1Excel::Writer::XLSX(3)User Contributed Perl DocumentationExcel::Writer::XLSX(3)
2
3
4

NAME

6       Excel::Writer::XLSX - Create a new file in the Excel 2007+ XLSX format.
7

SYNOPSIS

9       To write a string, a formatted string, a number and a formula to the
10       first worksheet in an Excel workbook called perl.xlsx:
11
12           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
13
14           # Create a new Excel workbook
15           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'perl.xlsx' );
16
17           # Add a worksheet
18           $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
19
20           #  Add and define a format
21           $format = $workbook->add_format();
22           $format->set_bold();
23           $format->set_color( 'red' );
24           $format->set_align( 'center' );
25
26           # Write a formatted and unformatted string, row and column notation.
27           $col = $row = 0;
28           $worksheet->write( $row, $col, 'Hi Excel!', $format );
29           $worksheet->write( 1, $col, 'Hi Excel!' );
30
31           # Write a number and a formula using A1 notation
32           $worksheet->write( 'A3', 1.2345 );
33           $worksheet->write( 'A4', '=SIN(PI()/4)' );
34
35           $workbook->close();
36

DESCRIPTION

38       The "Excel::Writer::XLSX" module can be used to create an Excel file in
39       the 2007+ XLSX format.
40
41       The XLSX format is the Office Open XML (OOXML) format used by Excel
42       2007 and later.
43
44       Multiple worksheets can be added to a workbook and formatting can be
45       applied to cells. Text, numbers, and formulas can be written to the
46       cells.
47
48       This module cannot, as yet, be used to write to an existing Excel XLSX
49       file.
50

Excel::Writer::XLSX and Spreadsheet::WriteExcel

52       "Excel::Writer::XLSX" uses the same interface as the
53       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel module which produces an Excel file in binary
54       XLS format.
55
56       Excel::Writer::XLSX supports all of the features of
57       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel and in some cases has more functionality. For
58       more details see "Compatibility with Spreadsheet::WriteExcel".
59
60       The main advantage of the XLSX format over the XLS format is that it
61       allows a larger number of rows and columns in a worksheet. The XLSX
62       file format also produces much smaller files than the XLS file format.
63

QUICK START

65       Excel::Writer::XLSX tries to provide an interface to as many of Excel's
66       features as possible. As a result there is a lot of documentation to
67       accompany the interface and it can be difficult at first glance to see
68       what it important and what is not. So for those of you who prefer to
69       assemble Ikea furniture first and then read the instructions, here are
70       four easy steps:
71
72       1. Create a new Excel workbook (i.e. file) using "new()".
73
74       2. Add a worksheet to the new workbook using "add_worksheet()".
75
76       3. Write to the worksheet using "write()".
77
78       4. "close()" the file.
79
80       Like this:
81
82           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;                                   # Step 0
83
84           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'perl.xlsx' );    # Step 1
85           $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();                   # Step 2
86           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Hi Excel!' );                    # Step 3
87
88           $workbook->close();                                        # Step 4
89
90       This will create an Excel file called "perl.xlsx" with a single
91       worksheet and the text 'Hi Excel!' in the relevant cell. And that's it.
92       Okay, so there is actually a zeroth step as well, but "use module" goes
93       without saying. There are many examples that come with the distribution
94       and which you can use to get you started. See "EXAMPLES".
95
96       Those of you who read the instructions first and assemble the furniture
97       afterwards will know how to proceed. ;-)
98

WORKBOOK METHODS

100       The Excel::Writer::XLSX module provides an object oriented interface to
101       a new Excel workbook. The following methods are available through a new
102       workbook.
103
104           new()
105           add_worksheet()
106           add_format()
107           add_chart()
108           add_shape()
109           add_vba_project()
110           set_vba_name()
111           close()
112           set_properties()
113           set_custom_property()
114           define_name()
115           set_tempdir()
116           set_custom_color()
117           sheets()
118           get_worksheet_by_name()
119           set_1904()
120           set_optimization()
121           set_calc_mode()
122           get_default_url_format()
123
124       If you are unfamiliar with object oriented interfaces or the way that
125       they are implemented in Perl have a look at "perlobj" and "perltoot" in
126       the main Perl documentation.
127
128   new()
129       A new Excel workbook is created using the "new()" constructor which
130       accepts either a filename or a filehandle as a parameter. The following
131       example creates a new Excel file based on a filename:
132
133           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'filename.xlsx' );
134           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
135           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Hi Excel!' );
136           $workbook->close();
137
138       Here are some other examples of using "new()" with filenames:
139
140           my $workbook1 = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( $filename );
141           my $workbook2 = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( '/tmp/filename.xlsx' );
142           my $workbook3 = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( "c:\\tmp\\filename.xlsx" );
143           my $workbook4 = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'c:\tmp\filename.xlsx' );
144
145       The last two examples demonstrates how to create a file on DOS or
146       Windows where it is necessary to either escape the directory separator
147       "\" or to use single quotes to ensure that it isn't interpolated. For
148       more information see "perlfaq5: Why can't I use "C:\temp\foo" in DOS
149       paths?".
150
151       It is recommended that the filename uses the extension ".xlsx" rather
152       than ".xls" since the latter causes an Excel warning when used with the
153       XLSX format.
154
155       The "new()" constructor returns a Excel::Writer::XLSX object that you
156       can use to add worksheets and store data. It should be noted that
157       although "my" is not specifically required it defines the scope of the
158       new workbook variable and, in the majority of cases, ensures that the
159       workbook is closed properly without explicitly calling the "close()"
160       method.
161
162       If the file cannot be created, due to file permissions or some other
163       reason,  "new" will return "undef". Therefore, it is good practice to
164       check the return value of "new" before proceeding. As usual the Perl
165       variable $! will be set if there is a file creation error. You will
166       also see one of the warning messages detailed in "DIAGNOSTICS":
167
168           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'protected.xlsx' );
169           die "Problems creating new Excel file: $!" unless defined $workbook;
170
171       You can also pass a valid filehandle to the "new()" constructor. For
172       example in a CGI program you could do something like this:
173
174           binmode( STDOUT );
175           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( \*STDOUT );
176
177       The requirement for "binmode()" is explained below.
178
179       See also, the "cgi.pl" program in the "examples" directory of the
180       distro.
181
182       In "mod_perl" programs where you will have to do something like the
183       following:
184
185           # mod_perl 1
186           ...
187           tie *XLSX, 'Apache';
188           binmode( XLSX );
189           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( \*XLSX );
190           ...
191
192           # mod_perl 2
193           ...
194           tie *XLSX => $r;    # Tie to the Apache::RequestRec object
195           binmode( *XLSX );
196           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( \*XLSX );
197           ...
198
199       See also, the "mod_perl1.pl" and "mod_perl2.pl" programs in the
200       "examples" directory of the distro.
201
202       Filehandles can also be useful if you want to stream an Excel file over
203       a socket or if you want to store an Excel file in a scalar.
204
205       For example here is a way to write an Excel file to a scalar:
206
207           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
208
209           use strict;
210           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
211
212           open my $fh, '>', \my $str or die "Failed to open filehandle: $!";
213
214           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( $fh );
215           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
216
217           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Hi Excel!' );
218
219           $workbook->close();
220
221           # The Excel file in now in $str. Remember to binmode() the output
222           # filehandle before printing it.
223           binmode STDOUT;
224           print $str;
225
226       See also the "write_to_scalar.pl" and "filehandle.pl" programs in the
227       "examples" directory of the distro.
228
229       Note about the requirement for "binmode()". An Excel file is comprised
230       of binary data. Therefore, if you are using a filehandle you should
231       ensure that you "binmode()" it prior to passing it to "new()".You
232       should do this regardless of whether you are on a Windows platform or
233       not.
234
235       You don't have to worry about "binmode()" if you are using filenames
236       instead of filehandles. Excel::Writer::XLSX performs the "binmode()"
237       internally when it converts the filename to a filehandle. For more
238       information about "binmode()" see "perlfunc" and "perlopentut" in the
239       main Perl documentation.
240
241   add_worksheet( $sheetname )
242       At least one worksheet should be added to a new workbook. A worksheet
243       is used to write data into cells:
244
245           $worksheet1 = $workbook->add_worksheet();               # Sheet1
246           $worksheet2 = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'Foglio2' );    # Foglio2
247           $worksheet3 = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'Data' );       # Data
248           $worksheet4 = $workbook->add_worksheet();               # Sheet4
249
250       If $sheetname is not specified the default Excel convention will be
251       followed, i.e. Sheet1, Sheet2, etc.
252
253       The worksheet name must be a valid Excel worksheet name, i.e:
254
255       ·   It must be less than 32 characters.
256
257       ·   It cannot contain any of the following characters: "[ ] : * ? / \"
258
259       ·   It cannot start or end with an apostrophe.
260
261       ·   It cannot be the same as an existing worksheet name (or a case
262           insensitive variant).
263
264       Note, the sheetname should not be "History" (case insensitive) which is
265       reserved in English language versions of Excel. Non-English versions
266       may have restrictions on the equivalent word.
267
268       See the Excel worksheet naming rules at
269       <https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/rename-a-worksheet-3f1f7148-ee83-404d-8ef0-9ff99fbad1f9>.
270
271   add_format( %properties )
272       The "add_format()" method can be used to create new Format objects
273       which are used to apply formatting to a cell. You can either define the
274       properties at creation time via a hash of property values or later via
275       method calls.
276
277           $format1 = $workbook->add_format( %props );    # Set properties at creation
278           $format2 = $workbook->add_format();            # Set properties later
279
280       See the "CELL FORMATTING" section for more details about Format
281       properties and how to set them.
282
283   add_chart( %properties )
284       This method is use to create a new chart either as a standalone
285       worksheet (the default) or as an embeddable object that can be inserted
286       into a worksheet via the "insert_chart()" Worksheet method.
287
288           my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'column' );
289
290       The properties that can be set are:
291
292           type     (required)
293           subtype  (optional)
294           name     (optional)
295           embedded (optional)
296
297       ·   "type"
298
299           This is a required parameter. It defines the type of chart that
300           will be created.
301
302               my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'line' );
303
304           The available types are:
305
306               area
307               bar
308               column
309               line
310               pie
311               doughnut
312               scatter
313               stock
314
315       ·   "subtype"
316
317           Used to define a chart subtype where available.
318
319               my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'bar', subtype => 'stacked' );
320
321           See the Excel::Writer::XLSX::Chart documentation for a list of
322           available chart subtypes.
323
324       ·   "name"
325
326           Set the name for the chart sheet. The name property is optional and
327           if it isn't supplied will default to "Chart1 .. n". The name must
328           be a valid Excel worksheet name. See "add_worksheet()" for more
329           details on valid sheet names. The "name" property can be omitted
330           for embedded charts.
331
332               my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'line', name => 'Results Chart' );
333
334       ·   "embedded"
335
336           Specifies that the Chart object will be inserted in a worksheet via
337           the "insert_chart()" Worksheet method. It is an error to try insert
338           a Chart that doesn't have this flag set.
339
340               my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'line', embedded => 1 );
341
342               # Configure the chart.
343               ...
344
345               # Insert the chart into the a worksheet.
346               $worksheet->insert_chart( 'E2', $chart );
347
348       See Excel::Writer::XLSX::Chart for details on how to configure the
349       chart object once it is created. See also the "chart_*.pl" programs in
350       the examples directory of the distro.
351
352   add_shape( %properties )
353       The "add_shape()" method can be used to create new shapes that may be
354       inserted into a worksheet.
355
356       You can either define the properties at creation time via a hash of
357       property values or later via method calls.
358
359           # Set properties at creation.
360           $plus = $workbook->add_shape(
361               type   => 'plus',
362               id     => 3,
363               width  => $pw,
364               height => $ph
365           );
366
367
368           # Default rectangle shape. Set properties later.
369           $rect =  $workbook->add_shape();
370
371       See Excel::Writer::XLSX::Shape for details on how to configure the
372       shape object once it is created.
373
374       See also the "shape*.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
375       distro.
376
377   add_vba_project( 'vbaProject.bin' )
378       The "add_vba_project()" method can be used to add macros or functions
379       to an Excel::Writer::XLSX file using a binary VBA project file that has
380       been extracted from an existing Excel "xlsm" file.
381
382           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'file.xlsm' );
383
384           $workbook->add_vba_project( './vbaProject.bin' );
385
386       The supplied "extract_vba" utility can be used to extract the required
387       "vbaProject.bin" file from an existing Excel file:
388
389           $ extract_vba file.xlsm
390           Extracted 'vbaProject.bin' successfully
391
392       Macros can be tied to buttons using the worksheet "insert_button()"
393       method (see the "WORKSHEET METHODS" section for details):
394
395           $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro' } );
396
397       Note, Excel uses the file extension "xlsm" instead of "xlsx" for files
398       that contain macros. It is advisable to follow the same convention.
399
400       See also the "macros.pl" example file and the "WORKING WITH VBA
401       MACROS".
402
403   set_vba_name()
404       The "set_vba_name()" method can be used to set the VBA codename for the
405       workbook. This is sometimes required when a "vbaProject macro" included
406       via "add_vba_project()" refers to the workbook. The default Excel VBA
407       name of "ThisWorkbook" is used if a user defined name isn't specified.
408       See also "WORKING WITH VBA MACROS".
409
410   close()
411       In general your Excel file will be closed automatically when your
412       program ends or when the Workbook object goes out of scope. However it
413       is recommended to explicitly call the "close()" method close the Excel
414       file and avoid the potential issues outlined below. The "close()"
415       method is called like this:
416
417           $workbook->close();
418
419       The return value of "close()" is the same as that returned by perl when
420       it closes the file created by "new()". This allows you to handle error
421       conditions in the usual way:
422
423           $workbook->close() or die "Error closing file: $!";
424
425       An explicit "close()" is required if the file must be closed prior to
426       performing some external action on it such as copying it, reading its
427       size or attaching it to an email.
428
429       In addition, "close()" may be required to prevent perl's garbage
430       collector from disposing of the Workbook, Worksheet and Format objects
431       in the wrong order. Situations where this can occur are:
432
433       ·   If "my()" was not used to declare the scope of a workbook variable
434           created using "new()".
435
436       ·   If the "new()", "add_worksheet()" or "add_format()" methods are
437           called in subroutines.
438
439       The reason for this is that Excel::Writer::XLSX relies on Perl's
440       "DESTROY" mechanism to trigger destructor methods in a specific
441       sequence. This may not happen in cases where the Workbook, Worksheet
442       and Format variables are not lexically scoped or where they have
443       different lexical scopes.
444
445       To avoid these issues it is recommended that you always close the
446       Excel::Writer::XLSX filehandle using "close()".
447
448   set_size( $width, $height )
449       The "set_size()" method can be used to set the size of a workbook
450       window.
451
452           $workbook->set_size(1200, 800);
453
454       The Excel window size was used in Excel 2007 to define the width and
455       height of a workbook window within the Multiple Document Interface
456       (MDI). In later versions of Excel for Windows this interface was
457       dropped. This method is currently only useful when setting the window
458       size in Excel for Mac 2011. The units are pixels and the default size
459       is 1073 x 644.
460
461       Note, this doesn't equate exactly to the Excel for Mac pixel size since
462       it is based on the original Excel 2007 for Windows sizing.
463
464   set_tab_ratio( $tab_ratio )
465       The "set_tab_ratio()" method can be used to set the ratio between
466       worksheet tabs and the horizontal slider at the bottom of a workbook.
467       This can be increased to give more room to the tabs or reduced to
468       increase the size of the horizontal slider:
469
470           $workbook->set_tab_ratio(75);
471
472       The default value in Excel is 60.
473
474   set_properties()
475       The "set_properties" method can be used to set the document properties
476       of the Excel file created by "Excel::Writer::XLSX". These properties
477       are visible when you use the "Office Button -> Prepare -> Properties"
478       option in Excel and are also available to external applications that
479       read or index Windows files.
480
481       The properties should be passed in hash format as follows:
482
483           $workbook->set_properties(
484               title    => 'This is an example spreadsheet',
485               author   => 'John McNamara',
486               comments => 'Created with Perl and Excel::Writer::XLSX',
487           );
488
489       The properties that can be set are:
490
491           title
492           subject
493           author
494           manager
495           company
496           category
497           keywords
498           comments
499           status
500           hyperlink_base
501           created - File create date. Such be an aref of gmtime() values.
502
503       See also the "properties.pl" program in the examples directory of the
504       distro.
505
506   set_custom_property( $name, $value, $type)
507       The "set_custom_property" method can be used to set one of more custom
508       document properties not covered by the "set_properties()" method above.
509       These properties are visible when you use the "Office Button -> Prepare
510       -> Properties -> Advanced Properties -> Custom" option in Excel and are
511       also available to external applications that read or index Windows
512       files.
513
514       The "set_custom_property" method takes 3 parameters:
515
516           $workbook-> set_custom_property( $name, $value, $type);
517
518       Where the available types are:
519
520           text
521           date
522           number
523           bool
524
525       For example:
526
527           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Checked by',      'Eve',                  'text'   );
528           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Date completed',  '2016-12-12T23:00:00Z', 'date'   );
529           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Document number', '12345' ,               'number' );
530           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Reference',       '1.2345',               'number' );
531           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Has review',      1,                      'bool'   );
532           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Signed off',      0,                      'bool'   );
533           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Department',      $some_string,           'text'   );
534           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Scale',           '1.2345678901234',      'number' );
535
536       Dates should by in ISO8601 "yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sssZ" date format in
537       Zulu time, as shown above.
538
539       The "text" and "number" types are optional since they can usually be
540       inferred from the data:
541
542           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Checked by', 'Eve'    );
543           $workbook->set_custom_property( 'Reference',  '1.2345' );
544
545       The $name and $value parameters are limited to 255 characters by Excel.
546
547   define_name()
548       This method is used to defined a name that can be used to represent a
549       value, a single cell or a range of cells in a workbook.
550
551       For example to set a global/workbook name:
552
553           # Global/workbook names.
554           $workbook->define_name( 'Exchange_rate', '=0.96' );
555           $workbook->define_name( 'Sales',         '=Sheet1!$G$1:$H$10' );
556
557       It is also possible to define a local/worksheet name by prefixing the
558       name with the sheet name using the syntax "sheetname!definedname":
559
560           # Local/worksheet name.
561           $workbook->define_name( 'Sheet2!Sales',  '=Sheet2!$G$1:$G$10' );
562
563       If the sheet name contains spaces or special characters you must
564       enclose it in single quotes like in Excel:
565
566           $workbook->define_name( "'New Data'!Sales",  '=Sheet2!$G$1:$G$10' );
567
568       See the defined_name.pl program in the examples dir of the distro.
569
570       Refer to the following to see Excel's syntax rules for defined names:
571       <http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/excel-help/define-and-use-names-in-formulas-HA010147120.aspx#BMsyntax_rules_for_names>
572
573   set_tempdir()
574       "Excel::Writer::XLSX" stores worksheet data in temporary files prior to
575       assembling the final workbook.
576
577       The "File::Temp" module is used to create these temporary files.
578       File::Temp uses "File::Spec" to determine an appropriate location for
579       these files such as "/tmp" or "c:\windows\temp". You can find out which
580       directory is used on your system as follows:
581
582           perl -MFile::Spec -le "print File::Spec->tmpdir()"
583
584       If the default temporary file directory isn't accessible to your
585       application, or doesn't contain enough space, you can specify an
586       alternative location using the "set_tempdir()" method:
587
588           $workbook->set_tempdir( '/tmp/writeexcel' );
589           $workbook->set_tempdir( 'c:\windows\temp\writeexcel' );
590
591       The directory for the temporary file must exist, "set_tempdir()" will
592       not create a new directory.
593
594   set_custom_color( $index, $red, $green, $blue )
595       The method is maintained for backward compatibility with
596       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel. Excel::Writer::XLSX programs don't require
597       this method and colours can be specified using a Html style "#RRGGBB"
598       value, see "WORKING WITH COLOURS".
599
600   sheets( 0, 1, ... )
601       The "sheets()" method returns a list, or a sliced list, of the
602       worksheets in a workbook.
603
604       If no arguments are passed the method returns a list of all the
605       worksheets in the workbook. This is useful if you want to repeat an
606       operation on each worksheet:
607
608           for $worksheet ( $workbook->sheets() ) {
609               print $worksheet->get_name();
610           }
611
612       You can also specify a slice list to return one or more worksheet
613       objects:
614
615           $worksheet = $workbook->sheets( 0 );
616           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Hello' );
617
618       Or since the return value from "sheets()" is a reference to a worksheet
619       object you can write the above example as:
620
621           $workbook->sheets( 0 )->write( 'A1', 'Hello' );
622
623       The following example returns the first and last worksheet in a
624       workbook:
625
626           for $worksheet ( $workbook->sheets( 0, -1 ) ) {
627               # Do something
628           }
629
630       Array slices are explained in the "perldata" manpage.
631
632   get_worksheet_by_name()
633       The "get_worksheet_by_name()" function return a worksheet or chartsheet
634       object in the workbook using the sheetname:
635
636           $worksheet = $workbook->get_worksheet_by_name('Sheet1');
637
638   set_1904()
639       Excel stores dates as real numbers where the integer part stores the
640       number of days since the epoch and the fractional part stores the
641       percentage of the day. The epoch can be either 1900 or 1904. Excel for
642       Windows uses 1900 and Excel for Macintosh uses 1904. However, Excel on
643       either platform will convert automatically between one system and the
644       other.
645
646       Excel::Writer::XLSX stores dates in the 1900 format by default. If you
647       wish to change this you can call the "set_1904()" workbook method. You
648       can query the current value by calling the "get_1904()" workbook
649       method. This returns 0 for 1900 and 1 for 1904.
650
651       See also "DATES AND TIME IN EXCEL" for more information about working
652       with Excel's date system.
653
654       In general you probably won't need to use "set_1904()".
655
656   set_optimization()
657       The "set_optimization()" method is used to turn on optimizations in the
658       Excel::Writer::XLSX module. Currently there is only one optimization
659       available and that is to reduce memory usage.
660
661           $workbook->set_optimization();
662
663       See "SPEED AND MEMORY USAGE" for more background information.
664
665       Note, that with this optimization turned on a row of data is written
666       and then discarded when a cell in a new row is added via one of the
667       Worksheet "write_*()" methods. As such data should be written in
668       sequential row order once the optimization is turned on.
669
670       This method must be called before any calls to "add_worksheet()".
671
672   set_calc_mode( $mode )
673       Set the calculation mode for formulas in the workbook. This is mainly
674       of use for workbooks with slow formulas where you want to allow the
675       user to calculate them manually.
676
677       The mode parameter can be one of the following strings:
678
679       "auto"
680           The default. Excel will re-calculate formulas when a formula or a
681           value affecting the formula changes.
682
683       "manual"
684           Only re-calculate formulas when the user requires it. Generally by
685           pressing F9.
686
687       "auto_except_tables"
688           Excel will automatically re-calculate formulas except for tables.
689
690   get_default_url_format()
691       The "get_default_url_format()" method gets a copy of the default url
692       format used when a user defined format isn't specified with the
693       worksheet "write_url()" method. The format is the hyperlink style
694       defined by Excel for the default theme:
695
696           my $url_format = $workbook->get_default_url_format();
697

