xl2md 1.2

A fast and configurable CLI tool and library for converting Excel sheets into clean Markdown tables.

xl2md

A simple, fast, and configurable utility to convert sheets in an Excel workbook into clean Markdown tables.

Manually copying data from Excel into Markdown is tedious and error-prone. xl2md automates this process, preserving the structure of your sheets and providing a command-line tool for quick conversions and a Python library for advanced control.

Key Features

• Batch Conversion: Automatically converts every sheet in a workbook to a separate Markdown file.
• Simple CLI: A straightforward command-line interface for easy use in any terminal.
• Flexible Library: Import the converter into your own Python scripts for customized workflows.
• Smart Formatting: Handles common Excel quirks like Unnamed: columns and correctly escapes special Markdown characters.
• Safe Filenames: Automatically creates "slugified," web-safe filenames from sheet names (e.g., "Q3 Financial Report" becomes Q3-Financial-Report.md).
• Customizable: Control the output directory, overwrite behavior, and more.

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Installation

You can install xl2md directly from PyPI using pip.

pip install xl2md

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Usage

xl2md can be used as a command-line tool or as a Python library.

1. Command-Line Interface (CLI)

This is the quickest way to convert a file. The basic command requires only the path to your Excel workbook.

Basic Conversion

xl2md path/to/your/workbook.xlsx

By default, this command will:

1. Read the workbook.xlsx file.
2. Create a new directory named markdown_sheets in your current location.
3. Save each converted sheet as a separate .md file inside markdown_sheets.

CLI Options

You can customize the behavior with the following options:

• --out-dir <directory>: Specifies a different output directory for the Markdown files.

  xl2md my_data.xlsx --out-dir "converted_docs"
  

• --overwrite: Overwrites existing Markdown files in the output directory if they have the same name. Without this flag, existing files will be skipped.

  xl2md my_data.xlsx --overwrite
  

• --no-safe-filenames: Uses the original sheet names for filenames instead of converting them to a safe, URL-friendly format. Warning: This may cause issues if sheet names contain special characters.

  xl2md "My Workbook.xlsx" --no-safe-filenames
  

• -v or --verbose: Enables detailed (DEBUG level) logging, which is helpful for troubleshooting.

  xl2md my_data.xlsx -v
  

Example Combining Options

xl2md "Financial Report Q3 2025.xlsx" --out-dir "reports/markdown" --overwrite --verbose

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2. As a Python Library

For more advanced control, import ExcelToMarkdownConverter and ConverterOptions into your own Python scripts. This allows you to filter sheets, include the DataFrame index, and integrate the conversion into a larger automation workflow.

Basic Library Usage

from xl2md import ExcelToMarkdownConverter

# Initialize with the path to your Excel file
converter = ExcelToMarkdownConverter(excel_path="path/to/my_workbook.xlsx")

# Run the conversion with default options
written_files = converter.convert()

print(f"Successfully converted files: {written_files}")

Advanced Configuration

The ConverterOptions class lets you fine-tune the conversion process.

from xl2md import ExcelToMarkdownConverter, ConverterOptions
import logging

# 1. Configure your desired options
options = ConverterOptions(
    out_dir="./custom_output",      # Set a custom output directory
    overwrite=True,                 # Overwrite existing files
    include_index=True,             # Include the DataFrame index in the table
    index_label="Row ID",           # Set a custom label for the index column
    log_level=logging.DEBUG,        # Set the logging level
    
    # Only convert sheets whose names start with "Report_" (uses regex)
    sheet_name_allowlist=[r"Report_.+"],
    
    # Skip any sheets containing the word "Internal" (case-insensitive)
    sheet_name_blocklist=[r"Internal"]
)

# 2. Initialize the converter with the file path and custom options
try:
    converter = ExcelToMarkdownConverter(
        excel_path="financials.xlsx",
        options=options
    )

    # 3. Run the conversion
    written_files = converter.convert()

    if written_files:
        print(f"✅ Conversion complete. Files written to '{options.out_dir}':")
        for f in written_files:
            print(f"  - {f}")
    else:
        print("⚠️ No sheets were converted. Check your allow/block lists and file content.")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"❌ An error occurred: {e}")

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have a suggestion or find a bug, please open an issue on the GitHub repository. Pull requests are also greatly appreciated.

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).
5. Open a Pull Request.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.