README

Export data to Excel XLSX file. PHP XLSX generator. No external tools and libraries.

• XLSX reader here
• XLS reader here
• CSV reader/writer here

Sergey Shuchkin sergey.shuchkin@gmail.com 2020-2025

Hey, bro, please ★ the package for my motivation :) and donate for more motivation!

Basic Usage

$books = [
    ['ISBN', 'title', 'author', 'publisher', 'ctry' ],
    [618260307, 'The Hobbit', 'J. R. R. Tolkien', 'Houghton Mifflin', 'USA'],
    [908606664, 'Slinky Malinki', 'Lynley Dodd', 'Mallinson Rendel', 'NZ']
];
$xlsx = Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray( $books );
$xlsx->saveAs('books.xlsx'); // or downloadAs('books.xlsx') or $xlsx_content = (string) $xlsx 

Installation

The recommended way to install this library is through Composer. New to Composer?

This will install the latest supported version:

$ composer require shuchkin/simplexlsxgen

or download class here

Examples

Use UTF-8 encoded strings.

Data types

$data = [
    ['Integer', 123],
    ['Float', 12.35],
    ['Percent', '12%'],
    ['Currency $', '$500.67'],
    ['Currency €', '200 €'],
    ['Currency ₽', '1200.30 ₽'],
    ['Currency (other)', '<style nf="&quot;£&quot;#,##0.00">500</style>'],
    ['Currency Float (other)', '<style nf="#,##0.00\ [$£-1];[Red]#,##0.00\ [$£-1]">500.250</style>'],
    ['Datetime', '2020-05-20 02:38:00'],
    ['Date', '2020-05-20'],
    ['Time', '02:38:00'],
    ['Datetime PHP', new DateTime('2021-02-06 21:07:00')],
    ['String', 'Very long UTF-8 string in autoresized column'],
    ['Formula', '<f v="135.35">SUM(B1:B2)</f>'],
    ['Hyperlink', 'https://github.com/shuchkin/simplexlsxgen'],
    ['Hyperlink + Anchor', '<a href="https://github.com/shuchkin/simplexlsxgen">SimpleXLSXGen</a>'],
    ['Internal link', '<a href="sheet2!A1">Go to second page</a>'],
    ['RAW string', "\0" . '2020-10-04 16:02:00'],
    ['Formatted RAW string', '<b><i><raw>2024-07-28 16:02:00</raw></i></b>'],
];
SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray($data)->saveAs('datatypes.xlsx');

Formatting

$data = [
    ['Normal', '12345.67'],
    ['Bold', '<b>12345.67</b>'],
    ['Italic', '<i>12345.67</i>'],
    ['Underline', '<u>12345.67</u>'],
    ['Strike', '<s>12345.67</s>'],
    ['Bold + Italic', '<b><i>12345.67</i></b>'],
    ['Hyperlink', 'https://github.com/shuchkin/simplexlsxgen'],
    ['Italic + Hyperlink + Anchor', '<i><a href="https://github.com/shuchkin/simplexlsxgen">SimpleXLSXGen</a></i>'],
    ['Green', '<style color="#00FF00">12345.67</style>'],
    ['Bold Red Text', '<b><style color="#FF0000">12345.67</style></b>'],
    ['Size 32 Font', '<style font-size="32">Big Text</style>'],
    ['Blue Text and Yellow Fill', '<style bgcolor="#FFFF00" color="#0000FF">12345.67</style>'],
    ['Border color', '<style border="#000000">Black Thin Border</style>'],
    ['<top>Border style</top>','<style border="medium"><wraptext>none, thin, medium, dashed, dotted, thick, double, hair, mediumDashed, dashDot,mediumDashDot, dashDotDot, mediumDashDotDot, slantDashDot</wraptext></style>'],
    ['Border sides', '<style border="none dotted#0000FF medium#FF0000 double">Top No + Right Dotted + Bottom medium + Left double</style>'],
    ['Left', '<left>12345.67</left>'],
    ['Center', '<center>12345.67</center>'],
    ['Right', '<right>Right Text</right>'],
    ['Center + Bold', '<center><b>Name</b></center>'],
    ['Row height', '<style height="50">Row Height = 50</style>'],
    ['Top', '<style height="50"><top>Top</top></style>'],
    ['Middle + Center', '<style height="50"><middle><center>Middle + Center</center></middle></style>'],
    ['Bottom + Right', '<style height="50"><bottom><right>Bottom + Right</right></bottom></style>'],
    ['<center>MERGE CELLS MERGE CELLS MERGE CELLS MERGE CELLS MERGE CELLS</center>', null],
    ['<top>Word wrap</top>', "<wraptext>Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book</wraptext>"],
    ['Linebreaks', "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3"],
    ['Comments', '<!-- Comment without author -->No Author'],
    ['Comments + author + linebreaks', "<!-- Alex Pushkin: Born 6 June 1799 Moscow\r\nDied 10 February 1837 (aged 37) Saint Petersburg-->Pushkin"],
    ['<rotation90>Rotation 90</rotation90>', 'Rotated header'],
];
SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray($data)
    ->setDefaultFont('Courier New')
    ->setDefaultFontSize(14)
    ->setColWidth(1, 35)      // or ->setColWidth('A', 35)
    ->setColWidth('B:C', 20)  // column letters and ranges also work
    ->mergeCells('A20:B20')
    ->saveAs('styles_and_tags.xlsx');

RAW Strings

Prefix #0 cell value (use double quotes) or use ::raw() ::rawArray() methods or tag <raw>