WORKSHEET METHODS

699       A new worksheet is created by calling the "add_worksheet()" method from
700       a workbook object:
701
702           $worksheet1 = $workbook->add_worksheet();
703           $worksheet2 = $workbook->add_worksheet();
704
705       The following methods are available through a new worksheet:
706
707           write()
708           write_number()
709           write_string()
710           write_rich_string()
711           keep_leading_zeros()
712           write_blank()
713           write_row()
714           write_col()
715           write_date_time()
716           write_url()
717           write_url_range()
718           write_formula()
719           write_boolean()
720           write_comment()
721           show_comments()
722           set_comments_author()
723           add_write_handler()
724           insert_image()
725           insert_chart()
726           insert_shape()
727           insert_button()
728           data_validation()
729           conditional_formatting()
730           add_sparkline()
731           add_table()
732           get_name()
733           activate()
734           select()
735           hide()
736           set_first_sheet()
737           protect()
738           set_selection()
739           set_row()
740           set_default_row()
741           set_column()
742           outline_settings()
743           freeze_panes()
744           split_panes()
745           merge_range()
746           merge_range_type()
747           set_zoom()
748           right_to_left()
749           hide_zero()
750           set_tab_color()
751           autofilter()
752           filter_column()
753           filter_column_list()
754           set_vba_name()
755
756   Cell notation
757       Excel::Writer::XLSX supports two forms of notation to designate the
758       position of cells: Row-column notation and A1 notation.
759
760       Row-column notation uses a zero based index for both row and column
761       while A1 notation uses the standard Excel alphanumeric sequence of
762       column letter and 1-based row. For example:
763
764           (0, 0)      # The top left cell in row-column notation.
765           ('A1')      # The top left cell in A1 notation.
766
767           (1999, 29)  # Row-column notation.
768           ('AD2000')  # The same cell in A1 notation.
769
770       Row-column notation is useful if you are referring to cells
771       programmatically:
772
773           for my $i ( 0 .. 9 ) {
774               $worksheet->write( $i, 0, 'Hello' );    # Cells A1 to A10
775           }
776
777       A1 notation is useful for setting up a worksheet manually and for
778       working with formulas:
779
780           $worksheet->write( 'H1', 200 );
781           $worksheet->write( 'H2', '=H1+1' );
782
783       In formulas and applicable methods you can also use the "A:A" column
784       notation:
785
786           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '=SUM(B:B)' );
787
788       The "Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility" module that is included in the
789       distro contains helper functions for dealing with A1 notation, for
790       example:
791
792           use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility;
793
794           ( $row, $col ) = xl_cell_to_rowcol( 'C2' );    # (1, 2)
795           $str           = xl_rowcol_to_cell( 1, 2 );    # C2
796
797       For simplicity, the parameter lists for the worksheet method calls in
798       the following sections are given in terms of row-column notation. In
799       all cases it is also possible to use A1 notation.
800
801       Note: in Excel it is also possible to use a R1C1 notation. This is not
802       supported by Excel::Writer::XLSX.
803
804   write( $row, $column, $token, $format )
805       Excel makes a distinction between data types such as strings, numbers,
806       blanks, formulas and hyperlinks. To simplify the process of writing
807       data the "write()" method acts as a general alias for several more
808       specific methods:
809
810           write_string()
811           write_number()
812           write_blank()
813           write_formula()
814           write_url()
815           write_row()
816           write_col()
817
818       The general rule is that if the data looks like a something then a
819       something is written. Here are some examples in both row-column and A1
820       notation:
821
822                                                               # Same as:
823           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Hello'                 ); # write_string()
824           $worksheet->write( 1, 0, 'One'                   ); # write_string()
825           $worksheet->write( 2, 0,  2                      ); # write_number()
826           $worksheet->write( 3, 0,  3.00001                ); # write_number()
827           $worksheet->write( 4, 0,  ""                     ); # write_blank()
828           $worksheet->write( 5, 0,  ''                     ); # write_blank()
829           $worksheet->write( 6, 0,  undef                  ); # write_blank()
830           $worksheet->write( 7, 0                          ); # write_blank()
831           $worksheet->write( 8, 0,  'http://www.perl.com/' ); # write_url()
832           $worksheet->write( 'A9',  'ftp://ftp.cpan.org/'  ); # write_url()
833           $worksheet->write( 'A10', 'internal:Sheet1!A1'   ); # write_url()
834           $worksheet->write( 'A11', 'external:c:\foo.xlsx' ); # write_url()
835           $worksheet->write( 'A12', '=A3 + 3*A4'           ); # write_formula()
836           $worksheet->write( 'A13', '=SIN(PI()/4)'         ); # write_formula()
837           $worksheet->write( 'A14', \@array                ); # write_row()
838           $worksheet->write( 'A15', [\@array]              ); # write_col()
839
840           # And if the keep_leading_zeros property is set:
841           $worksheet->write( 'A16', '2'                    ); # write_number()
842           $worksheet->write( 'A17', '02'                   ); # write_string()
843           $worksheet->write( 'A18', '00002'                ); # write_string()
844
845           # Write an array formula. Not available in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
846           $worksheet->write( 'A19', '{=SUM(A1:B1*A2:B2)}'  ); # write_formula()
847
848       The "looks like" rule is defined by regular expressions:
849
850       "write_number()" if $token is a number based on the following regex:
851       "$token =~ /^([+-]?)(?=\d|\.\d)\d*(\.\d*)?([Ee]([+-]?\d+))?$/".
852
853       "write_string()" if "keep_leading_zeros()" is set and $token is an
854       integer with leading zeros based on the following regex: "$token =~
855       /^0\d+$/".
856
857       "write_blank()" if $token is undef or a blank string: "undef", "" or
858       ''.
859
860       "write_url()" if $token is a http, https, ftp or mailto URL based on
861       the following regexes: "$token =~ m|^[fh]tt?ps?://|" or "$token =~
862       m|^mailto:|".
863
864       "write_url()" if $token is an internal or external sheet reference
865       based on the following regex: "$token =~ m[^(in|ex)ternal:]".
866
867       "write_formula()" if the first character of $token is "=".
868
869       "write_array_formula()" if the $token matches "/^{=.*}$/".
870
871       "write_row()" if $token is an array ref.
872
873       "write_col()" if $token is an array ref of array refs.
874
875       "write_string()" if none of the previous conditions apply.
876
877       The $format parameter is optional. It should be a valid Format object,
878       see "CELL FORMATTING":
879
880           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
881           $format->set_bold();
882           $format->set_color( 'red' );
883           $format->set_align( 'center' );
884
885           $worksheet->write( 4, 0, 'Hello', $format );    # Formatted string
886
887       The write() method will ignore empty strings or "undef" tokens unless a
888       format is also supplied. As such you needn't worry about special
889       handling for empty or "undef" values in your data. See also the
890       "write_blank()" method.
891
892       One problem with the "write()" method is that occasionally data looks
893       like a number but you don't want it treated as a number. For example,
894       zip codes or ID numbers often start with a leading zero. If you write
895       this data as a number then the leading zero(s) will be stripped. You
896       can change this default behaviour by using the "keep_leading_zeros()"
897       method. While this property is in place any integers with leading zeros
898       will be treated as strings and the zeros will be preserved. See the
899       "keep_leading_zeros()" section for a full discussion of this issue.
900
901       You can also add your own data handlers to the "write()" method using
902       "add_write_handler()".
903
904       The "write()" method will also handle Unicode strings in "UTF-8"
905       format.
906
907       The "write" methods return:
908
909           0 for success.
910          -1 for insufficient number of arguments.
911          -2 for row or column out of bounds.
912          -3 for string too long.
913
914   write_number( $row, $column, $number, $format )
915       Write an integer or a float to the cell specified by $row and $column:
916
917           $worksheet->write_number( 0, 0, 123456 );
918           $worksheet->write_number( 'A2', 2.3451 );
919
920       See the note about "Cell notation". The $format parameter is optional.
921
922       In general it is sufficient to use the "write()" method.
923
924       Note: some versions of Excel 2007 do not display the calculated values
925       of formulas written by Excel::Writer::XLSX. Applying all available
926       Service Packs to Excel should fix this.
927
928   write_string( $row, $column, $string, $format )
929       Write a string to the cell specified by $row and $column:
930
931           $worksheet->write_string( 0, 0, 'Your text here' );
932           $worksheet->write_string( 'A2', 'or here' );
933
934       The maximum string size is 32767 characters. However the maximum string
935       segment that Excel can display in a cell is 1000. All 32767 characters
936       can be displayed in the formula bar.
937
938       The $format parameter is optional.
939
940       The "write()" method will also handle strings in "UTF-8" format. See
941       also the "unicode_*.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
942       distro.
943
944       In general it is sufficient to use the "write()" method. However, you
945       may sometimes wish to use the "write_string()" method to write data
946       that looks like a number but that you don't want treated as a number.
947       For example, zip codes or phone numbers:
948
949           # Write as a plain string
950           $worksheet->write_string( 'A1', '01209' );
951
952       However, if the user edits this string Excel may convert it back to a
953       number. To get around this you can use the Excel text format "@":
954
955           # Format as a string. Doesn't change to a number when edited
956           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => '@' );
957           $worksheet->write_string( 'A2', '01209', $format1 );
958
959       See also the note about "Cell notation".
960
961   write_rich_string( $row, $column, $format, $string, ..., $cell_format )
962       The "write_rich_string()" method is used to write strings with multiple
963       formats. For example to write the string "This is bold and this is
964       italic" you would use the following:
965
966           my $bold   = $workbook->add_format( bold   => 1 );
967           my $italic = $workbook->add_format( italic => 1 );
968
969           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A1',
970               'This is ', $bold, 'bold', ' and this is ', $italic, 'italic' );
971
972       The basic rule is to break the string into fragments and put a $format
973       object before the fragment that you want to format. For example:
974
975           # Unformatted string.
976             'This is an example string'
977
978           # Break it into fragments.
979             'This is an ', 'example', ' string'
980
981           # Add formatting before the fragments you want formatted.
982             'This is an ', $format, 'example', ' string'
983
984           # In Excel::Writer::XLSX.
985           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A1',
986               'This is an ', $format, 'example', ' string' );
987
988       String fragments that don't have a format are given a default format.
989       So for example when writing the string "Some bold text" you would use
990       the first example below but it would be equivalent to the second:
991
992           # With default formatting:
993           my $bold    = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1 );
994
995           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A1',
996               'Some ', $bold, 'bold', ' text' );
997
998           # Or more explicitly:
999           my $bold    = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1 );
1000           my $default = $workbook->add_format();
1001
1002           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A1',
1003               $default, 'Some ', $bold, 'bold', $default, ' text' );
1004
1005       As with Excel, only the font properties of the format such as font
1006       name, style, size, underline, color and effects are applied to the
1007       string fragments. Other features such as border, background, text wrap
1008       and alignment must be applied to the cell.
1009
1010       The "write_rich_string()" method allows you to do this by using the
1011       last argument as a cell format (if it is a format object). The
1012       following example centers a rich string in the cell:
1013
1014           my $bold   = $workbook->add_format( bold  => 1 );
1015           my $center = $workbook->add_format( align => 'center' );
1016
1017           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A5',
1018               'Some ', $bold, 'bold text', ' centered', $center );
1019
1020       See the "rich_strings.pl" example in the distro for more examples.
1021
1022           my $bold   = $workbook->add_format( bold        => 1 );
1023           my $italic = $workbook->add_format( italic      => 1 );
1024           my $red    = $workbook->add_format( color       => 'red' );
1025           my $blue   = $workbook->add_format( color       => 'blue' );
1026           my $center = $workbook->add_format( align       => 'center' );
1027           my $super  = $workbook->add_format( font_script => 1 );
1028
1029
1030           # Write some strings with multiple formats.
1031           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A1',
1032               'This is ', $bold, 'bold', ' and this is ', $italic, 'italic' );
1033
1034           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A3',
1035               'This is ', $red, 'red', ' and this is ', $blue, 'blue' );
1036
1037           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A5',
1038               'Some ', $bold, 'bold text', ' centered', $center );
1039
1040           $worksheet->write_rich_string( 'A7',
1041               $italic, 'j = k', $super, '(n-1)', $center );
1042
1043       As with "write_sting()" the maximum string size is 32767 characters.
1044       See also the note about "Cell notation".
1045
1046   keep_leading_zeros()
1047       This method changes the default handling of integers with leading zeros
1048       when using the "write()" method.
1049
1050       The "write()" method uses regular expressions to determine what type of
1051       data to write to an Excel worksheet. If the data looks like a number it
1052       writes a number using "write_number()". One problem with this approach
1053       is that occasionally data looks like a number but you don't want it
1054       treated as a number.
1055
1056       Zip codes and ID numbers, for example, often start with a leading zero.
1057       If you write this data as a number then the leading zero(s) will be
1058       stripped. This is the also the default behaviour when you enter data
1059       manually in Excel.
1060
1061       To get around this you can use one of three options. Write a formatted
1062       number, write the number as a string or use the "keep_leading_zeros()"
1063       method to change the default behaviour of "write()":
1064
1065           # Implicitly write a number, the leading zero is removed: 1209
1066           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '01209' );
1067
1068           # Write a zero padded number using a format: 01209
1069           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => '00000' );
1070           $worksheet->write( 'A2', '01209', $format1 );
1071
1072           # Write explicitly as a string: 01209
1073           $worksheet->write_string( 'A3', '01209' );
1074
1075           # Write implicitly as a string: 01209
1076           $worksheet->keep_leading_zeros();
1077           $worksheet->write( 'A4', '01209' );
1078
1079       The above code would generate a worksheet that looked like the
1080       following:
1081
1082            -----------------------------------------------------------
1083           |   |     A     |     B     |     C     |     D     | ...
1084            -----------------------------------------------------------
1085           | 1 |      1209 |           |           |           | ...
1086           | 2 |     01209 |           |           |           | ...
1087           | 3 | 01209     |           |           |           | ...
1088           | 4 | 01209     |           |           |           | ...
1089
1090       The examples are on different sides of the cells due to the fact that
1091       Excel displays strings with a left justification and numbers with a
1092       right justification by default. You can change this by using a format
1093       to justify the data, see "CELL FORMATTING".
1094
1095       It should be noted that if the user edits the data in examples "A3" and
1096       "A4" the strings will revert back to numbers. Again this is Excel's
1097       default behaviour. To avoid this you can use the text format "@":
1098
1099           # Format as a string (01209)
1100           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => '@' );
1101           $worksheet->write_string( 'A5', '01209', $format2 );
1102
1103       The "keep_leading_zeros()" property is off by default. The
1104       "keep_leading_zeros()" method takes 0 or 1 as an argument. It defaults
1105       to 1 if an argument isn't specified:
1106
1107           $worksheet->keep_leading_zeros();       # Set on
1108           $worksheet->keep_leading_zeros( 1 );    # Set on
1109           $worksheet->keep_leading_zeros( 0 );    # Set off
1110
1111       See also the "add_write_handler()" method.
1112
1113   write_blank( $row, $column, $format )
1114       Write a blank cell specified by $row and $column:
1115
1116           $worksheet->write_blank( 0, 0, $format );
1117
1118       This method is used to add formatting to a cell which doesn't contain a
1119       string or number value.
1120
1121       Excel differentiates between an "Empty" cell and a "Blank" cell. An
1122       "Empty" cell is a cell which doesn't contain data whilst a "Blank" cell
1123       is a cell which doesn't contain data but does contain formatting. Excel
1124       stores "Blank" cells but ignores "Empty" cells.
1125
1126       As such, if you write an empty cell without formatting it is ignored:
1127
1128           $worksheet->write( 'A1', undef, $format );    # write_blank()
1129           $worksheet->write( 'A2', undef );             # Ignored
1130
1131       This seemingly uninteresting fact means that you can write arrays of
1132       data without special treatment for "undef" or empty string values.
1133
1134       See the note about "Cell notation".
1135
1136   write_row( $row, $column, $array_ref, $format )
1137       The "write_row()" method can be used to write a 1D or 2D array of data
1138       in one go. This is useful for converting the results of a database
1139       query into an Excel worksheet. You must pass a reference to the array
1140       of data rather than the array itself. The "write()" method is then
1141       called for each element of the data. For example:
1142
1143           @array = ( 'awk', 'gawk', 'mawk' );
1144           $array_ref = \@array;
1145
1146           $worksheet->write_row( 0, 0, $array_ref );
1147
1148           # The above example is equivalent to:
1149           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, $array[0] );
1150           $worksheet->write( 0, 1, $array[1] );
1151           $worksheet->write( 0, 2, $array[2] );
1152
1153       Note: For convenience the "write()" method behaves in the same way as
1154       "write_row()" if it is passed an array reference. Therefore the
1155       following two method calls are equivalent:
1156
1157           $worksheet->write_row( 'A1', $array_ref );    # Write a row of data
1158           $worksheet->write(     'A1', $array_ref );    # Same thing
1159
1160       As with all of the write methods the $format parameter is optional. If
1161       a format is specified it is applied to all the elements of the data
1162       array.
1163
1164       Array references within the data will be treated as columns. This
1165       allows you to write 2D arrays of data in one go. For example:
1166
1167           @eec =  (
1168                       ['maggie', 'milly', 'molly', 'may'  ],
1169                       [13,       14,      15,      16     ],
1170                       ['shell',  'star',  'crab',  'stone']
1171                   );
1172
1173           $worksheet->write_row( 'A1', \@eec );
1174
1175       Would produce a worksheet as follows:
1176
1177            -----------------------------------------------------------
1178           |   |    A    |    B    |    C    |    D    |    E    | ...
1179            -----------------------------------------------------------
1180           | 1 | maggie  | 13      | shell   | ...     |  ...    | ...
1181           | 2 | milly   | 14      | star    | ...     |  ...    | ...
1182           | 3 | molly   | 15      | crab    | ...     |  ...    | ...
1183           | 4 | may     | 16      | stone   | ...     |  ...    | ...
1184           | 5 | ...     | ...     | ...     | ...     |  ...    | ...
1185           | 6 | ...     | ...     | ...     | ...     |  ...    | ...
1186
1187       To write the data in a row-column order refer to the "write_col()"
1188       method below.
1189
1190       Any "undef" values in the data will be ignored unless a format is
1191       applied to the data, in which case a formatted blank cell will be
1192       written. In either case the appropriate row or column value will still
1193       be incremented.
1194
1195       To find out more about array references refer to "perlref" and
1196       "perlreftut" in the main Perl documentation. To find out more about 2D
1197       arrays or "lists of lists" refer to "perllol".
1198
1199       The "write_row()" method returns the first error encountered when
1200       writing the elements of the data or zero if no errors were encountered.
1201       See the return values described for the "write()" method above.
1202
1203       See also the "write_arrays.pl" program in the "examples" directory of
1204       the distro.
1205
1206       The "write_row()" method allows the following idiomatic conversion of a
1207       text file to an Excel file:
1208
1209           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
1210
1211           use strict;
1212           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
1213
1214           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'file.xlsx' );
1215           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
1216
1217           open INPUT, 'file.txt' or die "Couldn't open file: $!";
1218
1219           $worksheet->write( $. -1, 0, [split] ) while <INPUT>;
1220
1221           $workbook->close();
1222
1223   write_col( $row, $column, $array_ref, $format )
1224       The "write_col()" method can be used to write a 1D or 2D array of data
1225       in one go. This is useful for converting the results of a database
1226       query into an Excel worksheet. You must pass a reference to the array
1227       of data rather than the array itself. The "write()" method is then
1228       called for each element of the data. For example:
1229
1230           @array = ( 'awk', 'gawk', 'mawk' );
1231           $array_ref = \@array;
1232
1233           $worksheet->write_col( 0, 0, $array_ref );
1234
1235           # The above example is equivalent to:
1236           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, $array[0] );
1237           $worksheet->write( 1, 0, $array[1] );
1238           $worksheet->write( 2, 0, $array[2] );
1239
1240       As with all of the write methods the $format parameter is optional. If
1241       a format is specified it is applied to all the elements of the data
1242       array.
1243
1244       Array references within the data will be treated as rows. This allows
1245       you to write 2D arrays of data in one go. For example:
1246
1247           @eec =  (
1248                       ['maggie', 'milly', 'molly', 'may'  ],
1249                       [13,       14,      15,      16     ],
1250                       ['shell',  'star',  'crab',  'stone']
1251                   );
1252
1253           $worksheet->write_col( 'A1', \@eec );
1254
1255       Would produce a worksheet as follows:
1256
1257            -----------------------------------------------------------
1258           |   |    A    |    B    |    C    |    D    |    E    | ...
1259            -----------------------------------------------------------
1260           | 1 | maggie  | milly   | molly   | may     |  ...    | ...
1261           | 2 | 13      | 14      | 15      | 16      |  ...    | ...
1262           | 3 | shell   | star    | crab    | stone   |  ...    | ...
1263           | 4 | ...     | ...     | ...     | ...     |  ...    | ...
1264           | 5 | ...     | ...     | ...     | ...     |  ...    | ...
1265           | 6 | ...     | ...     | ...     | ...     |  ...    | ...
1266
1267       To write the data in a column-row order refer to the "write_row()"
1268       method above.
1269
1270       Any "undef" values in the data will be ignored unless a format is
1271       applied to the data, in which case a formatted blank cell will be
1272       written. In either case the appropriate row or column value will still
1273       be incremented.
1274
1275       As noted above the "write()" method can be used as a synonym for
1276       "write_row()" and "write_row()" handles nested array refs as columns.
1277       Therefore, the following two method calls are equivalent although the
1278       more explicit call to "write_col()" would be preferable for
1279       maintainability:
1280
1281           $worksheet->write_col( 'A1', $array_ref     ); # Write a column of data
1282           $worksheet->write(     'A1', [ $array_ref ] ); # Same thing
1283
1284       To find out more about array references refer to "perlref" and
1285       "perlreftut" in the main Perl documentation. To find out more about 2D
1286       arrays or "lists of lists" refer to "perllol".
1287
1288       The "write_col()" method returns the first error encountered when
1289       writing the elements of the data or zero if no errors were encountered.
1290       See the return values described for the "write()" method above.
1291
1292       See also the "write_arrays.pl" program in the "examples" directory of
1293       the distro.
1294
1295   write_date_time( $row, $col, $date_string, $format )
1296       The "write_date_time()" method can be used to write a date or time to
1297       the cell specified by $row and $column:
1298
1299           $worksheet->write_date_time( 'A1', '2004-05-13T23:20', $date_format );
1300
1301       The $date_string should be in the following format:
1302
1303           yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss
1304
1305       This conforms to an ISO8601 date but it should be noted that the full
1306       range of ISO8601 formats are not supported.
1307
1308       The following variations on the $date_string parameter are permitted:
1309
1310           yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss         # Standard format
1311           yyyy-mm-ddT                     # No time
1312                     Thh:mm:ss.sss         # No date
1313           yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sssZ        # Additional Z (but not time zones)
1314           yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss             # No fractional seconds
1315           yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm                # No seconds
1316
1317       Note that the "T" is required in all cases.
1318
1319       A date should always have a $format, otherwise it will appear as a
1320       number, see "DATES AND TIME IN EXCEL" and "CELL FORMATTING". Here is a
1321       typical example:
1322
1323           my $date_format = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'mm/dd/yy' );
1324           $worksheet->write_date_time( 'A1', '2004-05-13T23:20', $date_format );
1325
1326       Valid dates should be in the range 1900-01-01 to 9999-12-31, for the
1327       1900 epoch and 1904-01-01 to 9999-12-31, for the 1904 epoch. As with
1328       Excel, dates outside these ranges will be written as a string.
1329
1330       See also the date_time.pl program in the "examples" directory of the
1331       distro.
1332
1333   write_url( $row, $col, $url, $format, $label )
1334       Write a hyperlink to a URL in the cell specified by $row and $column.
1335       The hyperlink is comprised of two elements: the visible label and the
1336       invisible link. The visible label is the same as the link unless an
1337       alternative label is specified. The $label parameter is optional. The
1338       label is written using the "write()" method. Therefore it is possible
1339       to write strings, numbers or formulas as labels.
1340
1341       The $format parameter is also optional and the default Excel hyperlink
1342       style will be used if it isn't specified. If required you can access
1343       the default url format using the Workbook "get_default_url_format"
1344       method:
1345
1346           my $url_format = $workbook->get_default_url_format();
1347
1348       There are four web style URI's supported: "http://", "https://",
1349       "ftp://" and "mailto:":
1350
1351           $worksheet->write_url( 0, 0, 'ftp://www.perl.org/' );
1352           $worksheet->write_url( 'A3', 'http://www.perl.com/' );
1353           $worksheet->write_url( 'A4', 'mailto:jmcnamara@cpan.org' );
1354
1355       You can display an alternative string using the $label parameter:
1356
1357           $worksheet->write_url( 1, 0, 'http://www.perl.com/', undef, 'Perl' );
1358
1359       If you wish to have some other cell data such as a number or a formula
1360       you can overwrite the cell using another call to "write_*()":
1361
1362           $worksheet->write_url( 'A1', 'http://www.perl.com/' );
1363
1364           # Overwrite the URL string with a formula. The cell is still a link.
1365           # Note the use of the default url format for consistency with other links.
1366           my $url_format = $workbook->get_default_url_format();
1367           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A1', '=1+1', $url_format );
1368
1369       There are two local URIs supported: "internal:" and "external:". These
1370       are used for hyperlinks to internal worksheet references or external
1371       workbook and worksheet references:
1372
1373           $worksheet->write_url( 'A6',  'internal:Sheet2!A1' );
1374           $worksheet->write_url( 'A7',  'internal:Sheet2!A1' );
1375           $worksheet->write_url( 'A8',  'internal:Sheet2!A1:B2' );
1376           $worksheet->write_url( 'A9',  q{internal:'Sales Data'!A1} );
1377           $worksheet->write_url( 'A10', 'external:c:\temp\foo.xlsx' );
1378           $worksheet->write_url( 'A11', 'external:c:\foo.xlsx#Sheet2!A1' );
1379           $worksheet->write_url( 'A12', 'external:..\foo.xlsx' );
1380           $worksheet->write_url( 'A13', 'external:..\foo.xlsx#Sheet2!A1' );
1381           $worksheet->write_url( 'A13', 'external:\\\\NET\share\foo.xlsx' );
1382
1383       All of the these URI types are recognised by the "write()" method, see
1384       above.
1385
1386       Worksheet references are typically of the form "Sheet1!A1". You can
1387       also refer to a worksheet range using the standard Excel notation:
1388       "Sheet1!A1:B2".
1389
1390       In external links the workbook and worksheet name must be separated by
1391       the "#" character: "external:Workbook.xlsx#Sheet1!A1'".
1392
1393       You can also link to a named range in the target worksheet. For example
1394       say you have a named range called "my_name" in the workbook
1395       "c:\temp\foo.xlsx" you could link to it as follows:
1396
1397           $worksheet->write_url( 'A14', 'external:c:\temp\foo.xlsx#my_name' );
1398
1399       Excel requires that worksheet names containing spaces or non
1400       alphanumeric characters are single quoted as follows "'Sales Data'!A1".
1401       If you need to do this in a single quoted string then you can either
1402       escape the single quotes "\'" or use the quote operator "q{}" as
1403       described in "perlop" in the main Perl documentation.
1404
1405       Links to network files are also supported. MS/Novell Network files
1406       normally begin with two back slashes as follows "\\NETWORK\etc". In
1407       order to generate this in a single or double quoted string you will
1408       have to escape the backslashes,  '\\\\NETWORK\etc'.
1409
1410       If you are using double quote strings then you should be careful to
1411       escape anything that looks like a metacharacter. For more information
1412       see "perlfaq5: Why can't I use "C:\temp\foo" in DOS paths?".
1413
1414       Finally, you can avoid most of these quoting problems by using forward
1415       slashes. These are translated internally to backslashes:
1416
1417           $worksheet->write_url( 'A14', "external:c:/temp/foo.xlsx" );
1418           $worksheet->write_url( 'A15', 'external://NETWORK/share/foo.xlsx' );
1419
1420       Note: Excel::Writer::XLSX will escape the following characters in URLs
1421       as required by Excel: "\s " < > \ [  ] ` ^ { }" unless the URL already
1422       contains %xx style escapes. In which case it is assumed that the URL
1423       was escaped correctly by the user and will by passed directly to Excel.
1424
1425       Versions of Excel prior to Excel 2015 limited hyperlink links and
1426       anchor/locations to 255 characters each. Versions after that support
1427       urls up to 2079 characters. Excel::Writer::XLSX versions >= 1.0.2
1428       support the new longer limit by default.
1429
1430       See also, the note about "Cell notation".
1431
1432   write_formula( $row, $column, $formula, $format, $value )
1433       Write a formula or function to the cell specified by $row and $column:
1434
1435           $worksheet->write_formula( 0, 0, '=$B$3 + B4' );
1436           $worksheet->write_formula( 1, 0, '=SIN(PI()/4)' );
1437           $worksheet->write_formula( 2, 0, '=SUM(B1:B5)' );
1438           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A4', '=IF(A3>1,"Yes", "No")' );
1439           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A5', '=AVERAGE(1, 2, 3, 4)' );
1440           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A6', '=DATEVALUE("1-Jan-2001")' );
1441
1442       Array formulas are also supported:
1443
1444           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A7', '{=SUM(A1:B1*A2:B2)}' );
1445
1446       See also the "write_array_formula()" method below.
1447
1448       See the note about "Cell notation". For more information about writing
1449       Excel formulas see "FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS IN EXCEL"
1450
1451       If required, it is also possible to specify the calculated value of the
1452       formula. This is occasionally necessary when working with non-Excel
1453       applications that don't calculate the value of the formula. The
1454       calculated $value is added at the end of the argument list:
1455
1456           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '=2+2', $format, 4 );
1457
1458       However, this probably isn't something that you will ever need to do.
1459       If you do use this feature then do so with care.
1460
1461   write_array_formula($first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col, $formula,
1462       $format, $value)
1463       Write an array formula to a cell range. In Excel an array formula is a
1464       formula that performs a calculation on a set of values. It can return a
1465       single value or a range of values.
1466
1467       An array formula is indicated by a pair of braces around the formula:
1468       "{=SUM(A1:B1*A2:B2)}".  If the array formula returns a single value
1469       then the $first_ and $last_ parameters should be the same:
1470
1471           $worksheet->write_array_formula('A1:A1', '{=SUM(B1:C1*B2:C2)}');
1472
1473       It this case however it is easier to just use the "write_formula()" or
1474       "write()" methods:
1475
1476           # Same as above but more concise.
1477           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '{=SUM(B1:C1*B2:C2)}' );
1478           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A1', '{=SUM(B1:C1*B2:C2)}' );
1479
1480       For array formulas that return a range of values you must specify the
1481       range that the return values will be written to:
1482
1483           $worksheet->write_array_formula( 'A1:A3',    '{=TREND(C1:C3,B1:B3)}' );
1484           $worksheet->write_array_formula( 0, 0, 2, 0, '{=TREND(C1:C3,B1:B3)}' );
1485
1486       If required, it is also possible to specify the calculated value of the
1487       formula. This is occasionally necessary when working with non-Excel
1488       applications that don't calculate the value of the formula. However,
1489       using this parameter only writes a single value to the upper left cell
1490       in the result array. For a multi-cell array formula where the results
1491       are required, the other result values can be specified by using
1492       "write_number()" to write to the appropriate cell:
1493
1494           # Specify the result for a single cell range.
1495           $worksheet->write_array_formula( 'A1:A3', '{=SUM(B1:C1*B2:C2)}, $format, 2005 );
1496
1497           # Specify the results for a multi cell range.
1498           $worksheet->write_array_formula( 'A1:A3', '{=TREND(C1:C3,B1:B3)}', $format, 105 );
1499           $worksheet->write_number( 'A2', 12, format );
1500           $worksheet->write_number( 'A3', 14, format );
1501
1502       In addition, some early versions of Excel 2007 don't calculate the
1503       values of array formulas when they aren't supplied. Installing the
1504       latest Office Service Pack should fix this issue.
1505
1506       See also the "array_formula.pl" program in the "examples" directory of
1507       the distro.
1508
1509       Note: Array formulas are not supported by Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
1510
1511   write_boolean( $row, $column, $value, $format )
1512       Write an Excel boolean value to the cell specified by $row and $column:
1513
1514           $worksheet->write_boolean( 'A1', 1          );  # TRUE
1515           $worksheet->write_boolean( 'A2', 0          );  # FALSE
1516           $worksheet->write_boolean( 'A3', undef      );  # FALSE
1517           $worksheet->write_boolean( 'A3', 0, $format );  # FALSE, with format.
1518
1519       A $value that is true or false using Perl's rules will be written as an
1520       Excel boolean "TRUE" or "FALSE" value.
1521
1522       See the note about "Cell notation".
1523
1524   store_formula( $formula )
1525       Deprecated. This is a Spreadsheet::WriteExcel method that is no longer
1526       required by Excel::Writer::XLSX. See below.
1527
1528   repeat_formula( $row, $col, $formula, $format )
1529       Deprecated. This is a Spreadsheet::WriteExcel method that is no longer
1530       required by Excel::Writer::XLSX.
1531
1532       In Spreadsheet::WriteExcel it was computationally expensive to write
1533       formulas since they were parsed by a recursive descent parser. The
1534       "store_formula()" and "repeat_formula()" methods were used as a way of
1535       avoiding the overhead of repeated formulas by reusing a pre-parsed
1536       formula.
1537
1538       In Excel::Writer::XLSX this is no longer necessary since it is just as
1539       quick to write a formula as it is to write a string or a number.
1540
1541       The methods remain for backward compatibility but new
1542       Excel::Writer::XLSX programs shouldn't use them.
1543
1544   write_comment( $row, $column, $string, ... )
1545       The "write_comment()" method is used to add a comment to a cell. A cell
1546       comment is indicated in Excel by a small red triangle in the upper
1547       right-hand corner of the cell. Moving the cursor over the red triangle
1548       will reveal the comment.
1549
1550       The following example shows how to add a comment to a cell:
1551
1552           $worksheet->write        ( 2, 2, 'Hello' );
1553           $worksheet->write_comment( 2, 2, 'This is a comment.' );
1554
1555       As usual you can replace the $row and $column parameters with an "A1"
1556       cell reference. See the note about "Cell notation".
1557
1558           $worksheet->write        ( 'C3', 'Hello');
1559           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'This is a comment.' );
1560
1561       The "write_comment()" method will also handle strings in "UTF-8"
1562       format.
1563
1564           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', "\x{263a}" );       # Smiley
1565           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C4', 'Comment ca va?' );
1566
1567       In addition to the basic 3 argument form of "write_comment()" you can
1568       pass in several optional key/value pairs to control the format of the
1569       comment. For example:
1570
1571           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', visible => 1, author => 'Perl' );
1572
1573       Most of these options are quite specific and in general the default
1574       comment behaves will be all that you need. However, should you need
1575       greater control over the format of the cell comment the following
1576       options are available:
1577
1578           author
1579           visible
1580           x_scale
1581           width
1582           y_scale
1583           height
1584           color
1585           start_cell
1586           start_row
1587           start_col
1588           x_offset
1589           y_offset
1590           font
1591           font_size
1592
1593       Option: author
1594           This option is used to indicate who is the author of the cell
1595           comment. Excel displays the author of the comment in the status bar
1596           at the bottom of the worksheet. This is usually of interest in
1597           corporate environments where several people might review and
1598           provide comments to a workbook.
1599
1600               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Atonement', author => 'Ian McEwan' );
1601
1602           The default author for all cell comments can be set using the
1603           "set_comments_author()" method (see below).
1604
1605               $worksheet->set_comments_author( 'Perl' );
1606
1607       Option: visible
1608           This option is used to make a cell comment visible when the
1609           worksheet is opened. The default behaviour in Excel is that
1610           comments are initially hidden. However, it is also possible in
1611           Excel to make individual or all comments visible. In
1612           Excel::Writer::XLSX individual comments can be made visible as
1613           follows:
1614
1615               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', visible => 1 );
1616
1617           It is possible to make all comments in a worksheet visible using
1618           the "show_comments()" worksheet method (see below). Alternatively,
1619           if all of the cell comments have been made visible you can hide
1620           individual comments:
1621
1622               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', visible => 0 );
1623
1624       Option: x_scale
1625           This option is used to set the width of the cell comment box as a
1626           factor of the default width.
1627
1628               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', x_scale => 2 );
1629               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C4', 'Hello', x_scale => 4.2 );
1630
1631       Option: width
1632           This option is used to set the width of the cell comment box
1633           explicitly in pixels.
1634
1635               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', width => 200 );
1636
1637       Option: y_scale
1638           This option is used to set the height of the cell comment box as a
1639           factor of the default height.
1640
1641               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', y_scale => 2 );
1642               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C4', 'Hello', y_scale => 4.2 );
1643
1644       Option: height
1645           This option is used to set the height of the cell comment box
1646           explicitly in pixels.
1647
1648               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', height => 200 );
1649
1650       Option: color
1651           This option is used to set the background colour of cell comment
1652           box. You can use one of the named colours recognised by
1653           Excel::Writer::XLSX or a Html style "#RRGGBB" colour. See "WORKING
1654           WITH COLOURS".
1655
1656               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', color => 'green' );
1657               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C4', 'Hello', color => '#FF6600' ); # Orange
1658
1659       Option: start_cell
1660           This option is used to set the cell in which the comment will
1661           appear. By default Excel displays comments one cell to the right
1662           and one cell above the cell to which the comment relates. However,
1663           you can change this behaviour if you wish. In the following example
1664           the comment which would appear by default in cell "D2" is moved to
1665           "E2".
1666
1667               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', start_cell => 'E2' );
1668
1669       Option: start_row
1670           This option is used to set the row in which the comment will
1671           appear. See the "start_cell" option above. The row is zero indexed.
1672
1673               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', start_row => 0 );
1674
1675       Option: start_col
1676           This option is used to set the column in which the comment will
1677           appear. See the "start_cell" option above. The column is zero
1678           indexed.
1679
1680               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', start_col => 4 );
1681
1682       Option: x_offset
1683           This option is used to change the x offset, in pixels, of a comment
1684           within a cell:
1685
1686               $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', $comment, x_offset => 30 );
1687
1688       Option: y_offset
1689           This option is used to change the y offset, in pixels, of a comment
1690           within a cell:
1691
1692               $worksheet->write_comment('C3', $comment, x_offset => 30);
1693
1694       Option: font
1695           This option is used to change the font used in the comment from
1696           'Tahoma' which is the default.
1697
1698               $worksheet->write_comment('C3', $comment, font => 'Calibri');
1699
1700       Option: font_size
1701           This option is used to change the font size used in the comment
1702           from 8 which is the default.
1703
1704               $worksheet->write_comment('C3', $comment, font_size => 20);
1705
1706       You can apply as many of these options as you require.
1707
1708       Note about using options that adjust the position of the cell comment
1709       such as start_cell, start_row, start_col, x_offset and y_offset: Excel
1710       only displays offset cell comments when they are displayed as
1711       "visible". Excel does not display hidden cells as moved when you mouse
1712       over them.
1713
1714       Note about row height and comments. If you specify the height of a row
1715       that contains a comment then Excel::Writer::XLSX will adjust the height
1716       of the comment to maintain the default or user specified dimensions.
1717       However, the height of a row can also be adjusted automatically by
1718       Excel if the text wrap property is set or large fonts are used in the
1719       cell. This means that the height of the row is unknown to the module at
1720       run time and thus the comment box is stretched with the row. Use the
1721       "set_row()" method to specify the row height explicitly and avoid this
1722       problem.
1723
1724   show_comments()
1725       This method is used to make all cell comments visible when a worksheet
1726       is opened.
1727
1728           $worksheet->show_comments();
1729
1730       Individual comments can be made visible using the "visible" parameter
1731       of the "write_comment" method (see above):
1732
1733           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', visible => 1 );
1734
1735       If all of the cell comments have been made visible you can hide
1736       individual comments as follows:
1737
1738           $worksheet->show_comments();
