Guide to Reading Excel Files Using Node.js

A comprehensive guide on how to read content from Excel files (.xlsx, .xls) using Node.js, utilizing the xlsx library with step-by-step installation and illustrative examples.

The Node.js code will use the xlsx library to read data from an Excel file and print the data to the console. You can access and process data from the rows and columns in the Excel file.

// Step 1: Install the xlsx library
// Run the following command in the terminal: npm install xlsx

const xlsx = require('xlsx');

// Path to the Excel file
const filePath = 'example.xlsx';

// Read the Excel file
const workbook = xlsx.readFile(filePath);

// Get the name of the first sheet
const sheetName = workbook.SheetNames[0];

// Get data from the first sheet
const sheet = workbook.Sheets[sheetName];

// Convert sheet data to JSON format
const data = xlsx.utils.sheet_to_json(sheet);

// Display the data
console.log(data);

Detailed Explanation:

1. Installing the xlsx Library: Run the command npm install xlsx to install the xlsx library for your Node.js project.

2. Reading the Excel File: Use xlsx.readFile(filePath) to read the Excel file.

3. Retrieving the Sheet Name: workbook.SheetNames[0] returns the name of the first sheet in the workbook.

4. Converting the Sheet to JSON: The xlsx.utils.sheet_to_json(sheet) function converts the sheet content into a JSON array.

5. Displaying the Data: The console.log(data) statement outputs the data read from the Excel file.

System Requirements:

The code is compatible with Node.js 10.x and above, using the latest version of the xlsx library.

Tips:

• Ensure your Excel file is correctly formatted and error-free.
• Double-check the path to your Excel file to avoid file not found errors.
• Use console.table to display data in a table format, making it easier to inspect and debug.