Excel automation

Edit Excel workbooks from the command line

Forty excel verbs read and change an XLSX without Excel: get and set cells, recalculate formulas, sort, filter, freeze, protect, add sheets, merge and split workbooks. Reads are free; each write is one credit.

Terminal

jetformat excel get finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --cell B12
jetformat excel set finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --set A1=5 --set B2=Paid --set-formula C1=A1*2 -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel recalc finance.xlsx -o finance.xlsx --force

macOS · Linux

brew install jetformat/tap/jetformat

Reading is free. Each write is one credit.Inspect, get, notes, and every other read on this page never cost anything and need no account. Commands that write a new file cost one credit per command, however many cells, paragraphs, or slides they change; 80 credits a month are free. Excel to PDF costs a cent a page.

inspect / get / set / recalc

Inspect sheets, formulas, and named ranges. set writes a value or formula; recalc updates cached results.

Terminal

jetformat excel inspect finance.xlsx --json
jetformat excel get finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --cell B12
jetformat excel set finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --cell A1 --value 5 -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel recalc finance.xlsx -o finance.xlsx --force

table / sort / filter / freeze

Format as table, sort a column, set an auto-filter, freeze panes, and merge cells. Validation is a comma-separated dropdown only.

Terminal

jetformat excel table finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --range A1:B2 --name Sales -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel sort finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --column A -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel filter finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --range A1:C20 -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel freeze finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --row --col -o finance.xlsx --force

add-sheet / protect / protect-sheet

Add, copy, rename, or remove visible sheets. protect locks workbook structure; protect-sheet locks one sheet.

Terminal

jetformat excel add-sheet finance.xlsx --name Extra -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel copy-sheet finance.xlsx --from Summary --name Copy -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel protect finance.xlsx --password secret -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel protect-sheet finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --password secret -o finance.xlsx --force

insert-row / hide-column / print-area

Insert or hide rows and columns. There is no delete-row command. Column width is a character width.

Terminal

jetformat excel insert-row finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --row 2 -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel hide-column finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --column A -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel column-width finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --column A --width 18 -o finance.xlsx --force
jetformat excel print-area finance.xlsx --sheet Summary --range A1:B2 -o finance.xlsx --force

merge / split

Merge copies cell values and formulas from visible sheets. Charts and images may not copy.

Terminal

jetformat excel merge a.xlsx b.xlsx -o workbook.xlsx --force
jetformat excel split workbook.xlsx -o workbook-parts --force

Questions

Can a script read one cell without opening Excel?

Yes. excel get prints the value, the raw value, and the formula of any cell. It is free and needs no account.

Do formulas recalculate after set?

Run excel recalc after writing values so cached results match. Files from libraries like openpyxl need this before to-pdf.

Is any of this billed?

excel get, inspect, and names are free and need no account. A command that writes a new XLSX is one credit: excel set with fifty --set pairs is still one credit. excel to-pdf costs a cent a page.

Does not

Creating a workbook from nothing; start from a template
Legacy .xls and macro-enabled .xlsm
Charts and images may not survive merge
No delete-row command yet

Convert one real file today.

Install in a minute. Reading and editing files is free forever. Writing pages comes with 80 free a month, then a plan or a pack at a cent a page.

All install options See pricing

macOS · Linux

brew install jetformat/tap/jetformat