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PHPExcel Developer Documentation

PHPExcel recipes

The following pages offer you some widely-used PHPExcel recipes. Please note that these do NOT offer complete documentation on specific PHPExcel API functions, but just a bump to get you started. If you need specific API functions, please refer to the API documentation.

For example, REF _Ref191885321 \w \h 4.4.7 REF _Ref191885321 \h Setting a worksheet's page orientation and size covers setting a page orientation to A4. Other paper formats, like US Letter, are not covered in this document, but in the PHPExcel API documentation.

Setting a spreadsheet's metadata

PHPExcel allows an easy way to set a spreadsheet's metadata, using document property accessors. Spreadsheet metadata can be useful for finding a specific document in a file repository or a document management system. For example Microsoft Sharepoint uses document metadata to search for a specific document in its document lists.

Setting spreadsheet metadata is done as follows:

$objPHPExcel->getProperties()
    ->setCreator("Maarten Balliauw")
    ->setLastModifiedBy("Maarten Balliauw");
    ->setTitle("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document")
    ->setSubject("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document")
    ->setDescription(
        "Test document for Office 2007 XLSX, generated using PHP classes."
    )
    ->setKeywords("office 2007 openxml php")
    ->setCategory("Test result file");

Setting a spreadsheet's active sheet

The following line of code sets the active sheet index to the first sheet:

$objPHPExcel->setActiveSheetIndex(0);

You can also set the active sheet by its name/title

$objPHPExcel->setActiveSheetIndexByName('DataSheet')

will change the currently active sheet to the worksheet called "DataSheet".

Write a date or time into a cell

In Excel, dates and Times are stored as numeric values counting the number of days elapsed since 1900-01-01. For example, the date '2008-12-31' is represented as 39813. You can verify this in Microsoft Office Excel by entering that date in a cell and afterwards changing the number format to 'General' so the true numeric value is revealed. Likewise, '3:15 AM' is represented as 0.135417.

PHPExcel works with UST (Universal Standard Time) date and Time values, but does no internal conversions; so it is up to the developer to ensure that values passed to the date/time conversion functions are UST.

Writing a date value in a cell consists of 2 lines of code. Select the method that suits you the best. Here are some examples:

/* PHPExcel_Cell_AdvanceValueBinder required for this sample */
require_once 'PHPExcel/Cell/AdvancedValueBinder.php';

// MySQL-like timestamp '2008-12-31' or date string
PHPExcel_Cell::setValueBinder( new PHPExcel_Cell_AdvancedValueBinder() );

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->setCellValue('D1', '2008-12-31');

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('D1')
    ->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode(PHPExcel_Style_NumberFormat::FORMAT_DATE_YYYYMMDDSLASH);

// PHP-time (Unix time)
$time = gmmktime(0,0,0,12,31,2008); // int(1230681600)
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->setCellValue('D1', PHPExcel_Shared_Date::PHPToExcel($time));
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('D1')
    ->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode(PHPExcel_Style_NumberFormat::FORMAT_DATE_YYYYMMDDSLASH);

// Excel-date/time
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('D1', 39813)
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('D1')
    ->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode(PHPExcel_Style_NumberFormat::FORMAT_DATE_YYYYMMDDSLASH);

The above methods for entering a date all yield the same result. PHPExcel_Style_NumberFormat provides a lot of pre-defined date formats.

The PHPExcel_Shared_Date::PHPToExcel() method will also work with a PHP DateTime object.

Similarly, times (or date and time values) can be entered in the same fashion: just remember to use an appropriate format code.

Notes:

See section "Using value binders to facilitate data entry" to learn more about the AdvancedValueBinder used in the first example. In previous versions of PHPExcel up to and including 1.6.6, when a cell had a date-like number format code, it was possible to enter a date directly using an integer PHP-time without converting to Excel date format. Starting with PHPExcel 1.6.7 this is no longer supported. Excel can also operate in a 1904-based calendar (default for workbooks saved on Mac). Normally, you do not have to worry about this when using PHPExcel.

Write a formula into a cell

Inside the Excel file, formulas are always stored as they would appear in an English version of Microsoft Office Excel, and PHPExcel handles all formulae internally in this format. This means that the following rules hold:

Decimal separator is '.' (period)
Function argument separator is ',' (comma)
Matrix row separator is ';' (semicolon)
English function names must be used

This is regardless of which language version of Microsoft Office Excel may have been used to create the Excel file.

When the final workbook is opened by the user, Microsoft Office Excel will take care of displaying the formula according the applications language. Translation is taken care of by the application!

The following line of code writes the formula '=IF(C4>500,"profit","loss")' into the cell B8. Note that the formula must start with "=" to make PHPExcel recognise this as a formula.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B8','=IF(C4>500,"profit","loss")');

If you want to write a string beginning with an "=" character to a cell, then you should use the setCellValueExplicit() method.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->setCellValueExplicit(
        'B8',
        '=IF(C4>500,"profit","loss")',
        PHPExcel_Cell_DataType::TYPE_STRING
    );

A cell's formula can be read again using the following line of code:

$formula = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B8')->getValue();

If you need the calculated value of a cell, use the following code. This is further explained in REF _Ref191885372 \w \h * MERGEFORMAT 4.4.35.

