Create and write Excel files in C# and VB.NET
With GemBox.Spreadsheet you can create and write many Excel file formats (like XLSX, XLS, ODS, CSV, and HTML) in the same manner. The spreadsheets can be saved using one of the ExcelFile.Save
methods from your C# and VB.NET application. These methods enable you to work with a physical file (when providing the file's path) or with an in-memory file (when providing the file's Stream
).
You can specify the format of your Excel file by providing an object from the SaveOptions
derived class (like XlsxSaveOptions
, XlsSaveOptions
, OdsSaveOptions
, CsvSaveOptions
, and HtmlSaveOptions
). Or you can let GemBox.Spreadsheet choose the appropriate options based on the file name extension by omitting the SaveOptions
.
The following example shows how you can write typical table data to an ExcelFile
object to create a new Excel file. It also shows how to merge cells, specify column properties, and set the ExcelCell
object's Value
and Style
properties in the spreadsheet.

using System.Drawing;
using GemBox.Spreadsheet;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
// If using Professional version, put your serial key below.
SpreadsheetInfo.SetLicense("FREE-LIMITED-KEY");
var workbook = new ExcelFile();
ExcelWorksheet worksheet = workbook.Worksheets.Add("Writing");
// Tabular sample data for writing into an Excel file.
var skyscrapers = new object[21, 8]
{
{ "Rank", "Building", "City", "Country", "Metric", "Imperial", "Floors", "Built (Year)" },
{ 1, "Burj Khalifa", "Dubai", "United Arab Emirates", 828, 2717, 163, 2010 },
{ 2, "Shanghai Tower", "Shanghai", "China", 632, 2073, 128, 2015 },
{ 3, "Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower", "Mecca", "Saudi Arabia", 601, 1971, 120, 2012 },
{ 4, "Ping An Finance Centre", "Shenzhen", "China", 599, 1965, 115, 2017 },
{ 5, "Lotte World Tower", "Seoul", "South Korea", 554.5, 1819, 123, 2016 },
{ 6, "One World Trade Center", "New York City", "United States", 541.3, 1776, 104, 2014 },
{ 7, "Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre", "Guangzhou", "China", 530, 1739, 111, 2016 },
{ 7, "Tianjin CTF Finance Centre", "Tianjin", "China", 530, 1739, 98, 2018 },
{ 9, "China Zun", "Beijing", "China", 528, 1732, 108, 2018 },
{ 10, "Taipei 101", "Taipei", "Taiwan", 508, 1667, 101, 2004 },
{ 11, "Shanghai World Financial Center", "Shanghai", "China", 492, 1614, 101, 2008 },
{ 12, "International Commerce Centre", "Hong Kong", "China", 484, 1588, 118, 2010 },
{ 13, "Lakhta Center", "St. Petersburg", "Russia", 462, 1516, 86, 2018 },
{ 14, "Landmark 81", "Ho Chi Minh City", "Vietnam", 461.2, 1513, 81, 2018 },
{ 15, "Changsha IFS Tower T1", "Changsha", "China", 452.1, 1483, 88, 2017 },
{ 16, "Petronas Tower 1", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 88, 1998 },
{ 16, "Petronas Tower 2", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 88, 1998 },
{ 16, "The Exchange 106", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 97, 2018 },
{ 19, "Zifeng Tower", "Nanjing", "China", 450, 1476, 89, 2010 },
{ 19, "Suzhou IFS", "Suzhou", "China", 450, 1476, 92, 2017 }
};
worksheet.Cells["A1"].Value = "Example of writing typical table - tallest buildings in the world (2019):";
// Column width of 8, 30, 16, 20, 9, 11, 9, 9, 4 and 5 characters.
worksheet.Columns["A"].SetWidth(8, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Rank
worksheet.Columns["B"].SetWidth(30, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Building
worksheet.Columns["C"].SetWidth(16, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // City
worksheet.Columns["D"].SetWidth(20, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Country
worksheet.Columns["E"].SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Metric
worksheet.Columns["F"].SetWidth(11, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Imperial
worksheet.Columns["G"].SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Floors
worksheet.Columns["H"].SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth); // Built (Year)
worksheet.Columns["I"].SetWidth(4, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth);
worksheet.Columns["J"].SetWidth(5, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth);
int i, j;
// Write header data to Excel cells.
