AutoFilter

zcl_excel_autofilter adds an Excel AutoFilter to a worksheet — the drop-down filter arrows in a header row that let users show or hide rows interactively. The same class is also used by zcl_excel_writer_csv to honour active filters when exporting to CSV.

Adding an AutoFilter to a Worksheet

Each worksheet owns exactly one autofilter object. Retrieve it with get_autofilter(), configure it, and the writer serialises it automatically:

DATA: lo_autofilter TYPE REF TO zcl_excel_autofilter.

" Retrieve (or lazily create) the worksheet's autofilter object
lo_autofilter = lo_worksheet->get_autofilter( ).

Setting the Filter Area

If you skip this step the engine defaults to the worksheet's full data range. For precise control, set the area explicitly:

" Define the filter area — row_start is the header row, row_end is the last data row
lo_autofilter->set_filter_area(
  VALUE zexcel_s_autofilter_area(
    row_start = 1
    col_start = 1
    row_end   = 100
    col_end   = 5
  )
).

The validate_area method (called internally) auto-corrects out-of-range values against the worksheet's actual data extent, so you do not need to know the exact row count upfront.

Filtering by Single Values

Use set_value to show only rows where a column's cell equals a specific value. Multiple calls on the same column accumulate into a union (logical OR). Multiple calls on different columns act as AND conditions:

" Show only rows where column 1 (A) = 'North' OR 'South'
lo_autofilter->set_value( i_column = 1  i_value = 'North' ).
lo_autofilter->set_value( i_column = 1  i_value = 'South' ).

" AND column 2 (B) = 'Active'
lo_autofilter->set_value( i_column = 2  i_value = 'Active' ).

For bulk loading from an internal table use set_values:

DATA lt_values TYPE zexcel_t_autofilter_values.
APPEND VALUE #( column = 1  value = 'North'  ) TO lt_values.
APPEND VALUE #( column = 1  value = 'South'  ) TO lt_values.
APPEND VALUE #( column = 2  value = 'Active' ) TO lt_values.

lo_autofilter->set_values( lt_values ).

Filtering by Text Pattern

set_text_filter applies a wildcard or exact-match pattern to a column. Use * and + as wildcards (same semantics as ABAP CP operator):

" Constant for filter rule type
" zcl_excel_autofilter=>mc_filter_rule_text_pattern

" Show rows where column 3 starts with 'SAP'
lo_autofilter->set_text_filter(
  i_column       = 3
  iv_textfilter1 = 'SAP*'   " * = any characters
).

" Exact match (no wildcards) — equivalent to set_value
lo_autofilter->set_text_filter(
  i_column       = 3
  iv_textfilter1 = 'SAP SE'
).

Note: set_text_filter replaces any previous filter on that column. Only one text pattern per column is supported by the current implementation.

Filter Rule Constants

Constant	Value	Used by
mc_filter_rule_single_values	'single_values'	set_value / set_values
mc_filter_rule_text_pattern	'text_pattern'	set_text_filter
mc_logical_operator_and	'and'	Internal (future use)
mc_logical_operator_or	'or'	Internal (future use)
mc_logical_operator_none	space	Default

Reading Filter State (for CSV Export)

is_row_hidden( iv_row ) returns abap_true if a row would be hidden by the active filter rules. zcl_excel_writer_csv calls this automatically when its mv_skip_hidden_rows flag is set. You can also call it directly:

DATA(lv_row) = 2.
WHILE lv_row <= lo_worksheet->get_highest_row( ).
  IF lo_autofilter->is_row_hidden( lv_row ) = abap_false.
    " Process this row
  ENDIF.
  ADD 1 TO lv_row.
ENDWHILE.

The first row of the filter area (the header row) is never considered hidden, regardless of filter values.

Getting the Filter Range as a String

Two helper methods return the filter area as a string — useful for debugging or for passing to other methods:

" Returns e.g. 'A1:E100'
DATA(lv_range) = lo_autofilter->get_filter_range( ).

" Returns a fully-qualified reference, e.g. 'Sales!$A$1:$E$100'
DATA(lv_ref) = lo_autofilter->get_filter_reference( ).

Full Example

" Create workbook with data
DATA(lo_excel)     = NEW zcl_excel( ).
DATA(lo_worksheet) = lo_excel->add_new_worksheet( ).
lo_worksheet->set_title( 'Sales Data' ).

" Write header row
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 1 ip_value = 'Region' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 1 ip_value = 'Product' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'C' ip_row = 1 ip_value = 'Status' ).

" Write data rows
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 2 ip_value = 'North' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 2 ip_value = 'Laptop' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'C' ip_row = 2 ip_value = 'Active' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 3 ip_value = 'South' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 3 ip_value = 'Monitor' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'C' ip_row = 3 ip_value = 'Active' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 4 ip_value = 'North' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 4 ip_value = 'Keyboard' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'C' ip_row = 4 ip_value = 'Inactive' ).

" Add AutoFilter covering all 3 columns and 4 rows (header + 3 data rows)
DATA(lo_af) = lo_worksheet->get_autofilter( ).
lo_af->set_filter_area(
  VALUE zexcel_s_autofilter_area(
    row_start = 1  col_start = 1
    row_end   = 4  col_end   = 3
  )
).

" Filter: region must be 'North' AND status must start with 'Act'
lo_af->set_value( i_column = 1  i_value = 'North' ).
lo_af->set_text_filter( i_column = 3  iv_textfilter1 = 'Act*' ).

" Export — the xlsx file will have filter arrows in row 1;
" rows 3 and 4 are hidden by the active filter.
DATA(lo_writer) = NEW zcl_excel_writer_2007( ).
DATA(lv_file)   = lo_writer->write_file( lo_excel ).

AutoFilter and CSV Export

When exporting to CSV via zcl_excel_writer_csv, set mv_skip_hidden_rows = abap_true to omit rows that the active AutoFilter would hide:

DATA(lo_csv) = NEW zcl_excel_writer_csv( ).
lo_csv->mv_skip_hidden_rows    = abap_true.
lo_csv->mv_skip_hidden_columns = abap_true.  " Also skip hidden columns
DATA(lv_csv) = lo_csv->write_file( lo_excel ).

See CSV Export for full options.

Next Steps

• CSV Export — skip hidden rows/columns when exporting
• Worksheets — freeze panes, data validation, page breaks
• Data Conversion — bind_table with built-in table styles
• Changelog — history of autofilter changes