$value = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B8')->getCalculatedValue();

Locale Settings for Formulae

Some localisation elements have been included in PHPExcel. You can set a locale by changing the settings. To set the locale to Russian you would use:

$locale = 'ru';
$validLocale = PHPExcel_Settings::setLocale($locale);
if (!$validLocale) {
    echo 'Unable to set locale to '.$locale." - reverting to en_us<br />\n";
}

If Russian language files aren't available, the setLocale() method will return an error, and English settings will be used throughout.

Once you have set a locale, you can translate a formula from its internal English coding.

$formula = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B8')->getValue();
$translatedFormula = PHPExcel_Calculation::getInstance()->_translateFormulaToLocale($formula);

You can also create a formula using the function names and argument separators appropriate to the defined locale; then translate it to English before setting the cell value:

$formula = '=????360(????(2010;2;5);????(2010;12;31);??????)';
$internalFormula = PHPExcel_Calculation::getInstance()->translateFormulaToEnglish($formula);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B8',$internalFormula);

Currently, formula translation only translates the function names, the constants TRUE and FALSE, and the function argument separators.

At present, the following locale settings are supported:

Language             |                      | Locale Code
---------------------|----------------------|-------------
Czech                | Ceština              | cs
Danish               | Dansk                | da
German               | Deutsch              | de
Spanish              | Español              | es
Finnish              | Suomi                | fi
French               | Français             | fr
Hungarian            | Magyar               | hu
Italian              | Italiano             | it
Dutch                | Nederlands           | nl
Norwegian            | Norsk                | no
Polish               | Jezyk polski         | pl
Portuguese           | Português            | pt
Brazilian Portuguese | Português Brasileiro | pt_br
Russian              | ??????? ????         | ru
Swedish              | Svenska              | sv
Turkish              | Türkçe               | tr

Write a newline character "\n" in a cell (ALT+"Enter")

In Microsoft Office Excel you get a line break in a cell by hitting ALT+"Enter". When you do that, it automatically turns on "wrap text" for the cell.

Here is how to achieve this in PHPExcel:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A1')->setValue("hello\nworld");
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getAlignment()->setWrapText(true);

Tip

Read more about formatting cells using getStyle() elsewhere.

Tip

AdvancedValuebinder.php automatically turns on "wrap text" for the cell when it sees a newline character in a string that you are inserting in a cell. Just like Microsoft Office Excel. Try this:

require_once 'PHPExcel/Cell/AdvancedValueBinder.php';
PHPExcel_Cell::setValueBinder( new PHPExcel_Cell_AdvancedValueBinder() );

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A1')->setValue("hello\nworld");

Read more about AdvancedValueBinder.php elsewhere.

Explicitly set a cell's datatype

You can set a cell's datatype explicitly by using the cell's setValueExplicit method, or the setCellValueExplicit method of a worksheet. Here's an example:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A1')
    ->setValueExplicit(
        '25', 
        PHPExcel_Cell_DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC
    );

Change a cell into a clickable URL

You can make a cell a clickable URL by setting its hyperlink property:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('E26', 'www.phpexcel.net');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('E26')->getHyperlink()->setUrl('http://www.phpexcel.net');

If you want to make a hyperlink to another worksheet/cell, use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('E26', 'www.phpexcel.net');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('E26')->getHyperlink()->setUrl("sheet://'Sheetname'!A1");

Setting Printer Options for Excel files

Setting a worksheet's page orientation and size

Setting a worksheet's page orientation and size can be done using the following lines of code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()
    ->setOrientation(PHPExcel_Worksheet_PageSetup::ORIENTATION_LANDSCAPE);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()
    ->setPaperSize(PHPExcel_Worksheet_PageSetup::PAPERSIZE_A4);

Note that there are additional page settings available. Please refer to the API documentation for all possible options.

Page Setup: Scaling options

The page setup scaling options in PHPExcel relate directly to the scaling options in the "Page Setup" dialog as shown in the illustration.

Default values in PHPExcel correspond to default values in MS Office Excel as shown in illustration

method              | initial value | calling method will trigger | Note
--------------------|:-------------:|-----------------------------|------
setFitToPage(...)   | FALSE         | -                           | 
setScale(...)       | 100           | setFitToPage(FALSE)         |
setFitToWidth(...)  | 1             | setFitToPage(TRUE)          | value 0 means do-not-fit-to-width
setFitToHeight(...) | 1             | setFitToPage(TRUE)          | value 0 means do-not-fit-to-height

Example

Here is how to fit to 1 page wide by infinite pages tall:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setFitToWidth(1);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setFitToHeight(0);

As you can see, it is not necessary to call setFitToPage(TRUE) since setFitToWidth(...) and setFitToHeight(...) triggers this.

If you use setFitToWidth() you should in general also specify setFitToHeight() explicitly like in the example. Be careful relying on the initial values. This is especially true if you are upgrading from PHPExcel 1.7.0 to 1.7.1 where the default values for fit-to-height and fit-to-width changed from 0 to 1.

Page margins

To set page margins for a worksheet, use this code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageMargins()->setTop(1);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageMargins()->setRight(0.75);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageMargins()->setLeft(0.75);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageMargins()->setBottom(1);

Note that the margin values are specified in inches.

