side)
//Left side border line _objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[2, 1], _objWS.Cells[2, 2])
.Borders[XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeLeft].Weight = XlBorderWeight.xlThick;//
//Right side border line _objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[2, 1], _objWS.Cells[2, 2])
.Borders[XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeRight].Weight = XlBorderWeight.xlThick;//
//Upside border line _objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[2, 1], _objWS.Cells[2, 2])
.Borders[XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeTop].Weight = XlBorderWeight.xlThick;//?
//Downside border line _objWS.get_Range(
_objWS.Cells[2, 1], _objWS.Cells[2, 2])
.Borders[XlBordersIndex.xlEdgeBottom].Weight = XlBorderWeight.xlThick;
6. Copy Selected Field
_Worksheet _objWS = (_Worksheet)shs.get_Item(1);// Copy selected field content
Range range = _objWS.get_Range(_objWS.Cells[7, 1], _objWS.Cells[10,
_objWS.Columns.Count]);
range.Select();
range.Copy(Type.Missing);
//Select paste starting position Range test = ((Range)_objWS.Cells[11, 1]);
test.Select();
// Shield Alert, default confirm paste app.DisplayAlerts = false;
test.Parse(Missing.Value, Missing.Value);
Note: Type Missing and Missing Value are considered as some parameters� default
value. Most of time, they are form complemented parameters.
8. Save Excel and Follow-up Processes
8.1 Save Excel File
// Shield Alert popped up from system app.AlertBeforeOverwriting = false;
// Save to selected file path SaveAs(filePath, Missing.Value, Missing.Value,
Missing.Value, Missing.Value,
Missing.Value, Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.XlSaveAsAccessMode.xlNoChange,
Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value, Missing.Value);
Note: It�s the only solution for saving the Excel file. Otherwise, there will
generate a corresponding copy in �My File�.
8.2 Follow-up Processes: Exit and Release
//_objWB.Close(null, null, null); //objWBs.Close(); app.Quit();
// Release unnecessary excel processes
System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ReleaseComObject(app);
app = null;
Note: During the process of closing application, we usually have 2 solutions:
Directly exit app
Close workbook, close workbooks, exit app. (Recommended)
9. Set Cell Field and Get the Necessary Data from Field
9.1 If cell has been set as drop-down box
// Here the �1, 2, 3� means the drop-down box value ((Range)_objWS.Cells[2, 1])
.Validation.Modify(XlDVType.xlValidateList, XlDVAlertStyle.xlValidAlertStop,
Type.Missing, "1,2,3", Type.Missing);
9.2 If cell has not been set as drop-down box
((Range)_objWS.Cells[2, 1])
.Validation.Add(XlDVType.xlValidateList, XlDVAlertStyle.xlValidAlertStop,
Type.Missing,"1,2,3", Type.Missing);
9.3 Get drop-down box field value
string strValue = ((Range)_objWS.Cells[2, 1]).Validation.Formula1;
Note: In the excel template, if set drop-down box value through effectiveness,
strValue will get the formula of excel, which need be converted.
After get strValue, you can get the numerical value according to index.
10. Hide Rows and Hide Columns
10.1 Hide Rows
_objWS.get_Range(_objWS.Cells[19, 1], _objWS.Cells[22,
1]).EntireRow.Hidden = true;
10.2 Hide Columns
_objWS.get_Range(_objWS.Cells[1, 1], _objWS.Cells[_objWS.Rows.Count, 1])
.EntireColumn.Hidden = true;
11. Convert Excel to PDF (Excel 2007 onwards)
For security reasons, sometimes we need convert Excel to PDF format. However, we
can also use C# to do this job. By easily using �Document.ExportAsFixedFormat�
method, we can convert this Excel worksheet to PDF format. Do as the following
codes:
objWB.ExportAsFixedFormat(paramExportFormat, pdfPath, paramExportQuality,
paramIncludeDocProps, paramIgnorePrintAreas, paramFromPage, paramToPage,
paramOpenAfterPublish,mis);
