Converting Workbook to Different Formats
Converting Excel to XPS
The XPS document format consists of structured XML markup that defines the layout of a document and the visual appearance of each page, along with rendering rules for distributing, archiving, rendering, processing and printing documents.
The markup language for XPS is a subset of XAML which allows it to incorporate vector graphic elements in documents, using XAML to mark up the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) primitives. The elements used are described in terms of paths and other geometrical primitives.
An XPS file is in fact a Unicoded ZIP archive using the Open Packaging Conventions, containing the files which make up the document. These include an XML markup file for each page, text, embedded fonts, raster images, 2D vector graphics, as well as the digital rights management information. The contents of an XPS file can be examined simply by opening it in an application that supports ZIP files.
From Aspose.Cells 6.0.0, Microsoft Excel tp XPS conversion is supported.
Converting single Worksheet to XPS
The following example shows how to convert a single worksheet in an Excel file to XPS.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(ConvertingsingleWorksheetToXPS.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| //Open an Excel file | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"); | |
| //Get the first worksheet | |
| Worksheet sheet = workbook.getWorksheets().get(0); | |
| //Apply different Image and Print options | |
| ImageOrPrintOptions options = new ImageOrPrintOptions(); | |
| //Set the format | |
| options.setSaveFormat(SaveFormat.XPS); | |
| //Render the sheet with respect to specified printing options | |
| SheetRender render = new SheetRender(sheet, options); | |
| render.toImage(0, dataDir + "CSingleWorksheetToXPS_out.xps"); |
Export Whole Workbook to XPS
The following example shows how to convert the whole workbook to XPS format.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(ExportWholeWorkbookToXPS.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Open an Excel file | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"); | |
| // Apply different Image and Print options | |
| ImageOrPrintOptions options = new ImageOrPrintOptions(); | |
| // Set the format | |
| options.setSaveFormat(SaveFormat.XPS); | |
| // Render the workbook with respect to specified printing options | |
| WorkbookRender render = new WorkbookRender(workbook, options); | |
| render.toImage(dataDir + "ExportWholeWorkbookToXPS_out.xps"); |
Quick Excel to XPS Conversion
The following example shows a simple way to directly convert the Excel file to XPS format.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(ExportWholeWorkbookToXPS.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Open an Excel file | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"); | |
| // Save in XPS format | |
| workbook.save("QEToXPSConversion_out.xps", SaveFormat.XPS); |
Converting Excel to MHTML Files
MHTML combines normal HTML with external resources; that is, content that is usually linked in like images, animations, audio and so on into one file. They are used for emails with the .mht file extension.
Converting a spreadsheet to MHTML is a quick operation, as shown below.
The code example below shows how to save a workbook as an MHTML file.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(ConvertingToMHTMLFiles.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Specify the file path | |
| String filePath = dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"; | |
| // Specify the HTML saving options | |
| HtmlSaveOptions sv = new HtmlSaveOptions(SaveFormat.M_HTML); | |
| // Instantiate a workbook and open the template XLSX file | |
| Workbook wb = new Workbook(filePath); | |
| // Save the MHT file | |
| wb.save(dataDir + "CToMHTMLFiles_out.mht", sv); | |
| // Print message | |
| System.out.println("Excel to MHTML conversion performed successfully."); |
Converting Excel Files to HTML
The Aspose.Cells APIs provides support for exporting spreadsheets to HTML format. For this purpose, Aspose.Cells uses the HtmlSaveOptions class which allows developers to control several aspects of the output HTML.
The code below demonstrates how to use the HtmlSaveOptions class to export Microsoft Excel files to HTML format without specifying additional parameters.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(ConvertingToHTMLFiles.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Specify the file path | |
| String filePath = dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"; | |
| // Specify the HTML saving options | |
| HtmlSaveOptions sv = new HtmlSaveOptions(SaveFormat.HTML); | |
| // Instantiate a workbook and open the template XLSX file | |
| Workbook wb = new Workbook(filePath); | |
| // Save the HTML file | |
| wb.save(dataDir + "CToHTMLFiles_out.html", sv); | |
| // Print message | |
| System.out.println("Excel to HTML conversion performed successfully."); |
Setting Image Preferences for HTML
Starting from 8.0.2, Aspose.Cells has exposed ImageOptions for the HtmlSaveOptions class, which allows developers to specify image preferences when saving spreadsheets to HTML format.
The image settings that can be applied are:
- ImageType: Gets or sets the image type. Please note, all shapes, including charts, render as images in the output HTML.
- Quality: Gets or sets the quality of images between 0 to 100, when ImageFormat is specified as Jpeg.
- VerticalResolution: Gets or sets the vertical resolution of the image in dots per inch.
- HorizontalResolution: Gets or sets the horizontal resolution of the image in dots per inch.
- TiffCompression: Gets or sets the compression type for the images when ImageFormat is specified as Tiff.
- Transparent: Indicates if the background of an image should be transparent when ImageFormat is specified as Png.
The code below demonstrates how to use HtmlSaveOptions.ImageOptions to specify different preferences.
| Spreadsheet view before export | HTML view after export |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(SettingImagePrefrencesforHTML.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Instantiate a Workbook object by excel file path | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xlsx"); | |
| System.out.println("Set PDF Creation Time successfully."); |
Converting Excel to PDF Files
PDF documents are widely used as a standard format of exchanging documents between organizations, government sectors, and individuals. Software developers are often asked to device a way to easily convert Microsoft Excel files into PDF documents. Aspose.Cells supports these features. This article shows how.