Center a page horizontally/vertically

To center a page horizontally/vertically, you can use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setHorizontalCentered(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setVerticalCentered(false);

Setting the print header and footer of a worksheet

Setting a worksheet's print header and footer can be done using the following lines of code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getHeaderFooter()
    ->setOddHeader('&C&HPlease treat this document as confidential!');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getHeaderFooter()
    ->setOddFooter('&L&B' . $objPHPExcel->getProperties()->getTitle() . '&RPage &P of &N');

Substitution and formatting codes (starting with &) can be used inside headers and footers. There is no required order in which these codes must appear.

The first occurrence of the following codes turns the formatting ON, the second occurrence turns it OFF again:

Strikethrough
Superscript
Subscript

Superscript and subscript cannot both be ON at same time. Whichever comes first wins and the other is ignored, while the first is ON.

The following codes are supported by Excel2007:

Code	Meaning
&L	Code for "left section" (there are three header / footer locations, "left", "center", and "right"). When two or more occurrences of this section marker exist, the contents from all markers are concatenated, in the order of appearance, and placed into the left section.
&P	Code for "current page #"
&N	Code for "total pages"
&font size	Code for "text font size", where font size is a font size in points.
&K	Code for "text font color" - RGB Color is specified as RRGGBB Theme Color is specifed as TTSNN where TT is the theme color Id, S is either "+" or "-" of the tint/shade value, NN is the tint/shade value.
&S	Code for "text strikethrough" on / off
&X	Code for "text super script" on / off
&Y	Code for "text subscript" on / off
&C	Code for "center section". When two or more occurrences of this section marker exist, the contents from all markers are concatenated, in the order of appearance, and placed into the center section.
&D	Code for "date"
&T	Code for "time"
&G	Code for "picture as background" - Please make sure to add the image to the header/footer¹
&U	Code for "text single underline"
&E	Code for "double underline"
&R	Code for "right section". When two or more occurrences of this section marker exist, the contents from all markers are concatenated, in the order of appearance, and placed into the right section.
&Z	Code for "this workbook's file path"
&F	Code for "this workbook's file name"
&A	Code for "sheet tab name"
&+	Code for add to page #
&-	Code for subtract from page #
&"font name,font type"	Code for "text font name" and "text font type", where font name and font type are strings specifying the name and type of the font, separated by a comma. When a hyphen appears in font name, it means "none specified". Both of font name and font type can be localized values.
&"-,Bold"	Code for "bold font style"
&B	Code for "bold font style"
&"-,Regular"	Code for "regular font style"
&"-,Italic"	Code for "italic font style"
&I	Code for "italic font style"
&"-,Bold Italic"	Code for "bold italic font style"
&O	Code for "outline style"
&H	Code for "shadow style"

$objDrawing = new PHPExcel_Worksheet_HeaderFooterDrawing();
$objDrawing->setName('PHPExcel logo');
$objDrawing->setPath('./images/phpexcel_logo.gif');
$objDrawing->setHeight(36);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getHeaderFooter()->addImage($objDrawing, PHPExcel_Worksheet_HeaderFooter::IMAGE_HEADER_LEFT);

Tip

The above table of codes may seem overwhelming first time you are trying to figure out how to write some header or footer. Luckily, there is an easier way. Let Microsoft Office Excel do the work for you.For example, create in Microsoft Office Excel an xlsx file where you insert the header and footer as desired using the programs own interface. Save file as test.xlsx. Now, take that file and read off the values using PHPExcel as follows:

$objPHPexcel = PHPExcel_IOFactory::load('test.xlsx');
$objWorksheet = $objPHPexcel->getActiveSheet();

var_dump($objWorksheet->getHeaderFooter()->getOddFooter());
var_dump($objWorksheet->getHeaderFooter()->getEvenFooter());
var_dump($objWorksheet->getHeaderFooter()->getOddHeader());
var_dump($objWorksheet->getHeaderFooter()->getEvenHeader());

That reveals the codes for the even/odd header and footer. Experienced users may find it easier to rename test.xlsx to test.zip, unzip it, and inspect directly the contents of the relevant xl/worksheets/sheetX.xml to find the codes for header/footer.

Setting printing breaks on a row or column

To set a print break, use the following code, which sets a row break on row 10.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setBreak( 'A10' , PHPExcel_Worksheet::BREAK_ROW );

The following line of code sets a print break on column D:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setBreak( 'D10' , PHPExcel_Worksheet::BREAK_COLUMN );

Show/hide gridlines when printing

To show/hide gridlines when printing, use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setShowGridlines(true);

Setting rows/columns to repeat at top/left

PHPExcel can repeat specific rows/cells at top/left of a page. The following code is an example of how to repeat row 1 to 5 on each printed page of a specific worksheet:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setRowsToRepeatAtTopByStartAndEnd(1, 5);

Specify printing area

To specify a worksheet's printing area, use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setPrintArea('A1:E5');

There can also be multiple printing areas in a single worksheet:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getPageSetup()->setPrintArea('A1:E5,G4:M20');

Styles

Formatting cells

A cell can be formatted with font, border, fill, ... style information. For example, one can set the foreground colour of a cell to red, aligned to the right, and the border to black and thick border style. Let's do that on cell B2:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getFont()->getColor()->setARGB(PHPExcel_Style_Color::COLOR_RED);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getAlignment()->setHorizontal(PHPExcel_Style_Alignment::HORIZONTAL_RIGHT);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getBorders()->getTop()->setBorderStyle(PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THICK);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getBorders()->getBottom()->setBorderStyle(PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THICK);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getBorders()->getLeft()->setBorderStyle(PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THICK);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getBorders()->getRight()->setBorderStyle(PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THICK);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getFill()->setFillType(PHPExcel_Style_Fill::FILL_SOLID);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')
    ->getFill()->getStartColor()->setARGB('FFFF0000');

Starting with PHPExcel 1.7.0 getStyle() also accepts a cell range as a parameter. For example, you can set a red background color on a range of cells:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B3:B7')->getFill()
    ->setFillType(PHPExcel_Style_Fill::FILL_SOLID)
    ->getStartColor()->setARGB('FFFF0000');

Tip It is recommended to style many cells at once, using e.g. getStyle('A1:M500'), rather than styling the cells individually in a loop. This is much faster compared to looping through cells and styling them individually.