for (j = 0; j < 8; j++)
worksheet.Cells[3, j].Value = skyscrapers[0, j];
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3:A4").Merged = true; // Rank
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("B3:B4").Merged = true; // Building
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("C3:C4").Merged = true; // City
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("D3:D4").Merged = true; // Country
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("E3:F3").Merged = true; // Height
worksheet.Cells["E3"].Value = "Height";
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("G3:G4").Merged = true; // Floors
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("H3:H4").Merged = true; // Built (Year)
var style = new CellStyle();
style.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentStyle.Center;
style.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignmentStyle.Center;
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Chocolate);
style.Font.Weight = ExcelFont.BoldWeight;
style.Font.Color = Color.White;
style.WrapText = true;
style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Right | MultipleBorders.Top, Color.Black, LineStyle.Thin);
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3:H4").Style = style;
style = new CellStyle();
style.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentStyle.Center;
style.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignmentStyle.Center;
style.Font.Weight = ExcelFont.BoldWeight;
var mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("I5:I14");
mergedRange.Merged = true;
mergedRange.Value = "T o p 1 0";
style.Rotation = -90;
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Lime);
mergedRange.Style = style;
mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("J5:J24");
mergedRange.Merged = true;
mergedRange.Value = "T o p 2 0";
style.IsTextVertical = true;
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Gold);
mergedRange.Style = style;
mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("I15:I24");
mergedRange.Merged = true;
mergedRange.Style = style;
// Write and format sample data to Excel cells.
for (i = 0; i < 20; i++)
for (j = 0; j < 8; j++)
{
var cell = worksheet.Cells[i + 4, j];
cell.Value = skyscrapers[i + 1, j];
if (i % 2 == 0)
cell.Style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.LightSkyBlue);
else
cell.Style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.FromArgb(210, 210, 230));
if (j == 4)
cell.Style.NumberFormat = "#\" m\"";
if (j == 5)
cell.Style.NumberFormat = "#\" ft\"";
if (j > 3)
cell.Style.Font.Name = "Courier New";
cell.Style.Borders[IndividualBorder.Right].LineStyle = LineStyle.Thin;
}
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A5", "J24").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Outside, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double);
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3", "H4").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Vertical | MultipleBorders.Top, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double);
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A5", "I14").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Bottom | MultipleBorders.Right, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double);
worksheet.Cells["A27"].Value = "Notes:";
worksheet.Cells["A28"].Value = "a) \"Metric\" and \"Imperial\" columns use custom number formatting.";
worksheet.Cells["A29"].Value = "b) All number columns use \"Courier New\" font for improved number readability.";
worksheet.Cells["A30"].Value = "c) Multiple merged ranges were used for table header and categories header.";
worksheet.PrintOptions.FitWorksheetWidthToPages = 1;
workbook.Save("Writing.%OutputFileType%");
}
}
Imports System.Drawing
Imports GemBox.Spreadsheet
Module Program
Sub Main()
' If using Professional version, put your serial key below.
SpreadsheetInfo.SetLicense("FREE-LIMITED-KEY")
Dim workbook = New ExcelFile
Dim worksheet = workbook.Worksheets.Add("Writing")
' Tabular sample data for writing into an Excel file.
Dim skyscrapers = New Object(20, 7) _
{
{"Rank", "Building", "City", "Country", "Metric", "Imperial", "Floors", "Built (Year)"},
{1, "Burj Khalifa", "Dubai", "United Arab Emirates", 828, 2717, 163, 2010},
{2, "Shanghai Tower", "Shanghai", "China", 632, 2073, 128, 2015},
{3, "Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower", "Mecca", "Saudi Arabia", 601, 1971, 120, 2012},
{4, "Ping An Finance Centre", "Shenzhen", "China", 599, 1965, 115, 2017},
{5, "Lotte World Tower", "Seoul", "South Korea", 554.5, 1819, 123, 2016},
{6, "One World Trade Center", "New York City", "United States", 541.3, 1776, 104, 2014},
{7, "Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre", "Guangzhou", "China", 530, 1739, 111, 2016},
{7, "Tianjin CTF Finance Centre", "Tianjin", "China", 530, 1739, 98, 2018},
{9, "China Zun", "Beijing", "China", 528, 1732, 108, 2018},
{10, "Taipei 101", "Taipei", "Taiwan", 508, 1667, 101, 2004},
{11, "Shanghai World Financial Center", "Shanghai", "China", 492, 1614, 101, 2008},
{12, "International Commerce Centre", "Hong Kong", "China", 484, 1588, 118, 2010},
{13, "Lakhta Center", "St. Petersburg", "Russia", 462, 1516, 86, 2018},
{14, "Landmark 81", "Ho Chi Minh City", "Vietnam", 461.2, 1513, 81, 2018},
{15, "Changsha IFS Tower T1", "Changsha", "China", 452.1, 1483, 88, 2017},
{16, "Petronas Tower 1", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 88, 1998},
{16, "Petronas Tower 2", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 88, 1998},
{16, "The Exchange 106", "Kuala Lumpur", "Malaysia", 451.9, 1483, 97, 2018},
{19, "Zifeng Tower", "Nanjing", "China", 450, 1476, 89, 2010},
{19, "Suzhou IFS", "Suzhou", "China", 450, 1476, 92, 2017}
}
worksheet.Cells("A1").Value = "Example of writing typical table - tallest buildings in the world (2019):"
' Column width of 8, 30, 16, 20, 9, 11, 9, 9, 4 and 5 characters.