$PushkinDOB = '1799-07-06';
$data = [
    ['Datetime as raw string', "\0" . '2023-01-09 11:16:34'],
    ['Date as raw string', "\0" . $PushkinDOB],
    ['Disable type detection', "\0" . '+12345'],
    ['Method ::raw, insert greater/less them simbols', SimpleXLSXGen::raw('20- short term: <6 month')],
    ['Formatted raw', '<b><center><raw>+123456 &lt;tag&gt;<tag2></raw></center></b>'],
];
SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray($data)
    ->saveAs('test_rawstrings.xlsx');

$data = [
    ['test', 'raw', 'array'],
    ['2025-08-09 14:36:34', '< tag >', 1]
];
$raw_data = SimpleXLSXGen::rawArray($data);
SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray($raw_data)->saveAs('test_raw_array.xlsx');

More examples

// Fluid interface, output to browser for download
Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray( $books )->downloadAs('table.xlsx');

// Fluid interface, multiple sheets
Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray( $books, 'My books' )->addSheet( $books2 )->download();

// Alternative interface, sheet name, get xlsx content
$xlsx_cache = (string) (new Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen)->addSheet( $books, 'Modern style');

// Classic interface
use Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen;
$xlsx = new SimpleXLSXGen();
$xlsx->addSheet( $books, 'Catalog 2021' );
$xlsx->addSheet( $books2, 'Stephen King catalog');
$xlsx->downloadAs('books_2021.xlsx');
exit();

// Empty book with title
$xlsx = SimpleXLSX::create('My books');
$xlsx->addSheet( $books );
$xlsx->save(); // ./My books.xlsx

// Hyperlinks
$xlsx = SimpleXLSX::fromArray([
    ['internal link', '<a href="\'My books 2\'!A1">Go to second sheet</a>'],
    ['http', 'https://example.com/'], // autodetect
    ['http + hash', 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML#References'], // autodetect
    ['external anchor', '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML#References">Open XML</a>'],
    ['relative link', '<a href="books.xlsx">books</a>'],
    ['relative link + cell addr', '<a href="..\books.xlsx#\'Sheet 2\'!A1">link to second sheet in other book</a>'],
    ['mailto', 'info@example.com'], // autodetect
    ['mailto 2', '<a href="mailto:info@example.com">Please email me</a>'],
])->addSheet([['Second sheet']], 'My books 2')->saveAs('hyperlinks.xlsx');

// Autofilter
$xlsx->autoFilter('A1:B10');

// Freeze rows and columns from top-left corner up to, but not including,
// the row and column of the indicated cell
$xlsx->freezePanes('B2'); // B1 - freeze first column, A2 - freeze top row

// RTL mode
// Column A is on the far right, Column B is one column left of Column A, and so on.
// Also, information in cells is displayed in the Right to Left format.
$xlsx->rightToLeft();

// Set Meta Data Files
// this data in propertis Files and Info file in Office 
$xlsx->setAuthor('John Doe <john@example.com>')
    ->setCompany('JD LLC <jd@mexample.com>')
    ->setManager('Jane Doe <jane@example.com>')
    ->setLastModifiedBy("John Doe <john@example.com>")
    ->setTitle('My Books')
    ->setSubject('My bookshelf')
    ->setKeywords('Tolkien,Rowling,Kipling')
    ->setDescription('Cool books worn by time')
    ->setCategory('Books')
    ->setLanguage('en-US')
    ->setApplication('Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen')

JS array to Excel (AJAX)

<?php // array2excel.php
if (isset($_POST['array2excel'])) {
    require __DIR__.'/simplexlsxgen/src/SimpleXLSXGen.php';
    $data = json_decode($_POST['array2excel'], false);
    \Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray($data)->downloadAs('file.xlsx');
    return;
}
?>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <title>JS array to Excel</title>
</head>
<script>

function array2excel() {
    var books = [
        ["ISBN", "title", "author", "publisher", "ctry"],
        [618260307, "The Hobbit", "J. R. R. Tolkien", "Houghton Mifflin", "USA"],
        [908606664, "Slinky Malinki", "Lynley Dodd", "Mallinson Rendel", "NZ"]
    ];
    var json = JSON.stringify(books);

    var request = new XMLHttpRequest();

    request.onload = function () {
        if (this.status === 200) {
            var file = new Blob([this.response], {type: this.getResponseHeader('Content-Type')});
            var fileURL = URL.createObjectURL(file);
            var filename = "", m;
            var disposition = this.getResponseHeader('Content-Disposition');
            if (disposition && (m = /"([^"]+)"/.exec(disposition)) !== null) {
                filename = m[1];
            }
            var a = document.createElement("a");
            if (typeof a.download === 'undefined') {
                window.location = fileURL;
            } else {
                a.href = fileURL;
                a.download = filename;
                document.body.appendChild(a);
                a.click();
            }
        } else {
            alert("Error: " + this.status + "  " + this.statusText);
        }
    }
    
    request.open('POST', "array2excel.php");
    request.responseType = "blob";
    request.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
    request.send("array2excel=" + encodeURIComponent(json));
}
</script>
<body>
<input type="button" onclick="array2excel()" value="array2excel" />
</body>
</html>

Debug

ini_set('error_reporting', E_ALL );
ini_set('display_errors', 1 );

$data = [
    ['Debug', 123]
];

Shuchkin\SimpleXLSXGen::fromArray( $data )->saveAs('debug.xlsx');