1739           $worksheet->write_comment( 'C3', 'Hello', visible => 0 );
1740
1741   set_comments_author()
1742       This method is used to set the default author of all cell comments.
1743
1744           $worksheet->set_comments_author( 'Perl' );
1745
1746       Individual comment authors can be set using the "author" parameter of
1747       the "write_comment" method (see above).
1748
1749       The default comment author is an empty string, '', if no author is
1750       specified.
1751
1752   add_write_handler( $re, $code_ref )
1753       This method is used to extend the Excel::Writer::XLSX write() method to
1754       handle user defined data.
1755
1756       If you refer to the section on "write()" above you will see that it
1757       acts as an alias for several more specific "write_*" methods. However,
1758       it doesn't always act in exactly the way that you would like it to.
1759
1760       One solution is to filter the input data yourself and call the
1761       appropriate "write_*" method. Another approach is to use the
1762       "add_write_handler()" method to add your own automated behaviour to
1763       "write()".
1764
1765       The "add_write_handler()" method take two arguments, $re, a regular
1766       expression to match incoming data and $code_ref a callback function to
1767       handle the matched data:
1768
1769           $worksheet->add_write_handler( qr/^\d\d\d\d$/, \&my_write );
1770
1771       (In the these examples the "qr" operator is used to quote the regular
1772       expression strings, see perlop for more details).
1773
1774       The method is used as follows. say you wished to write 7 digit ID
1775       numbers as a string so that any leading zeros were preserved*, you
1776       could do something like the following:
1777
1778           $worksheet->add_write_handler( qr/^\d{7}$/, \&write_my_id );
1779
1780
1781           sub write_my_id {
1782               my $worksheet = shift;
1783               return $worksheet->write_string( @_ );
1784           }
1785
1786       * You could also use the "keep_leading_zeros()" method for this.
1787
1788       Then if you call "write()" with an appropriate string it will be
1789       handled automatically:
1790
1791           # Writes 0000000. It would normally be written as a number; 0.
1792           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '0000000' );
1793
1794       The callback function will receive a reference to the calling worksheet
1795       and all of the other arguments that were passed to "write()". The
1796       callback will see an @_ argument list that looks like the following:
1797
1798           $_[0]   A ref to the calling worksheet. *
1799           $_[1]   Zero based row number.
1800           $_[2]   Zero based column number.
1801           $_[3]   A number or string or token.
1802           $_[4]   A format ref if any.
1803           $_[5]   Any other arguments.
1804           ...
1805
1806           *  It is good style to shift this off the list so the @_ is the same
1807              as the argument list seen by write().
1808
1809       Your callback should "return()" the return value of the "write_*"
1810       method that was called or "undef" to indicate that you rejected the
1811       match and want "write()" to continue as normal.
1812
1813       So for example if you wished to apply the previous filter only to ID
1814       values that occur in the first column you could modify your callback
1815       function as follows:
1816
1817           sub write_my_id {
1818               my $worksheet = shift;
1819               my $col       = $_[1];
1820
1821               if ( $col == 0 ) {
1822                   return $worksheet->write_string( @_ );
1823               }
1824               else {
1825                   # Reject the match and return control to write()
1826                   return undef;
1827               }
1828           }
1829
1830       Now, you will get different behaviour for the first column and other
1831       columns:
1832
1833           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '0000000' );    # Writes 0000000
1834           $worksheet->write( 'B1', '0000000' );    # Writes 0
1835
1836       You may add more than one handler in which case they will be called in
1837       the order that they were added.
1838
1839       Note, the "add_write_handler()" method is particularly suited for
1840       handling dates.
1841
1842       See the "write_handler 1-4" programs in the "examples" directory for
1843       further examples.
1844
1845   insert_image( $row, $col, $filename, { %options } )
1846       This method can be used to insert a image into a worksheet. The image
1847       can be in PNG, JPEG or BMP format.
1848
1849           $worksheet1->insert_image( 'A1', 'perl.bmp' );
1850           $worksheet2->insert_image( 'A1', '../images/perl.bmp' );
1851           $worksheet3->insert_image( 'A1', '.c:\images\perl.bmp' );
1852
1853       The optional "options" hash/hashref parameter can be used to set
1854       various options for the image. The defaults are:
1855
1856           %options = (
1857               x_offset        => 0,
1858               y_offset        => 0,
1859               x_scale         => 1,
1860               y_scale         => 1,
1861               object_position => 2,
1862               url             => undef,
1863               tip             => undef,
1864           );
1865
1866       The parameters "x_offset" and "y_offset" can be used to specify an
1867       offset from the top left hand corner of the cell specified by $row and
1868       $col. The offset values are in pixels.
1869
1870           $worksheet1->insert_image('A1', 'perl.bmp', { x_offset =>32, y_offset => 10 });
1871
1872       The offsets can be greater than the width or height of the underlying
1873       cell. This can be occasionally useful if you wish to align two or more
1874       images relative to the same cell.
1875
1876       The parameters "x_scale" and "y_scale" can be used to scale the
1877       inserted image horizontally and vertically:
1878
1879           # Scale the inserted image: width x 2.0, height x 0.8
1880           $worksheet->insert_image( 'A1', 'perl.bmp', { y_scale => 2, y_scale => 0.8 } );
1881
1882       The positioning of the image when cells are resized can be set with the
1883       "object_position" parameter:
1884
1885           $worksheet->insert_image( 'A1', 'perl.bmp', { object_position => 1 } );
1886
1887       The "object_position" parameter can have one of the following allowable
1888       values:
1889
1890           1. Move and size with cells.
1891           2. Move but don't size with cells.
1892           3. Don't move or size with cells.
1893           4. Same as Option 1, see below.
1894
1895       Option 4 appears in Excel as Option 1. However, the worksheet object is
1896       sized to take hidden rows or columns into account. This allows the user
1897       to hide an image in a cell, possibly as part of an autofilter.
1898
1899       The "url" option can be use to used to add a hyperlink to an image:
1900
1901           $worksheet->insert_image( 'A1', 'logo.png',
1902               { url => 'https://github.com/jmcnamara' } );
1903
1904       The supported url formats are the same as those supported by the
1905       "write_url()" method and the same rules/limits apply.
1906
1907       The "tip" option can be use to used to add a mouseover tip to the
1908       hyperlink:
1909
1910           $worksheet->insert_image( 'A1', 'logo.png',
1911               {
1912                   url => 'https://github.com/jmcnamara',
1913                   tip => 'GitHub'
1914               }
1915           );
1916
1917       Note: you must call "set_row()" or "set_column()" before
1918       "insert_image()" if you wish to change the default dimensions of any of
1919       the rows or columns that the image occupies. The height of a row can
1920       also change if you use a font that is larger than the default. This in
1921       turn will affect the scaling of your image. To avoid this you should
1922       explicitly set the height of the row using "set_row()" if it contains a
1923       font size that will change the row height.
1924
1925       BMP images must be 24 bit, true colour, bitmaps. In general it is best
1926       to avoid BMP images since they aren't compressed.
1927
1928   insert_chart( $row, $col, $chart, { %options } )
1929       This method can be used to insert a Chart object into a worksheet. The
1930       Chart must be created by the "add_chart()" Workbook method and it must
1931       have the "embedded" option set.
1932
1933           my $chart = $workbook->add_chart( type => 'line', embedded => 1 );
1934
1935           # Configure the chart.
1936           ...
1937
1938           # Insert the chart into the a worksheet.
1939           $worksheet->insert_chart( 'E2', $chart );
1940
1941       See "add_chart()" for details on how to create the Chart object and
1942       Excel::Writer::XLSX::Chart for details on how to configure it. See also
1943       the "chart_*.pl" programs in the examples directory of the distro.
1944
1945       The optional "options" hash/hashref parameter can be used to set
1946       various options for the chart. The defaults are:
1947
1948           %options = (
1949               x_offset        => 0,
1950               y_offset        => 0,
1951               x_scale         => 1,
1952               y_scale         => 1,
1953               object_position => 1,
1954           );
1955
1956       The parameters "x_offset" and "y_offset" can be used to specify an
1957       offset from the top left hand corner of the cell specified by $row and
1958       $col. The offset values are in pixels.
1959
1960           $worksheet1->insert_chart( 'E2', $chart, { x_offset =>10, y_offset => 20 });
1961
1962       The parameters "x_scale" and "y_scale" can be used to scale the
1963       inserted chart horizontally and vertically:
1964
1965           # Scale the width by 120% and the height by 150%
1966           $worksheet->insert_chart( 'E2', $chart, { y_scale => 1.2, y_scale => 1.5 } );
1967
1968       The positioning of the chart when cells are resized can be set with the
1969       "object_position" parameter:
1970
1971           $worksheet->insert_chart( 'E2', $chart, { object_position => 2 } );
1972
1973       The "object_position" parameter can have one of the following allowable
1974       values:
1975
1976           1. Move and size with cells.
1977           2. Move but don't size with cells.
1978           3. Don't move or size with cells.
1979           4. Same as Option 1, see below.
1980
1981       Option 4 appears in Excel as Option 1. However, the worksheet object is
1982       sized to take hidden rows or columns into account. This is generally
1983       only useful for images and not for charts.
1984
1985   insert_shape( $row, $col, $shape, $x, $y, $x_scale, $y_scale )
1986       This method can be used to insert a Shape object into a worksheet. The
1987       Shape must be created by the "add_shape()" Workbook method.
1988
1989           my $shape = $workbook->add_shape( name => 'My Shape', type => 'plus' );
1990
1991           # Configure the shape.
1992           $shape->set_text('foo');
1993           ...
1994
1995           # Insert the shape into the a worksheet.
1996           $worksheet->insert_shape( 'E2', $shape );
1997
1998       See "add_shape()" for details on how to create the Shape object and
1999       Excel::Writer::XLSX::Shape for details on how to configure it.
2000
2001       The $x, $y, $x_scale and $y_scale parameters are optional.
2002
2003       The parameters $x and $y can be used to specify an offset from the top
2004       left hand corner of the cell specified by $row and $col. The offset
2005       values are in pixels.
2006
2007           $worksheet1->insert_shape( 'E2', $chart, 3, 3 );
2008
2009       The parameters $x_scale and $y_scale can be used to scale the inserted
2010       shape horizontally and vertically:
2011
2012           # Scale the width by 120% and the height by 150%
2013           $worksheet->insert_shape( 'E2', $shape, 0, 0, 1.2, 1.5 );
2014
2015       See also the "shape*.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
2016       distro.
2017
2018   insert_button( $row, $col, { %options })
2019       The "insert_button()" method can be used to insert an Excel form button
2020       into a worksheet.
2021
2022       This method is generally only useful when used in conjunction with the
2023       Workbook "add_vba_project()" method to tie the button to a macro from
2024       an embedded VBA project:
2025
2026           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'file.xlsm' );
2027           ...
2028           $workbook->add_vba_project( './vbaProject.bin' );
2029
2030           $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro' } );
2031
2032       The properties of the button that can be set are:
2033
2034           macro
2035           caption
2036           width
2037           height
2038           x_scale
2039           y_scale
2040           x_offset
2041           y_offset
2042
2043       Option: macro
2044           This option is used to set the macro that the button will invoke
2045           when the user clicks on it. The macro should be included using the
2046           Workbook "add_vba_project()" method shown above.
2047
2048               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro' } );
2049
2050           The default macro is "ButtonX_Click" where X is the button number.
2051
2052       Option: caption
2053           This option is used to set the caption on the button. The default
2054           is "Button X" where X is the button number.
2055
2056               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', caption => 'Hello' } );
2057
2058       Option: width
2059           This option is used to set the width of the button in pixels.
2060
2061               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', width => 128 } );
2062
2063           The default button width is 64 pixels which is the width of a
2064           default cell.
2065
2066       Option: height
2067           This option is used to set the height of the button in pixels.
2068
2069               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', height => 40 } );
2070
2071           The default button height is 20 pixels which is the height of a
2072           default cell.
2073
2074       Option: x_scale
2075           This option is used to set the width of the button as a factor of
2076           the default width.
2077
2078               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', x_scale => 2.0 );
2079
2080       Option: y_scale
2081           This option is used to set the height of the button as a factor of
2082           the default height.
2083
2084               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', y_scale => 2.0 );
2085
2086       Option: x_offset
2087           This option is used to change the x offset, in pixels, of a button
2088           within a cell:
2089
2090               $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro', x_offset => 2 );
2091
2092       Option: y_offset
2093           This option is used to change the y offset, in pixels, of a comment
2094           within a cell.
2095
2096       Note: Button is the only Excel form element that is available in
2097       Excel::Writer::XLSX. Form elements represent a lot of work to implement
2098       and the underlying VML syntax isn't very much fun.
2099
2100   data_validation()
2101       The "data_validation()" method is used to construct an Excel data
2102       validation or to limit the user input to a dropdown list of values.
2103
2104           $worksheet->data_validation('B3',
2105               {
2106                   validate => 'integer',
2107                   criteria => '>',
2108                   value    => 100,
2109               });
2110
2111           $worksheet->data_validation('B5:B9',
2112               {
2113                   validate => 'list',
2114                   value    => ['open', 'high', 'close'],
2115               });
2116
2117       This method contains a lot of parameters and is described in detail in
2118       a separate section "DATA VALIDATION IN EXCEL".
2119
2120       See also the "data_validate.pl" program in the examples directory of
2121       the distro
2122
2123   conditional_formatting()
2124       The "conditional_formatting()" method is used to add formatting to a
2125       cell or range of cells based on user defined criteria.
2126
2127           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:J10',
2128               {
2129                   type     => 'cell',
2130                   criteria => '>=',
2131                   value    => 50,
2132                   format   => $format1,
2133               }
2134           );
2135
2136       This method contains a lot of parameters and is described in detail in
2137       a separate section "CONDITIONAL FORMATTING IN EXCEL".
2138
2139       See also the "conditional_format.pl" program in the examples directory
2140       of the distro
2141
2142   add_sparkline()
2143       The "add_sparkline()" worksheet method is used to add sparklines to a
2144       cell or a range of cells.
2145
2146           $worksheet->add_sparkline(
2147               {
2148                   location => 'F2',
2149                   range    => 'Sheet1!A2:E2',
2150                   type     => 'column',
2151                   style    => 12,
2152               }
2153           );
2154
2155       This method contains a lot of parameters and is described in detail in
2156       a separate section "SPARKLINES IN EXCEL".
2157
2158       See also the "sparklines1.pl" and "sparklines2.pl" example programs in
2159       the "examples" directory of the distro.
2160
2161       Note: Sparklines are a feature of Excel 2010+ only. You can write them
2162       to an XLSX file that can be read by Excel 2007 but they won't be
2163       displayed.
2164
2165   add_table()
2166       The "add_table()" method is used to group a range of cells into an
2167       Excel Table.
2168
2169           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { ... } );
2170
2171       This method contains a lot of parameters and is described in detail in
2172       a separate section "TABLES IN EXCEL".
2173
2174       See also the "tables.pl" program in the examples directory of the
2175       distro
2176
2177   get_name()
2178       The "get_name()" method is used to retrieve the name of a worksheet.
2179       For example:
2180
2181           for my $sheet ( $workbook->sheets() ) {
2182               print $sheet->get_name();
2183           }
2184
2185       For reasons related to the design of Excel::Writer::XLSX and to the
2186       internals of Excel there is no "set_name()" method. The only way to set
2187       the worksheet name is via the "add_worksheet()" method.
2188
2189   activate()
2190       The "activate()" method is used to specify which worksheet is initially
2191       visible in a multi-sheet workbook:
2192
2193           $worksheet1 = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'To' );
2194           $worksheet2 = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'the' );
2195           $worksheet3 = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'wind' );
2196
2197           $worksheet3->activate();
2198
2199       This is similar to the Excel VBA activate method. More than one
2200       worksheet can be selected via the "select()" method, see below, however
2201       only one worksheet can be active.
2202
2203       The default active worksheet is the first worksheet.
2204
2205   select()
2206       The "select()" method is used to indicate that a worksheet is selected
2207       in a multi-sheet workbook:
2208
2209           $worksheet1->activate();
2210           $worksheet2->select();
2211           $worksheet3->select();
2212
2213       A selected worksheet has its tab highlighted. Selecting worksheets is a
2214       way of grouping them together so that, for example, several worksheets
2215       could be printed in one go. A worksheet that has been activated via the
2216       "activate()" method will also appear as selected.
2217
2218   hide()
2219       The "hide()" method is used to hide a worksheet:
2220
2221           $worksheet2->hide();
2222
2223       You may wish to hide a worksheet in order to avoid confusing a user
2224       with intermediate data or calculations.
2225
2226       A hidden worksheet can not be activated or selected so this method is
2227       mutually exclusive with the "activate()" and "select()" methods. In
2228       addition, since the first worksheet will default to being the active
2229       worksheet, you cannot hide the first worksheet without activating
2230       another sheet:
2231
2232           $worksheet2->activate();
2233           $worksheet1->hide();
2234
2235   set_first_sheet()
2236       The "activate()" method determines which worksheet is initially
2237       selected. However, if there are a large number of worksheets the
2238       selected worksheet may not appear on the screen. To avoid this you can
2239       select which is the leftmost visible worksheet using
2240       "set_first_sheet()":
2241
2242           for ( 1 .. 20 ) {
2243               $workbook->add_worksheet;
2244           }
2245
2246           $worksheet21 = $workbook->add_worksheet();
2247           $worksheet22 = $workbook->add_worksheet();
2248
2249           $worksheet21->set_first_sheet();
2250           $worksheet22->activate();
2251
2252       This method is not required very often. The default value is the first
2253       worksheet.
2254
2255   protect( $password, \%options )
2256       The "protect()" method is used to protect a worksheet from
2257       modification:
2258
2259           $worksheet->protect();
2260
2261       The "protect()" method also has the effect of enabling a cell's
2262       "locked" and "hidden" properties if they have been set. A locked cell
2263       cannot be edited and this property is on by default for all cells. A
2264       hidden cell will display the results of a formula but not the formula
2265       itself.
2266
2267       See the "protection.pl" program in the examples directory of the distro
2268       for an illustrative example and the "set_locked" and "set_hidden"
2269       format methods in "CELL FORMATTING".
2270
2271       You can optionally add a password to the worksheet protection:
2272
2273           $worksheet->protect( 'drowssap' );
2274
2275       Passing the empty string '' is the same as turning on protection
2276       without a password.
2277
2278       Note, the worksheet level password in Excel provides very weak
2279       protection. It does not encrypt your data and is very easy to
2280       deactivate. Full workbook encryption is not supported by
2281       "Excel::Writer::XLSX" since it requires a completely different file
2282       format and would take several man months to implement.
2283
2284       You can specify which worksheet elements you wish to protect by passing
2285       a hash_ref with any or all of the following keys:
2286
2287           # Default shown.
2288           %options = (
2289               objects               => 0,
2290               scenarios             => 0,
2291               format_cells          => 0,
2292               format_columns        => 0,
2293               format_rows           => 0,
2294               insert_columns        => 0,
2295               insert_rows           => 0,
2296               insert_hyperlinks     => 0,
2297               delete_columns        => 0,
2298               delete_rows           => 0,
2299               select_locked_cells   => 1,
2300               sort                  => 0,
2301               autofilter            => 0,
2302               pivot_tables          => 0,
2303               select_unlocked_cells => 1,
2304           );
2305
2306       The default boolean values are shown above. Individual elements can be
2307       protected as follows:
2308
2309           $worksheet->protect( 'drowssap', { insert_rows => 1 } );
2310
2311       For chartsheets the allowable options and default values are:
2312
2313           %options = (
2314               objects               => 1,
2315               content               => 1,
2316           );
2317
2318   set_selection( $first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col )
2319       This method can be used to specify which cell or cells are selected in
2320       a worksheet. The most common requirement is to select a single cell, in
2321       which case $last_row and $last_col can be omitted. The active cell
2322       within a selected range is determined by the order in which $first and
2323       $last are specified. It is also possible to specify a cell or a range
2324       using A1 notation. See the note about "Cell notation".
2325
2326       Examples:
2327
2328           $worksheet1->set_selection( 3, 3 );          # 1. Cell D4.
2329           $worksheet2->set_selection( 3, 3, 6, 6 );    # 2. Cells D4 to G7.
2330           $worksheet3->set_selection( 6, 6, 3, 3 );    # 3. Cells G7 to D4.
2331           $worksheet4->set_selection( 'D4' );          # Same as 1.
2332           $worksheet5->set_selection( 'D4:G7' );       # Same as 2.
2333           $worksheet6->set_selection( 'G7:D4' );       # Same as 3.
2334
2335       The default cell selections is (0, 0), 'A1'.
2336
2337   set_row( $row, $height, $format, $hidden, $level, $collapsed )
2338       This method can be used to change the default properties of a row. All
2339       parameters apart from $row are optional.
2340
2341       The most common use for this method is to change the height of a row:
2342
2343           $worksheet->set_row( 0, 20 );    # Row 1 height set to 20
2344
2345       If you wish to set the format without changing the height you can pass
2346       "undef" as the height parameter:
2347
2348           $worksheet->set_row( 0, undef, $format );
2349
2350       The $format parameter will be applied to any cells in the row that
2351       don't have a format. For example
2352
2353           $worksheet->set_row( 0, undef, $format1 );    # Set the format for row 1
2354           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Hello' );           # Defaults to $format1
2355           $worksheet->write( 'B1', 'Hello', $format2 ); # Keeps $format2
2356
2357       If you wish to define a row format in this way you should call the
2358       method before any calls to "write()". Calling it afterwards will
2359       overwrite any format that was previously specified.
2360
2361       The $hidden parameter should be set to 1 if you wish to hide a row.
2362       This can be used, for example, to hide intermediary steps in a
2363       complicated calculation:
2364
2365           $worksheet->set_row( 0, 20,    $format, 1 );
2366           $worksheet->set_row( 1, undef, undef,   1 );
2367
2368       The $level parameter is used to set the outline level of the row.
2369       Outlines are described in "OUTLINES AND GROUPING IN EXCEL". Adjacent
2370       rows with the same outline level are grouped together into a single
2371       outline.
2372
2373       The following example sets an outline level of 1 for rows 2 and 3
2374       (zero-indexed):
2375
2376           $worksheet->set_row( 1, undef, undef, 0, 1 );
2377           $worksheet->set_row( 2, undef, undef, 0, 1 );
2378
2379       The $hidden parameter can also be used to hide collapsed outlined rows
2380       when used in conjunction with the $level parameter.
2381
2382           $worksheet->set_row( 1, undef, undef, 1, 1 );
2383           $worksheet->set_row( 2, undef, undef, 1, 1 );
2384
2385       For collapsed outlines you should also indicate which row has the
2386       collapsed "+" symbol using the optional $collapsed parameter.
2387
2388           $worksheet->set_row( 3, undef, undef, 0, 0, 1 );
2389
2390       For a more complete example see the "outline.pl" and
2391       "outline_collapsed.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
2392       distro.
2393
2394       Excel allows up to 7 outline levels. Therefore the $level parameter
2395       should be in the range "0 <= $level <= 7".
2396
2397   set_column( $first_col, $last_col, $width, $format, $hidden, $level,
2398       $collapsed )
2399       This method can be used to change the default properties of a single
2400       column or a range of columns. All parameters apart from $first_col and
2401       $last_col are optional.
2402
2403       If "set_column()" is applied to a single column the value of $first_col
2404       and $last_col should be the same. In the case where $last_col is zero
2405       it is set to the same value as $first_col.
2406
2407       It is also possible, and generally clearer, to specify a column range
2408       using the form of A1 notation used for columns. See the note about
2409       "Cell notation".
2410
2411       Examples:
2412
2413           $worksheet->set_column( 0, 0, 20 );    # Column  A   width set to 20
2414           $worksheet->set_column( 1, 3, 30 );    # Columns B-D width set to 30
2415           $worksheet->set_column( 'E:E', 20 );   # Column  E   width set to 20
2416           $worksheet->set_column( 'F:H', 30 );   # Columns F-H width set to 30
2417
2418       The width corresponds to the column width value that is specified in
2419       Excel. It is approximately equal to the length of a string in the
2420       default font of Calibri 11. Unfortunately, there is no way to specify
2421       "AutoFit" for a column in the Excel file format. This feature is only
2422       available at runtime from within Excel.
2423
2424       As usual the $format parameter is optional, for additional information,
2425       see "CELL FORMATTING". If you wish to set the format without changing
2426       the width you can pass "undef" as the width parameter:
2427
2428           $worksheet->set_column( 0, 0, undef, $format );
2429
2430       The $format parameter will be applied to any cells in the column that
2431       don't have a format. For example
2432
2433           $worksheet->set_column( 'A:A', undef, $format1 );    # Set format for col 1
2434           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Hello' );                  # Defaults to $format1
2435           $worksheet->write( 'A2', 'Hello', $format2 );        # Keeps $format2
2436
2437       If you wish to define a column format in this way you should call the
2438       method before any calls to "write()". If you call it afterwards it
2439       won't have any effect.
2440
2441       A default row format takes precedence over a default column format
2442
2443           $worksheet->set_row( 0, undef, $format1 );           # Set format for row 1
2444           $worksheet->set_column( 'A:A', undef, $format2 );    # Set format for col 1
2445           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Hello' );                  # Defaults to $format1
2446           $worksheet->write( 'A2', 'Hello' );                  # Defaults to $format2
2447
2448       The $hidden parameter should be set to 1 if you wish to hide a column.
2449       This can be used, for example, to hide intermediary steps in a
2450       complicated calculation:
2451
2452           $worksheet->set_column( 'D:D', 20,    $format, 1 );
2453           $worksheet->set_column( 'E:E', undef, undef,   1 );
2454
2455       The $level parameter is used to set the outline level of the column.
2456       Outlines are described in "OUTLINES AND GROUPING IN EXCEL". Adjacent
2457       columns with the same outline level are grouped together into a single
2458       outline.
2459
2460       The following example sets an outline level of 1 for columns B to G:
2461
2462           $worksheet->set_column( 'B:G', undef, undef, 0, 1 );
2463
2464       The $hidden parameter can also be used to hide collapsed outlined
2465       columns when used in conjunction with the $level parameter.
2466
2467           $worksheet->set_column( 'B:G', undef, undef, 1, 1 );
2468
2469       For collapsed outlines you should also indicate which row has the
2470       collapsed "+" symbol using the optional $collapsed parameter.
2471
2472           $worksheet->set_column( 'H:H', undef, undef, 0, 0, 1 );
2473
2474       For a more complete example see the "outline.pl" and
2475       "outline_collapsed.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
2476       distro.
2477
2478       Excel allows up to 7 outline levels. Therefore the $level parameter
2479       should be in the range "0 <= $level <= 7".
2480
2481   set_default_row( $height, $hide_unused_rows )
2482       The "set_default_row()" method is used to set the limited number of
2483       default row properties allowed by Excel. These are the default height
2484       and the option to hide unused rows.
2485
2486           $worksheet->set_default_row( 24 );  # Set the default row height to 24.
2487
2488       The option to hide unused rows is used by Excel as an optimisation so
2489       that the user can hide a large number of rows without generating a very
2490       large file with an entry for each hidden row.
2491
2492           $worksheet->set_default_row( undef, 1 );
2493
2494       See the "hide_row_col.pl" example program.
2495
2496   outline_settings( $visible, $symbols_below, $symbols_right, $auto_style )
2497       The "outline_settings()" method is used to control the appearance of
2498       outlines in Excel. Outlines are described in "OUTLINES AND GROUPING IN
2499       EXCEL".
2500
2501       The $visible parameter is used to control whether or not outlines are
2502       visible. Setting this parameter to 0 will cause all outlines on the
2503       worksheet to be hidden. They can be unhidden in Excel by means of the
2504       "Show Outline Symbols" command button. The default setting is 1 for
2505       visible outlines.
2506
2507           $worksheet->outline_settings( 0 );
2508
2509       The $symbols_below parameter is used to control whether the row outline
2510       symbol will appear above or below the outline level bar. The default
2511       setting is 1 for symbols to appear below the outline level bar.
2512
2513       The $symbols_right parameter is used to control whether the column
2514       outline symbol will appear to the left or the right of the outline
2515       level bar. The default setting is 1 for symbols to appear to the right
2516       of the outline level bar.
2517
2518       The $auto_style parameter is used to control whether the automatic
2519       outline generator in Excel uses automatic styles when creating an
2520       outline. This has no effect on a file generated by
2521       "Excel::Writer::XLSX" but it does have an effect on how the worksheet
2522       behaves after it is created. The default setting is 0 for "Automatic
2523       Styles" to be turned off.
2524
2525       The default settings for all of these parameters correspond to Excel's
2526       default parameters.
2527
2528       The worksheet parameters controlled by "outline_settings()" are rarely
2529       used.
2530
2531   freeze_panes( $row, $col, $top_row, $left_col )
2532       This method can be used to divide a worksheet into horizontal or
2533       vertical regions known as panes and to also "freeze" these panes so
2534       that the splitter bars are not visible. This is the same as the
2535       "Window->Freeze Panes" menu command in Excel
2536
2537       The parameters $row and $col are used to specify the location of the
2538       split. It should be noted that the split is specified at the top or
2539       left of a cell and that the method uses zero based indexing. Therefore
2540       to freeze the first row of a worksheet it is necessary to specify the
2541       split at row 2 (which is 1 as the zero-based index). This might lead
2542       you to think that you are using a 1 based index but this is not the
2543       case.
2544
2545       You can set one of the $row and $col parameters as zero if you do not
2546       want either a vertical or horizontal split.
2547
2548       Examples:
2549
2550           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 1, 0 );    # Freeze the first row
2551           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 'A2' );    # Same using A1 notation
2552           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 0, 1 );    # Freeze the first column
2553           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 'B1' );    # Same using A1 notation
2554           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 1, 2 );    # Freeze first row and first 2 columns
2555           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 'C2' );    # Same using A1 notation
2556
2557       The parameters $top_row and $left_col are optional. They are used to
2558       specify the top-most or left-most visible row or column in the
2559       scrolling region of the panes. For example to freeze the first row and
2560       to have the scrolling region begin at row twenty:
2561
2562           $worksheet->freeze_panes( 1, 0, 20, 0 );
2563
2564       You cannot use A1 notation for the $top_row and $left_col parameters.
2565
2566       See also the "panes.pl" program in the "examples" directory of the
2567       distribution.
2568
2569   split_panes( $y, $x, $top_row, $left_col )
2570       This method can be used to divide a worksheet into horizontal or
2571       vertical regions known as panes. This method is different from the
2572       "freeze_panes()" method in that the splits between the panes will be
2573       visible to the user and each pane will have its own scroll bars.
2574
2575       The parameters $y and $x are used to specify the vertical and
2576       horizontal position of the split. The units for $y and $x are the same
2577       as those used by Excel to specify row height and column width. However,
2578       the vertical and horizontal units are different from each other.
2579       Therefore you must specify the $y and $x parameters in terms of the row
2580       heights and column widths that you have set or the default values which
2581       are 15 for a row and 8.43 for a column.
2582
2583       You can set one of the $y and $x parameters as zero if you do not want
2584       either a vertical or horizontal split. The parameters $top_row and
2585       $left_col are optional. They are used to specify the top-most or left-
2586       most visible row or column in the bottom-right pane.
2587
2588       Example:
2589
2590           $worksheet->split_panes( 15, 0,   );    # First row
2591           $worksheet->split_panes( 0,  8.43 );    # First column
2592           $worksheet->split_panes( 15, 8.43 );    # First row and column
2593
2594       You cannot use A1 notation with this method.
2595
2596       See also the "freeze_panes()" method and the "panes.pl" program in the
2597       "examples" directory of the distribution.
2598
2599   merge_range( $first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col, $token, $format
2600       )
2601       The "merge_range()" method allows you to merge cells that contain other
2602       types of alignment in addition to the merging:
2603
2604           my $format = $workbook->add_format(
2605               border => 6,
2606               valign => 'vcenter',
2607               align  => 'center',
2608           );
2609
2610           $worksheet->merge_range( 'B3:D4', 'Vertical and horizontal', $format );
2611
2612       "merge_range()" writes its $token argument using the worksheet
2613       "write()" method. Therefore it will handle numbers, strings, formulas
2614       or urls as required. If you need to specify the required "write_*()"
2615       method use the "merge_range_type()" method, see below.
2616
2617       The full possibilities of this method are shown in the "merge3.pl" to
2618       "merge6.pl" programs in the "examples" directory of the distribution.
2619
2620   merge_range_type( $type, $first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col, ...
2621       )
2622       The "merge_range()" method, see above, uses "write()" to insert the
2623       required data into to a merged range. However, there may be times where
2624       this isn't what you require so as an alternative the "merge_range_type
2625       ()" method allows you to specify the type of data you wish to write.
2626       For example:
2627
2628           $worksheet->merge_range_type( 'number',  'B2:C2', 123,    $format1 );
2629           $worksheet->merge_range_type( 'string',  'B4:C4', 'foo',  $format2 );
2630           $worksheet->merge_range_type( 'formula', 'B6:C6', '=1+2', $format3 );
2631
2632       The $type must be one of the following, which corresponds to a
2633       "write_*()" method:
2634
2635           'number'
2636           'string'
2637           'formula'
2638           'array_formula'
2639           'blank'
2640           'rich_string'
2641           'date_time'
2642           'url'
2643
2644       Any arguments after the range should be whatever the appropriate method
2645       accepts:
2646
2647           $worksheet->merge_range_type( 'rich_string', 'B8:C8',
2648                                         'This is ', $bold, 'bold', $format4 );
2649
2650       Note, you must always pass a $format object as an argument, even if it
2651       is a default format.
2652
2653   set_zoom( $scale )
2654       Set the worksheet zoom factor in the range "10 <= $scale <= 400":
2655
2656           $worksheet1->set_zoom( 50 );
2657           $worksheet2->set_zoom( 75 );
2658           $worksheet3->set_zoom( 300 );
2659           $worksheet4->set_zoom( 400 );
2660
2661       The default zoom factor is 100. You cannot zoom to "Selection" because
2662       it is calculated by Excel at run-time.
2663
2664       Note, "set_zoom()" does not affect the scale of the printed page. For
2665       that you should use "set_print_scale()".
2666
2667   right_to_left()
2668       The "right_to_left()" method is used to change the default direction of
2669       the worksheet from left-to-right, with the A1 cell in the top left, to
2670       right-to-left, with the A1 cell in the top right.
2671
2672           $worksheet->right_to_left();
2673
2674       This is useful when creating Arabic, Hebrew or other near or far
2675       eastern worksheets that use right-to-left as the default direction.
2676
2677   hide_zero()
2678       The "hide_zero()" method is used to hide any zero values that appear in
2679       cells.
2680
2681           $worksheet->hide_zero();
2682
2683       In Excel this option is found under Tools->Options->View.
2684
2685   set_tab_color()
2686       The "set_tab_color()" method is used to change the colour of the
2687       worksheet tab. You can use one of the standard colour names provided by
2688       the Format object or a Html style "#RRGGBB" colour. See "WORKING WITH
2689       COLOURS".
2690
2691           $worksheet1->set_tab_color( 'red' );
2692           $worksheet2->set_tab_color( '#FF6600' );
2693
2694       See the "tab_colors.pl" program in the examples directory of the
2695       distro.
2696
2697   autofilter( $first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col )
2698       This method allows an autofilter to be added to a worksheet. An
2699       autofilter is a way of adding drop down lists to the headers of a 2D
2700       range of worksheet data. This allows users to filter the data based on
2701       simple criteria so that some data is shown and some is hidden.
2702
2703       To add an autofilter to a worksheet:
2704
2705           $worksheet->autofilter( 0, 0, 10, 3 );
2706           $worksheet->autofilter( 'A1:D11' );    # Same as above in A1 notation.
2707
2708       Filter conditions can be applied using the "filter_column()" or
2709       "filter_column_list()" method.
2710
2711       See the "autofilter.pl" program in the examples directory of the distro
2712       for a more detailed example.
2713
2714   filter_column( $column, $expression )
2715       The "filter_column" method can be used to filter columns in a
2716       autofilter range based on simple conditions.
2717
2718       NOTE: It isn't sufficient to just specify the filter condition. You
2719       must also hide any rows that don't match the filter condition. Rows are
2720       hidden using the "set_row()" "visible" parameter. "Excel::Writer::XLSX"
2721       cannot do this automatically since it isn't part of the file format.
2722       See the "autofilter.pl" program in the examples directory of the distro
2723       for an example.
2724
2725       The conditions for the filter are specified using simple expressions:
2726
2727           $worksheet->filter_column( 'A', 'x > 2000' );
2728           $worksheet->filter_column( 'B', 'x > 2000 and x < 5000' );
2729
2730       The $column parameter can either be a zero indexed column number or a
2731       string column name.
2732
2733       The following operators are available:
2734
2735           Operator        Synonyms
2736              ==           =   eq  =~
2737              !=           <>  ne  !=
2738              >
2739              <
2740              >=
2741              <=
2742
2743              and          &&
2744              or           ||
2745
2746       The operator synonyms are just syntactic sugar to make you more
2747       comfortable using the expressions. It is important to remember that the
2748       expressions will be interpreted by Excel and not by perl.
2749
2750       An expression can comprise a single statement or two statements
2751       separated by the "and" and "or" operators. For example:
2752
2753           'x <  2000'
2754           'x >  2000'
2755           'x == 2000'
2756           'x >  2000 and x <  5000'
2757           'x == 2000 or  x == 5000'
2758
2759       Filtering of blank or non-blank data can be achieved by using a value
2760       of "Blanks" or "NonBlanks" in the expression:
2761
2762           'x == Blanks'
2763           'x == NonBlanks'
2764
2765       Excel also allows some simple string matching operations:
2766
2767           'x =~ b*'   # begins with b
2768           'x !~ b*'   # doesn't begin with b
2769           'x =~ *b'   # ends with b
2770           'x !~ *b'   # doesn't end with b
2771           'x =~ *b*'  # contains b
2772           'x !~ *b*'  # doesn't contains b
2773
2774       You can also use "*" to match any character or number and "?" to match
2775       any single character or number. No other regular expression quantifier
2776       is supported by Excel's filters. Excel's regular expression characters
2777       can be escaped using "~".
2778
2779       The placeholder variable "x" in the above examples can be replaced by
2780       any simple string. The actual placeholder name is ignored internally so
2781       the following are all equivalent:
2782
2783           'x     < 2000'
2784           'col   < 2000'
2785           'Price < 2000'
2786
2787       Also, note that a filter condition can only be applied to a column in a
2788       range specified by the "autofilter()" Worksheet method.
2789
2790       See the "autofilter.pl" program in the examples directory of the distro
2791       for a more detailed example.
2792
2793       Note Spreadsheet::WriteExcel supports Top 10 style filters. These
2794       aren't currently supported by Excel::Writer::XLSX but may be added
2795       later.
2796
2797   filter_column_list( $column, @matches )
2798       Prior to Excel 2007 it was only possible to have either 1 or 2 filter
2799       conditions such as the ones shown above in the "filter_column" method.
2800
2801       Excel 2007 introduced a new list style filter where it is possible to
2802       specify 1 or more 'or' style criteria. For example if your column
2803       contained data for the first six months the initial data would be
2804       displayed as all selected as shown on the left. Then if you selected
2805       'March', 'April' and 'May' they would be displayed as shown on the
2806       right.
2807
2808           No criteria selected      Some criteria selected.
2809
2810           [/] (Select all)          [X] (Select all)
2811           [/] January               [ ] January
2812           [/] February              [ ] February
2813           [/] March                 [/] March
2814           [/] April                 [/] April
2815           [/] May                   [/] May
2816           [/] June                  [ ] June
2817
2818       The "filter_column_list()" method can be used to represent these types
2819       of filters:
2820
2821           $worksheet->filter_column_list( 'A', 'March', 'April', 'May' );
2822
2823       The $column parameter can either be a zero indexed column number or a
2824       string column name.
2825
2826       One or more criteria can be selected:
2827
2828           $worksheet->filter_column_list( 0, 'March' );
2829           $worksheet->filter_column_list( 1, 100, 110, 120, 130 );
2830
2831       NOTE: It isn't sufficient to just specify the filter condition. You
2832       must also hide any rows that don't match the filter condition. Rows are
2833       hidden using the "set_row()" "visible" parameter. "Excel::Writer::XLSX"
2834       cannot do this automatically since it isn't part of the file format.
2835       See the "autofilter.pl" program in the examples directory of the distro
2836       for an example.
2837
2838   convert_date_time( $date_string )
2839       The "convert_date_time()" method is used internally by the
2840       "write_date_time()" method to convert date strings to a number that
2841       represents an Excel date and time.
2842
2843       It is exposed as a public method for utility purposes.
2844
2845       The $date_string format is detailed in the "write_date_time()" method.
2846
2847   Worksheet set_vba_name()
2848       The Worksheet "set_vba_name()" method can be used to set the VBA
2849       codename for the worksheet (there is a similar method for the workbook
2850       VBA name). This is sometimes required when a "vbaProject" macro
2851       included via "add_vba_project()" refers to the worksheet. The default
2852       Excel VBA name of "Sheet1", etc., is used if a user defined name isn't
2853       specified.
2854
2855       See also "WORKING WITH VBA MACROS".
2856