worksheet.Columns("A").SetWidth(8, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Rank
worksheet.Columns("B").SetWidth(30, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Building
worksheet.Columns("C").SetWidth(16, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' City
worksheet.Columns("D").SetWidth(20, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Country
worksheet.Columns("E").SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Metric
worksheet.Columns("F").SetWidth(11, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Imperial
worksheet.Columns("G").SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Floors
worksheet.Columns("H").SetWidth(9, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth) ' Built (Year)
worksheet.Columns("I").SetWidth(4, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth)
worksheet.Columns("J").SetWidth(5, LengthUnit.ZeroCharacterWidth)
Dim i As Integer, j As Integer
' Write header data to Excel cells.
For j = 0 To 8 - 1 Step j + 1
worksheet.Cells(3, j).Value = skyscrapers(0, j)
Next
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3:A4").Merged = True ' Rank
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("B3:B4").Merged = True ' Building
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("C3:C4").Merged = True ' City
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("D3:D4").Merged = True ' Country
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("E3:F3").Merged = True ' Height
worksheet.Cells("E3").Value = "Height"
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("G3:G4").Merged = True ' Floors
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("H3:H4").Merged = True ' Built (Year)
Dim style = New CellStyle
style.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentStyle.Center
style.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignmentStyle.Center
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Chocolate)
style.Font.Weight = ExcelFont.BoldWeight
style.Font.Color = Color.White
style.WrapText = True
style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Right Or MultipleBorders.Top, Color.Black, LineStyle.Thin)
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3:H4").Style = style
style = New CellStyle
style.HorizontalAlignment = HorizontalAlignmentStyle.Center
style.VerticalAlignment = VerticalAlignmentStyle.Center
style.Font.Weight = ExcelFont.BoldWeight
Dim mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("I5:I14")
mergedRange.Merged = True
mergedRange.Value = "T o p 1 0"
style.Rotation = -90
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Lime)
mergedRange.Style = style
mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("J5:J24")
mergedRange.Merged = True
mergedRange.Value = "T o p 2 0"
style.IsTextVertical = True
style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.Gold)
mergedRange.Style = style
mergedRange = worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("I15:I24")
mergedRange.Merged = True
mergedRange.Style = style
' Write and format sample data to Excel cells.
For i = 0 To 19
For j = 0 To 7
Dim cell = worksheet.Cells(i + 4, j)
cell.Value = skyscrapers(i + 1, j)
If i Mod 2 = 0 Then
cell.Style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.LightSkyBlue)
Else
cell.Style.FillPattern.SetSolid(Color.FromArgb(210, 210, 230))
End If
If j = 4 Then
cell.Style.NumberFormat = "#"" m"""
End If
If j = 5 Then
cell.Style.NumberFormat = "#"" ft"""
End If
If j > 3 Then
cell.Style.Font.Name = "Courier New"
End If
cell.Style.Borders(IndividualBorder.Right).LineStyle = LineStyle.Thin
Next j
Next i
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A5", "J24").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Outside, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double)
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A3", "H4").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Vertical Or MultipleBorders.Top, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double)
worksheet.Cells.GetSubrange("A5", "I14").Style.Borders.SetBorders(MultipleBorders.Bottom Or MultipleBorders.Right, Color.Black, LineStyle.Double)
worksheet.Cells("A27").Value = "Notes:"
worksheet.Cells("A28").Value = "a) 'Metric' and 'Imperial' columns use custom number formatting."
worksheet.Cells("A29").Value = "b) All number columns use 'Courier New' font for improved number readability."
worksheet.Cells("A30").Value = "c) Multiple merged ranges were used for table header and categories header."
worksheet.PrintOptions.FitWorksheetWidthToPages = 1
workbook.Save("Writing.%OutputFileType%")
End Sub
End Module
Note that this example creates an entire Excel file from scratch. In most cases, you would use a template Excel file with a predefined table to accomplish the same task by writing cell values into that template.