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How To Automate Excel to Create a New Workbook from Delphi


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This article was previously published under Q231614

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Summary

This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate an Excel workbook using Automation from Delphi.

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More information

This article parallels other articles that describe the same process using different languages. For more information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
219151� How To Automate Microsoft Excel from Visual Basic

179706� How To Use MFC to Automate Excel and Create/Format a New Workbook

219430� How To Create and Format an Excel Workbook Using Visual J++

Building the Automation Sample

  1. Start Delphi. A new project should be created by default.
  2. Add a button to Form1.
  3. Replace the contents of the code window for Unit1 with the following:
    unit Unit1;
    
    interface
    
    uses
      Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs,
      StdCtrls;
    
    type
      TForm1 = class(TForm)
        Button1: TButton;
        procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
        procedure DisplayQuarterlySales(oWS : Variant);
      private
        { Private declarations }
      public
        { Public declarations }
      end;
    
    var
      Form1: TForm1;
    
    Const xlVAlignCenter = -4108;
    Const xlThin = 2;
    Const xlEdgeBottom = 9;
    Const xlDouble = -4119;
    Const xlThick = 4;
    Const xl3DColumn = -4100;
    Const xlColumns = 2;
    Const xlLocationAsObject = 2;
    
    implementation
    
    uses ComObj;
    
    {$R *.DFM}
    
    procedure TForm1.DisplayQuarterlySales(oWS : Variant);
    var
      oResizeRange, oChart, oSeries: Variant;
      iNumQtrs,iRet : Integer;
      sMsg : String;
    begin
      // Determine how many quarters to display data for
      for iNumQtrs := 4 downto 2 do
      begin
        sMsg := 'Enter sales data for ' + IntToStr(iNumQtrs) + ' quarter(s)?';
        if MessageDlg(sMsg,mtConfirmation,[mbYes,mbNo],0) = mrYes then
          break;
      end;
      sMsg := 'Displaying data for ' + IntToStr(iNumQtrs) + ' quarter(s).';
      MessageDlg(sMsg,mtInformation,[mbOK],0);
    
      // Starting at E1, fill headers for the number of columns selected
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E1:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs - 1) + '1'];
      oResizeRange.Formula := '="Q" & COLUMN()-4 & CHAR(10) & "Sales"';
    
    
      // Change the orientation and WrapText properties for the headers
      oResizeRange.Orientation := 38;
      oResizeRange.WrapText := True;
    
      // Fill the interior color of the headers
      oResizeRange.Interior.ColorIndex := 36;
    
      // Fill the columns with a formula and apply a number format
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E2:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs - 1) + '6'];
      oResizeRange.Formula := '=RAND()*100';
      oResizeRange.NumberFormat := '$0.00';
    
      // Apply borders to the Sales  data and headers
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E1:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs - 1) + '6'];
      oResizeRange.Borders.Weight := xlThin;
    
      // Add a totals formula for the sales data and apply a border
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E8:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs - 1) + '8'];
      oResizeRange.Formula := '=SUM(E2:E6)';
      oResizeRange.Borders.Item[xlEdgeBottom].LineStyle := xlDouble;
      oResizeRange.Borders.Item[xlEdgeBottom].Weight := xlThick;
    
      // Add a chart for the selected data
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E2:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs - 1) + '6'];
      oChart := oWS.Parent.Charts.Add;
      oChart.ChartWizard(oResizeRange,xl3DColumn,,xlColumns);
    
      oResizeRange := oWS.Range['A2:A6'];
      oChart.SeriesCollection.Item[1].XValues := oResizeRange;
      iRet := oChart.SeriesCollection.Count;
      for iRet := 1 to iNumQtrs do
      begin
        sMsg :=  '="Q' + IntToStr(iRet) + '"';
        oChart.SeriesCollection.Item[iRet].Name := sMsg;
      end;
      oChart.Location(xlLocationAsObject,oWS.Name);
    
      // Move the chart so as not to cover your data
      oWS.Shapes.Item(1).Top := oWS.Rows.Item[10].Top;
      oWS.Shapes.Item(1).Left := oWS.Columns.Item[2].Left
    end;
    
    procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
    var
      oXL, oWB, oSheet, oRng, VArray : Variant;
    begin
      // Start Excel and get Application Object
      oXL := CreateOleObject('Excel.Application');
      oXL.Visible := True;
    
      // Get a new workbook
      oWB := oXL.Workbooks.Add;
      oSheet := oWB.ActiveSheet;
    
      // Add table headers going cell by cell
      oSheet.Cells[1,1] := 'First Name';
      oSheet.Cells[1,2] := 'Last Name';
      oSheet.Cells[1,3] := 'Full Name';
      oSheet.Cells[1,4] := 'Salary';
    
      // Format A1:D1 as bold, vertical alignment = center
      oSheet.Range['A1:D1'].Font.Bold := True;
      oSheet.Range['A1:D1'].VerticalAlignment := xlVAlignCenter;
    
      // Create an array to set multiple values at once
      VArray := VarArrayCreate([0,4,0,1],varVariant);
      VArray[0,0] := 'John';
      VArray[0,1] := 'Smith';
      VArray[1,0] := 'Tom';
      VArray[1,1] := 'Brown';
      VArray[2,0] := 'Sue';
      VArray[2,1] := 'Thomas';
      VArray[3,0] := 'Jane';
      VArray[3,1] := 'Jones';
      VArray[4,0] := 'Adam';
      VArray[4,1] := 'Johnson';
    
    
      // Fill A2:B6 with an array of values
      oSheet.Range['A2:B6'] := VArray;
    
      // Fill C2:C6 with a relative formula (=A2 + ' ' + B2)
      oRng := oSheet.Range['C2:C6'];
      oRng.Formula := '=A2 & " " & B2';
    
      // Fill D2:D6 with a formula (=RAND()*100000) and apply format
      oRng := oSheet.Range['D2:D6'];
      oRng.Formula := '=RAND()*100000';
      oRng.NumberFormat := '$0.00';
    
      // Autofit columns A:D
      oRng := oSheet.Range['A1:D1'];
      oRng.EntireColumn.AutoFit;
    
    
    
      // Manipulate a variable number of columns for Quarterly Sales Data
      DisplayQuarterlySales(oSheet);
    
      // Make sure Excel is visible and give the user control
    
      // of Microsoft Excel's lifetime
      oXL.Visible := True;
      oXL.UserControl := True;
    
    end;
    
    end.
    						
  4. Press the F9 key to run the project. Click the button and Microsoft Excel should start and display a sample worksheet.NOTE: Delphi is manufactured by Borland (Inprise Corporation), a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance of reliability. Contact Inprise for any developer support regarding the Delphi language.

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References

For more information on Office Automation, please visit the Microsoft Office Development support site at:

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Keywords: KB231614, kbhowto, kbautomation

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Article Info
Article ID : 231614
Revision : 9
Created on : 1/24/2007
Published on : 1/24/2007
Exists online : False
Views : 450