PAGE SET-UP METHODS

2858       Page set-up methods affect the way that a worksheet looks when it is
2859       printed. They control features such as page headers and footers and
2860       margins. These methods are really just standard worksheet methods. They
2861       are documented here in a separate section for the sake of clarity.
2862
2863       The following methods are available for page set-up:
2864
2865           set_landscape()
2866           set_portrait()
2867           set_page_view()
2868           set_paper()
2869           center_horizontally()
2870           center_vertically()
2871           set_margins()
2872           set_header()
2873           set_footer()
2874           repeat_rows()
2875           repeat_columns()
2876           hide_gridlines()
2877           print_row_col_headers()
2878           print_area()
2879           print_across()
2880           fit_to_pages()
2881           set_start_page()
2882           set_print_scale()
2883           print_black_and_white()
2884           set_h_pagebreaks()
2885           set_v_pagebreaks()
2886
2887       A common requirement when working with Excel::Writer::XLSX is to apply
2888       the same page set-up features to all of the worksheets in a workbook.
2889       To do this you can use the "sheets()" method of the "workbook" class to
2890       access the array of worksheets in a workbook:
2891
2892           for $worksheet ( $workbook->sheets() ) {
2893               $worksheet->set_landscape();
2894           }
2895
2896   set_landscape()
2897       This method is used to set the orientation of a worksheet's printed
2898       page to landscape:
2899
2900           $worksheet->set_landscape();    # Landscape mode
2901
2902   set_portrait()
2903       This method is used to set the orientation of a worksheet's printed
2904       page to portrait. The default worksheet orientation is portrait, so you
2905       won't generally need to call this method.
2906
2907           $worksheet->set_portrait();    # Portrait mode
2908
2909   set_page_view()
2910       This method is used to display the worksheet in "Page View/Layout"
2911       mode.
2912
2913           $worksheet->set_page_view();
2914
2915   set_paper( $index )
2916       This method is used to set the paper format for the printed output of a
2917       worksheet. The following paper styles are available:
2918
2919           Index   Paper format            Paper size
2920           =====   ============            ==========
2921             0     Printer default         -
2922             1     Letter                  8 1/2 x 11 in
2923             2     Letter Small            8 1/2 x 11 in
2924             3     Tabloid                 11 x 17 in
2925             4     Ledger                  17 x 11 in
2926             5     Legal                   8 1/2 x 14 in
2927             6     Statement               5 1/2 x 8 1/2 in
2928             7     Executive               7 1/4 x 10 1/2 in
2929             8     A3                      297 x 420 mm
2930             9     A4                      210 x 297 mm
2931            10     A4 Small                210 x 297 mm
2932            11     A5                      148 x 210 mm
2933            12     B4                      250 x 354 mm
2934            13     B5                      182 x 257 mm
2935            14     Folio                   8 1/2 x 13 in
2936            15     Quarto                  215 x 275 mm
2937            16     -                       10x14 in
2938            17     -                       11x17 in
2939            18     Note                    8 1/2 x 11 in
2940            19     Envelope  9             3 7/8 x 8 7/8
2941            20     Envelope 10             4 1/8 x 9 1/2
2942            21     Envelope 11             4 1/2 x 10 3/8
2943            22     Envelope 12             4 3/4 x 11
2944            23     Envelope 14             5 x 11 1/2
2945            24     C size sheet            -
2946            25     D size sheet            -
2947            26     E size sheet            -
2948            27     Envelope DL             110 x 220 mm
2949            28     Envelope C3             324 x 458 mm
2950            29     Envelope C4             229 x 324 mm
2951            30     Envelope C5             162 x 229 mm
2952            31     Envelope C6             114 x 162 mm
2953            32     Envelope C65            114 x 229 mm
2954            33     Envelope B4             250 x 353 mm
2955            34     Envelope B5             176 x 250 mm
2956            35     Envelope B6             176 x 125 mm
2957            36     Envelope                110 x 230 mm
2958            37     Monarch                 3.875 x 7.5 in
2959            38     Envelope                3 5/8 x 6 1/2 in
2960            39     Fanfold                 14 7/8 x 11 in
2961            40     German Std Fanfold      8 1/2 x 12 in
2962            41     German Legal Fanfold    8 1/2 x 13 in
2963
2964       Note, it is likely that not all of these paper types will be available
2965       to the end user since it will depend on the paper formats that the
2966       user's printer supports. Therefore, it is best to stick to standard
2967       paper types.
2968
2969           $worksheet->set_paper( 1 );    # US Letter
2970           $worksheet->set_paper( 9 );    # A4
2971
2972       If you do not specify a paper type the worksheet will print using the
2973       printer's default paper.
2974
2975   center_horizontally()
2976       Center the worksheet data horizontally between the margins on the
2977       printed page:
2978
2979           $worksheet->center_horizontally();
2980
2981   center_vertically()
2982       Center the worksheet data vertically between the margins on the printed
2983       page:
2984
2985           $worksheet->center_vertically();
2986
2987   set_margins( $inches )
2988       There are several methods available for setting the worksheet margins
2989       on the printed page:
2990
2991           set_margins()        # Set all margins to the same value
2992           set_margins_LR()     # Set left and right margins to the same value
2993           set_margins_TB()     # Set top and bottom margins to the same value
2994           set_margin_left();   # Set left margin
2995           set_margin_right();  # Set right margin
2996           set_margin_top();    # Set top margin
2997           set_margin_bottom(); # Set bottom margin
2998
2999       All of these methods take a distance in inches as a parameter. Note: 1
3000       inch = 25.4mm. ";-)" The default left and right margin is 0.7 inch. The
3001       default top and bottom margin is 0.75 inch. Note, these defaults are
3002       different from the defaults used in the binary file format by
3003       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
3004
3005   set_header( $string, $margin )
3006       Headers and footers are generated using a $string which is a
3007       combination of plain text and control characters. The $margin parameter
3008       is optional.
3009
3010       The available control character are:
3011
3012           Control             Category            Description
3013           =======             ========            ===========
3014           &L                  Justification       Left
3015           &C                                      Center
3016           &R                                      Right
3017
3018           &P                  Information         Page number
3019           &N                                      Total number of pages
3020           &D                                      Date
3021           &T                                      Time
3022           &F                                      File name
3023           &A                                      Worksheet name
3024           &Z                                      Workbook path
3025
3026           &fontsize           Font                Font size
3027           &"font,style"                           Font name and style
3028           &U                                      Single underline
3029           &E                                      Double underline
3030           &S                                      Strikethrough
3031           &X                                      Superscript
3032           &Y                                      Subscript
3033
3034           &[Picture]          Images              Image placeholder
3035           &G                                      Same as &[Picture]
3036
3037           &&                  Miscellaneous       Literal ampersand &
3038
3039       Text in headers and footers can be justified (aligned) to the left,
3040       center and right by prefixing the text with the control characters &L,
3041       &C and &R.
3042
3043       For example (with ASCII art representation of the results):
3044
3045           $worksheet->set_header('&LHello');
3046
3047            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3048           |                                                               |
3049           | Hello                                                         |
3050           |                                                               |
3051
3052
3053           $worksheet->set_header('&CHello');
3054
3055            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3056           |                                                               |
3057           |                          Hello                                |
3058           |                                                               |
3059
3060
3061           $worksheet->set_header('&RHello');
3062
3063            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3064           |                                                               |
3065           |                                                         Hello |
3066           |                                                               |
3067
3068       For simple text, if you do not specify any justification the text will
3069       be centred. However, you must prefix the text with &C if you specify a
3070       font name or any other formatting:
3071
3072           $worksheet->set_header('Hello');
3073
3074            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3075           |                                                               |
3076           |                          Hello                                |
3077           |                                                               |
3078
3079       You can have text in each of the justification regions:
3080
3081           $worksheet->set_header('&LCiao&CBello&RCielo');
3082
3083            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3084           |                                                               |
3085           | Ciao                     Bello                          Cielo |
3086           |                                                               |
3087
3088       The information control characters act as variables that Excel will
3089       update as the workbook or worksheet changes. Times and dates are in the
3090       users default format:
3091
3092           $worksheet->set_header('&CPage &P of &N');
3093
3094            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3095           |                                                               |
3096           |                        Page 1 of 6                            |
3097           |                                                               |
3098
3099
3100           $worksheet->set_header('&CUpdated at &T');
3101
3102            ---------------------------------------------------------------
3103           |                                                               |
3104           |                    Updated at 12:30 PM                        |
3105           |                                                               |
3106
3107       Images can be inserted using the options shown below. Each image must
3108       have a placeholder in header string using the "&[Picture]" or &G
3109       control characters:
3110
3111           $worksheet->set_header( '&L&G', 0.3, { image_left => 'logo.jpg' });
3112
3113       You can specify the font size of a section of the text by prefixing it
3114       with the control character &n where "n" is the font size:
3115
3116           $worksheet1->set_header( '&C&30Hello Big' );
3117           $worksheet2->set_header( '&C&10Hello Small' );
3118
3119       You can specify the font of a section of the text by prefixing it with
3120       the control sequence "&"font,style"" where "fontname" is a font name
3121       such as "Courier New" or "Times New Roman" and "style" is one of the
3122       standard Windows font descriptions: "Regular", "Italic", "Bold" or
3123       "Bold Italic":
3124
3125           $worksheet1->set_header( '&C&"Courier New,Italic"Hello' );
3126           $worksheet2->set_header( '&C&"Courier New,Bold Italic"Hello' );
3127           $worksheet3->set_header( '&C&"Times New Roman,Regular"Hello' );
3128
3129       It is possible to combine all of these features together to create
3130       sophisticated headers and footers. As an aid to setting up complicated
3131       headers and footers you can record a page set-up as a macro in Excel
3132       and look at the format strings that VBA produces. Remember however that
3133       VBA uses two double quotes "" to indicate a single double quote. For
3134       the last example above the equivalent VBA code looks like this:
3135
3136           .LeftHeader   = ""
3137           .CenterHeader = "&""Times New Roman,Regular""Hello"
3138           .RightHeader  = ""
3139
3140       To include a single literal ampersand "&" in a header or footer you
3141       should use a double ampersand "&&":
3142
3143           $worksheet1->set_header('&CCuriouser && Curiouser - Attorneys at Law');
3144
3145       As stated above the margin parameter is optional. As with the other
3146       margins the value should be in inches. The default header and footer
3147       margin is 0.3 inch. Note, the default margin is different from the
3148       default used in the binary file format by Spreadsheet::WriteExcel. The
3149       header and footer margin size can be set as follows:
3150
3151           $worksheet->set_header( '&CHello', 0.75 );
3152
3153       The header and footer margins are independent of the top and bottom
3154       margins.
3155
3156       The available options are:
3157
3158       ·   "image_left" The path to the image. Requires a &G or "&[Picture]"
3159           placeholder.
3160
3161       ·   "image_center" Same as above.
3162
3163       ·   "image_right" Same as above.
3164
3165       ·   "scale_with_doc" Scale header with document. Defaults to true.
3166
3167       ·   "align_with_margins" Align header to margins. Defaults to true.
3168
3169       The image options must have an accompanying "&[Picture]" or &G control
3170       character in the header string:
3171
3172           $worksheet->set_header(
3173               '&L&[Picture]&C&[Picture]&R&[Picture]',
3174               undef, # If you don't want to change the margin.
3175               {
3176                   image_left   => 'red.jpg',
3177                   image_center => 'blue.jpg',
3178                   image_right  => 'yellow.jpg'
3179               }
3180             );
3181
3182       Note, the header or footer string must be less than 255 characters.
3183       Strings longer than this will not be written and a warning will be
3184       generated.
3185
3186       The "set_header()" method can also handle Unicode strings in "UTF-8"
3187       format.
3188
3189           $worksheet->set_header( "&C\x{263a}" )
3190
3191       See, also the "headers.pl" program in the "examples" directory of the
3192       distribution.
3193
3194   set_footer( $string, $margin )
3195       The syntax of the "set_footer()" method is the same as "set_header()",
3196       see above.
3197
3198   repeat_rows( $first_row, $last_row )
3199       Set the number of rows to repeat at the top of each printed page.
3200
3201       For large Excel documents it is often desirable to have the first row
3202       or rows of the worksheet print out at the top of each page. This can be
3203       achieved by using the "repeat_rows()" method. The parameters $first_row
3204       and $last_row are zero based. The $last_row parameter is optional if
3205       you only wish to specify one row:
3206
3207           $worksheet1->repeat_rows( 0 );    # Repeat the first row
3208           $worksheet2->repeat_rows( 0, 1 ); # Repeat the first two rows
3209
3210   repeat_columns( $first_col, $last_col )
3211       Set the columns to repeat at the left hand side of each printed page.
3212
3213       For large Excel documents it is often desirable to have the first
3214       column or columns of the worksheet print out at the left hand side of
3215       each page. This can be achieved by using the "repeat_columns()" method.
3216       The parameters $first_column and $last_column are zero based. The
3217       $last_column parameter is optional if you only wish to specify one
3218       column. You can also specify the columns using A1 column notation, see
3219       the note about "Cell notation".
3220
3221           $worksheet1->repeat_columns( 0 );        # Repeat the first column
3222           $worksheet2->repeat_columns( 0, 1 );     # Repeat the first two columns
3223           $worksheet3->repeat_columns( 'A:A' );    # Repeat the first column
3224           $worksheet4->repeat_columns( 'A:B' );    # Repeat the first two columns
3225
3226   hide_gridlines( $option )
3227       This method is used to hide the gridlines on the screen and printed
3228       page. Gridlines are the lines that divide the cells on a worksheet.
3229       Screen and printed gridlines are turned on by default in an Excel
3230       worksheet. If you have defined your own cell borders you may wish to
3231       hide the default gridlines.
3232
3233           $worksheet->hide_gridlines();
3234
3235       The following values of $option are valid:
3236
3237           0 : Don't hide gridlines
3238           1 : Hide printed gridlines only
3239           2 : Hide screen and printed gridlines
3240
3241       If you don't supply an argument or use "undef" the default option is 1,
3242       i.e. only the printed gridlines are hidden.
3243
3244   print_row_col_headers()
3245       Set the option to print the row and column headers on the printed page.
3246
3247       An Excel worksheet looks something like the following;
3248
3249            ------------------------------------------
3250           |   |   A   |   B   |   C   |   D   |  ...
3251            ------------------------------------------
3252           | 1 |       |       |       |       |  ...
3253           | 2 |       |       |       |       |  ...
3254           | 3 |       |       |       |       |  ...
3255           | 4 |       |       |       |       |  ...
3256           |...|  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...
3257
3258       The headers are the letters and numbers at the top and the left of the
3259       worksheet. Since these headers serve mainly as a indication of position
3260       on the worksheet they generally do not appear on the printed page. If
3261       you wish to have them printed you can use the "print_row_col_headers()"
3262       method:
3263
3264           $worksheet->print_row_col_headers();
3265
3266       Do not confuse these headers with page headers as described in the
3267       "set_header()" section above.
3268
3269   hide_row_col_headers()
3270       Similar to "print_row_col_headers()" above but set the option to hide
3271       the row and column headers within Excel so that they aren't visible to
3272       the user:
3273
3274           $worksheet->hide_row_col_headers();
3275
3276   print_area( $first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col )
3277       This method is used to specify the area of the worksheet that will be
3278       printed. All four parameters must be specified. You can also use A1
3279       notation, see the note about "Cell notation".
3280
3281           $worksheet1->print_area( 'A1:H20' );    # Cells A1 to H20
3282           $worksheet2->print_area( 0, 0, 19, 7 ); # The same
3283           $worksheet2->print_area( 'A:H' );       # Columns A to H if rows have data
3284
3285   print_across()
3286       The "print_across" method is used to change the default print
3287       direction. This is referred to by Excel as the sheet "page order".
3288
3289           $worksheet->print_across();
3290
3291       The default page order is shown below for a worksheet that extends over
3292       4 pages. The order is called "down then across":
3293
3294           [1] [3]
3295           [2] [4]
3296
3297       However, by using the "print_across" method the print order will be
3298       changed to "across then down":
3299
3300           [1] [2]
3301           [3] [4]
3302
3303   fit_to_pages( $width, $height )
3304       The "fit_to_pages()" method is used to fit the printed area to a
3305       specific number of pages both vertically and horizontally. If the
3306       printed area exceeds the specified number of pages it will be scaled
3307       down to fit. This guarantees that the printed area will always appear
3308       on the specified number of pages even if the page size or margins
3309       change.
3310
3311           $worksheet1->fit_to_pages( 1, 1 );    # Fit to 1x1 pages
3312           $worksheet2->fit_to_pages( 2, 1 );    # Fit to 2x1 pages
3313           $worksheet3->fit_to_pages( 1, 2 );    # Fit to 1x2 pages
3314
3315       The print area can be defined using the "print_area()" method as
3316       described above.
3317
3318       A common requirement is to fit the printed output to n pages wide but
3319       have the height be as long as necessary. To achieve this set the
3320       $height to zero:
3321
3322           $worksheet1->fit_to_pages( 1, 0 );    # 1 page wide and as long as necessary
3323
3324       Note that although it is valid to use both "fit_to_pages()" and
3325       "set_print_scale()" on the same worksheet only one of these options can
3326       be active at a time. The last method call made will set the active
3327       option.
3328
3329       Note that "fit_to_pages()" will override any manual page breaks that
3330       are defined in the worksheet.
3331
3332       Note: When using "fit_to_pages()" it may also be required to set the
3333       printer paper size using "set_paper()" or else Excel will default to
3334       "US Letter".
3335
3336   set_start_page( $start_page )
3337       The "set_start_page()" method is used to set the number of the starting
3338       page when the worksheet is printed out. The default value is 1.
3339
3340           $worksheet->set_start_page( 2 );
3341
3342   set_print_scale( $scale )
3343       Set the scale factor of the printed page. Scale factors in the range
3344       "10 <= $scale <= 400" are valid:
3345
3346           $worksheet1->set_print_scale( 50 );
3347           $worksheet2->set_print_scale( 75 );
3348           $worksheet3->set_print_scale( 300 );
3349           $worksheet4->set_print_scale( 400 );
3350
3351       The default scale factor is 100. Note, "set_print_scale()" does not
3352       affect the scale of the visible page in Excel. For that you should use
3353       "set_zoom()".
3354
3355       Note also that although it is valid to use both "fit_to_pages()" and
3356       "set_print_scale()" on the same worksheet only one of these options can
3357       be active at a time. The last method call made will set the active
3358       option.
3359
3360   print_black_and_white()
3361       Set the option to print the worksheet in black and white:
3362
3363           $worksheet->print_black_and_white();
3364
3365   set_h_pagebreaks( @breaks )
3366       Add horizontal page breaks to a worksheet. A page break causes all the
3367       data that follows it to be printed on the next page. Horizontal page
3368       breaks act between rows. To create a page break between rows 20 and 21
3369       you must specify the break at row 21. However in zero index notation
3370       this is actually row 20. So you can pretend for a small while that you
3371       are using 1 index notation:
3372
3373           $worksheet1->set_h_pagebreaks( 20 );    # Break between row 20 and 21
3374
3375       The "set_h_pagebreaks()" method will accept a list of page breaks and
3376       you can call it more than once:
3377
3378           $worksheet2->set_h_pagebreaks( 20,  40,  60,  80,  100 );    # Add breaks
3379           $worksheet2->set_h_pagebreaks( 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 );    # Add some more
3380
3381       Note: If you specify the "fit to page" option via the "fit_to_pages()"
3382       method it will override all manual page breaks.
3383
3384       There is a silent limitation of about 1000 horizontal page breaks per
3385       worksheet in line with an Excel internal limitation.
3386
3387   set_v_pagebreaks( @breaks )
3388       Add vertical page breaks to a worksheet. A page break causes all the
3389       data that follows it to be printed on the next page. Vertical page
3390       breaks act between columns. To create a page break between columns 20
3391       and 21 you must specify the break at column 21. However in zero index
3392       notation this is actually column 20. So you can pretend for a small
3393       while that you are using 1 index notation:
3394
3395           $worksheet1->set_v_pagebreaks(20); # Break between column 20 and 21
3396
3397       The "set_v_pagebreaks()" method will accept a list of page breaks and
3398       you can call it more than once:
3399
3400           $worksheet2->set_v_pagebreaks( 20,  40,  60,  80,  100 );    # Add breaks
3401           $worksheet2->set_v_pagebreaks( 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 );    # Add some more
3402
3403       Note: If you specify the "fit to page" option via the "fit_to_pages()"
3404       method it will override all manual page breaks.
3405