There is also an alternative manner to set styles. The following code sets a cell's style to font bold, alignment right, top border thin and a gradient fill:

$styleArray = array(
    'font' => array(
        'bold' => true,
    ),
    'alignment' => array(
        'horizontal' => PHPExcel_Style_Alignment::HORIZONTAL_RIGHT,
    ),
    'borders' => array(
        'top' => array(
            'style' => PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THIN,
        ),
    ),
    'fill' => array(
        'type' => PHPExcel_Style_Fill::FILL_GRADIENT_LINEAR,
        'rotation' => 90,
        'startcolor' => array(
            'argb' => 'FFA0A0A0',
        ),
        'endcolor' => array(
            'argb' => 'FFFFFFFF',
        ),
    ),
);

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A3')->applyFromArray($styleArray);

Or with a range of cells:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B3:B7')->applyFromArray($styleArray);

This alternative method using arrays should be faster in terms of execution whenever you are setting more than one style property. But the difference may barely be measurable unless you have many different styles in your workbook.

Prior to PHPExcel 1.7.0 duplicateStyleArray() was the recommended method for styling a cell range, but this method has now been deprecated since getStyle() has started to accept a cell range.

Number formats

You often want to format numbers in Excel. For example you may want a thousands separator plus a fixed number of decimals after the decimal separator. Or perhaps you want some numbers to be zero-padded.

In Microsoft Office Excel you may be familiar with selecting a number format from the "Format Cells" dialog. Here there are some predefined number formats available including some for dates. The dialog is designed in a way so you don't have to interact with the underlying raw number format code unless you need a custom number format.

In PHPExcel, you can also apply various predefined number formats. Example:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode(PHPExcel_Style_NumberFormat::FORMAT_NUMBER_COMMA_SEPARATED1);

This will format a number e.g. 1587.2 so it shows up as 1,587.20 when you open the workbook in MS Office Excel. (Depending on settings for decimal and thousands separators in Microsoft Office Excel it may show up as 1.587,20)

You can achieve exactly the same as the above by using this:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode('#,##0.00');

In Microsoft Office Excel, as well as in PHPExcel, you will have to interact with raw number format codes whenever you need some special custom number format. Example:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode('[Blue][>=3000]$#,##0;[Red][<0]$#,##0;$#,##0');

Another example is when you want numbers zero-padded with leading zeros to a fixed length:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A1')->setValue(19);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getNumberFormat()
    ->setFormatCode('0000'); // will show as 0019 in Excel

Tip The rules for composing a number format code in Excel can be rather complicated. Sometimes you know how to create some number format in Microsoft Office Excel, but don't know what the underlying number format code looks like. How do you find it?

The readers shipped with PHPExcel come to the rescue. Load your template workbook using e.g. Excel2007 reader to reveal the number format code. Example how read a number format code for cell A1:

$objReader = PHPExcel_IOFactory::createReader('Excel2007');
$objPHPExcel = $objReader->load('template.xlsx');
var_dump($objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1')->getNumberFormat()->getFormatCode());

Advanced users may find it faster to inspect the number format code directly by renaming template.xlsx to template.zip, unzipping, and looking for the relevant piece of XML code holding the number format code in xl/styles.xml.

Alignment and wrap text

Let's set vertical alignment to the top for cells A1:D4

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1:D4')
    ->getAlignment()->setVertical(PHPExcel_Style_Alignment::VERTICAL_TOP);

Here is how to achieve wrap text:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A1:D4')
    ->getAlignment()->setWrapText(true);

Setting the default style of a workbook

It is possible to set the default style of a workbook. Let's set the default font to Arial size 8:

$objPHPExcel->getDefaultStyle()->getFont()->setName('Arial');
$objPHPExcel->getDefaultStyle()->getFont()->setSize(8);

Styling cell borders

In PHPExcel it is easy to apply various borders on a rectangular selection. Here is how to apply a thick red border outline around cells B2:G8.

$styleArray = array(
    'borders' => array(
        'outline' => array(
            'style' => PHPExcel_Style_Border::BORDER_THICK,
            'color' => array('argb' => 'FFFF0000'),
        ),
    ),
);

$objWorksheet->getStyle('B2:G8')->applyFromArray($styleArray);

In Microsoft Office Excel, the above operation would correspond to selecting the cells B2:G8, launching the style dialog, choosing a thick red border, and clicking on the "Outline" border component.

Note that the border outline is applied to the rectangular selection B2:G8 as a whole, not on each cell individually.

