abap2xlsx Documentation

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CSV Export ​

Abap2xlsx includes a dedicated CSV writer class, zcl_excel_writer_csv, that converts an in-memory workbook into comma-separated (or custom-delimited) text.

Basic Usage ​

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DATA: lo_excel     TYPE REF TO zcl_excel,
      lo_worksheet TYPE REF TO zcl_excel_worksheet,
      lo_writer    TYPE REF TO zcl_excel_writer_csv.

" Build a minimal workbook with two columns and one data row
CREATE OBJECT lo_excel.
lo_worksheet = lo_excel->get_active_worksheet( ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 1 ip_value = 'Name' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 1 ip_value = 'Score' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'A' ip_row = 2 ip_value = 'Alice' ).
lo_worksheet->set_cell( ip_column = 'B' ip_row = 2 ip_value = 95 ).

" Instantiate the CSV writer and serialise
CREATE OBJECT lo_writer.
DATA(lv_csv) = lo_writer->write_file( lo_excel ).
" lv_csv is an XSTRING containing the UTF-8-encoded CSV

The result is an XSTRING containing the UTF-8-encoded CSV.

Configuring the Delimiter ​

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" Default delimiter is a comma.
" Switch to semicolon for European locales where comma is the decimal separator:
lo_writer->set_separator( ';' ).

Skipping Hidden Rows and Columns ​

Added in Jan 2025 (PR #1268).

Two new options control whether hidden rows/columns are included in the output. This is particularly useful when exporting an ALV-based workbook where the user has hidden columns via the layout:

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CREATE OBJECT lo_writer.
" Exclude rows/columns whose visible flag is set to abap_false
lo_writer->set_skip_hidden_rows( abap_true ).
lo_writer->set_skip_hidden_columns( abap_true ).
DATA(lv_csv) = lo_writer->write_file( lo_excel ).

Typical ALV-to-CSV Pattern ​

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DATA lo_csv TYPE REF TO zcl_excel_writer_csv.
CREATE OBJECT lo_csv.
" Mirror the user's ALV column visibility in the CSV output
lo_csv->set_skip_hidden_columns( abap_true ).
lo_csv->set_skip_hidden_rows( abap_true ).
DATA(lv_file) = lo_csv->write_file( lo_excel ).

Date Format Handling ​

Prior to the Jan 2025 fix, a mismatch between the user logon language and the English-only domain lookup in get_default_excel_date_format() caused date fields to go unrecognised. PR #1268 resolves this and also handles the NW 7.52+ domain text change:

NW ReleaseDomain XUDATFM text example
NW 7.40 and earlierDD.MM.YYYY
NW 7.52 and laterDD.MM.YYYY (Gregorian Date)

Notes on the Active Worksheet ​

The CSV writer operates on the active worksheet only. Set the active sheet before writing if your workbook contains multiple sheets:

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" Switch to the second tab before writing — CSV will contain only that sheet's data
lo_excel->set_active_sheet_index( 2 ).
DATA(lv_csv) = lo_csv->write_file( lo_excel ).