How to use openpyxl: A python module for excel files

Hi Everyone,

This is my first blog, when I thought about what topic can I start for my first blog, I decided let me go with openpyxl a python module for excel .

Having said that lets start, before we start:

Prerequisites

Basic Python knowledge
Basic Excel knowledge

Sample excel we are using as below:

File Name : sampleData.xlsx
Sheet1:
Sheet2:

Topics

Installing
Loading the Workbook
Working with Sheets
Retrieving Cell Values
Retrieving Multiple Values
Converting data into Python structures

Installing Openpyxl

Run the below code in your Python terminal to install openpyxl.
You can install globally or in virtual environment, I usually prefer virtual environment

pip install openpyxl

After its installed, we need to import into our python code

(create new python file .py)

import openpyxl

Loading the Workbook

Lets write below code to load our first excel

# loading workbook

from openpyxl import load_workbook

# NOTE: loading the excel we need
wb = load_workbook(filename='sampleData.xlsx')

print(wb)

In above code imported load_workbook method to read the excel file & stores it in variable "wb"

Note the file we are accessing must be in the same folder we are working from.

Output:

Working with Sheets

Below code has logic for:

Fetch the sheet names from the excel we read

Shows which sheet is currently active

Activate certain sheet either with index or with sheet name

# Working with Sheets

from openpyxl import load_workbook

# NOTE: loading the excel we need
wb = load_workbook(filename='sampleData.xlsx')

# NOTE: get the sheetnames from the excel we read
print(wb.sheetnames)  # OUTPUT: ['Sheet1', 'Sheet2']

# NOTE: shows which sheet is currently active
print(wb.active)  # OUTPUT: <Worksheet "Sheet1">

# NOTE: we can assign which sheet to be activated, it starts from left to right from the index 0,1 so on...
wb.active = 0
print(wb.active)  # OUTPUT: <Worksheet "Sheet1">
wb.active = 1
print(wb.active)  # OUTPUT: <Worksheet "Sheet2">

# NOTE: above we saw we can access via index location, now lets access the sheet with the sheet name
sheet = wb['Sheet2']
print(sheet)  # OUTPUT: <Worksheet "Sheet2">
print(sheet.title)  # OUTPUT: Sheet2

Retrieving Cell Values

Below code has logic for:

Specifying which sheet & cell number we need to get data from

Fetch row index, column index, cell value & cell coornidates

# Retrieving Cell Values

from openpyxl import load_workbook

# NOTE: loading the excel we need
wb = load_workbook(filename='sampleData.xlsx')

sheet = wb['Sheet1']
# NOTE: from active sheet we are trying to fetch the value from cell B3
cell_coordinates = sheet['B3']

# NOTE: fetch value, row & column for the cell coordinates
print(cell_coordinates.value)  # OUTPUT: Jojo
print(cell_coordinates.row)  # OUTPUT: 3
print(cell_coordinates.column)  # OUTPUT: 2
print(cell_coordinates.coordinate)  # OUTPUT: B3

# NOTE: What if we fetch the empty cell value?
print(sheet['B9'].value)  # OUTPUT: None

# NOTE: Return Value using cell
print(sheet.cell(row=2, column=2).value)  # OUTPUT: Shijo

Retrieving Multiple Values

Below code has logic for:

Fetch data for particular column

Fetch range of column object with index/ without index

Fetch row & column object

Fetch row & column values

# Retrieving Multiple Values

from openpyxl import load_workbook

# NOTE: loading the excel we need
wb = load_workbook(filename='sampleData.xlsx')

sheet = wb['Sheet2']

# NOTE: fetches all the 'A' colum that has data
# OUTPUT: (<Cell 'Sheet2'.A1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A6>)
print(sheet['A'])

# NOTE: fetches range of columns without index
print(sheet['A:C'])
'''
OUTOUT:
((<Cell 'Sheet2'.A1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A6>), 
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.B1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B6>), 
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.C1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C6>))
'''

# NOTE: fetches range of columns with index
print(sheet['1:3'])
'''
OUTPUT:
((<Cell 'Sheet2'.A1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C1>), 
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C2>), 
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C3>))
'''

# fetch row & column objects
for row in sheet.rows:
    print(row)

'''
OUTPUT:
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C1>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C2>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C3>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C4>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C5>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A6>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B6>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C6>)
'''

for col in sheet.columns:
    print(col)

'''
OUTPUT:
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.A1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.A6>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.B1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.B6>)
(<Cell 'Sheet2'.C1>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C2>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C3>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C4>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C5>, <Cell 'Sheet2'.C6>)
'''

# Show values only
for row in sheet.iter_rows(values_only=True):
    print(row)

'''
OUTPUT:
('id', 'fruit', 'quantity')
(1, 'Apple', 2)
(2, 'Orange', 5)
(3, 'Pineapple', 3)
(4, 'Banana', 6)
(5, 'Mango', 1)
'''

for col in sheet.iter_cols(values_only=True):
    print(col)

'''
OUTPUT:
('id', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
('fruit', 'Apple', 'Orange', 'Pineapple', 'Banana', 'Mango')
('quantity', 2, 5, 3, 6, 1)
'''

Converting data into Python structures

# Converting data into Python structures
import json
from openpyxl import load_workbook

# NOTE: loading the excel we need
wb = load_workbook(filename='sampleData.xlsx')

sheet = wb['Sheet2']
#  empty dictionary to keep values from excel
books = {}

for row in sheet.iter_rows(min_row=2, min_col=1, values_only=True):
    book_id = row[0]
    book = {
        'Fruit': row[1],
        'Qty': row[2]
    }
    books[book_id] = book

print(json.dumps(books, indent=3))

'''
OUTPUT:
{
   "1": {
      "Fruit": "Apple",
      "Qty": 2
   },
   "2": {
      "Fruit": "Orange",
      "Qty": 5
   },
   "3": {
      "Fruit": "Pineapple",
      "Qty": 3
   },
   "4": {
      "Fruit": "Banana",
      "Qty": 6
   },
   "5": {
      "Fruit": "Mango",
      "Qty": 1
   }
}
'''