You can achieve any border effect by using just the 5 basic borders and operating on a single cell at a time:

Array key | Maps to property
----------|------------------
left      | getLeft()
right     | getRight()
top       | getTop()
bottom    | getBottom()
diagonal  | getDiagonal()

Additional shortcut borders come in handy like in the example above. These are the shortcut borders available:

Array key  | Maps to property
-----------|------------------
allborders | getAllBorders()
outline    | getOutline()
inside     | getInside()
vertical   | getVertical()
horizontal | getHorizontal()

An overview of all border shortcuts can be seen in the following image:

If you simultaneously set e.g. allborders and vertical, then we have "overlapping" borders, and one of the components has to win over the other where there is border overlap. In PHPExcel, from weakest to strongest borders, the list is as follows: allborders, outline/inside, vertical/horizontal, left/right/top/bottom/diagonal.

This border hierarchy can be utilized to achieve various effects in an easy manner.

Conditional formatting a cell

A cell can be formatted conditionally, based on a specific rule. For example, one can set the foreground colour of a cell to red if its value is below zero, and to green if its value is zero or more.

One can set a conditional style ruleset to a cell using the following code:

$objConditional1 = new PHPExcel_Style_Conditional();
$objConditional1->setConditionType(PHPExcel_Style_Conditional::CONDITION_CELLIS);
$objConditional1->setOperatorType(PHPExcel_Style_Conditional::OPERATOR_LESSTHAN);
$objConditional1->addCondition('0');
$objConditional1->getStyle()->getFont()->getColor()->setARGB(PHPExcel_Style_Color::COLOR_RED);
$objConditional1->getStyle()->getFont()->setBold(true);

$objConditional2 = new PHPExcel_Style_Conditional();
$objConditional2->setConditionType(PHPExcel_Style_Conditional::CONDITION_CELLIS);
$objConditional2->setOperatorType(PHPExcel_Style_Conditional::OPERATOR_GREATERTHANOREQUAL);
$objConditional2->addCondition('0');
$objConditional2->getStyle()->getFont()->getColor()->setARGB(PHPExcel_Style_Color::COLOR_GREEN);
$objConditional2->getStyle()->getFont()->setBold(true);

$conditionalStyles = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')->getConditionalStyles();
array_push($conditionalStyles, $objConditional1);
array_push($conditionalStyles, $objConditional2);

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2')->setConditionalStyles($conditionalStyles);

If you want to copy the ruleset to other cells, you can duplicate the style object:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->duplicateStyle(
        $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B2'), 
        'B3:B7' 
    );

Add a comment to a cell

To add a comment to a cell, use the following code. The example below adds a comment to cell E11:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getComment('E11')
    ->setAuthor('Mark Baker');
$objCommentRichText = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getComment('E11')
    ->getText()->createTextRun('PHPExcel:');
$objCommentRichText->getFont()->setBold(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getComment('E11')
    ->getText()->createTextRun("\r\n");
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getComment('E11')
    ->getText()->createTextRun('Total amount on the current invoice, excluding VAT.');

Apply autofilter to a range of cells

To apply an autofilter to a range of cells, use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setAutoFilter('A1:C9');

Make sure that you always include the complete filter range! Excel does support setting only the captionrow, but that's not a best practice...

Setting security on a spreadsheet

Excel offers 3 levels of "protection": document security, sheet security and cell security.

Document security allows you to set a password on a complete spreadsheet, allowing changes to be made only when that password is entered.Worksheet security offers other security options: you can disallow inserting rows on a specific sheet, disallow sorting, ... Cell security offers the option to lock/unlock a cell as well as show/hide the internal formulaAn example on setting document security:

$objPHPExcel->getSecurity()->setLockWindows(true);
$objPHPExcel->getSecurity()->setLockStructure(true);
$objPHPExcel->getSecurity()->setWorkbookPassword("PHPExcel");

An example on setting worksheet security:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getProtection()->setPassword('PHPExcel');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getProtection()->setSheet(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getProtection()->setSort(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getProtection()->setInsertRows(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->getProtection()->setFormatCells(true);

An example on setting cell security:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('B1')
    ->getProtection()
    ->setLocked(PHPExcel_Style_Protection::PROTECTION_UNPROTECTED);

Make sure you enable worksheet protection if you need any of the worksheet protection features! This can be done using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getProtection()->setSheet(true);

Setting data validation on a cell

Data validation is a powerful feature of Excel2007. It allows to specify an input filter on the data that can be inserted in a specific cell. This filter can be a range (i.e. value must be between 0 and 10), a list (i.e. value must be picked from a list), ...

The following piece of code only allows numbers between 10 and 20 to be entered in cell B3:

$objValidation = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B3')
    ->getDataValidation();
$objValidation->setType( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::TYPE_WHOLE );
$objValidation->setErrorStyle( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::STYLE_STOP );
$objValidation->setAllowBlank(true);
$objValidation->setShowInputMessage(true);
$objValidation->setShowErrorMessage(true);
$objValidation->setErrorTitle('Input error');
$objValidation->setError('Number is not allowed!');
$objValidation->setPromptTitle('Allowed input');
$objValidation->setPrompt('Only numbers between 10 and 20 are allowed.');
$objValidation->setFormula1(10);
$objValidation->setFormula2(20);

This validation will limit the length of text that can be entered in a cell to 6 characters.

