Export Multiple Sheets to Excel Through Browser - excel

Question

I need to export multiple data tables to Excel on the clients machine, each to their own sheet. If it was just one sheet, I'd use the Excel/csv content type, but I've heard something about an XML format that can represent an entire workbook. I don't want to go down the Packaging and .xlsx route, so I need standard .xls.
Our bug tracker, Gemini, used to have an export function that produced an XML file that Excel automatically opened as a multi-sheet workbook, but I can't find it. Is there still such a mechanism, and where can I find that schema?

Answer 1

You can use for example this library, if you don't want to create your own Excel XML writer library.

Answer 2

In Excel you can save a workbook in XML format. (in Excel 2007 it is called XML Spreadsheet 2003).
That might get you started.

Answer 3

USE The Below In seperate class file and on page.cs file paste the the function like this on button click:
ExcelHelperNS.ExcelHelper.ToExcel(Dataset1, "ExcelFileName", Page.Response);
use this in separate class and it will work..
public class ExcelHelper
{
//Row limits older excel verion per sheet, the row limit for excel 2003 is 65536
const int rowLimit = 65000;
private static string getWorkbookTemplate()
{
var sb = new StringBuilder(818);
sb.AppendFormat(#"<?xml version=""1.0""?>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#"<?mso-application progid=""Excel.Sheet""?>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#"<Workbook xmlns=""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet""{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" xmlns:o=""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office""{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" xmlns:x=""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel""{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" xmlns:ss=""urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet""{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" xmlns:html=""http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"">{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Styles>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Style ss:ID=""Default"" ss:Name=""Normal"">{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Alignment ss:Vertical=""Bottom""/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Borders/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Font ss:FontName=""Calibri"" x:Family=""Swiss"" ss:Size=""11"" ss:Color=""#000000""/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Interior/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <NumberFormat/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Protection/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" </Style>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Style ss:ID=""s62"">{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Font ss:FontName=""Calibri"" x:Family=""Swiss"" ss:Size=""11"" ss:Color=""#000000""{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" ss:Bold=""1""/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" </Style>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <Style ss:ID=""s63"">{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" <NumberFormat ss:Format=""Short Date""/>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" </Style>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.AppendFormat(#" </Styles>{0}", Environment.NewLine);
sb.Append(#"{0}\r\n</Workbook>");
return sb.ToString();
}
private static string replaceXmlChar(string input)
{
input = input.Replace("&", "&amp");
input = input.Replace("<", "<");
input = input.Replace(">", ">");
input = input.Replace("\"", """);
input = input.Replace("'", "&apos;");
return input;
}
private static string getCell(Type type, object cellData)
{
var data = (cellData is DBNull) ? "" : cellData;
if (type.Name.Contains("Int") || type.Name.Contains("Double") || type.Name.Contains("Decimal")) return string.Format("<Cell><Data ss:Type=\"Number\">{0}</Data></Cell>", data);
if (type.Name.Contains("Date") && data.ToString() != string.Empty)
{
return string.Format("<Cell ss:StyleID=\"s63\"><Data ss:Type=\"DateTime\">{0}</Data></Cell>", Convert.ToDateTime(data).ToString("yyyy-MM-dd"));
}
return string.Format("<Cell><Data ss:Type=\"String\">{0}</Data></Cell>", replaceXmlChar(data.ToString()));
}
private static string getWorksheets(DataSet source)
{
var sw = new StringWriter();
if (source == null || source.Tables.Count == 0)
{
sw.Write("<Worksheet ss:Name=\"Sheet1\">\r\n<Table>\r\n<Row><Cell><Data ss:Type=\"String\"></Data></Cell></Row>\r\n</Table>\r\n</Worksheet>");
return sw.ToString();
}
foreach (DataTable dt in source.Tables)
{
if (dt.Rows.Count == 0)
sw.Write("<Worksheet ss:Name=\"" + replaceXmlChar(dt.TableName) + "\">\r\n<Table>\r\n<Row><Cell ss:StyleID=\"s62\"><Data ss:Type=\"String\"></Data></Cell></Row>\r\n</Table>\r\n</Worksheet>");
else
{
//write each row data
var sheetCount = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < dt.Rows.Count; i++)
{
if ((i % rowLimit) == 0)
{
//add close tags for previous sheet of the same data table
if ((i / rowLimit) > sheetCount)
{
sw.Write("\r\n</Table>\r\n</Worksheet>");
sheetCount = (i / rowLimit);
}
sw.Write("\r\n<Worksheet ss:Name=\"" + replaceXmlChar(dt.TableName) +
(((i / rowLimit) == 0) ? "" : Convert.ToString(i / rowLimit)) + "\">\r\n<Table>");
//write column name row
sw.Write("\r\n<Row>");
foreach (DataColumn dc in dt.Columns)
sw.Write(string.Format("<Cell ss:StyleID=\"s62\"><Data ss:Type=\"String\">{0}</Data></Cell>", replaceXmlChar(dc.ColumnName)));
sw.Write("</Row>");
}
sw.Write("\r\n<Row>");
foreach (DataColumn dc in dt.Columns)
sw.Write(getCell(dc.DataType, dt.Rows[i][dc.ColumnName]));
sw.Write("</Row>");
}
sw.Write("\r\n</Table>\r\n</Worksheet>");
}
}
return sw.ToString();
}
public static string GetExcelXml(DataTable dtInput, string filename)
{
var excelTemplate = getWorkbookTemplate();
var ds = new DataSet();
ds.Tables.Add(dtInput.Copy());
var worksheets = getWorksheets(ds);
var excelXml = string.Format(excelTemplate, worksheets);
return excelXml;
}
public static string GetExcelXml(DataSet dsInput, string filename)
{
var excelTemplate = getWorkbookTemplate();
var worksheets = getWorksheets(dsInput);
var excelXml = string.Format(excelTemplate, worksheets);
return excelXml;
}
public static void ToExcel(DataSet dsInput, string filename, HttpResponse response)
{
var excelXml = GetExcelXml(dsInput, filename);
response.Clear();
response.AppendHeader("Content-Type", "application/vnd.ms-excel");
response.AppendHeader("Content-disposition", "attachment; filename=" + filename);
response.Write(excelXml);
response.Flush();
response.End();
}
public static void ToExcel(DataTable dtInput, string filename, HttpResponse response)
{
var ds = new DataSet();
ds.Tables.Add(dtInput.Copy());
ToExcel(ds, filename, response);
}
}