CELL FORMATTING

3407       This section describes the methods and properties that are available
3408       for formatting cells in Excel. The properties of a cell that can be
3409       formatted include: fonts, colours, patterns, borders, alignment and
3410       number formatting.
3411
3412   Creating and using a Format object
3413       Cell formatting is defined through a Format object. Format objects are
3414       created by calling the workbook "add_format()" method as follows:
3415
3416           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format();            # Set properties later
3417           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format( %props );    # Set at creation
3418
3419       The format object holds all the formatting properties that can be
3420       applied to a cell, a row or a column. The process of setting these
3421       properties is discussed in the next section.
3422
3423       Once a Format object has been constructed and its properties have been
3424       set it can be passed as an argument to the worksheet "write" methods as
3425       follows:
3426
3427           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'One', $format );
3428           $worksheet->write_string( 1, 0, 'Two', $format );
3429           $worksheet->write_number( 2, 0, 3, $format );
3430           $worksheet->write_blank( 3, 0, $format );
3431
3432       Formats can also be passed to the worksheet "set_row()" and
3433       "set_column()" methods to define the default property for a row or
3434       column.
3435
3436           $worksheet->set_row( 0, 15, $format );
3437           $worksheet->set_column( 0, 0, 15, $format );
3438
3439   Format methods and Format properties
3440       The following table shows the Excel format categories, the formatting
3441       properties that can be applied and the equivalent object method:
3442
3443           Category   Description       Property        Method Name
3444           --------   -----------       --------        -----------
3445           Font       Font type         font            set_font()
3446                      Font size         size            set_size()
3447                      Font color        color           set_color()
3448                      Bold              bold            set_bold()
3449                      Italic            italic          set_italic()
3450                      Underline         underline       set_underline()
3451                      Strikeout         font_strikeout  set_font_strikeout()
3452                      Super/Subscript   font_script     set_font_script()
3453                      Outline           font_outline    set_font_outline()
3454                      Shadow            font_shadow     set_font_shadow()
3455
3456           Number     Numeric format    num_format      set_num_format()
3457
3458           Protection Lock cells        locked          set_locked()
3459                      Hide formulas     hidden          set_hidden()
3460
3461           Alignment  Horizontal align  align           set_align()
3462                      Vertical align    valign          set_align()
3463                      Rotation          rotation        set_rotation()
3464                      Text wrap         text_wrap       set_text_wrap()
3465                      Justify last      text_justlast   set_text_justlast()
3466                      Center across     center_across   set_center_across()
3467                      Indentation       indent          set_indent()
3468                      Shrink to fit     shrink          set_shrink()
3469
3470           Pattern    Cell pattern      pattern         set_pattern()
3471                      Background color  bg_color        set_bg_color()
3472                      Foreground color  fg_color        set_fg_color()
3473
3474           Border     Cell border       border          set_border()
3475                      Bottom border     bottom          set_bottom()
3476                      Top border        top             set_top()
3477                      Left border       left            set_left()
3478                      Right border      right           set_right()
3479                      Border color      border_color    set_border_color()
3480                      Bottom color      bottom_color    set_bottom_color()
3481                      Top color         top_color       set_top_color()
3482                      Left color        left_color      set_left_color()
3483                      Right color       right_color     set_right_color()
3484                      Diagonal type     diag_type       set_diag_type()
3485                      Diagonal border   diag_border     set_diag_border()
3486                      Diagonal color    diag_color      set_diag_color()
3487
3488       There are two ways of setting Format properties: by using the object
3489       method interface or by setting the property directly. For example, a
3490       typical use of the method interface would be as follows:
3491
3492           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3493           $format->set_bold();
3494           $format->set_color( 'red' );
3495
3496       By comparison the properties can be set directly by passing a hash of
3497       properties to the Format constructor:
3498
3499           my $format = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1, color => 'red' );
3500
3501       or after the Format has been constructed by means of the
3502       "set_format_properties()" method as follows:
3503
3504           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3505           $format->set_format_properties( bold => 1, color => 'red' );
3506
3507       You can also store the properties in one or more named hashes and pass
3508       them to the required method:
3509
3510           my %font = (
3511               font  => 'Calibri',
3512               size  => 12,
3513               color => 'blue',
3514               bold  => 1,
3515           );
3516
3517           my %shading = (
3518               bg_color => 'green',
3519               pattern  => 1,
3520           );
3521
3522
3523           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format( %font );            # Font only
3524           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format( %font, %shading );  # Font and shading
3525
3526       The provision of two ways of setting properties might lead you to
3527       wonder which is the best way. The method mechanism may be better if you
3528       prefer setting properties via method calls (which the author did when
3529       the code was first written) otherwise passing properties to the
3530       constructor has proved to be a little more flexible and self
3531       documenting in practice. An additional advantage of working with
3532       property hashes is that it allows you to share formatting between
3533       workbook objects as shown in the example above.
3534
3535       The Perl/Tk style of adding properties is also supported:
3536
3537           my %font = (
3538               -font  => 'Calibri',
3539               -size  => 12,
3540               -color => 'blue',
3541               -bold  => 1,
3542           );
3543
3544   Working with formats
3545       The default format is Calibri 11 with all other properties off.
3546
3547       Each unique format in Excel::Writer::XLSX must have a corresponding
3548       Format object. It isn't possible to use a Format with a write() method
3549       and then redefine the Format for use at a later stage. This is because
3550       a Format is applied to a cell not in its current state but in its final
3551       state. Consider the following example:
3552
3553           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3554           $format->set_bold();
3555           $format->set_color( 'red' );
3556           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Cell A1', $format );
3557           $format->set_color( 'green' );
3558           $worksheet->write( 'B1', 'Cell B1', $format );
3559
3560       Cell A1 is assigned the Format $format which is initially set to the
3561       colour red. However, the colour is subsequently set to green. When
3562       Excel displays Cell A1 it will display the final state of the Format
3563       which in this case will be the colour green.
3564
3565       In general a method call without an argument will turn a property on,
3566       for example:
3567
3568           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format();
3569           $format1->set_bold();       # Turns bold on
3570           $format1->set_bold( 1 );    # Also turns bold on
3571           $format1->set_bold( 0 );    # Turns bold off
3572

FORMAT METHODS

3574       The Format object methods are described in more detail in the following
3575       sections. In addition, there is a Perl program called "formats.pl" in
3576       the "examples" directory of the WriteExcel distribution. This program
3577       creates an Excel workbook called "formats.xlsx" which contains examples
3578       of almost all the format types.
3579
3580       The following Format methods are available:
3581
3582           set_font()
3583           set_size()
3584           set_color()
3585           set_bold()
3586           set_italic()
3587           set_underline()
3588           set_font_strikeout()
3589           set_font_script()
3590           set_font_outline()
3591           set_font_shadow()
3592           set_num_format()
3593           set_locked()
3594           set_hidden()
3595           set_align()
3596           set_rotation()
3597           set_text_wrap()
3598           set_text_justlast()
3599           set_center_across()
3600           set_indent()
3601           set_shrink()
3602           set_pattern()
3603           set_bg_color()
3604           set_fg_color()
3605           set_border()
3606           set_bottom()
3607           set_top()
3608           set_left()
3609           set_right()
3610           set_border_color()
3611           set_bottom_color()
3612           set_top_color()
3613           set_left_color()
3614           set_right_color()
3615           set_diag_type()
3616           set_diag_border()
3617           set_diag_color()
3618
3619       The above methods can also be applied directly as properties. For
3620       example "$format->set_bold()" is equivalent to
3621       "$workbook->add_format(bold => 1)".
3622
3623   set_format_properties( %properties )
3624       The properties of an existing Format object can be also be set by means
3625       of "set_format_properties()":
3626
3627           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3628           $format->set_format_properties( bold => 1, color => 'red' );
3629
3630       However, this method is here mainly for legacy reasons. It is
3631       preferable to set the properties in the format constructor:
3632
3633           my $format = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1, color => 'red' );
3634
3635   set_font( $fontname )
3636           Default state:      Font is Calibri
3637           Default action:     None
3638           Valid args:         Any valid font name
3639
3640       Specify the font used:
3641
3642           $format->set_font('Times New Roman');
3643
3644       Excel can only display fonts that are installed on the system that it
3645       is running on. Therefore it is best to use the fonts that come as
3646       standard such as 'Calibri', 'Times New Roman' and 'Courier New'. See
3647       also the Fonts worksheet created by formats.pl
3648
3649   set_size()
3650           Default state:      Font size is 10
3651           Default action:     Set font size to 1
3652           Valid args:         Integer values from 1 to as big as your screen.
3653
3654       Set the font size. Excel adjusts the height of a row to accommodate the
3655       largest font size in the row. You can also explicitly specify the
3656       height of a row using the set_row() worksheet method.
3657
3658           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3659           $format->set_size( 30 );
3660
3661   set_color()
3662           Default state:      Excels default color, usually black
3663           Default action:     Set the default color
3664           Valid args:         Integers from 8..63 or the following strings:
3665                               'black'
3666                               'blue'
3667                               'brown'
3668                               'cyan'
3669                               'gray'
3670                               'green'
3671                               'lime'
3672                               'magenta'
3673                               'navy'
3674                               'orange'
3675                               'pink'
3676                               'purple'
3677                               'red'
3678                               'silver'
3679                               'white'
3680                               'yellow'
3681
3682       Set the font colour. The "set_color()" method is used as follows:
3683
3684           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3685           $format->set_color( 'red' );
3686           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'wheelbarrow', $format );
3687
3688       Note: The "set_color()" method is used to set the colour of the font in
3689       a cell. To set the colour of a cell use the "set_bg_color()" and
3690       "set_pattern()" methods.
3691
3692       For additional examples see the 'Named colors' and 'Standard colors'
3693       worksheets created by formats.pl in the examples directory.
3694
3695       See also "WORKING WITH COLOURS".
3696
3697   set_bold()
3698           Default state:      bold is off
3699           Default action:     Turn bold on
3700           Valid args:         0, 1
3701
3702       Set the bold property of the font:
3703
3704           $format->set_bold();  # Turn bold on
3705
3706   set_italic()
3707           Default state:      Italic is off
3708           Default action:     Turn italic on
3709           Valid args:         0, 1
3710
3711       Set the italic property of the font:
3712
3713           $format->set_italic();  # Turn italic on
3714
3715   set_underline()
3716           Default state:      Underline is off
3717           Default action:     Turn on single underline
3718           Valid args:         0  = No underline
3719                               1  = Single underline
3720                               2  = Double underline
3721                               33 = Single accounting underline
3722                               34 = Double accounting underline
3723
3724       Set the underline property of the font.
3725
3726           $format->set_underline();   # Single underline
3727
3728   set_font_strikeout()
3729           Default state:      Strikeout is off
3730           Default action:     Turn strikeout on
3731           Valid args:         0, 1
3732
3733       Set the strikeout property of the font.
3734
3735   set_font_script()
3736           Default state:      Super/Subscript is off
3737           Default action:     Turn Superscript on
3738           Valid args:         0  = Normal
3739                               1  = Superscript
3740                               2  = Subscript
3741
3742       Set the superscript/subscript property of the font.
3743
3744   set_font_outline()
3745           Default state:      Outline is off
3746           Default action:     Turn outline on
3747           Valid args:         0, 1
3748
3749       Macintosh only.
3750
3751   set_font_shadow()
3752           Default state:      Shadow is off
3753           Default action:     Turn shadow on
3754           Valid args:         0, 1
3755
3756       Macintosh only.
3757
3758   set_num_format()
3759           Default state:      General format
3760           Default action:     Format index 1
3761           Valid args:         See the following table
3762
3763       This method is used to define the numerical format of a number in
3764       Excel. It controls whether a number is displayed as an integer, a
3765       floating point number, a date, a currency value or some other user
3766       defined format.
3767
3768       The numerical format of a cell can be specified by using a format
3769       string or an index to one of Excel's built-in formats:
3770
3771           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format();
3772           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format();
3773           $format1->set_num_format( 'd mmm yyyy' );    # Format string
3774           $format2->set_num_format( 0x0f );            # Format index
3775
3776           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 36892.521, $format1 );    # 1 Jan 2001
3777           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 36892.521, $format2 );    # 1-Jan-01
3778
3779       Using format strings you can define very sophisticated formatting of
3780       numbers.
3781
3782           $format01->set_num_format( '0.000' );
3783           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 3.1415926, $format01 );    # 3.142
3784
3785           $format02->set_num_format( '#,##0' );
3786           $worksheet->write( 1, 0, 1234.56, $format02 );      # 1,235
3787
3788           $format03->set_num_format( '#,##0.00' );
3789           $worksheet->write( 2, 0, 1234.56, $format03 );      # 1,234.56
3790
3791           $format04->set_num_format( '$0.00' );
3792           $worksheet->write( 3, 0, 49.99, $format04 );        # $49.99
3793
3794           # Note you can use other currency symbols such as the pound or yen as well.
3795           # Other currencies may require the use of Unicode.
3796
3797           $format07->set_num_format( 'mm/dd/yy' );
3798           $worksheet->write( 6, 0, 36892.521, $format07 );    # 01/01/01
3799
3800           $format08->set_num_format( 'mmm d yyyy' );
3801           $worksheet->write( 7, 0, 36892.521, $format08 );    # Jan 1 2001
3802
3803           $format09->set_num_format( 'd mmmm yyyy' );
3804           $worksheet->write( 8, 0, 36892.521, $format09 );    # 1 January 2001
3805
3806           $format10->set_num_format( 'dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm AM/PM' );
3807           $worksheet->write( 9, 0, 36892.521, $format10 );    # 01/01/2001 12:30 AM
3808
3809           $format11->set_num_format( '0 "dollar and" .00 "cents"' );
3810           $worksheet->write( 10, 0, 1.87, $format11 );        # 1 dollar and .87 cents
3811
3812           # Conditional numerical formatting.
3813           $format12->set_num_format( '[Green]General;[Red]-General;General' );
3814           $worksheet->write( 11, 0, 123, $format12 );         # > 0 Green
3815           $worksheet->write( 12, 0, -45, $format12 );         # < 0 Red
3816           $worksheet->write( 13, 0, 0,   $format12 );         # = 0 Default colour
3817
3818           # Zip code
3819           $format13->set_num_format( '00000' );
3820           $worksheet->write( 14, 0, '01209', $format13 );
3821
3822       The number system used for dates is described in "DATES AND TIME IN
3823       EXCEL".
3824
3825       The colour format should have one of the following values:
3826
3827           [Black] [Blue] [Cyan] [Green] [Magenta] [Red] [White] [Yellow]
3828
3829       Alternatively you can specify the colour based on a colour index as
3830       follows: "[Color n]", where n is a standard Excel colour index - 7. See
3831       the 'Standard colors' worksheet created by formats.pl.
3832
3833       For more information refer to the documentation on formatting in the
3834       "docs" directory of the Excel::Writer::XLSX distro, the Excel on-line
3835       help or
3836       <http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/assistance/HP051995001033.aspx>.
3837
3838       You should ensure that the format string is valid in Excel prior to
3839       using it in WriteExcel.
3840
3841       Excel's built-in formats are shown in the following table:
3842
3843           Index   Index   Format String
3844           0       0x00    General
3845           1       0x01    0
3846           2       0x02    0.00
3847           3       0x03    #,##0
3848           4       0x04    #,##0.00
3849           5       0x05    ($#,##0_);($#,##0)
3850           6       0x06    ($#,##0_);[Red]($#,##0)
3851           7       0x07    ($#,##0.00_);($#,##0.00)
3852           8       0x08    ($#,##0.00_);[Red]($#,##0.00)
3853           9       0x09    0%
3854           10      0x0a    0.00%
3855           11      0x0b    0.00E+00
3856           12      0x0c    # ?/?
3857           13      0x0d    # ??/??
3858           14      0x0e    m/d/yy
3859           15      0x0f    d-mmm-yy
3860           16      0x10    d-mmm
3861           17      0x11    mmm-yy
3862           18      0x12    h:mm AM/PM
3863           19      0x13    h:mm:ss AM/PM
3864           20      0x14    h:mm
3865           21      0x15    h:mm:ss
3866           22      0x16    m/d/yy h:mm
3867           ..      ....    ...........
3868           37      0x25    (#,##0_);(#,##0)
3869           38      0x26    (#,##0_);[Red](#,##0)
3870           39      0x27    (#,##0.00_);(#,##0.00)
3871           40      0x28    (#,##0.00_);[Red](#,##0.00)
3872           41      0x29    _(* #,##0_);_(* (#,##0);_(* "-"_);_(@_)
3873           42      0x2a    _($* #,##0_);_($* (#,##0);_($* "-"_);_(@_)
3874           43      0x2b    _(* #,##0.00_);_(* (#,##0.00);_(* "-"??_);_(@_)
3875           44      0x2c    _($* #,##0.00_);_($* (#,##0.00);_($* "-"??_);_(@_)
3876           45      0x2d    mm:ss
3877           46      0x2e    [h]:mm:ss
3878           47      0x2f    mm:ss.0
3879           48      0x30    ##0.0E+0
3880           49      0x31    @
3881
3882       For examples of these formatting codes see the 'Numerical formats'
3883       worksheet created by formats.pl. See also the number_formats1.html and
3884       the number_formats2.html documents in the "docs" directory of the
3885       distro.
3886
3887       Note 1. Numeric formats 23 to 36 are not documented by Microsoft and
3888       may differ in international versions.
3889
3890       Note 2. The built-in formats are localised according to the locale
3891       settings (regional settings on Windows) of the user when opening the
3892       file in Excel:
3893
3894       ·   The dot appears as the defined local decimal separator.
3895
3896       ·   The comma appears as the defined local digit groups separator.
3897
3898       ·   The dollar sign appears as the defined local currency symbol.
3899
3900       ·   The date, time and duration formats appear as the local equivalent
3901           date or time format.
3902
3903   set_locked()
3904           Default state:      Cell locking is on
3905           Default action:     Turn locking on
3906           Valid args:         0, 1
3907
3908       This property can be used to prevent modification of a cells contents.
3909       Following Excel's convention, cell locking is turned on by default.
3910       However, it only has an effect if the worksheet has been protected, see
3911       the worksheet "protect()" method.
3912
3913           my $locked = $workbook->add_format();
3914           $locked->set_locked( 1 );    # A non-op
3915
3916           my $unlocked = $workbook->add_format();
3917           $locked->set_locked( 0 );
3918
3919           # Enable worksheet protection
3920           $worksheet->protect();
3921
3922           # This cell cannot be edited.
3923           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '=1+2', $locked );
3924
3925           # This cell can be edited.
3926           $worksheet->write( 'A2', '=1+2', $unlocked );
3927
3928       Note: This offers weak protection even with a password, see the note in
3929       relation to the "protect()" method.
3930
3931   set_hidden()
3932           Default state:      Formula hiding is off
3933           Default action:     Turn hiding on
3934           Valid args:         0, 1
3935
3936       This property is used to hide a formula while still displaying its
3937       result. This is generally used to hide complex calculations from end
3938       users who are only interested in the result. It only has an effect if
3939       the worksheet has been protected, see the worksheet "protect()" method.
3940
3941           my $hidden = $workbook->add_format();
3942           $hidden->set_hidden();
3943
3944           # Enable worksheet protection
3945           $worksheet->protect();
3946
3947           # The formula in this cell isn't visible
3948           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '=1+2', $hidden );
3949
3950       Note: This offers weak protection even with a password, see the note in
3951       relation to the "protect()" method.
3952
3953   set_align()
3954           Default state:      Alignment is off
3955           Default action:     Left alignment
3956           Valid args:         'left'              Horizontal
3957                               'center'
3958                               'right'
3959                               'fill'
3960                               'justify'
3961                               'center_across'
3962
3963                               'top'               Vertical
3964                               'vcenter'
3965                               'bottom'
3966                               'vjustify'
3967
3968       This method is used to set the horizontal and vertical text alignment
3969       within a cell. Vertical and horizontal alignments can be combined. The
3970       method is used as follows:
3971
3972           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
3973           $format->set_align( 'center' );
3974           $format->set_align( 'vcenter' );
3975           $worksheet->set_row( 0, 30 );
3976           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'X', $format );
3977
3978       Text can be aligned across two or more adjacent cells using the
3979       "center_across" property. However, for genuine merged cells it is
3980       better to use the "merge_range()" worksheet method.
3981
3982       The "vjustify" (vertical justify) option can be used to provide
3983       automatic text wrapping in a cell. The height of the cell will be
3984       adjusted to accommodate the wrapped text. To specify where the text
3985       wraps use the "set_text_wrap()" method.
3986
3987       For further examples see the 'Alignment' worksheet created by
3988       formats.pl.
3989
3990   set_center_across()
3991           Default state:      Center across selection is off
3992           Default action:     Turn center across on
3993           Valid args:         1
3994
3995       Text can be aligned across two or more adjacent cells using the
3996       "set_center_across()" method. This is an alias for the
3997       "set_align('center_across')" method call.
3998
3999       Only one cell should contain the text, the other cells should be blank:
4000
4001           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4002           $format->set_center_across();
4003
4004           $worksheet->write( 1, 1, 'Center across selection', $format );
4005           $worksheet->write_blank( 1, 2, $format );
4006
4007       See also the "merge1.pl" to "merge6.pl" programs in the "examples"
4008       directory and the "merge_range()" method.
4009
4010   set_text_wrap()
4011           Default state:      Text wrap is off
4012           Default action:     Turn text wrap on
4013           Valid args:         0, 1
4014
4015       Here is an example using the text wrap property, the escape character
4016       "\n" is used to indicate the end of line:
4017
4018           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4019           $format->set_text_wrap();
4020           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, "It's\na bum\nwrap", $format );
4021
4022       Excel will adjust the height of the row to accommodate the wrapped
4023       text. A similar effect can be obtained without newlines using the
4024       "set_align('vjustify')" method. See the "textwrap.pl" program in the
4025       "examples" directory.
4026
4027   set_rotation()
4028           Default state:      Text rotation is off
4029           Default action:     None
4030           Valid args:         Integers in the range -90 to 90 and 270
4031
4032       Set the rotation of the text in a cell. The rotation can be any angle
4033       in the range -90 to 90 degrees.
4034
4035           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4036           $format->set_rotation( 30 );
4037           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'This text is rotated', $format );
4038
4039       The angle 270 is also supported. This indicates text where the letters
4040       run from top to bottom.
4041
4042   set_indent()
4043           Default state:      Text indentation is off
4044           Default action:     Indent text 1 level
4045           Valid args:         Positive integers
4046
4047       This method can be used to indent text. The argument, which should be
4048       an integer, is taken as the level of indentation:
4049
4050           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4051           $format->set_indent( 2 );
4052           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'This text is indented', $format );
4053
4054       Indentation is a horizontal alignment property. It will override any
4055       other horizontal properties but it can be used in conjunction with
4056       vertical properties.
4057
4058   set_shrink()
4059           Default state:      Text shrinking is off
4060           Default action:     Turn "shrink to fit" on
4061           Valid args:         1
4062
4063       This method can be used to shrink text so that it fits in a cell.
4064
4065           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4066           $format->set_shrink();
4067           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Honey, I shrunk the text!', $format );
4068
4069   set_text_justlast()
4070           Default state:      Justify last is off
4071           Default action:     Turn justify last on
4072           Valid args:         0, 1
4073
4074       Only applies to Far Eastern versions of Excel.
4075
4076   set_pattern()
4077           Default state:      Pattern is off
4078           Default action:     Solid fill is on
4079           Valid args:         0 .. 18
4080
4081       Set the background pattern of a cell.
4082
4083       Examples of the available patterns are shown in the 'Patterns'
4084       worksheet created by formats.pl. However, it is unlikely that you will
4085       ever need anything other than Pattern 1 which is a solid fill of the
4086       background color.
4087
4088   set_bg_color()
4089           Default state:      Color is off
4090           Default action:     Solid fill.
4091           Valid args:         See set_color()
4092
4093       The "set_bg_color()" method can be used to set the background colour of
4094       a pattern. Patterns are defined via the "set_pattern()" method. If a
4095       pattern hasn't been defined then a solid fill pattern is used as the
4096       default.
4097
4098       Here is an example of how to set up a solid fill in a cell:
4099
4100           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
4101
4102           $format->set_pattern();    # This is optional when using a solid fill
4103
4104           $format->set_bg_color( 'green' );
4105           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Ray', $format );
4106
4107       For further examples see the 'Patterns' worksheet created by
4108       formats.pl.
4109
4110   set_fg_color()
4111           Default state:      Color is off
4112           Default action:     Solid fill.
4113           Valid args:         See set_color()
4114
4115       The "set_fg_color()" method can be used to set the foreground colour of
4116       a pattern.
4117
4118       For further examples see the 'Patterns' worksheet created by
4119       formats.pl.
4120
4121   set_border()
4122           Also applies to:    set_bottom()
4123                               set_top()
4124                               set_left()
4125                               set_right()
4126
4127           Default state:      Border is off
4128           Default action:     Set border type 1
4129           Valid args:         0-13, See below.
4130
4131       A cell border is comprised of a border on the bottom, top, left and
4132       right. These can be set to the same value using "set_border()" or
4133       individually using the relevant method calls shown above.
4134
4135       The following shows the border styles sorted by Excel::Writer::XLSX
4136       index number:
4137
4138           Index   Name            Weight   Style
4139           =====   =============   ======   ===========
4140           0       None            0
4141           1       Continuous      1        -----------
4142           2       Continuous      2        -----------
4143           3       Dash            1        - - - - - -
4144           4       Dot             1        . . . . . .
4145           5       Continuous      3        -----------
4146           6       Double          3        ===========
4147           7       Continuous      0        -----------
4148           8       Dash            2        - - - - - -
4149           9       Dash Dot        1        - . - . - .
4150           10      Dash Dot        2        - . - . - .
4151           11      Dash Dot Dot    1        - . . - . .
4152           12      Dash Dot Dot    2        - . . - . .
4153           13      SlantDash Dot   2        / - . / - .
4154
4155       The following shows the borders sorted by style:
4156
4157           Name            Weight   Style         Index
4158           =============   ======   ===========   =====
4159           Continuous      0        -----------   7
4160           Continuous      1        -----------   1
4161           Continuous      2        -----------   2
4162           Continuous      3        -----------   5
4163           Dash            1        - - - - - -   3
4164           Dash            2        - - - - - -   8
4165           Dash Dot        1        - . - . - .   9
4166           Dash Dot        2        - . - . - .   10
4167           Dash Dot Dot    1        - . . - . .   11
4168           Dash Dot Dot    2        - . . - . .   12
4169           Dot             1        . . . . . .   4
4170           Double          3        ===========   6
4171           None            0                      0
4172           SlantDash Dot   2        / - . / - .   13
4173
4174       The following shows the borders in the order shown in the Excel Dialog.
4175
4176           Index   Style             Index   Style
4177           =====   =====             =====   =====
4178           0       None              12      - . . - . .
4179           7       -----------       13      / - . / - .
4180           4       . . . . . .       10      - . - . - .
4181           11      - . . - . .       8       - - - - - -
4182           9       - . - . - .       2       -----------
4183           3       - - - - - -       5       -----------
4184           1       -----------       6       ===========
4185
4186       Examples of the available border styles are shown in the 'Borders'
4187       worksheet created by formats.pl.
4188
4189   set_border_color()
4190           Also applies to:    set_bottom_color()
4191                               set_top_color()
4192                               set_left_color()
4193                               set_right_color()
4194
4195           Default state:      Color is off
4196           Default action:     Undefined
4197           Valid args:         See set_color()
4198
4199       Set the colour of the cell borders. A cell border is comprised of a
4200       border on the bottom, top, left and right. These can be set to the same
4201       colour using "set_border_color()" or individually using the relevant
4202       method calls shown above. Examples of the border styles and colours are
4203       shown in the 'Borders' worksheet created by formats.pl.
4204
4205   set_diag_type()
4206           Default state:      Diagonal border is off.
4207           Default action:     None.
4208           Valid args:         1-3, See below.
4209
4210       Set the diagonal border type for the cell. Three types of diagonal
4211       borders are available in Excel:
4212
4213          1: From bottom left to top right.
4214          2: From top left to bottom right.
4215          3: Same as 1 and 2 combined.
4216
4217       For example:
4218
4219           $format->set_diag_type( 3 );
4220
4221   set_diag_border()
4222           Default state:      Border is off
4223           Default action:     Set border type 1
4224           Valid args:         0-13, See below.
4225
4226       Set the diagonal border style. Same as the parameter to "set_border()"
4227       above.
4228
4229   set_diag_color()
4230           Default state:      Color is off
4231           Default action:     Undefined
4232           Valid args:         See set_color()
4233
4234       Set the colour of the diagonal cell border:
4235
4236           $format->set_diag_type( 3 );
4237           $format->set_diag_border( 7 );
4238           $format->set_diag_color( 'red' );
4239
4240   copy( $format )
4241       This method is used to copy all of the properties from one Format
4242       object to another:
4243
4244           my $lorry1 = $workbook->add_format();
4245           $lorry1->set_bold();
4246           $lorry1->set_italic();
4247           $lorry1->set_color( 'red' );    # lorry1 is bold, italic and red
4248
4249           my $lorry2 = $workbook->add_format();
4250           $lorry2->copy( $lorry1 );
4251           $lorry2->set_color( 'yellow' );    # lorry2 is bold, italic and yellow
4252
4253       The "copy()" method is only useful if you are using the method
4254       interface to Format properties. It generally isn't required if you are
4255       setting Format properties directly using hashes.
4256
4257       Note: this is not a copy constructor, both objects must exist prior to
4258       copying.
4259