$objValidation = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B9')->getDataValidation();
$objValidation->setType( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::TYPE_TEXTLENGTH );
$objValidation->setErrorStyle( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::STYLE_STOP );
$objValidation->setAllowBlank(true);
$objValidation->setShowInputMessage(true);
$objValidation->setShowErrorMessage(true);
$objValidation->setErrorTitle('Input error');
$objValidation->setError('Text exceeds maximum length');
$objValidation->setPromptTitle('Allowed input');
$objValidation->setPrompt('Maximum text length is 6 characters.');
$objValidation->setFormula1(6);

The following piece of code only allows an item picked from a list of data to be entered in cell B3:

$objValidation = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B5')
    ->getDataValidation();
$objValidation->setType( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::TYPE_LIST );
$objValidation->setErrorStyle( PHPExcel_Cell_DataValidation::STYLE_INFORMATION );
$objValidation->setAllowBlank(false);
$objValidation->setShowInputMessage(true);
$objValidation->setShowErrorMessage(true);
$objValidation->setShowDropDown(true);
$objValidation->setErrorTitle('Input error');
$objValidation->setError('Value is not in list.');
$objValidation->setPromptTitle('Pick from list');
$objValidation->setPrompt('Please pick a value from the drop-down list.');
$objValidation->setFormula1('"Item A,Item B,Item C"');

When using a data validation list like above, make sure you put the list between " and " and that you split the items with a comma (,).

It is important to remember that any string participating in an Excel formula is allowed to be maximum 255 characters (not bytes). This sets a limit on how many items you can have in the string "Item A,Item B,Item C". Therefore it is normally a better idea to type the item values directly in some cell range, say A1:A3, and instead use, say, $objValidation->setFormula1('Sheet!$A$1:$A$3');. Another benefit is that the item values themselves can contain the comma "," character itself.

If you need data validation on multiple cells, one can clone the ruleset:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('B8')->setDataValidation(clone $objValidation);

Setting a column's width

A column's width can be set using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('D')->setWidth(12);

If you want PHPExcel to perform an automatic width calculation, use the following code. PHPExcel will approximate the column with to the width of the widest column value.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('B')->setAutoSize(true);

The measure for column width in PHPExcel does not correspond exactly to the measure you may be used to in Microsoft Office Excel. Column widths are difficult to deal with in Excel, and there are several measures for the column width.1) Inner width in character units (e.g. 8.43 this is probably what you are familiar with in Excel)2) Full width in pixels (e.g. 64 pixels)3) Full width in character units (e.g. 9.140625, value -1 indicates unset width)PHPExcel always operates with 3) "Full width in character units" which is in fact the only value that is stored in any Excel file, hence the most reliable measure. Unfortunately, __Microsoft ____Office ____Excel does not present you with this __measure. Instead measures 1) and 2) are computed by the application when the file is opened and these values are presented in various dialogues and tool tips.The character width unit is the width of a '0' (zero) glyph in the workbooks default font. Therefore column widths measured in character units in two different workbooks can only be compared if they have the same default workbook font.If you have some Excel file and need to know the column widths in measure 3), you can read the Excel file with PHPExcel and echo the retrieved values.

Show/hide a column

To set a worksheet's column visibility, you can use the following code. The first line explicitly shows the column C, the second line hides column D.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('C')->setVisible(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('D')->setVisible(false);

Group/outline a column

To group/outline a column, you can use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('E')->setOutlineLevel(1);

You can also collapse the column. Note that you should also set the column invisible, otherwise the collapse will not be visible in Excel 2007.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('E')->setCollapsed(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getColumnDimension('E')->setVisible(false);

Please refer to the section "group/outline a row" for a complete example on collapsing.

You can instruct PHPExcel to add a summary to the right (default), or to the left. The following code adds the summary to the left:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setShowSummaryRight(false);

Setting a row's height

A row's height can be set using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension('10')->setRowHeight(100);

Excel measures row height in points, where 1 pt is 1/72 of an inch (or about 0.35mm). The default value is 12.75 pts; and the permitted range of values is between 0 and 409 pts, where 0 pts is a hidden row.

Show/hide a row

To set a worksheet''s row visibility, you can use the following code. The following example hides row number 10.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension('10')->setVisible(false);

Note that if you apply active filters using an AutoFilter, then this will override any rows that you hide or unhide manually within that AutoFilter range if you save the file.

Group/outline a row

To group/outline a row, you can use the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension('5')->setOutlineLevel(1);

You can also collapse the row. Note that you should also set the row invisible, otherwise the collapse will not be visible in Excel 2007.

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension('5')->setCollapsed(true);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension('5')->setVisible(false);

Here's an example which collapses rows 50 to 80:

for ($i = 51; $i <= 80; $i++) {
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A' . $i, "FName $i");
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B' . $i, "LName $i");
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('C' . $i, "PhoneNo $i");
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('D' . $i, "FaxNo $i");
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('E' . $i, true);
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension($i)->setOutlineLevel(1);
    $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension($i)->setVisible(false);
}

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getRowDimension(81)->setCollapsed(true);

You can instruct PHPExcel to add a summary below the collapsible rows (default), or above. The following code adds the summary above:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setShowSummaryBelow(false);

Merge/unmerge cells

If you have a big piece of data you want to display in a worksheet, you can merge two or more cells together, to become one cell. This can be done using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->mergeCells('A18:E22');

Removing a merge can be done using the unmergeCells method:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->unmergeCells('A18:E22');

Inserting rows/columns

You can insert/remove rows/columns at a specific position. The following code inserts 2 new rows, right before row 7:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->insertNewRowBefore(7, 2);

