Generating Excel Files in Ruby with write_xlsx Gem

BharteeTechRubyOnRails
2 min readJan 31, 2024

--

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use the `write_xlsx` gem in Ruby to generate Excel files. This gem provides a convenient way to create and format Excel spreadsheets programmatically.

Step 1: Install the Gem

First, make sure to include the `write_xlsx` gem in your project by adding the following to your Gemfile and running `bundle install`:

# Gemfile
gem 'write_xlsx'

Step 2: Create a New Excel Workbook

Now, let’s create a new Excel workbook using the `write_xlsx` gem:

require 'rubygems'
require 'write_xlsx'

# Create a new Excel workbook
workbook = WriteXLSX.new('ruby_generated_excel.xlsx')

Step 3: Add a Worksheet

Next, add a worksheet to the workbook:

# Add a worksheet
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet

Step 4: Define a Format

You can define a format to style your cells. Here, we’re creating a bold, red, and center-aligned format:

# Add and define a format
format = workbook.add_format
format.set_bold
format.set_color('red')
format.set_align('center')

Step 5: Write Content to the Worksheet

Now, let’s write some content to the worksheet, both formatted and unformatted:

# Write a formatted string
worksheet.write('A1', "Hi Excel!", format)

# Write an unformatted string
worksheet.write('A2', "Hi Excel!")

# Write a number
worksheet.write('A3', 1.2345)

# Write a formula
worksheet.write('A4', '=SIN(PI()/4)')

Step 6: Save and Close the Workbook

Finally, save and close the workbook:

# Save and close the workbook
workbook.close

That’s it! You’ve now generated an Excel file with formatted content using the `write_xlsx` gem in Ruby. Feel free to customize and expand upon this example for your specific use case.

Happy Active Model Serializer Gem in Ruby on Rails! 🚀 Please follow for more updates

BharteeSahareTechRoR

--

--