UNICODE IN EXCEL

4261       The following is a brief introduction to handling Unicode in
4262       "Excel::Writer::XLSX".
4263
4264       For a more general introduction to Unicode handling in Perl see
4265       perlunitut and perluniintro.
4266
4267       Excel::Writer::XLSX writer differs from Spreadsheet::WriteExcel in that
4268       it only handles Unicode data in "UTF-8" format and doesn't try to
4269       handle legacy UTF-16 Excel formats.
4270
4271       If the data is in "UTF-8" format then Excel::Writer::XLSX will handle
4272       it automatically.
4273
4274       If you are dealing with non-ASCII characters that aren't in "UTF-8"
4275       then perl provides useful tools in the guise of the "Encode" module to
4276       help you to convert to the required format. For example:
4277
4278           use Encode 'decode';
4279
4280           my $string = 'some string with koi8-r characters';
4281              $string = decode('koi8-r', $string); # koi8-r to utf8
4282
4283       Alternatively you can read data from an encoded file and convert it to
4284       "UTF-8" as you read it in:
4285
4286           my $file = 'unicode_koi8r.txt';
4287           open FH, '<:encoding(koi8-r)', $file or die "Couldn't open $file: $!\n";
4288
4289           my $row = 0;
4290           while ( <FH> ) {
4291               # Data read in is now in utf8 format.
4292               chomp;
4293               $worksheet->write( $row++, 0, $_ );
4294           }
4295
4296       These methodologies are explained in more detail in perlunitut,
4297       perluniintro and perlunicode.
4298
4299       If the program contains UTF-8 text then you will also need to add "use
4300       utf8" to the includes:
4301
4302           use utf8;
4303
4304           ...
4305
4306           $worksheet->write( 'A1', 'Some UTF-8 string' );
4307
4308       See also the "unicode_*.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
4309       distro.
4310

WORKING WITH COLOURS

4312       Throughout Excel::Writer::XLSX colours can be specified using a Html
4313       style "#RRGGBB" value. For example with a Format object:
4314
4315           $format->set_color( '#FF0000' );
4316
4317       For backward compatibility a limited number of color names are
4318       supported:
4319
4320           $format->set_color( 'red' );
4321
4322       The color names supported are:
4323
4324           black
4325           blue
4326           brown
4327           cyan
4328           gray
4329           green
4330           lime
4331           magenta
4332           navy
4333           orange
4334           pink
4335           purple
4336           red
4337           silver
4338           white
4339           yellow
4340
4341       See also "colors.pl" in the "examples" directory.
4342

DATES AND TIME IN EXCEL

4344       There are two important things to understand about dates and times in
4345       Excel:
4346
4347       1 A date/time in Excel is a real number plus an Excel number format.
4348       2 Excel::Writer::XLSX doesn't automatically convert date/time strings
4349       in "write()" to an Excel date/time.
4350
4351       These two points are explained in more detail below along with some
4352       suggestions on how to convert times and dates to the required format.
4353
4354   An Excel date/time is a number plus a format
4355       If you write a date string with "write()" then all you will get is a
4356       string:
4357
4358           $worksheet->write( 'A1', '02/03/04' );   # !! Writes a string not a date. !!
4359
4360       Dates and times in Excel are represented by real numbers, for example
4361       "Jan 1 2001 12:30 AM" is represented by the number 36892.521.
4362
4363       The integer part of the number stores the number of days since the
4364       epoch and the fractional part stores the percentage of the day.
4365
4366       A date or time in Excel is just like any other number. To have the
4367       number display as a date you must apply an Excel number format to it.
4368       Here are some examples.
4369
4370           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
4371
4372           use strict;
4373           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
4374
4375           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'date_examples.xlsx' );
4376           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
4377
4378           $worksheet->set_column( 'A:A', 30 );    # For extra visibility.
4379
4380           my $number = 39506.5;
4381
4382           $worksheet->write( 'A1', $number );             #   39506.5
4383
4384           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'dd/mm/yy' );
4385           $worksheet->write( 'A2', $number, $format2 );    #  28/02/08
4386
4387           my $format3 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'mm/dd/yy' );
4388           $worksheet->write( 'A3', $number, $format3 );    #  02/28/08
4389
4390           my $format4 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'd-m-yyyy' );
4391           $worksheet->write( 'A4', $number, $format4 );    #  28-2-2008
4392
4393           my $format5 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'dd/mm/yy hh:mm' );
4394           $worksheet->write( 'A5', $number, $format5 );    #  28/02/08 12:00
4395
4396           my $format6 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'd mmm yyyy' );
4397           $worksheet->write( 'A6', $number, $format6 );    # 28 Feb 2008
4398
4399           my $format7 = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'mmm d yyyy hh:mm AM/PM' );
4400           $worksheet->write('A7', $number , $format7);     #  Feb 28 2008 12:00 PM
4401
4402           $workbook->close();
4403
4404   Excel::Writer::XLSX doesn't automatically convert date/time strings
4405       Excel::Writer::XLSX doesn't automatically convert input date strings
4406       into Excel's formatted date numbers due to the large number of possible
4407       date formats and also due to the possibility of misinterpretation.
4408
4409       For example, does "02/03/04" mean March 2 2004, February 3 2004 or even
4410       March 4 2002.
4411
4412       Therefore, in order to handle dates you will have to convert them to
4413       numbers and apply an Excel format. Some methods for converting dates
4414       are listed in the next section.
4415
4416       The most direct way is to convert your dates to the ISO8601
4417       "yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss" date format and use the "write_date_time()"
4418       worksheet method:
4419
4420           $worksheet->write_date_time( 'A2', '2001-01-01T12:20', $format );
4421
4422       See the "write_date_time()" section of the documentation for more
4423       details.
4424
4425       A general methodology for handling date strings with
4426       "write_date_time()" is:
4427
4428           1. Identify incoming date/time strings with a regex.
4429           2. Extract the component parts of the date/time using the same regex.
4430           3. Convert the date/time to the ISO8601 format.
4431           4. Write the date/time using write_date_time() and a number format.
4432
4433       Here is an example:
4434
4435           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
4436
4437           use strict;
4438           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
4439
4440           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'example.xlsx' );
4441           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
4442
4443           # Set the default format for dates.
4444           my $date_format = $workbook->add_format( num_format => 'mmm d yyyy' );
4445
4446           # Increase column width to improve visibility of data.
4447           $worksheet->set_column( 'A:C', 20 );
4448
4449           # Simulate reading from a data source.
4450           my $row = 0;
4451
4452           while ( <DATA> ) {
4453               chomp;
4454
4455               my $col  = 0;
4456               my @data = split ' ';
4457
4458               for my $item ( @data ) {
4459
4460                   # Match dates in the following formats: d/m/yy, d/m/yyyy
4461                   if ( $item =~ qr[^(\d{1,2})/(\d{1,2})/(\d{4})$] ) {
4462
4463                       # Change to the date format required by write_date_time().
4464                       my $date = sprintf "%4d-%02d-%02dT", $3, $2, $1;
4465
4466                       $worksheet->write_date_time( $row, $col++, $date,
4467                           $date_format );
4468                   }
4469                   else {
4470
4471                       # Just plain data
4472                       $worksheet->write( $row, $col++, $item );
4473                   }
4474               }
4475               $row++;
4476           }
4477
4478           $workbook->close();
4479
4480           __DATA__
4481           Item    Cost    Date
4482           Book    10      1/9/2007
4483           Beer    4       12/9/2007
4484           Bed     500     5/10/2007
4485
4486       For a slightly more advanced solution you can modify the "write()"
4487       method to handle date formats of your choice via the
4488       "add_write_handler()" method. See the "add_write_handler()" section of
4489       the docs and the write_handler3.pl and write_handler4.pl programs in
4490       the examples directory of the distro.
4491
4492   Converting dates and times to an Excel date or time
4493       The "write_date_time()" method above is just one way of handling dates
4494       and times.
4495
4496       You can also use the "convert_date_time()" worksheet method to convert
4497       from an ISO8601 style date string to an Excel date and time number.
4498
4499       The Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility module which is included in the distro
4500       has date/time handling functions:
4501
4502           use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility;
4503
4504           $date           = xl_date_list(2002, 1, 1);         # 37257
4505           $date           = xl_parse_date("11 July 1997");    # 35622
4506           $time           = xl_parse_time('3:21:36 PM');      # 0.64
4507           $date           = xl_decode_date_EU("13 May 2002"); # 37389
4508
4509       Note: some of these functions require additional CPAN modules.
4510
4511       For date conversions using the CPAN "DateTime" framework see
4512       DateTime::Format::Excel
4513       <http://search.cpan.org/search?dist=DateTime-Format-Excel>.
4514

OUTLINES AND GROUPING IN EXCEL

4516       Excel allows you to group rows or columns so that they can be hidden or
4517       displayed with a single mouse click. This feature is referred to as
4518       outlines.
4519
4520       Outlines can reduce complex data down to a few salient sub-totals or
4521       summaries.
4522
4523       This feature is best viewed in Excel but the following is an ASCII
4524       representation of what a worksheet with three outlines might look like.
4525       Rows 3-4 and rows 7-8 are grouped at level 2. Rows 2-9 are grouped at
4526       level 1. The lines at the left hand side are called outline level bars.
4527
4528                   ------------------------------------------
4529            1 2 3 |   |   A   |   B   |   C   |   D   |  ...
4530                   ------------------------------------------
4531             _    | 1 |   A   |       |       |       |  ...
4532            |  _  | 2 |   B   |       |       |       |  ...
4533            | |   | 3 |  (C)  |       |       |       |  ...
4534            | |   | 4 |  (D)  |       |       |       |  ...
4535            | -   | 5 |   E   |       |       |       |  ...
4536            |  _  | 6 |   F   |       |       |       |  ...
4537            | |   | 7 |  (G)  |       |       |       |  ...
4538            | |   | 8 |  (H)  |       |       |       |  ...
4539            | -   | 9 |   I   |       |       |       |  ...
4540            -     | . |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...
4541
4542       Clicking the minus sign on each of the level 2 outlines will collapse
4543       and hide the data as shown in the next figure. The minus sign changes
4544       to a plus sign to indicate that the data in the outline is hidden.
4545
4546                   ------------------------------------------
4547            1 2 3 |   |   A   |   B   |   C   |   D   |  ...
4548                   ------------------------------------------
4549             _    | 1 |   A   |       |       |       |  ...
4550            |     | 2 |   B   |       |       |       |  ...
4551            | +   | 5 |   E   |       |       |       |  ...
4552            |     | 6 |   F   |       |       |       |  ...
4553            | +   | 9 |   I   |       |       |       |  ...
4554            -     | . |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...
4555
4556       Clicking on the minus sign on the level 1 outline will collapse the
4557       remaining rows as follows:
4558
4559                   ------------------------------------------
4560            1 2 3 |   |   A   |   B   |   C   |   D   |  ...
4561                   ------------------------------------------
4562                  | 1 |   A   |       |       |       |  ...
4563            +     | . |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...  |  ...
4564
4565       Grouping in "Excel::Writer::XLSX" is achieved by setting the outline
4566       level via the "set_row()" and "set_column()" worksheet methods:
4567
4568           set_row( $row, $height, $format, $hidden, $level, $collapsed )
4569           set_column( $first_col, $last_col, $width, $format, $hidden, $level, $collapsed )
4570
4571       The following example sets an outline level of 1 for rows 2 and 3
4572       (zero-indexed) and columns B to G. The parameters $height and $XF are
4573       assigned default values since they are undefined:
4574
4575           $worksheet->set_row( 1, undef, undef, 0, 1 );
4576           $worksheet->set_row( 2, undef, undef, 0, 1 );
4577           $worksheet->set_column( 'B:G', undef, undef, 0, 1 );
4578
4579       Excel allows up to 7 outline levels. Therefore the $level parameter
4580       should be in the range "0 <= $level <= 7".
4581
4582       Rows and columns can be collapsed by setting the $hidden flag for the
4583       hidden rows/columns and setting the $collapsed flag for the row/column
4584       that has the collapsed "+" symbol:
4585
4586           $worksheet->set_row( 1, undef, undef, 1, 1 );
4587           $worksheet->set_row( 2, undef, undef, 1, 1 );
4588           $worksheet->set_row( 3, undef, undef, 0, 0, 1 );          # Collapsed flag.
4589
4590           $worksheet->set_column( 'B:G', undef, undef, 1, 1 );
4591           $worksheet->set_column( 'H:H', undef, undef, 0, 0, 1 );   # Collapsed flag.
4592
4593       Note: Setting the $collapsed flag is particularly important for
4594       compatibility with OpenOffice.org and Gnumeric.
4595
4596       For a more complete example see the "outline.pl" and
4597       "outline_collapsed.pl" programs in the examples directory of the
4598       distro.
4599
4600       Some additional outline properties can be set via the
4601       "outline_settings()" worksheet method, see above.
4602

DATA VALIDATION IN EXCEL

4604       Data validation is a feature of Excel which allows you to restrict the
4605       data that a users enters in a cell and to display help and warning
4606       messages. It also allows you to restrict input to values in a drop down
4607       list.
4608
4609       A typical use case might be to restrict data in a cell to integer
4610       values in a certain range, to provide a help message to indicate the
4611       required value and to issue a warning if the input data doesn't meet
4612       the stated criteria. In Excel::Writer::XLSX we could do that as
4613       follows:
4614
4615           $worksheet->data_validation('B3',
4616               {
4617                   validate        => 'integer',
4618                   criteria        => 'between',
4619                   minimum         => 1,
4620                   maximum         => 100,
4621                   input_title     => 'Input an integer:',
4622                   input_message   => 'Between 1 and 100',
4623                   error_message   => 'Sorry, try again.',
4624               });
4625
4626       For more information on data validation see the following Microsoft
4627       support article "Description and examples of data validation in Excel":
4628       <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/211485>.
4629
4630       The following sections describe how to use the "data_validation()"
4631       method and its various options.
4632
4633   data_validation( $row, $col, { parameter => 'value', ... } )
4634       The "data_validation()" method is used to construct an Excel data
4635       validation.
4636
4637       It can be applied to a single cell or a range of cells. You can pass 3
4638       parameters such as "($row, $col, {...})" or 5 parameters such as
4639       "($first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col, {...})". You can also
4640       use "A1" style notation. For example:
4641
4642           $worksheet->data_validation( 0, 0,       {...} );
4643           $worksheet->data_validation( 0, 0, 4, 1, {...} );
4644
4645           # Which are the same as:
4646
4647           $worksheet->data_validation( 'A1',       {...} );
4648           $worksheet->data_validation( 'A1:B5',    {...} );
4649
4650       See also the note about "Cell notation" for more information.
4651
4652       The last parameter in "data_validation()" must be a hash ref containing
4653       the parameters that describe the type and style of the data validation.
4654       The allowable parameters are:
4655
4656           validate
4657           criteria
4658           value | minimum | source
4659           maximum
4660           ignore_blank
4661           dropdown
4662
4663           input_title
4664           input_message
4665           show_input
4666
4667           error_title
4668           error_message
4669           error_type
4670           show_error
4671
4672       These parameters are explained in the following sections. Most of the
4673       parameters are optional, however, you will generally require the three
4674       main options "validate", "criteria" and "value".
4675
4676           $worksheet->data_validation('B3',
4677               {
4678                   validate => 'integer',
4679                   criteria => '>',
4680                   value    => 100,
4681               });
4682
4683       The "data_validation" method returns:
4684
4685            0 for success.
4686           -1 for insufficient number of arguments.
4687           -2 for row or column out of bounds.
4688           -3 for incorrect parameter or value.
4689
4690   validate
4691       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4692
4693       The "validate" parameter is used to set the type of data that you wish
4694       to validate. It is always required and it has no default value.
4695       Allowable values are:
4696
4697           any
4698           integer
4699           decimal
4700           list
4701           date
4702           time
4703           length
4704           custom
4705
4706       ·   any is used to specify that the type of data is unrestricted. This
4707           is useful to display an input message without restricting the data
4708           that can be entered.
4709
4710       ·   integer restricts the cell to integer values. Excel refers to this
4711           as 'whole number'.
4712
4713               validate => 'integer',
4714               criteria => '>',
4715               value    => 100,
4716
4717       ·   decimal restricts the cell to decimal values.
4718
4719               validate => 'decimal',
4720               criteria => '>',
4721               value    => 38.6,
4722
4723       ·   list restricts the cell to a set of user specified values. These
4724           can be passed in an array ref or as a cell range (named ranges
4725           aren't currently supported):
4726
4727               validate => 'list',
4728               value    => ['open', 'high', 'close'],
4729               # Or like this:
4730               value    => 'B1:B3',
4731
4732           Excel requires that range references are only to cells on the same
4733           worksheet.
4734
4735       ·   date restricts the cell to date values. Dates in Excel are
4736           expressed as integer values but you can also pass an ISO8601 style
4737           string as used in "write_date_time()". See also "DATES AND TIME IN
4738           EXCEL" for more information about working with Excel's dates.
4739
4740               validate => 'date',
4741               criteria => '>',
4742               value    => 39653, # 24 July 2008
4743               # Or like this:
4744               value    => '2008-07-24T',
4745
4746       ·   time restricts the cell to time values. Times in Excel are
4747           expressed as decimal values but you can also pass an ISO8601 style
4748           string as used in "write_date_time()". See also "DATES AND TIME IN
4749           EXCEL" for more information about working with Excel's times.
4750
4751               validate => 'time',
4752               criteria => '>',
4753               value    => 0.5, # Noon
4754               # Or like this:
4755               value    => 'T12:00:00',
4756
4757       ·   length restricts the cell data based on an integer string length.
4758           Excel refers to this as 'Text length'.
4759
4760               validate => 'length',
4761               criteria => '>',
4762               value    => 10,
4763
4764       ·   custom restricts the cell based on an external Excel formula that
4765           returns a "TRUE/FALSE" value.
4766
4767               validate => 'custom',
4768               value    => '=IF(A10>B10,TRUE,FALSE)',
4769
4770   criteria
4771       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4772
4773       The "criteria" parameter is used to set the criteria by which the data
4774       in the cell is validated. It is almost always required except for the
4775       "list" and "custom" validate options. It has no default value.
4776       Allowable values are:
4777
4778           'between'
4779           'not between'
4780           'equal to'                  |  '=='  |  '='
4781           'not equal to'              |  '!='  |  '<>'
4782           'greater than'              |  '>'
4783           'less than'                 |  '<'
4784           'greater than or equal to'  |  '>='
4785           'less than or equal to'     |  '<='
4786
4787       You can either use Excel's textual description strings, in the first
4788       column above, or the more common symbolic alternatives. The following
4789       are equivalent:
4790
4791           validate => 'integer',
4792           criteria => 'greater than',
4793           value    => 100,
4794
4795           validate => 'integer',
4796           criteria => '>',
4797           value    => 100,
4798
4799       The "list" and "custom" validate options don't require a "criteria". If
4800       you specify one it will be ignored.
4801
4802           validate => 'list',
4803           value    => ['open', 'high', 'close'],
4804
4805           validate => 'custom',
4806           value    => '=IF(A10>B10,TRUE,FALSE)',
4807
4808   value | minimum | source
4809       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4810
4811       The "value" parameter is used to set the limiting value to which the
4812       "criteria" is applied. It is always required and it has no default
4813       value. You can also use the synonyms "minimum" or "source" to make the
4814       validation a little clearer and closer to Excel's description of the
4815       parameter:
4816
4817           # Use 'value'
4818           validate => 'integer',
4819           criteria => '>',
4820           value    => 100,
4821
4822           # Use 'minimum'
4823           validate => 'integer',
4824           criteria => 'between',
4825           minimum  => 1,
4826           maximum  => 100,
4827
4828           # Use 'source'
4829           validate => 'list',
4830           source   => '$B$1:$B$3',
4831
4832   maximum
4833       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4834
4835       The "maximum" parameter is used to set the upper limiting value when
4836       the "criteria" is either 'between' or 'not between':
4837
4838           validate => 'integer',
4839           criteria => 'between',
4840           minimum  => 1,
4841           maximum  => 100,
4842
4843   ignore_blank
4844       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4845
4846       The "ignore_blank" parameter is used to toggle on and off the 'Ignore
4847       blank' option in the Excel data validation dialog. When the option is
4848       on the data validation is not applied to blank data in the cell. It is
4849       on by default.
4850
4851           ignore_blank => 0,  # Turn the option off
4852
4853   dropdown
4854       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4855
4856       The "dropdown" parameter is used to toggle on and off the 'In-cell
4857       dropdown' option in the Excel data validation dialog. When the option
4858       is on a dropdown list will be shown for "list" validations. It is on by
4859       default.
4860
4861           dropdown => 0,      # Turn the option off
4862
4863   input_title
4864       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4865
4866       The "input_title" parameter is used to set the title of the input
4867       message that is displayed when a cell is entered. It has no default
4868       value and is only displayed if the input message is displayed. See the
4869       "input_message" parameter below.
4870
4871           input_title   => 'This is the input title',
4872
4873       The maximum title length is 32 characters.
4874
4875   input_message
4876       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4877
4878       The "input_message" parameter is used to set the input message that is
4879       displayed when a cell is entered. It has no default value.
4880
4881           validate      => 'integer',
4882           criteria      => 'between',
4883           minimum       => 1,
4884           maximum       => 100,
4885           input_title   => 'Enter the applied discount:',
4886           input_message => 'between 1 and 100',
4887
4888       The message can be split over several lines using newlines, "\n" in
4889       double quoted strings.
4890
4891           input_message => "This is\na test.",
4892
4893       The maximum message length is 255 characters.
4894
4895   show_input
4896       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4897
4898       The "show_input" parameter is used to toggle on and off the 'Show input
4899       message when cell is selected' option in the Excel data validation
4900       dialog. When the option is off an input message is not displayed even
4901       if it has been set using "input_message". It is on by default.
4902
4903           show_input => 0,      # Turn the option off
4904
4905   error_title
4906       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4907
4908       The "error_title" parameter is used to set the title of the error
4909       message that is displayed when the data validation criteria is not met.
4910       The default error title is 'Microsoft Excel'.
4911
4912           error_title   => 'Input value is not valid',
4913
4914       The maximum title length is 32 characters.
4915
4916   error_message
4917       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4918
4919       The "error_message" parameter is used to set the error message that is
4920       displayed when a cell is entered. The default error message is "The
4921       value you entered is not valid.\nA user has restricted values that can
4922       be entered into the cell.".
4923
4924           validate      => 'integer',
4925           criteria      => 'between',
4926           minimum       => 1,
4927           maximum       => 100,
4928           error_title   => 'Input value is not valid',
4929           error_message => 'It should be an integer between 1 and 100',
4930
4931       The message can be split over several lines using newlines, "\n" in
4932       double quoted strings.
4933
4934           input_message => "This is\na test.",
4935
4936       The maximum message length is 255 characters.
4937
4938   error_type
4939       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4940
4941       The "error_type" parameter is used to specify the type of error dialog
4942       that is displayed. There are 3 options:
4943
4944           'stop'
4945           'warning'
4946           'information'
4947
4948       The default is 'stop'.
4949
4950   show_error
4951       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "data_validation()".
4952
4953       The "show_error" parameter is used to toggle on and off the 'Show error
4954       alert after invalid data is entered' option in the Excel data
4955       validation dialog. When the option is off an error message is not
4956       displayed even if it has been set using "error_message". It is on by
4957       default.
4958
4959           show_error => 0,      # Turn the option off
4960
4961   Data Validation Examples
4962       Example 1. Limiting input to an integer greater than a fixed value.
4963
4964           $worksheet->data_validation('A1',
4965               {
4966                   validate        => 'integer',
4967                   criteria        => '>',
4968                   value           => 0,
4969               });
4970
4971       Example 2. Limiting input to an integer greater than a fixed value
4972       where the value is referenced from a cell.
4973
4974           $worksheet->data_validation('A2',
4975               {
4976                   validate        => 'integer',
4977                   criteria        => '>',
4978                   value           => '=E3',
4979               });
4980
4981       Example 3. Limiting input to a decimal in a fixed range.
4982
4983           $worksheet->data_validation('A3',
4984               {
4985                   validate        => 'decimal',
4986                   criteria        => 'between',
4987                   minimum         => 0.1,
4988                   maximum         => 0.5,
4989               });
4990
4991       Example 4. Limiting input to a value in a dropdown list.
4992
4993           $worksheet->data_validation('A4',
4994               {
4995                   validate        => 'list',
4996                   source          => ['open', 'high', 'close'],
4997               });
4998
4999       Example 5. Limiting input to a value in a dropdown list where the list
5000       is specified as a cell range.
5001
5002           $worksheet->data_validation('A5',
5003               {
5004                   validate        => 'list',
5005                   source          => '=$E$4:$G$4',
5006               });
5007
5008       Example 6. Limiting input to a date in a fixed range.
5009
5010           $worksheet->data_validation('A6',
5011               {
5012                   validate        => 'date',
5013                   criteria        => 'between',
5014                   minimum         => '2008-01-01T',
5015                   maximum         => '2008-12-12T',
5016               });
5017
5018       Example 7. Displaying a message when the cell is selected.
5019
5020           $worksheet->data_validation('A7',
5021               {
5022                   validate      => 'integer',
5023                   criteria      => 'between',
5024                   minimum       => 1,
5025                   maximum       => 100,
5026                   input_title   => 'Enter an integer:',
5027                   input_message => 'between 1 and 100',
5028               });
5029
5030       See also the "data_validate.pl" program in the examples directory of
5031       the distro.
5032