Add a drawing to a worksheet

A drawing is always represented as a separate object, which can be added to a worksheet. Therefore, you must first instantiate a new PHPExcel_Worksheet_Drawing, and assign its properties a meaningful value:

$objDrawing = new PHPExcel_Worksheet_Drawing();
$objDrawing->setName('Logo');
$objDrawing->setDescription('Logo');
$objDrawing->setPath('./images/officelogo.jpg');
$objDrawing->setHeight(36);

To add the above drawing to the worksheet, use the following snippet of code. PHPExcel creates the link between the drawing and the worksheet:

$objDrawing->setWorksheet($objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet());

You can set numerous properties on a drawing, here are some examples:

$objDrawing->setName('Paid');
$objDrawing->setDescription('Paid');
$objDrawing->setPath('./images/paid.png');
$objDrawing->setCoordinates('B15');
$objDrawing->setOffsetX(110);
$objDrawing->setRotation(25);
$objDrawing->getShadow()->setVisible(true);
$objDrawing->getShadow()->setDirection(45);

You can also add images created using GD functions without needing to save them to disk first as In-Memory drawings.

//  Use GD to create an in-memory image
$gdImage = @imagecreatetruecolor(120, 20) or die('Cannot Initialize new GD image stream');
$textColor = imagecolorallocate($gdImage, 255, 255, 255);
imagestring($gdImage, 1, 5, 5,  'Created with PHPExcel', $textColor);

//  Add the In-Memory image to a worksheet
$objDrawing = new PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing();
$objDrawing->setName('In-Memory image 1');
$objDrawing->setDescription('In-Memory image 1');
$objDrawing->setCoordinates('A1');
$objDrawing->setImageResource($gdImage);
$objDrawing->setRenderingFunction(
    PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::RENDERING_JPEG
);
$objDrawing->setMimeType(PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::MIMETYPE_DEFAULT);
$objDrawing->setHeight(36);
$objDrawing->setWorksheet($objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet());

Reading Images from a worksheet

A commonly asked question is how to retrieve the images from a workbook that has been loaded, and save them as individual image files to disk.

The following code extracts images from the current active worksheet, and writes each as a separate file.

$i = 0;
foreach ($objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getDrawingCollection() as $drawing) {
    if ($drawing instanceof PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing) {
        ob_start();
        call_user_func(
            $drawing->getRenderingFunction(),
            $drawing->getImageResource()
        );
        $imageContents = ob_get_contents();
        ob_end_clean();
        switch ($drawing->getMimeType()) {
            case PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::MIMETYPE_PNG :
                $extension = 'png'; 
                break;
            case PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::MIMETYPE_GIF:
                $extension = 'gif'; 
                break;
            case PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::MIMETYPE_JPEG :
                $extension = 'jpg'; 
                break;
        }
    } else {
        $zipReader = fopen($drawing->getPath(),'r');
        $imageContents = '';
        while (!feof($zipReader)) {
            $imageContents .= fread($zipReader,1024);
        }
        fclose($zipReader);
        $extension = $drawing->getExtension();
    }
    $myFileName = '00_Image_'.++$i.'.'.$extension;
    file_put_contents($myFileName,$imageContents);
}

Add rich text to a cell

Adding rich text to a cell can be done using PHPExcel_RichText instances. Here''s an example, which creates the following rich text string:

This invoice is payable within thirty days after the end of the month unless specified otherwise on the invoice.

$objRichText = new PHPExcel_RichText();
$objRichText->createText('This invoice is ');
$objPayable = $objRichText->createTextRun('payable within thirty days after the end of the month');
$objPayable->getFont()->setBold(true);
$objPayable->getFont()->setItalic(true);
$objPayable->getFont()->setColor( new PHPExcel_Style_Color( PHPExcel_Style_Color::COLOR_DARKGREEN ) );
$objRichText->createText(', unless specified otherwise on the invoice.');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A18')->setValue($objRichText);

Define a named range

PHPExcel supports the definition of named ranges. These can be defined using the following code:

// Add some data
$objPHPExcel->setActiveSheetIndex(0);
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A1', 'Firstname:');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A2', 'Lastname:');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B1', 'Maarten');
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B2', 'Balliauw');

// Define named ranges
$objPHPExcel->addNamedRange( new PHPExcel_NamedRange('PersonFN', $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet(), 'B1') );
$objPHPExcel->addNamedRange( new PHPExcel_NamedRange('PersonLN', $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet(), 'B2') );

Optionally, a fourth parameter can be passed defining the named range local (i.e. only usable on the current worksheet). Named ranges are global by default.

Redirect output to a client's web browser

Sometimes, one really wants to output a file to a client''s browser, especially when creating spreadsheets on-the-fly. There are some easy steps that can be followed to do this:

Create your PHPExcel spreadsheet
Output HTTP headers for the type of document you wish to output
Use the PHPExcel_Writer_* of your choice, and save to "php://output"

PHPExcel_Writer_Excel2007 uses temporary storage when writing to php://output. By default, temporary files are stored in the script's working directory. When there is no access, it falls back to the operating system's temporary files location.

This may not be safe for unauthorized viewing! Depending on the configuration of your operating system, temporary storage can be read by anyone using the same temporary storage folder. When confidentiality of your document is needed, it is recommended not to use php://output.