Converting Excel to PDF
Microsoft Excel to PDF conversion was introduced with Aspose.Cells for Java 2.3.0. From that release, Aspose.Cells can convert spreadsheets to PDF directly (including PDF/A), without another product. To convert spreadsheets with older versions of Aspose.Cells, use Aspose.PDF for the conversion.
Aspose.Cell’s converts spreadsheets to PDF with a high degree of accuracy and fidelity. However, there are a few limitations, listed at the end of this article.
Aspose.Cells for Java directly writes the information about API and Version Number in output documents. For example, upon rendering Document to PDF, Aspose.Cells for Java populates Application field with value ‘Aspose.Cells’ and PDF Producer field with a value, e.g ‘Aspose.Cells for Java v17.9’.
Please note that you cannot instruct Aspose.Cells for Java to change or remove this information from output Documents.
Direct Conversion
Save an Excel file directly to PDF using the Workbook.save method, and provide the SaveFormat.PDF interface member. Direct conversion like this is the most efficient conversion method. It does not lose data or formatting but keeps the output PDF looking like the input Excel file.
To specify security options when saving to PDF, use PdfSaveOptions.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(Excel2PDFConversion.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(dataDir + "Book1.xls"); | |
| // Save the document in PDF format | |
| workbook.save(dataDir + "E2PDFC-out.pdf", SaveFormat.PDF); | |
| // Print message | |
| System.out.println("Excel to PDF conversion performed successfully."); |
Advanced Conversion
You may also opt to use the PdfSaveOptions class to set different attributes for the conversion. Setting different properties of PdfSaveOptions class will give you the control over the Print, Font, Security and Compression settings for the resultant PDF file. Most notable property is the Compliance that enables you to save the Excel files to PDF/A compliant PDF files.
Saving Excel Spreadsheets to PDF/A Complied Files
Below provided code snippet demonstrates the usage of the PdfSaveOptions class to save the Excel files to PDF/A compliant PDF format.
| // For complete examples and data files, please go to https://github.com/aspose-cells/Aspose.Cells-for-Java | |
| // The path to the documents directory. | |
| String dataDir = Utils.getSharedDataDir(AdvancedConversiontoPdf.class) + "loading_saving/"; | |
| // Create a new Workbook. | |
| Workbook workbook = new Workbook(); | |
| Cells cell = workbook.getWorksheets().get(0).getCells(); | |
| cell.get("A12").setValue("Test PDF"); | |
| PdfSaveOptions pdfOptions = new PdfSaveOptions(); | |
| pdfOptions.setCompliance(PdfCompliance.PDF_A_1_B); | |
| workbook.save(dataDir + "ACToPdf_out.pdf", pdfOptions); | |
| // Print message | |
| System.out.println("Advanced Conversion performed successfully."); |
Conversion with Aspose.Pdf: Aspose.Cells Prior to 2.3.0
For Aspose.Cells versions prior to version 2.3.0 you need to use a component like Aspose.PDF for Java to convert spreadsheets to PDF files. Aspose.Cells and Aspose.PDF work together to convert a spreadsheet to PDF via an intermediate step.
To convert spreadsheets to PDF with Aspose.Cells and Aspose.PDF:
- Instantiate an object of the Workbook class by calling its empty constructor.
- Do your desired work on the spreadsheet using the Aspose.Cells API.
- Call the Workbook.save method to save the spreadsheet:
- Set the file format to XML.
- Select Aspose_Pdf (a pre-defined value) from the FileFormatType interface. This directs the save method to generate a spreadsheet in the XML form compatible with the Aspose.PDF Schema so that Aspose.PDF for Java can then generate a PDF document.
- When the XML file has been created, create an object of the Pdf class in the aspose.pdf package.
- Call the Pdf class' bindXML method and pass the name of the output XML file.
- Call the Pdf class' save method to generate the PDF document.
The above steps are implemented below in an example.
Conversion Attributes
We work hard to improve conversion and other aspects of Aspose.Cells with every release. Excel to PDF conversion has a few limitations. Some format settings specified in a spreadsheet might be lost, and not all drawing objects are supported.
The table below lists all features that are fully or partially supported when exporting to PDF using Aspose.Cells. This table is not final and does not cover all the spreadsheet attributes. It can also identify those features that may not be supported or are partially supported for the conversion.
| Document Element | Attribute | Net Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alignment | Yes | ||
| Rotation | Partially | Only supports 90 and -90. | |
| Background settings | Yes | ||
| Border | Color | Yes | |
| Border | Line style | Yes | |
| Border | Line width | Yes | |
| Cell Data | Yes | ||
| Comments | No | ||
| Conditional Formatting | Yes | ||
| Document Properties | Yes | ||
| Drawing Objects | Yes | ||
| Font | Size | Yes | |
| Font | Color | Yes | |
| Font | Style | Yes | |
| Font | Underline | Yes | |
| Font | Effects | Partially | Only the strike-through effect is supported |
| Images | Yes | ||
| Hyperlink | Yes | ||
| Charts | Yes | ||
| Merged Cells | Yes | ||
| Page Break | Yes | ||
| Page Setup | Header/Footer | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Margins | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Page Orientation | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Page Size | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Print Area | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Print Titles | Yes | |
| Page Setup | Scaling | Yes | |
| Row Height/Column Width | Yes |