CONDITIONAL FORMATTING IN EXCEL

5034       Conditional formatting is a feature of Excel which allows you to apply
5035       a format to a cell or a range of cells based on a certain criteria.
5036
5037       For example the following criteria is used to highlight cells >= 50 in
5038       red in the "conditional_format.pl" example from the distro:
5039
5040           # Write a conditional format over a range.
5041           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'B3:K12',
5042               {
5043                   type     => 'cell',
5044                   criteria => '>=',
5045                   value    => 50,
5046                   format   => $format1,
5047               }
5048           );
5049
5050   conditional_formatting( $row, $col, { parameter => 'value', ... } )
5051       The "conditional_formatting()" method is used to apply formatting
5052       based on user defined criteria to an Excel::Writer::XLSX file.
5053
5054       It can be applied to a single cell or a range of cells. You can pass 3
5055       parameters such as "($row, $col, {...})" or 5 parameters such as
5056       "($first_row, $first_col, $last_row, $last_col, {...})". You can also
5057       use "A1" style notation. For example:
5058
5059           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 0, 0,       {...} );
5060           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 0, 0, 4, 1, {...} );
5061
5062           # Which are the same as:
5063
5064           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1',       {...} );
5065           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:B5',    {...} );
5066
5067       See also the note about "Cell notation" for more information.
5068
5069       Using "A1" style notation is also possible to specify non-contiguous
5070       ranges, separated by a comma. For example:
5071
5072           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:D5,A8:D12', {...} );
5073
5074       The last parameter in "conditional_formatting()" must be a hash ref
5075       containing the parameters that describe the type and style of the data
5076       validation. The main parameters are:
5077
5078           type
5079           format
5080           criteria
5081           value
5082           minimum
5083           maximum
5084
5085       Other, less commonly used parameters are:
5086
5087           min_type
5088           mid_type
5089           max_type
5090           min_value
5091           mid_value
5092           max_value
5093           min_color
5094           mid_color
5095           max_color
5096           bar_color
5097           bar_only
5098           bar_solid
5099           bar_negative_color
5100           bar_border_color
5101           bar_negative_border_color
5102           bar_negative_color_same
5103           bar_negative_border_color_same
5104           bar_no_border
5105           bar_direction
5106           bar_axis_position
5107           bar_axis_color
5108           data_bar_2010
5109           icon_style
5110           icons
5111           reverse_icons
5112           icons_only
5113           stop_if_true
5114           multi_range
5115
5116       Additional parameters which are used for specific conditional format
5117       types are shown in the relevant sections below.
5118
5119   type
5120       This parameter is passed in a hash ref to "conditional_formatting()".
5121
5122       The "type" parameter is used to set the type of conditional formatting
5123       that you wish to apply. It is always required and it has no default
5124       value. Allowable "type" values and their associated parameters are:
5125
5126           Type            Parameters
5127           ====            ==========
5128           cell            criteria
5129                           value
5130                           minimum
5131                           maximum
5132                           format
5133
5134           date            criteria
5135                           value
5136                           minimum
5137                           maximum
5138                           format
5139
5140           time_period     criteria
5141                           format
5142
5143           text            criteria
5144                           value
5145                           format
5146
5147           average         criteria
5148                           format
5149
5150           duplicate       format
5151
5152           unique          format
5153
5154           top             criteria
5155                           value
5156                           format
5157
5158           bottom          criteria
5159                           value
5160                           format
5161
5162           blanks          format
5163
5164           no_blanks       format
5165
5166           errors          format
5167
5168           no_errors       format
5169
5170           formula         criteria
5171                           format
5172
5173           2_color_scale   min_type
5174                           max_type
5175                           min_value
5176                           max_value
5177                           min_color
5178                           max_color
5179
5180           3_color_scale   min_type
5181                           mid_type
5182                           max_type
5183                           min_value
5184                           mid_value
5185                           max_value
5186                           min_color
5187                           mid_color
5188                           max_color
5189
5190           data_bar        min_type
5191                           max_type
5192                           min_value
5193                           max_value
5194                           bar_only
5195                           bar_color
5196                           bar_solid*
5197                           bar_negative_color*
5198                           bar_border_color*
5199                           bar_negative_border_color*
5200                           bar_negative_color_same*
5201                           bar_negative_border_color_same*
5202                           bar_no_border*
5203                           bar_direction*
5204                           bar_axis_position*
5205                           bar_axis_color*
5206                           data_bar_2010*
5207
5208           icon_set        icon_style
5209                           reverse_icons
5210                           icons
5211                           icons_only
5212
5213       Data bar parameters marked with (*) are only available in Excel 2010
5214       and later. Files that use these properties can still be opened in Excel
5215       2007 but the data bars will be displayed without them.
5216
5217   type => 'cell'
5218       This is the most common conditional formatting type. It is used when a
5219       format is applied to a cell based on a simple criterion. For example:
5220
5221           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1',
5222               {
5223                   type     => 'cell',
5224                   criteria => 'greater than',
5225                   value    => 5,
5226                   format   => $red_format,
5227               }
5228           );
5229
5230       Or, using the "between" criteria:
5231
5232           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'C1:C4',
5233               {
5234                   type     => 'cell',
5235                   criteria => 'between',
5236                   minimum  => 20,
5237                   maximum  => 30,
5238                   format   => $green_format,
5239               }
5240           );
5241
5242   criteria
5243       The "criteria" parameter is used to set the criteria by which the cell
5244       data will be evaluated. It has no default value. The most common
5245       criteria as applied to "{ type => 'cell' }" are:
5246
5247           'between'
5248           'not between'
5249           'equal to'                  |  '=='  |  '='
5250           'not equal to'              |  '!='  |  '<>'
5251           'greater than'              |  '>'
5252           'less than'                 |  '<'
5253           'greater than or equal to'  |  '>='
5254           'less than or equal to'     |  '<='
5255
5256       You can either use Excel's textual description strings, in the first
5257       column above, or the more common symbolic alternatives.
5258
5259       Additional criteria which are specific to other conditional format
5260       types are shown in the relevant sections below.
5261
5262   value
5263       The "value" is generally used along with the "criteria" parameter to
5264       set the rule by which the cell data  will be evaluated.
5265
5266           type     => 'cell',
5267           criteria => '>',
5268           value    => 5
5269           format   => $format,
5270
5271       The "value" property can also be an cell reference.
5272
5273           type     => 'cell',
5274           criteria => '>',
5275           value    => '$C$1',
5276           format   => $format,
5277
5278   format
5279       The "format" parameter is used to specify the format that will be
5280       applied to the cell when the conditional formatting criterion is met.
5281       The format is created using the "add_format()" method in the same way
5282       as cell formats:
5283
5284           $format = $workbook->add_format( bold => 1, italic => 1 );
5285
5286           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1',
5287               {
5288                   type     => 'cell',
5289                   criteria => '>',
5290                   value    => 5
5291                   format   => $format,
5292               }
5293           );
5294
5295       The conditional format follows the same rules as in Excel: it is
5296       superimposed over the existing cell format and not all font and border
5297       properties can be modified. Font properties that can't be modified are
5298       font name, font size, superscript and subscript. The border property
5299       that cannot be modified is diagonal borders.
5300
5301       Excel specifies some default formats to be used with conditional
5302       formatting. You can replicate them using the following
5303       Excel::Writer::XLSX formats:
5304
5305           # Light red fill with dark red text.
5306
5307           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format(
5308               bg_color => '#FFC7CE',
5309               color    => '#9C0006',
5310           );
5311
5312           # Light yellow fill with dark yellow text.
5313
5314           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format(
5315               bg_color => '#FFEB9C',
5316               color    => '#9C6500',
5317           );
5318
5319           # Green fill with dark green text.
5320
5321           my $format3 = $workbook->add_format(
5322               bg_color => '#C6EFCE',
5323               color    => '#006100',
5324           );
5325
5326   minimum
5327       The "minimum" parameter is used to set the lower limiting value when
5328       the "criteria" is either 'between' or 'not between':
5329
5330           validate => 'integer',
5331           criteria => 'between',
5332           minimum  => 1,
5333           maximum  => 100,
5334
5335   maximum
5336       The "maximum" parameter is used to set the upper limiting value when
5337       the "criteria" is either 'between' or 'not between'. See the previous
5338       example.
5339
5340   type => 'date'
5341       The "date" type is the same as the "cell" type and uses the same
5342       criteria and values. However it allows the "value", "minimum" and
5343       "maximum" properties to be specified in the ISO8601
5344       "yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss" date format which is detailed in the
5345       "write_date_time()" method.
5346
5347           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5348               {
5349                   type     => 'date',
5350                   criteria => 'greater than',
5351                   value    => '2011-01-01T',
5352                   format   => $format,
5353               }
5354           );
5355
5356   type => 'time_period'
5357       The "time_period" type is used to specify Excel's "Dates Occurring"
5358       style conditional format.
5359
5360           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5361               {
5362                   type     => 'time_period',
5363                   criteria => 'yesterday',
5364                   format   => $format,
5365               }
5366           );
5367
5368       The period is set in the "criteria" and can have one of the following
5369       values:
5370
5371               criteria => 'yesterday',
5372               criteria => 'today',
5373               criteria => 'last 7 days',
5374               criteria => 'last week',
5375               criteria => 'this week',
5376               criteria => 'next week',
5377               criteria => 'last month',
5378               criteria => 'this month',
5379               criteria => 'next month'
5380
5381   type => 'text'
5382       The "text" type is used to specify Excel's "Specific Text" style
5383       conditional format. It is used to do simple string matching using the
5384       "criteria" and "value" parameters:
5385
5386           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5387               {
5388                   type     => 'text',
5389                   criteria => 'containing',
5390                   value    => 'foo',
5391                   format   => $format,
5392               }
5393           );
5394
5395       The "criteria" can have one of the following values:
5396
5397           criteria => 'containing',
5398           criteria => 'not containing',
5399           criteria => 'begins with',
5400           criteria => 'ends with',
5401
5402       The "value" parameter should be a string or single character.
5403
5404   type => 'average'
5405       The "average" type is used to specify Excel's "Average" style
5406       conditional format.
5407
5408           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5409               {
5410                   type     => 'average',
5411                   criteria => 'above',
5412                   format   => $format,
5413               }
5414           );
5415
5416       The type of average for the conditional format range is specified by
5417       the "criteria":
5418
5419           criteria => 'above',
5420           criteria => 'below',
5421           criteria => 'equal or above',
5422           criteria => 'equal or below',
5423           criteria => '1 std dev above',
5424           criteria => '1 std dev below',
5425           criteria => '2 std dev above',
5426           criteria => '2 std dev below',
5427           criteria => '3 std dev above',
5428           criteria => '3 std dev below',
5429
5430   type => 'duplicate'
5431       The "duplicate" type is used to highlight duplicate cells in a range:
5432
5433           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5434               {
5435                   type     => 'duplicate',
5436                   format   => $format,
5437               }
5438           );
5439
5440   type => 'unique'
5441       The "unique" type is used to highlight unique cells in a range:
5442
5443           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5444               {
5445                   type     => 'unique',
5446                   format   => $format,
5447               }
5448           );
5449
5450   type => 'top'
5451       The "top" type is used to specify the top "n" values by number or
5452       percentage in a range:
5453
5454           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5455               {
5456                   type     => 'top',
5457                   value    => 10,
5458                   format   => $format,
5459               }
5460           );
5461
5462       The "criteria" can be used to indicate that a percentage condition is
5463       required:
5464
5465           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5466               {
5467                   type     => 'top',
5468                   value    => 10,
5469                   criteria => '%',
5470                   format   => $format,
5471               }
5472           );
5473
5474   type => 'bottom'
5475       The "bottom" type is used to specify the bottom "n" values by number or
5476       percentage in a range.
5477
5478       It takes the same parameters as "top", see above.
5479
5480   type => 'blanks'
5481       The "blanks" type is used to highlight blank cells in a range:
5482
5483           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5484               {
5485                   type     => 'blanks',
5486                   format   => $format,
5487               }
5488           );
5489
5490   type => 'no_blanks'
5491       The "no_blanks" type is used to highlight non blank cells in a range:
5492
5493           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5494               {
5495                   type     => 'no_blanks',
5496                   format   => $format,
5497               }
5498           );
5499
5500   type => 'errors'
5501       The "errors" type is used to highlight error cells in a range:
5502
5503           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5504               {
5505                   type     => 'errors',
5506                   format   => $format,
5507               }
5508           );
5509
5510   type => 'no_errors'
5511       The "no_errors" type is used to highlight non error cells in a range:
5512
5513           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5514               {
5515                   type     => 'no_errors',
5516                   format   => $format,
5517               }
5518           );
5519
5520   type => 'formula'
5521       The "formula" type is used to specify a conditional format based on a
5522       user defined formula:
5523
5524           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A4',
5525               {
5526                   type     => 'formula',
5527                   criteria => '=$A$1 > 5',
5528                   format   => $format,
5529               }
5530           );
5531
5532       The formula is specified in the "criteria".
5533
5534   type => '2_color_scale'
5535       The "2_color_scale" type is used to specify Excel's "2 Color Scale"
5536       style conditional format.
5537
5538           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5539               {
5540                   type  => '2_color_scale',
5541               }
5542           );
5543
5544       This conditional type can be modified with "min_type", "max_type",
5545       "min_value", "max_value", "min_color" and "max_color", see below.
5546
5547   type => '3_color_scale'
5548       The "3_color_scale" type is used to specify Excel's "3 Color Scale"
5549       style conditional format.
5550
5551           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5552               {
5553                   type  => '3_color_scale',
5554               }
5555           );
5556
5557       This conditional type can be modified with "min_type", "mid_type",
5558       "max_type", "min_value", "mid_value", "max_value", "min_color",
5559       "mid_color" and "max_color", see below.
5560
5561   type => 'data_bar'
5562       The "data_bar" type is used to specify Excel's "Data Bar" style
5563       conditional format.
5564
5565           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5566               {
5567                   type  => 'data_bar',
5568               }
5569           );
5570
5571       This data bar conditional type can be modified with the following
5572       parameters, which are explained in the sections below. These properties
5573       were available in the original xlsx file specification used in Excel
5574       2007::
5575
5576           min_type
5577           max_type
5578           min_value
5579           max_value
5580           bar_color
5581           bar_only
5582
5583       In Excel 2010 additional data bar properties were added such as solid
5584       (non-gradient) bars and control over how negative values are displayed.
5585       These properties can be set using the following parameters:
5586
5587           bar_solid
5588           bar_negative_color
5589           bar_border_color
5590           bar_negative_border_color
5591           bar_negative_color_same
5592           bar_negative_border_color_same
5593           bar_no_border
5594           bar_direction
5595           bar_axis_position
5596           bar_axis_color
5597           data_bar_2010
5598
5599       Files that use these Excel 2010 properties can still be opened in Excel
5600       2007 but the data bars will be displayed without them.
5601
5602   type => 'icon_set'
5603       The "icon_set" type is used to specify a conditional format with a set
5604       of icons such as traffic lights or arrows:
5605
5606           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:C1',
5607               {
5608                   type         => 'icon_set',
5609                   icon_style   => '3_traffic_lights',
5610               }
5611           );
5612
5613       The icon set style is specified by the "icon_style" parameter. Valid
5614       options are:
5615
5616           3_arrows
5617           3_arrows_gray
5618           3_flags
5619           3_signs
5620           3_symbols
5621           3_symbols_circled
5622           3_traffic_lights
5623           3_traffic_lights_rimmed
5624
5625           4_arrows
5626           4_arrows_gray
5627           4_ratings
5628           4_red_to_black
5629           4_traffic_lights
5630
5631           5_arrows
5632           5_arrows_gray
5633           5_quarters
5634           5_ratings
5635
5636       The criteria, type and value of each icon can be specified using the
5637       "icon" array of hash refs with optional "criteria", "type" and "value"
5638       parameters:
5639
5640           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:D1',
5641               {
5642                   type         => 'icon_set',
5643                   icon_style   => '4_red_to_black',
5644                   icons        => [ {criteria => '>',  type => 'number',     value => 90},
5645                                     {criteria => '>=', type => 'percentile', value => 50},
5646                                     {criteria => '>',  type => 'percent',    value => 25},
5647                                   ],
5648               }
5649           );
5650
5651       The "icons criteria" parameter should be either ">=" or ">". The
5652       default "criteria" is ">=".
5653
5654       The "icons type" parameter should be one of the following values:
5655
5656           number
5657           percentile
5658           percent
5659           formula
5660
5661       The default "type" is "percent".
5662
5663       The "icons value" parameter can be a value or formula:
5664
5665           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:D1',
5666               {
5667                   type         => 'icon_set',
5668                   icon_style   => '4_red_to_black',
5669                   icons        => [ {value => 90},
5670                                     {value => 50},
5671                                     {value => 25},
5672                                   ],
5673               }
5674           );
5675
5676       Note: The "icons" parameters should start with the highest value and
5677       with each subsequent one being lower. The default "value" is "(n * 100)
5678       / number_of_icons". The lowest number icon in an icon set has
5679       properties defined by Excel. Therefore in a "n" icon set, there is no
5680       "n-1" hash of parameters.
5681
5682       The order of the icons can be reversed using the "reverse_icons"
5683       parameter:
5684
5685           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:C1',
5686               {
5687                   type          => 'icon_set',
5688                   icon_style    => '3_arrows',
5689                   reverse_icons => 1,
5690               }
5691           );
5692
5693       The icons can be displayed without the cell value using the
5694       "icons_only" parameter:
5695
5696           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:C1',
5697               {
5698                   type         => 'icon_set',
5699                   icon_style   => '3_flags',
5700                   icons_only   => 1,
5701               }
5702           );
5703
5704   min_type, mid_type, max_type
5705       The "min_type" and "max_type" properties are available when the
5706       conditional formatting type is "2_color_scale", "3_color_scale" or
5707       "data_bar". The "mid_type" is available for "3_color_scale". The
5708       properties are used as follows:
5709
5710           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5711               {
5712                   type      => '2_color_scale',
5713                   min_type  => 'percent',
5714                   max_type  => 'percent',
5715               }
5716           );
5717
5718       The available min/mid/max types are:
5719
5720           min        (for min_type only)
5721           num
5722           percent
5723           percentile
5724           formula
5725           max        (for max_type only)
5726
5727   min_value, mid_value, max_value
5728       The "min_value" and "max_value" properties are available when the
5729       conditional formatting type is "2_color_scale", "3_color_scale" or
5730       "data_bar". The "mid_value" is available for "3_color_scale". The
5731       properties are used as follows:
5732
5733           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5734               {
5735                   type       => '2_color_scale',
5736                   min_value  => 10,
5737                   max_value  => 90,
5738               }
5739           );
5740
5741   min_color, mid_color,  max_color, bar_color
5742       The "min_color" and "max_color" properties are available when the
5743       conditional formatting type is "2_color_scale", "3_color_scale" or
5744       "data_bar". The "mid_color" is available for "3_color_scale". The
5745       properties are used as follows:
5746
5747           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:A12',
5748               {
5749                   type      => '2_color_scale',
5750                   min_color => "#C5D9F1",
5751                   max_color => "#538ED5",
5752               }
5753           );
5754
5755       The color can be specified as an Excel::Writer::XLSX color index or,
5756       more usefully, as a HTML style RGB hex number, as shown above.
5757
5758   bar_only
5759       The "bar_only" parameter property displays a bar data but not the data
5760       in the cells:
5761
5762           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'D3:D14',
5763               {
5764                   type     => 'data_bar',
5765                   bar_only => 1
5766               }
5767           );
5768
5769   bar_solid
5770       The "bar_solid" parameter turns on a solid (non-gradient) fill for data
5771       bars:
5772
5773           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'H3:H14',
5774               {
5775                   type      => 'data_bar',
5776                   bar_solid => 1
5777               }
5778           );
5779
5780       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5781
5782   bar_negative_color
5783       The "bar_negative_color" parameter is used to set the color fill for
5784       the negative portion of a data bar.
5785
5786       The color can be specified as an Excel::Writer::XLSX color index or as
5787       a HTML style RGB hex number, as shown in the other examples.
5788
5789       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5790
5791   bar_border_color
5792       The "bar_border_color" parameter is used to set the border color of a
5793       data bar.
5794
5795       The color can be specified as an Excel::Writer::XLSX color index or as
5796       a HTML style RGB hex number, as shown in the other examples.
5797
5798       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5799
5800   bar_negative_border_color
5801       The "bar_negative_border_color" parameter is used to set the border
5802       color of the negative portion of a data bar.
5803
5804       The color can be specified as an Excel::Writer::XLSX color index or as
5805       a HTML style RGB hex number, as shown in the other examples.
5806
5807       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5808
5809   bar_negative_color_same
5810       The "bar_negative_color_same" parameter sets the fill color for the
5811       negative portion of a data bar to be the same as the fill color for the
5812       positive portion of the data bar:
5813
5814           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'N3:N14',
5815               {
5816                   type                           => 'data_bar',
5817                   bar_negative_color_same        => 1,
5818                   bar_negative_border_color_same => 1
5819               }
5820           );
5821
5822       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5823
5824   bar_negative_border_color_same
5825       The "bar_negative_border_color_same" parameter sets the border color
5826       for the negative portion of a data bar to be the same as the border
5827       color for the positive portion of the data bar.
5828
5829       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5830
5831   bar_no_border
5832       The "bar_no_border" parameter turns off the border of a data bar.
5833
5834       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later, however
5835       the default in Excel 2007 is not to have a border.
5836
5837   bar_direction
5838       The "bar_direction" parameter sets the direction for data bars. This
5839       property can be either "left" for left-to-right or "right" for right-
5840       to-left. If the property isn't set then Excel will adjust the position
5841       automatically based on the context:
5842
5843           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'J3:J14',
5844               {
5845                   type          => 'data_bar',
5846                   bar_direction => 'right'
5847               }
5848           );
5849
5850       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5851
5852   bar_axis_position
5853       The "bar_axis_position" parameter sets the position within the cells
5854       for the axis that is shown in data bars when there are negative values
5855       to display. The property can be either "middle" or "none". If the
5856       property isn't set then Excel will position the axis based on the range
5857       of positive and negative values.
5858
5859       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5860
5861   bar_axis_color
5862       The "bar_axis_color" parameter sets the color for the axis that is
5863       shown in data bars when there are negative values to display.
5864
5865       The color can be specified as an Excel::Writer::XLSX color index or as
5866       a HTML style RGB hex number, as shown in the other examples.
5867
5868       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5869
5870   data_bar_2010
5871       The "data_bar_2010" parameter sets Excel 2010 style data bars even when
5872       Excel 2010 specific properties aren't used. This can be used to create
5873       consistency across all the data bar formatting in a worksheet:
5874
5875           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'L3:L14',
5876               {
5877                   type          => 'data_bar',
5878                   data_bar_2010 => 1
5879               }
5880           );
5881
5882       Note, this property is only visible in Excel 2010 and later.
5883
5884   stop_if_true
5885       The "stop_if_true" parameter, if set to a true value, will enable the
5886       "stop if true" feature on the conditional formatting rule, so that
5887       subsequent rules are not examined for any cell on which the conditions
5888       for this rule are met.
5889
5890   Conditional Formatting Examples
5891       Example 1. Highlight cells greater than an integer value.
5892
5893           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5894               {
5895                   type     => 'cell',
5896                   criteria => 'greater than',
5897                   value    => 5,
5898                   format   => $format,
5899               }
5900           );
5901
5902       Example 2. Highlight cells greater than a value in a reference cell.
5903
5904           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5905               {
5906                   type     => 'cell',
5907                   criteria => 'greater than',
5908                   value    => '$H$1',
5909                   format   => $format,
5910               }
5911           );
5912
5913       Example 3. Highlight cells greater than a certain date:
5914
5915           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5916               {
5917                   type     => 'date',
5918                   criteria => 'greater than',
5919                   value    => '2011-01-01T',
5920                   format   => $format,
5921               }
5922           );
5923
5924       Example 4. Highlight cells with a date in the last seven days:
5925
5926           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5927               {
5928                   type     => 'time_period',
5929                   criteria => 'last 7 days',
5930                   format   => $format,
5931               }
5932           );
5933
5934       Example 5. Highlight cells with strings starting with the letter "b":
5935
5936           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5937               {
5938                   type     => 'text',
5939                   criteria => 'begins with',
5940                   value    => 'b',
5941                   format   => $format,
5942               }
5943           );
5944
5945       Example 6. Highlight cells that are 1 std deviation above the average
5946       for the range:
5947
5948           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5949               {
5950                   type     => 'average',
5951                   format   => $format,
5952               }
5953           );
5954
5955       Example 7. Highlight duplicate cells in a range:
5956
5957           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5958               {
5959                   type     => 'duplicate',
5960                   format   => $format,
5961               }
5962           );
5963
5964       Example 8. Highlight unique cells in a range.
5965
5966           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5967               {
5968                   type     => 'unique',
5969                   format   => $format,
5970               }
5971           );
5972
5973       Example 9. Highlight the top 10 cells.
5974
5975           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5976               {
5977                   type     => 'top',
5978                   value    => 10,
5979                   format   => $format,
5980               }
5981           );
5982
5983       Example 10. Highlight blank cells.
5984
5985           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:F10',
5986               {
5987                   type     => 'blanks',
5988                   format   => $format,
5989               }
5990           );
5991
5992       Example 11. Set traffic light icons in 3 cells:
5993
5994           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'A1:C1',
5995               {
5996                   type         => 'icon_set',
5997                   icon_style   => '3_traffic_lights',
5998               }
5999           );
6000
6001       See also the "conditional_format.pl" example program in "EXAMPLES".
6002

