xleda 0.9.14

• Installing the package makes the CLI available but doesn't add right-click functionality to your OS.

• Running xleda install after installing the package adds right-click funcitonality to your OS but it does not modify your path to make the CLI available systemwide

• If the Python environment that xleda was installed into is deleted after running xleda install, the right-click functionality will need to be either repaired or uninstalled by running xleda install/xleda uninstall from a new Python environment.

• If you have UV installed, you can install the package, CLI, and right-click menus systemwide without having to maintain a venv with these two lines.

  
  

Windows or MacOS

# Installs the package and makes the xleda command available
uv tool install xleda

# Note you may need a new terminal window to see the newly installed xleda command
xleda install

Following the steps below will provide you with:

1. A comprehensive document for your data with worksheets for each related data source and placeholders for field definitions and notes that you can share with other contributors


2. The ability to create the same workbooks in the future by right-clicking on your source data files and choosing Create xleda Workbook
   
   

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

uv tool install xleda

What's the Catch?

Now that everything is installed, this guide is no longer necessary. You can now create workbooks in the future without any terminal commands by right-clicking on supported files.

If you want to change your theme, use that very last line to create a new workbook once and it will remember your preference. VBA preference persists in the same way after it's set. Run xleda wb --help in your terminal for guidance on how to set either with/without creating a workbook and other settings.

What's the Catch? There's not one really. The only thing that's close to a catch is that using this method doesn't include automatic updates. If you've followed these steps, be sure to periodically update xleda using uv tool upgrade xleda.

import seaborn as sns
from xleda import wb

seaborn_datasets = ['diamonds', 'dots', 'dowjones']
dataframe_dict = {df_name: sns.load_dataset(df_name) for df_name in seaborn_datasets}

# Creates diamonds.xlsm in the current directory
# Also includes dots and dow jones data
wb(data=dataframe_dict)

from xleda import wb
from pathlib import Path

# Creates "c:\my_target_folder\Penguins.xlsm"
wb(data={"Penguins": df},
   wb_path=Path(r"c:\my_target_folder"))

# Creates "c:\my_awesome_workbook.xlsx"
wb(data={"Penguins": df},
   wb_path=r"c:\my_awesome_workbook.xlsx")

from xleda import wb
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import seaborn as sns
import missingno as msno

# < your dataframe goes here >
df = penguins = sns.load_dataset("penguins")

# Style the additional plots | optional
plt.style.use("dark_background")

# Create additional plots
pair_plots = sns.pairplot(df, hue="species").figure
null_matrix = msno.matrix(df).get_figure()

# Resize the null matrix  | optional
null_matrix.set_size_inches(9.35, 4.5)

# Creates Penguins.xlsm with two extra plot sheets
wb(data={"Penguins": df},
   theme="#4C4C4C",
   plots={'Pair Plots': pair_plots,
          'Null Matrix': null_matrix})

from xleda import wb
import seaborn as sns

df = sns.load_dataset('penguins')

# Creates "Penguins.xlsx" in the current directory and changes the default workbook style to .xlsx
wb(data={"Penguins": df},
   no_vba=True)

# Also creates "Penguins.xlsx" but doesn't change the default workbook style 
wb(data=df,
   wb_path="Penguins.xlsx")

From Python

from xleda import wb

# < your database goes here>
sqlite_db = "https://github.com/InfoDesigner/xleda/raw/refs/heads/main/examples/data/chinook.db"

# Creates "Chinook.xlsm" in the current directory with 11 dataframes
wb(data=sqlite_db,
   file_name="Chinook")

From the CLI

# Creates "Chinook.xlsm" in the current directory with 11 dataframes
xleda wb chinook.db --name "Chinook"

Basic metadata export sources data from Python

from xleda import wb
import seaborn as sns

# < your dataframe goes here >
df = sns.load_dataset("titanic")
  
# Creates "Titanic.xlsm" and returns basic metadata
export_dicts = wb(data={"Titanic": df},
                  file_name="Titanic").export_dicts

# returns ['field_overview', 'df_overview', 'source_data']
print(export_dicts[0].keys())

Full export sources data from the workbook when possible

• The xleda workbook pictured here is used in for the export code example below .

• It can be found here..
  
  

A completed xleda workbook showing definitions, notes, lists, etc.

from xleda import wb
import seaborn as sns

# < your dataframe goes here >
df = sns.load_dataset("titanic")

# < your completed workbook goes here >
edited_workbook_path = "https://github.com/InfoDesigner/xleda/raw/refs/heads/main/examples/Titanic%20Completed.xlsm"

# Performs a full export from "Titanic Completed.xlsm"
export_dicts = wb(data={"Titanic": df},
                  wb_path=edited_workbook_path,
                  export=True).export_dicts

# Returns ['description', 'definitions', 'notes', 'lists', 'field_overview', 'df_overview', 'source_data']
print(export_dicts[0].keys())

• Try reducing the amount of data you're sending to it, and let it finish.
• After production, refer to the `debug` section of the `Overview` worksheet for how the time to produce your workbook is being spent.
• Note that on MacOS, `xleda` is much slower by default and the timings in the debug section may be inflated from missed permission prompts during production.

• You may have a hidden Excel instance that needs to be closed.
• Guidance on closing hidden Excel windows for MacOS and Windows

• The Excel app may have crashed or is otherwise disconnected from Python.
• Close all Excel windows and try running the command again.

• If you can get the script below to run successfully using xlwings (not xlwings-lite), xleda has a good chance of working reliably.
  
• All it does is open Excel and create a new workbook.
  
• You should be able to pip install xlwings and run the script successfully.
  
• If that doesn't work, see their installation instructions for details on how to get it set up.
  
• Be aware that xlwings has a ton of functionality and that for xleda to work, it only requires communication with Excel and not the addin, xlwings lite, udfs, or many of the other things xlwings can potentially do.
  
• If you can't get it to work and you're on Windows, this may help.
  
  

import xlwings as xw
app = xw.App()