Excel Extractor (xlwings)

A Python library to extract Excel formulas, validations, hyperlinks, notes, and rich cell metadata using xlwings. Provides a simple Python API and command-line tools.

Install

• Requirements: Windows, Microsoft Excel, Python 3.8+
• Install deps in your project: pip install xlwings
• This repo includes a ready-to-package library under excel_extractor/.
• After publishing: pip install excel-extractor-v1

Cross-platform (openpyxl engine)

• On macOS/Linux or Windows without Excel, use the openpyxl engine:
  • CLI: add --engine openpyxl
  • Programmatic: use from excel_extractor import OpenpyxlExcelExtractor
  • Note: display text and live calc values are limited because openpyxl does not evaluate formulas.

CLI

• Basic (all formulas on active sheet):

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx"  # defaults to xlwings on Windows, openpyxl elsewhere

• Force engine:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --engine openpyxl
python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --engine xlwings

• Specific worksheet:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --sheet "Sheet1"

• Range only:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --range "A1:D10"

• Formula dependencies for a cell:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --dependencies "B5"

• Full details (formatting, validations, hyperlinks, notes):

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --full

• Full details for all sheets:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --full --all-sheets

• Text output instead of JSON:

python -m excel_extractor "Workbook.xlsx" --format text

• Convert a previously generated *_full_details.json into per-sheet CSV/JSON and index:

python -m excel_extractor.convert_excel_json "Workbook_full_details.json" --out exports --ndjson

Python API

from excel_extractor import ExcelFormulaExtractor, OpenpyxlExcelExtractor

# 1) Windows + Excel (xlwings)
with ExcelFormulaExtractor("Workbook.xlsx") as extractor:
    data = extractor.extract_sheet_full_details("Sheet1")

# 2) Cross-platform (openpyxl)
with OpenpyxlExcelExtractor("Workbook.xlsx") as extractor:
    data = extractor.extract_sheet_full_details("Sheet1")

Public API (summary)

• Class ExcelFormulaExtractor(excel_file_path: str) (xlwings)

• Class OpenpyxlExcelExtractor(excel_file_path: str) (openpyxl)

  • Context manager: opens/quits workbook automatically
  • get_worksheet_info(sheet_name: Optional[str]) -> dict
  • extract_formulas_from_range(start_cell: str, end_cell: Optional[str]) -> list[dict]
  • extract_all_formulas(sheet_name: Optional[str]) -> dict
  • extract_sheet_full_details(sheet_name: Optional[str]) -> dict
  • extract_workbook_full_details() -> dict
  • extract_formula_dependencies(cell_address: str) -> dict
  • export_to_json(data: dict, output_file: str) -> bool
  • export_to_text(data: dict, output_file: str) -> bool

• Console scripts (after packaging):

  • excel-extractor → same as python -m excel_extractor
  • excel-extractor-convert → same as python -m excel_extractor.convert_excel_json

• Programmatic converter (optional):

  • excel_extractor.tools.convert_full_details_json(input_json: Path, output_dir: Path, make_ndjson: bool) -> None

Notes

• Full-detail extraction returns, per cell: value, formula, display text (xlwings only), basic formatting (number format, font, alignment), fill color, hyperlink, note/comment, data validation (including resolved list items when possible), and merge info.
• xlwings automation requires local Excel. Set the app visible for debugging by editing the code path that creates xw.App(visible=False).

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.