HTTP headers

Example of a script redirecting an Excel 2007 file to the client's browser:

/* Here there will be some code where you create $objPHPExcel */

// redirect output to client browser
header('Content-Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="myfile.xlsx"');
header('Cache-Control: max-age=0');

$objWriter = PHPExcel_IOFactory::createWriter($objPHPExcel, 'Excel2007');
$objWriter->save('php://output');

Example of a script redirecting an Excel5 file to the client's browser:

/* Here there will be some code where you create $objPHPExcel */

// redirect output to client browser
header('Content-Type: application/vnd.ms-excel');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="myfile.xls"');
header('Cache-Control: max-age=0');

$objWriter = PHPExcel_IOFactory::createWriter($objPHPExcel, 'Excel5');
$objWriter->save('php://output');

Caution:

Make sure not to include any echo statements or output any other contents than the Excel file. There should be no whitespace before the opening tag (which can also be omitted to avoid problems). Make sure that your script is saved without a BOM (Byte-order mark) because this counts as echoing output. The same things apply to all included files.
Failing to follow the above guidelines may result in corrupt Excel files arriving at the client browser, and/or that headers cannot be set by PHP (resulting in warning messages).

Setting the default column width

Default column width can be set using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getDefaultColumnDimension()->setWidth(12);

Setting the default row height

Default row height can be set using the following code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getDefaultRowDimension()->setRowHeight(15);

Add a GD drawing to a worksheet

There might be a situation where you want to generate an in-memory image using GD and add it to a PHPExcel worksheet without first having to save this file to a temporary location.

Here''s an example which generates an image in memory and adds it to the active worksheet:

// Generate an image
$gdImage = @imagecreatetruecolor(120, 20) or die('Cannot Initialize new GD image stream');
$textColor = imagecolorallocate($gdImage, 255, 255, 255);
imagestring($gdImage, 1, 5, 5,  'Created with PHPExcel', $textColor);

// Add a drawing to the worksheet
$objDrawing = new PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing();
$objDrawing->setName('Sample image');
$objDrawing->setDescription('Sample image');
$objDrawing->setImageResource($gdImage);
$objDrawing->setRenderingFunction(PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::RENDERING_JPEG);
$objDrawing->setMimeType(PHPExcel_Worksheet_MemoryDrawing::MIMETYPE_DEFAULT);
$objDrawing->setHeight(36);
$objDrawing->setWorksheet($objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet());

Setting worksheet zoom level

To set a worksheet's zoom level, the following code can be used:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->getSheetView()->setZoomScale(75);

Note that zoom level should be in range 10 â€“ 400.

Sheet tab color

Sometimes you want to set a color for sheet tab. For example you can have a red sheet tab:

$objWorksheet->getTabColor()->setRGB('FF0000');

Creating worksheets in a workbook

If you need to create more worksheets in the workbook, here is how:

$objWorksheet1 = $objPHPExcel->createSheet();
$objWorksheet1->setTitle('Another sheet');

Think of createSheet() as the "Insert sheet" button in Excel. When you hit that button a new sheet is appended to the existing collection of worksheets in the workbook.

Hidden worksheets (Sheet states)

Set a worksheet to be hidden using this code:

$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->setSheetState(PHPExcel_Worksheet::SHEETSTATE_HIDDEN);

Sometimes you may even want the worksheet to be "very hidden". The available sheet states are :

PHPExcel_Worksheet::SHEETSTATE_VISIBLE
PHPExcel_Worksheet::SHEETSTATE_HIDDEN
PHPExcel_Worksheet::SHEETSTATE_VERYHIDDEN

In Excel the sheet state "very hidden" can only be set programmatically, e.g. with Visual Basic Macro. It is not possible to make such a sheet visible via the user interface.

Right-to-left worksheet

Worksheets can be set individually whether column "A" should start at left or right side. Default is left. Here is how to set columns from right-to-left.

// right-to-left worksheet
$objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()
    ->setRightToLeft(true);

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PHPExcel Developer Documentation

PHPExcel recipes

Setting a spreadsheet's metadata

Setting a spreadsheet's active sheet

Write a date or time into a cell

Write a formula into a cell

Locale Settings for Formulae

Write a newline character "\n" in a cell (ALT+"Enter")

Explicitly set a cell's datatype

Change a cell into a clickable URL

Setting Printer Options for Excel files

Setting a worksheet's page orientation and size

Page Setup: Scaling options

Example

Page margins

Center a page horizontally/vertically

Setting the print header and footer of a worksheet

Setting printing breaks on a row or column

Show/hide gridlines when printing

Setting rows/columns to repeat at top/left

Specify printing area

Styles

Formatting cells

Number formats

Alignment and wrap text

Setting the default style of a workbook

Styling cell borders

Conditional formatting a cell

Add a comment to a cell

Apply autofilter to a range of cells

Setting security on a spreadsheet

Setting data validation on a cell

Setting a column's width

Show/hide a column

Group/outline a column

Setting a row's height

Show/hide a row

Group/outline a row

Merge/unmerge cells

Inserting rows/columns

Add a drawing to a worksheet

Reading Images from a worksheet

Add rich text to a cell

Define a named range

Redirect output to a client's web browser

HTTP headers

Setting the default column width

Setting the default row height

Add a GD drawing to a worksheet

Setting worksheet zoom level

Sheet tab color

Creating worksheets in a workbook

Hidden worksheets (Sheet states)

Right-to-left worksheet

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