Fill Settings with C++

Colors and Background Patterns

Microsoft Excel can set the foreground (outline) and background (fill) colors of cells and background patterns.

Aspose.Cells also supports these features in a flexible manner. In this topic, we learn to use these features using Aspose.Cells.

Setting Colors and Background Patterns

Aspose.Cells provides a class, Workbook that represents a Microsoft Excel file. The Workbook class contains a Worksheets collection that allows access to each worksheet in the Excel file. A worksheet is represented by the Worksheet class. The Worksheet class provides a Cells collection. Each item in the Cells collection represents an object of the Cell class.

The Cell has the GetStyle and SetStyle methods that are used to get and set a cell’s formatting. The Style class provides properties for setting the foreground and background colors of the cells. Aspose.Cells provides a BackgroundType enumeration that contains a set of pre-defined types of background patterns which are given below.

Background Patterns Description
DiagonalCrosshatch Represents diagonal crosshatch pattern
DiagonalStripe Represents diagonal stripe pattern
Gray6 Represents 6.25% gray pattern
Gray12 Represents 12.5% gray pattern
Gray25 Represents 25% gray pattern
Gray50 Represents 50% gray pattern
Gray75 Represents 75% gray pattern
HorizontalStripe Represents horizontal stripe pattern
None Represents no background
ReverseDiagonalStripe Represents reverse diagonal stripe pattern
Solid Represents solid pattern
ThickDiagonalCrosshatch Represents thick diagonal crosshatch pattern
ThinDiagonalCrosshatch Represents thin diagonal crosshatch pattern
ThinDiagonalStripe Represents thin diagonal stripe pattern
ThinHorizontalCrosshatch Represents thin horizontal crosshatch pattern
ThinHorizontalStripe Represents thin horizontal stripe pattern
ThinReverseDiagonalStripe Represents thin reverse diagonal stripe pattern
ThinVerticalStripe Represents thin vertical stripe pattern
VerticalStripe Represents vertical stripe pattern

In the example below, the foreground color of the A1 cell is set but A2 is configured to have both foreground and background colors with a vertical stripe background pattern.

#include <iostream>
#include "Aspose.Cells.h"
using namespace Aspose::Cells;

int main()
{
    Aspose::Cells::Startup();

    // Source directory path
    U16String srcDir(u"..\\Data\\01_SourceDirectory\\");

    // Output directory path
    U16String outDir(u"..\\Data\\02_OutputDirectory\\");

    // Instantiating a Workbook object
    Workbook workbook;

    // Adding a new worksheet to the Workbook object
    int i = workbook.GetWorksheets().Add();

    // Obtaining the reference of the newly added worksheet by passing its sheet index
    Worksheet worksheet = workbook.GetWorksheets().Get(i);

    // Define a Style and get the A1 cell style
    Style style = worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"A1").GetStyle();

    // Setting the foreground color to yellow
    style.SetForegroundColor(Color::Yellow());

    // Setting the background pattern to vertical stripe
    style.SetPattern(BackgroundType::VerticalStripe);

    // Apply the style to A1 cell
    worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"A1").SetStyle(style);

    // Get the A2 cell style
    style = worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"A2").GetStyle();

    // Setting the foreground color to blue
    style.SetForegroundColor(Color::Blue());

    // Setting the background color to yellow
    style.SetBackgroundColor(Color::Yellow());

    // Setting the background pattern to vertical stripe
    style.SetPattern(BackgroundType::VerticalStripe);

    // Apply the style to A2 cell
    worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"A2").SetStyle(style);

    // Saving the Excel file
    workbook.Save(outDir + u"book1.out.xls", SaveFormat::Excel97To2003);

    std::cout << "Excel file saved successfully!" << std::endl;

    Aspose::Cells::Cleanup();
}

Important to Know

Applying Gradient Fill Effects

To apply your desired Gradient Fill Effects to the cell, use the Style object’s SetTwoColorGradient method accordingly.

#include <iostream>
#include "Aspose.Cells.h"
using namespace Aspose::Cells;
using namespace Aspose::Cells::System;

int main()
{
    Aspose::Cells::Startup();

    U16String outDir(u"..\\Data\\02_OutputDirectory\\");

    Workbook workbook;
    Worksheet worksheet = workbook.GetWorksheets().Get(0);

    worksheet.GetCells().Get(2, 1).PutValue(u"test");

    Cell cell = worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"B3");
    Style style = cell.GetStyle();
    style.SetIsGradient(true);
    style.SetTwoColorGradient(
        Color{ 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF },
        Color{ 0xFF, 0x4F, 0x81, 0xBD },
        GradientStyleType::Horizontal,
        1
    );

    style.GetFont().SetColor(Color::Red());
    style.SetHorizontalAlignment(TextAlignmentType::Center);
    style.SetVerticalAlignment(TextAlignmentType::Center);

    cell.SetStyle(style);

    worksheet.GetCells().SetRowHeightPixel(2, 53);
    worksheet.GetCells().Merge(2, 1, 1, 2);

    workbook.Save(outDir + u"output.xlsx");

    std::cout << "File saved successfully." << std::endl;

    Aspose::Cells::Cleanup();
    return 0;
}

Colors and Palette

A palette is the number of colors available for use in creating an image. The use of a standardized palette in a presentation allows the user to create a consistent look. Each Microsoft Excel (97-2003) file has a palette of 56 colors that can be applied to cells, fonts, gridlines, graphic objects, fills and lines in a chart.

With Aspose.Cells it is possible not only to use the palette’s existing colors but also custom colors. Before using a custom color, add it to the palette first.

This topic discusses how to add custom colors to the palette.

Adding Custom Colors to Palette

Aspose.Cells supports Microsoft Excel’s 56 color palette. To use a custom color that is not defined in the palette, add the color to the palette.

Aspose.Cells provides a class, Workbook, that represents a Microsoft Excel file. The Workbook class provides a ChangePalette method that takes the following parameters to add a custom color to modify the palette:

  • Custom Color, the custom color to be added.
  • Index, the index of the color in the palette that the custom color will replace. Should be between 0-55.

The example below adds a custom color (Orchid) to the palette before applying it on a font.

#include <iostream>
#include "Aspose.Cells.h"

using namespace Aspose::Cells;

int main() {
    Aspose::Cells::Startup();

    // Create a new workbook
    Workbook workbook;

    // Check if Orchid color is in the palette
    std::cout << "Is Orchid in palette: " << workbook.IsColorInPalette(Color::Orchid()) << std::endl;

    // Add Orchid color to the palette at index 55
    workbook.ChangePalette(Color::Orchid(), 55);

    // Verify if Orchid color is now in the palette
    std::cout << "Is Orchid in palette after change: " << workbook.IsColorInPalette(Color::Orchid()) << std::endl;

    // Add a new worksheet
    int i = workbook.GetWorksheets().Add();

    // Get the reference to the newly added worksheet
    Worksheet worksheet = workbook.GetWorksheets().Get(i);

    // Access cell A1
    Cell cell = worksheet.GetCells().Get(u"A1");

    // Set value in cell A1
    cell.PutValue(u"Hello Aspose!");

    // Create a new style
    Style styleObject = workbook.CreateStyle();

    // Set the custom color (Orchid) to the font
    styleObject.GetFont().SetColor(workbook.GetColors()[55]);

    // Apply the style to the cell
    cell.SetStyle(styleObject);

    // Save the workbook
    workbook.Save(u"out.xlsx");

    Aspose::Cells::Cleanup();
    return 0;
}
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