SPARKLINES IN EXCEL

6004       Sparklines are a feature of Excel 2010+ which allows you to add small
6005       charts to worksheet cells. These are useful for showing visual trends
6006       in data in a compact format.
6007
6008       In Excel::Writer::XLSX Sparklines can be added to cells using the
6009       "add_sparkline()" worksheet method:
6010
6011           $worksheet->add_sparkline(
6012               {
6013                   location => 'F2',
6014                   range    => 'Sheet1!A2:E2',
6015                   type     => 'column',
6016                   style    => 12,
6017               }
6018           );
6019
6020       Note: Sparklines are a feature of Excel 2010+ only. You can write them
6021       to an XLSX file that can be read by Excel 2007 but they won't be
6022       displayed.
6023
6024   add_sparkline( { parameter => 'value', ... } )
6025       The "add_sparkline()" worksheet method is used to add sparklines to a
6026       cell or a range of cells.
6027
6028       The parameters to "add_sparkline()" must be passed in a hash ref. The
6029       main sparkline parameters are:
6030
6031           location        (required)
6032           range           (required)
6033           type
6034           style
6035
6036           markers
6037           negative_points
6038           axis
6039           reverse
6040
6041       Other, less commonly used parameters are:
6042
6043           high_point
6044           low_point
6045           first_point
6046           last_point
6047           max
6048           min
6049           empty_cells
6050           show_hidden
6051           date_axis
6052           weight
6053
6054           series_color
6055           negative_color
6056           markers_color
6057           first_color
6058           last_color
6059           high_color
6060           low_color
6061
6062       These parameters are explained in the sections below:
6063
6064   location
6065       This is the cell where the sparkline will be displayed:
6066
6067           location => 'F1'
6068
6069       The "location" should be a single cell. (For multiple cells see
6070       "Grouped Sparklines" below).
6071
6072       To specify the location in row-column notation use the
6073       "xl_rowcol_to_cell()" function from the Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility
6074       module.
6075
6076           use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility ':rowcol';
6077           ...
6078           location => xl_rowcol_to_cell( 0, 5 ), # F1
6079
6080   range
6081       This specifies the cell data range that the sparkline will plot:
6082
6083           $worksheet->add_sparkline(
6084               {
6085                   location => 'F1',
6086                   range    => 'A1:E1',
6087               }
6088           );
6089
6090       The "range" should be a 2D array. (For 3D arrays of cells see "Grouped
6091       Sparklines" below).
6092
6093       If "range" is not on the same worksheet you can specify its location
6094       using the usual Excel notation:
6095
6096                   range => 'Sheet1!A1:E1',
6097
6098       If the worksheet contains spaces or special characters you should quote
6099       the worksheet name in the same way that Excel does:
6100
6101                   range => q('Monthly Data'!A1:E1),
6102
6103       To specify the location in row-column notation use the "xl_range()" or
6104       "xl_range_formula()" functions from the Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility
6105       module.
6106
6107           use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility ':rowcol';
6108           ...
6109           range => xl_range( 1, 1,  0, 4 ),                   # 'A1:E1'
6110           range => xl_range_formula( 'Sheet1', 0, 0,  0, 4 ), # 'Sheet1!A2:E2'
6111
6112   type
6113       Specifies the type of sparkline. There are 3 available sparkline types:
6114
6115           line    (default)
6116           column
6117           win_loss
6118
6119       For example:
6120
6121           {
6122               location => 'F1',
6123               range    => 'A1:E1',
6124               type     => 'column',
6125           }
6126
6127   style
6128       Excel provides 36 built-in Sparkline styles in 6 groups of 6. The
6129       "style" parameter can be used to replicate these and should be a
6130       corresponding number from 1 .. 36.
6131
6132           {
6133               location => 'A14',
6134               range    => 'Sheet2!A2:J2',
6135               style    => 3,
6136           }
6137
6138       The style number starts in the top left of the style grid and runs left
6139       to right. The default style is 1. It is possible to override colour
6140       elements of the sparklines using the *_color parameters below.
6141
6142   markers
6143       Turn on the markers for "line" style sparklines.
6144
6145           {
6146               location => 'A6',
6147               range    => 'Sheet2!A1:J1',
6148               markers  => 1,
6149           }
6150
6151       Markers aren't shown in Excel for "column" and "win_loss" sparklines.
6152
6153   negative_points
6154       Highlight negative values in a sparkline range. This is usually
6155       required with "win_loss" sparklines.
6156
6157           {
6158               location        => 'A21',
6159               range           => 'Sheet2!A3:J3',
6160               type            => 'win_loss',
6161               negative_points => 1,
6162           }
6163
6164   axis
6165       Display a horizontal axis in the sparkline:
6166
6167           {
6168               location => 'A10',
6169               range    => 'Sheet2!A1:J1',
6170               axis     => 1,
6171           }
6172
6173   reverse
6174       Plot the data from right-to-left instead of the default left-to-right:
6175
6176           {
6177               location => 'A24',
6178               range    => 'Sheet2!A4:J4',
6179               type     => 'column',
6180               reverse  => 1,
6181           }
6182
6183   weight
6184       Adjust the default line weight (thickness) for "line" style sparklines.
6185
6186            weight => 0.25,
6187
6188       The weight value should be one of the following values allowed by
6189       Excel:
6190
6191           0.25  0.5   0.75
6192           1     1.25
6193           2.25
6194           3
6195           4.25
6196           6
6197
6198   high_point, low_point, first_point, last_point
6199       Highlight points in a sparkline range.
6200
6201               high_point  => 1,
6202               low_point   => 1,
6203               first_point => 1,
6204               last_point  => 1,
6205
6206   max, min
6207       Specify the maximum and minimum vertical axis values:
6208
6209               max         => 0.5,
6210               min         => -0.5,
6211
6212       As a special case you can set the maximum and minimum to be for a group
6213       of sparklines rather than one:
6214
6215               max         => 'group',
6216
6217       See "Grouped Sparklines" below.
6218
6219   empty_cells
6220       Define how empty cells are handled in a sparkline.
6221
6222           empty_cells => 'zero',
6223
6224       The available options are:
6225
6226           gaps   : show empty cells as gaps (the default).
6227           zero   : plot empty cells as 0.
6228           connect: Connect points with a line ("line" type  sparklines only).
6229
6230   show_hidden
6231       Plot data in hidden rows and columns:
6232
6233           show_hidden => 1,
6234
6235       Note, this option is off by default.
6236
6237   date_axis
6238       Specify an alternative date axis for the sparkline. This is useful if
6239       the data being plotted isn't at fixed width intervals:
6240
6241           {
6242               location  => 'F3',
6243               range     => 'A3:E3',
6244               date_axis => 'A4:E4',
6245           }
6246
6247       The number of cells in the date range should correspond to the number
6248       of cells in the data range.
6249
6250   series_color
6251       It is possible to override the colour of a sparkline style using the
6252       following parameters:
6253
6254           series_color
6255           negative_color
6256           markers_color
6257           first_color
6258           last_color
6259           high_color
6260           low_color
6261
6262       The color should be specified as a HTML style "#rrggbb" hex value:
6263
6264           {
6265               location     => 'A18',
6266               range        => 'Sheet2!A2:J2',
6267               type         => 'column',
6268               series_color => '#E965E0',
6269           }
6270
6271   Grouped Sparklines
6272       The "add_sparkline()" worksheet method can be used multiple times to
6273       write as many sparklines as are required in a worksheet.
6274
6275       However, it is sometimes necessary to group contiguous sparklines so
6276       that changes that are applied to one are applied to all. In Excel this
6277       is achieved by selecting a 3D range of cells for the data "range" and a
6278       2D range of cells for the "location".
6279
6280       In Excel::Writer::XLSX, you can simulate this by passing an array refs
6281       of values to "location" and "range":
6282
6283           {
6284               location => [ 'A27',          'A28',          'A29'          ],
6285               range    => [ 'Sheet2!A5:J5', 'Sheet2!A6:J6', 'Sheet2!A7:J7' ],
6286               markers  => 1,
6287           }
6288
6289   Sparkline examples
6290       See the "sparklines1.pl" and "sparklines2.pl" example programs in the
6291       "examples" directory of the distro.
6292

TABLES IN EXCEL

6294       Tables in Excel are a way of grouping a range of cells into a single
6295       entity that has common formatting or that can be referenced from
6296       formulas. Tables can have column headers, autofilters, total rows,
6297       column formulas and default formatting.
6298
6299       For more information see "An Overview of Excel Tables"
6300       <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/overview-of-excel-tables-HA010048546.aspx>.
6301
6302       Note, tables don't work in Excel::Writer::XLSX when
6303       "set_optimization()" mode in on.
6304
6305   add_table( $row1, $col1, $row2, $col2, { parameter => 'value', ... })
6306       Tables are added to a worksheet using the "add_table()" method:
6307
6308           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { %parameters } );
6309
6310       The data range can be specified in 'A1' or 'row/col' notation (see also
6311       the note about "Cell notation" for more information):
6312
6313           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7' );
6314           # Same as:
6315           $worksheet->add_table(  2, 1, 6, 5 );
6316
6317       The last parameter in "add_table()" should be a hash ref containing the
6318       parameters that describe the table options and data. The available
6319       parameters are:
6320
6321               data
6322               autofilter
6323               header_row
6324               banded_columns
6325               banded_rows
6326               first_column
6327               last_column
6328               style
6329               total_row
6330               columns
6331               name
6332
6333       The table parameters are detailed below. There are no required
6334       parameters and the hash ref isn't required if no options are specified.
6335
6336   data
6337       The "data" parameter can be used to specify the data in the cells of
6338       the table.
6339
6340           my $data = [
6341               [ 'Apples',  10000, 5000, 8000, 6000 ],
6342               [ 'Pears',   2000,  3000, 4000, 5000 ],
6343               [ 'Bananas', 6000,  6000, 6500, 6000 ],
6344               [ 'Oranges', 500,   300,  200,  700 ],
6345
6346           ];
6347
6348           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { data => $data } );
6349
6350       Table data can also be written separately, as an array or individual
6351       cells.
6352
6353           # These two statements are the same as the single statement above.
6354           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7' );
6355           $worksheet->write_col( 'B4', $data );
6356
6357       Writing the cell data separately is occasionally required when you need
6358       to control the "write_*()" method used to populate the cells or if you
6359       wish to tweak the cell formatting.
6360
6361       The "data" structure should be an array ref of array refs holding row
6362       data as shown above.
6363
6364   header_row
6365       The "header_row" parameter can be used to turn on or off the header row
6366       in the table. It is on by default.
6367
6368           $worksheet->add_table( 'B4:F7', { header_row => 0 } ); # Turn header off.
6369
6370       The header row will contain default captions such as "Column 1",
6371       "Column 2",  etc. These captions can be overridden using the "columns"
6372       parameter below.
6373
6374   autofilter
6375       The "autofilter" parameter can be used to turn on or off the autofilter
6376       in the header row. It is on by default.
6377
6378           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { autofilter => 0 } ); # Turn autofilter off.
6379
6380       The "autofilter" is only shown if the "header_row" is on. Filters
6381       within the table are not supported.
6382
6383   banded_rows
6384       The "banded_rows" parameter can be used to used to create rows of
6385       alternating colour in the table. It is on by default.
6386
6387           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { banded_rows => 0 } );
6388
6389   banded_columns
6390       The "banded_columns" parameter can be used to used to create columns of
6391       alternating colour in the table. It is off by default.
6392
6393           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { banded_columns => 1 } );
6394
6395   first_column
6396       The "first_column" parameter can be used to highlight the first column
6397       of the table. The type of highlighting will depend on the "style" of
6398       the table. It may be bold text or a different colour. It is off by
6399       default.
6400
6401           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { first_column => 1 } );
6402
6403   last_column
6404       The "last_column" parameter can be used to highlight the last column of
6405       the table. The type of highlighting will depend on the "style" of the
6406       table. It may be bold text or a different colour. It is off by default.
6407
6408           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { last_column => 1 } );
6409
6410   style
6411       The "style" parameter can be used to set the style of the table.
6412       Standard Excel table format names should be used (with matching
6413       capitalisation):
6414
6415           $worksheet11->add_table(
6416               'B3:F7',
6417               {
6418                   data      => $data,
6419                   style     => 'Table Style Light 11',
6420               }
6421           );
6422
6423       The default table style is 'Table Style Medium 9'.
6424
6425       You can also turn the table style off by setting it to 'None':
6426
6427           $worksheet11->add_table( 'B3:F7', { style => 'None' } );
6428
6429   name
6430       By default tables are named "Table1", "Table2", etc. The "name"
6431       parameter can be used to set the name of the table:
6432
6433           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { name => 'SalesData' } );
6434
6435       If you override the table name you must ensure that it doesn't clash
6436       with an existing table name and that it follows Excel's requirements
6437       for table names
6438       <http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/excel-help/define-and-use-names-in-formulas-HA010147120.aspx#BMsyntax_rules_for_names>.
6439
6440       If you need to know the name of the table, for example to use it in a
6441       formula, you can get it as follows:
6442
6443           my $table      = $worksheet2->add_table( 'B3:F7' );
6444           my $table_name = $table->{_name};
6445
6446   total_row
6447       The "total_row" parameter can be used to turn on the total row in the
6448       last row of a table. It is distinguished from the other rows by a
6449       different formatting and also with dropdown "SUBTOTAL" functions.
6450
6451           $worksheet->add_table( 'B3:F7', { total_row => 1 } );
6452
6453       The default total row doesn't have any captions or functions. These
6454       must by specified via the "columns" parameter below.
6455
6456   columns
6457       The "columns" parameter can be used to set properties for columns
6458       within the table.
6459
6460       The sub-properties that can be set are:
6461
6462           header
6463           formula
6464           total_string
6465           total_function
6466           total_value
6467           format
6468           header_format
6469
6470       The column data must be specified as an array ref of hash refs. For
6471       example to override the default 'Column n' style table headers:
6472
6473           $worksheet->add_table(
6474               'B3:F7',
6475               {
6476                   data    => $data,
6477                   columns => [
6478                       { header => 'Product' },
6479                       { header => 'Quarter 1' },
6480                       { header => 'Quarter 2' },
6481                       { header => 'Quarter 3' },
6482                       { header => 'Quarter 4' },
6483                   ]
6484               }
6485           );
6486
6487       If you don't wish to specify properties for a specific column you pass
6488       an empty hash ref and the defaults will be applied:
6489
6490                   ...
6491                   columns => [
6492                       { header => 'Product' },
6493                       { header => 'Quarter 1' },
6494                       { },                        # Defaults to 'Column 3'.
6495                       { header => 'Quarter 3' },
6496                       { header => 'Quarter 4' },
6497                   ]
6498                   ...
6499
6500       Column formulas can by applied using the "formula" column property:
6501
6502           $worksheet8->add_table(
6503               'B3:G7',
6504               {
6505                   data    => $data,
6506                   columns => [
6507                       { header => 'Product' },
6508                       { header => 'Quarter 1' },
6509                       { header => 'Quarter 2' },
6510                       { header => 'Quarter 3' },
6511                       { header => 'Quarter 4' },
6512                       {
6513                           header  => 'Year',
6514                           formula => '=SUM(Table8[@[Quarter 1]:[Quarter 4]])'
6515                       },
6516                   ]
6517               }
6518           );
6519
6520       The Excel 2007 "[#This Row]" and Excel 2010 "@" structural references
6521       are supported within the formula.
6522
6523       As stated above the "total_row" table parameter turns on the "Total"
6524       row in the table but it doesn't populate it with any defaults. Total
6525       captions and functions must be specified via the "columns" property and
6526       the "total_string", "total_function" and "total_value" sub properties:
6527
6528           $worksheet10->add_table(
6529               'B3:F8',
6530               {
6531                   data      => $data,
6532                   total_row => 1,
6533                   columns   => [
6534                       { header => 'Product',   total_string   => 'Totals' },
6535                       { header => 'Quarter 1', total_function => 'sum' },
6536                       { header => 'Quarter 2', total_function => 'sum' },
6537                       { header => 'Quarter 3', total_function => 'sum' },
6538                       { header => 'Quarter 4', total_function => 'sum' },
6539                   ]
6540               }
6541           );
6542
6543       The supported totals row "SUBTOTAL" functions are:
6544
6545               average
6546               count_nums
6547               count
6548               max
6549               min
6550               std_dev
6551               sum
6552               var
6553
6554       User defined functions or formulas aren't supported.
6555
6556       It is also possible to set a calculated value for the "total_function"
6557       using the "total_value" sub property. This is only necessary when
6558       creating workbooks for applications that cannot calculate the value of
6559       formulas automatically. This is similar to setting the "value" optional
6560       property in "write_formula()":
6561
6562           $worksheet10->add_table(
6563               'B3:F8',
6564               {
6565                   data      => $data,
6566                   total_row => 1,
6567                   columns   => [
6568                       { total_string   => 'Totals' },
6569                       { total_function => 'sum', total_value => 100 },
6570                       { total_function => 'sum', total_value => 200 },
6571                       { total_function => 'sum', total_value => 100 },
6572                       { total_function => 'sum', total_value => 400 },
6573                   ]
6574               }
6575           );
6576
6577       Formatting can also be applied to columns, to the column data using
6578       "format" and to the header using "header_format":
6579
6580           my $currency_format = $workbook->add_format( num_format => '$#,##0' );
6581
6582           $worksheet->add_table(
6583               'B3:D8',
6584               {
6585                   data      => $data,
6586                   total_row => 1,
6587                   columns   => [
6588                       { header => 'Product', total_string => 'Totals' },
6589                       {
6590                           header         => 'Quarter 1',
6591                           total_function => 'sum',
6592                           format         => $currency_format,
6593                       },
6594                       {
6595                           header         => 'Quarter 2',
6596                           header_format  => $bold,
6597                           total_function => 'sum',
6598                           format         => $currency_format,
6599                       },
6600                   ]
6601               }
6602           );
6603
6604       Standard Excel::Writer::XLSX format objects can be used. However, they
6605       should be limited to numerical formats for the columns and simple
6606       formatting like text wrap for the headers. Overriding other table
6607       formatting may produce inconsistent results.
6608

FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS IN EXCEL

6610   Introduction
6611       The following is a brief introduction to formulas and functions in
6612       Excel and Excel::Writer::XLSX.
6613
6614       A formula is a string that begins with an equals sign:
6615
6616           '=A1+B1'
6617           '=AVERAGE(1, 2, 3)'
6618
6619       The formula can contain numbers, strings, boolean values, cell
6620       references, cell ranges and functions. Named ranges are not supported.
6621       Formulas should be written as they appear in Excel, that is cells and
6622       functions must be in uppercase.
6623
6624       Cells in Excel are referenced using the A1 notation system where the
6625       column is designated by a letter and the row by a number. Columns range
6626       from A to XFD i.e. 0 to 16384, rows range from 1 to 1048576. The
6627       "Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility" module that is included in the distro
6628       contains helper functions for dealing with A1 notation, for example:
6629
6630           use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Utility;
6631
6632           ( $row, $col ) = xl_cell_to_rowcol( 'C2' );    # (1, 2)
6633           $str = xl_rowcol_to_cell( 1, 2 );              # C2
6634
6635       The Excel "$" notation in cell references is also supported. This
6636       allows you to specify whether a row or column is relative or absolute.
6637       This only has an effect if the cell is copied. The following examples
6638       show relative and absolute values.
6639
6640           '=A1'   # Column and row are relative
6641           '=$A1'  # Column is absolute and row is relative
6642           '=A$1'  # Column is relative and row is absolute
6643           '=$A$1' # Column and row are absolute
6644
6645       Formulas can also refer to cells in other worksheets of the current
6646       workbook. For example:
6647
6648           '=Sheet2!A1'
6649           '=Sheet2!A1:A5'
6650           '=Sheet2:Sheet3!A1'
6651           '=Sheet2:Sheet3!A1:A5'
6652           q{='Test Data'!A1}
6653           q{='Test Data1:Test Data2'!A1}
6654
6655       The sheet reference and the cell reference are separated by "!" the
6656       exclamation mark symbol. If worksheet names contain spaces, commas or
6657       parentheses then Excel requires that the name is enclosed in single
6658       quotes as shown in the last two examples above. In order to avoid using
6659       a lot of escape characters you can use the quote operator "q{}" to
6660       protect the quotes. See "perlop" in the main Perl documentation. Only
6661       valid sheet names that have been added using the "add_worksheet()"
6662       method can be used in formulas. You cannot reference external
6663       workbooks.
6664
6665       The following table lists the operators that are available in Excel's
6666       formulas. The majority of the operators are the same as Perl's,
6667       differences are indicated:
6668
6669           Arithmetic operators:
6670           =====================
6671           Operator  Meaning                   Example
6672              +      Addition                  1+2
6673              -      Subtraction               2-1
6674              *      Multiplication            2*3
6675              /      Division                  1/4
6676              ^      Exponentiation            2^3      # Equivalent to **
6677              -      Unary minus               -(1+2)
6678              %      Percent (Not modulus)     13%
6679
6680
6681           Comparison operators:
6682           =====================
6683           Operator  Meaning                   Example
6684               =     Equal to                  A1 =  B1 # Equivalent to ==
6685               <>    Not equal to              A1 <> B1 # Equivalent to !=
6686               >     Greater than              A1 >  B1
6687               <     Less than                 A1 <  B1
6688               >=    Greater than or equal to  A1 >= B1
6689               <=    Less than or equal to     A1 <= B1
6690
6691
6692           String operator:
6693           ================
6694           Operator  Meaning                   Example
6695               &     Concatenation             "Hello " & "World!" # [1]
6696
6697
6698           Reference operators:
6699           ====================
6700           Operator  Meaning                   Example
6701               :     Range operator            A1:A4               # [2]
6702               ,     Union operator            SUM(1, 2+2, B3)     # [3]
6703
6704
6705           Notes:
6706           [1]: Equivalent to "Hello " . "World!" in Perl.
6707           [2]: This range is equivalent to cells A1, A2, A3 and A4.
6708           [3]: The comma behaves like the list separator in Perl.
6709
6710       The range and comma operators can have different symbols in non-English
6711       versions of Excel, see below.
6712
6713       For a general introduction to Excel's formulas and an explanation of
6714       the syntax of the function refer to the Excel help files or the
6715       following:
6716       <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/CH062528031033.aspx>.
6717
6718       In most cases a formula in Excel can be used directly in the
6719       "write_formula" method. However, there are a few potential issues and
6720       differences that the user should be aware of. These are explained in
6721       the following sections.
6722
6723   Non US Excel functions and syntax
6724       Excel stores formulas in the format of the US English version,
6725       regardless of the language or locale of the end-user's version of
6726       Excel. Therefore all formula function names written using
6727       Excel::Writer::XLSX must be in English:
6728
6729           worksheet->write_formula('A1', '=SUM(1, 2, 3)');   # OK
6730           worksheet->write_formula('A2', '=SOMME(1, 2, 3)'); # French. Error on load.
6731
6732       Also, formulas must be written with the US style separator/range
6733       operator which is a comma (not semi-colon). Therefore a formula with
6734       multiple values should be written as follows:
6735
6736           worksheet->write_formula('A1', '=SUM(1, 2, 3)'); # OK
6737           worksheet->write_formula('A2', '=SUM(1; 2; 3)'); # Semi-colon. Error on load.
6738
6739       If you have a non-English version of Excel you can use the following
6740       multi-lingual Formula Translator
6741       (<http://en.excel-translator.de/language/>) to help you convert the
6742       formula. It can also replace semi-colons with commas.
6743
6744   Formulas added in Excel 2010 and later
6745       Excel 2010 and later added functions which weren't defined in the
6746       original file specification. These functions are referred to by
6747       Microsoft as future functions. Examples of these functions are "ACOT",
6748       "CHISQ.DIST.RT" , "CONFIDENCE.NORM", "STDEV.P", "STDEV.S" and
6749       "WORKDAY.INTL".
6750
6751       When written using "write_formula()" these functions need to be fully
6752       qualified with a "_xlfn." (or other) prefix as they are shown the list
6753       below. For example:
6754
6755           worksheet->write_formula('A1', '=_xlfn.STDEV.S(B1:B10)')
6756
6757       They will appear without the prefix in Excel.
6758
6759       The following list is taken from the MS XLSX extensions documentation
6760       on future functions:
6761       <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd907480%28v=office.12%29.aspx>:
6762
6763           _xlfn.ACOT
6764           _xlfn.ACOTH
6765           _xlfn.AGGREGATE
6766           _xlfn.ARABIC
6767           _xlfn.BASE
6768           _xlfn.BETA.DIST
6769           _xlfn.BETA.INV
6770           _xlfn.BINOM.DIST
6771           _xlfn.BINOM.DIST.RANGE
6772           _xlfn.BINOM.INV
6773           _xlfn.BITAND
6774           _xlfn.BITLSHIFT
6775           _xlfn.BITOR
6776           _xlfn.BITRSHIFT
6777           _xlfn.BITXOR
6778           _xlfn.CEILING.MATH
6779           _xlfn.CEILING.PRECISE
6780           _xlfn.CHISQ.DIST
6781           _xlfn.CHISQ.DIST.RT
6782           _xlfn.CHISQ.INV
6783           _xlfn.CHISQ.INV.RT
6784           _xlfn.CHISQ.TEST
6785           _xlfn.COMBINA
6786           _xlfn.CONFIDENCE.NORM
6787           _xlfn.CONFIDENCE.T
6788           _xlfn.COT
6789           _xlfn.COTH
6790           _xlfn.COVARIANCE.P
6791           _xlfn.COVARIANCE.S
6792           _xlfn.CSC
6793           _xlfn.CSCH
6794           _xlfn.DAYS
6795           _xlfn.DECIMAL
6796           ECMA.CEILING
6797           _xlfn.ERF.PRECISE
6798           _xlfn.ERFC.PRECISE
6799           _xlfn.EXPON.DIST
6800           _xlfn.F.DIST
6801           _xlfn.F.DIST.RT
6802           _xlfn.F.INV
6803           _xlfn.F.INV.RT
6804           _xlfn.F.TEST
6805           _xlfn.FILTERXML
6806           _xlfn.FLOOR.MATH
6807           _xlfn.FLOOR.PRECISE
6808           _xlfn.FORECAST.ETS
6809           _xlfn.FORECAST.ETS.CONFINT
6810           _xlfn.FORECAST.ETS.SEASONALITY
6811           _xlfn.FORECAST.ETS.STAT
6812           _xlfn.FORECAST.LINEAR
6813           _xlfn.FORMULATEXT
6814           _xlfn.GAMMA
6815           _xlfn.GAMMA.DIST
6816           _xlfn.GAMMA.INV
6817           _xlfn.GAMMALN.PRECISE
6818           _xlfn.GAUSS
6819           _xlfn.HYPGEOM.DIST
6820           _xlfn.IFNA
6821           _xlfn.IMCOSH
6822           _xlfn.IMCOT
6823           _xlfn.IMCSC
6824           _xlfn.IMCSCH
6825           _xlfn.IMSEC
6826           _xlfn.IMSECH
6827           _xlfn.IMSINH
6828           _xlfn.IMTAN
6829           _xlfn.ISFORMULA
6830           ISO.CEILING
6831           _xlfn.ISOWEEKNUM
6832           _xlfn.LOGNORM.DIST
6833           _xlfn.LOGNORM.INV
6834           _xlfn.MODE.MULT
6835           _xlfn.MODE.SNGL
6836           _xlfn.MUNIT
6837           _xlfn.NEGBINOM.DIST
6838           NETWORKDAYS.INTL
6839           _xlfn.NORM.DIST
6840           _xlfn.NORM.INV
6841           _xlfn.NORM.S.DIST
6842           _xlfn.NORM.S.INV
6843           _xlfn.NUMBERVALUE
6844           _xlfn.PDURATION
6845           _xlfn.PERCENTILE.EXC
6846           _xlfn.PERCENTILE.INC
6847           _xlfn.PERCENTRANK.EXC
6848           _xlfn.PERCENTRANK.INC
6849           _xlfn.PERMUTATIONA
6850           _xlfn.PHI
6851           _xlfn.POISSON.DIST
6852           _xlfn.QUARTILE.EXC
6853           _xlfn.QUARTILE.INC
6854           _xlfn.QUERYSTRING
6855           _xlfn.RANK.AVG
6856           _xlfn.RANK.EQ
6857           _xlfn.RRI
6858           _xlfn.SEC
6859           _xlfn.SECH
6860           _xlfn.SHEET
6861           _xlfn.SHEETS
6862           _xlfn.SKEW.P
6863           _xlfn.STDEV.P
6864           _xlfn.STDEV.S
6865           _xlfn.T.DIST
6866           _xlfn.T.DIST.2T
6867           _xlfn.T.DIST.RT
6868           _xlfn.T.INV
6869           _xlfn.T.INV.2T
6870           _xlfn.T.TEST
6871           _xlfn.UNICHAR
6872           _xlfn.UNICODE
6873           _xlfn.VAR.P
6874           _xlfn.VAR.S
6875           _xlfn.WEBSERVICE
6876           _xlfn.WEIBULL.DIST
6877           WORKDAY.INTL
6878           _xlfn.XOR
6879           _xlfn.Z.TEST
6880
6881   Using Tables in Formulas
6882       Worksheet tables can be added with Excel::Writer::XLSX using the
6883       "add_table()" method:
6884
6885           worksheet->add_table('B3:F7', {options});
6886
6887       By default tables are named "Table1", "Table2", etc., in the order that
6888       they are added. However it can also be set by the user using the "name"
6889       parameter:
6890
6891           worksheet->add_table('B3:F7', {'name': 'SalesData'});
6892
6893       If you need to know the name of the table, for example to use it in a
6894       formula, you can get it as follows:
6895
6896           table = worksheet->add_table('B3:F7');
6897           table_name = table->{_name};
6898
6899       When used in a formula a table name such as "TableX" should be referred
6900       to as "TableX[]" (like a Perl array):
6901
6902           worksheet->write_formula('A5', '=VLOOKUP("Sales", Table1[], 2, FALSE');
6903
6904   Dealing with #NAME? errors
6905       If there is an error in the syntax of a formula it is usually displayed
6906       in Excel as "#NAME?". If you encounter an error like this you can debug
6907       it as follows:
6908
6909       1. Ensure the formula is valid in Excel by copying and pasting it into
6910       a cell. Note, this should be done in Excel and not other applications
6911       such as OpenOffice or LibreOffice since they may have slightly
6912       different syntax.
6913       2. Ensure the formula is using comma separators instead of semi-colons,
6914       see "Non US Excel functions and syntax" above.
6915       3. Ensure the formula is in English, see "Non US Excel functions and
6916       syntax" above.
6917       4. Ensure that the formula doesn't contain an Excel 2010+ future
6918       function as listed in "Formulas added in Excel 2010 and later" above.
6919       If it does then ensure that the correct prefix is used.
6920
6921       Finally if you have completed all the previous steps and still get a
6922       "#NAME?" error you can examine a valid Excel file to see what the
6923       correct syntax should be. To do this you should create a valid formula
6924       in Excel and save the file. You can then examine the XML in the
6925       unzipped file.
6926
6927       The following shows how to do that using Linux "unzip" and libxml's
6928       xmllint <http://xmlsoft.org/xmllint.html> to format the XML for
6929       clarity:
6930
6931           $ unzip myfile.xlsx -d myfile
6932           $ xmllint --format myfile/xl/worksheets/sheet1.xml | grep '<f>'
6933
6934                   <f>SUM(1, 2, 3)</f>
6935
6936   Formula Results
6937       Excel::Writer::XLSX doesn't calculate the result of a formula and
6938       instead stores the value 0 as the formula result. It then sets a global
6939       flag in the XLSX file to say that all formulas and functions should be
6940       recalculated when the file is opened.
6941
6942       This is the method recommended in the Excel documentation and in
6943       general it works fine with spreadsheet applications. However,
6944       applications that don't have a facility to calculate formulas will only
6945       display the 0 results. Examples of such applications are Excel Viewer,
6946       PDF Converters, and some mobile device applications.
6947
6948       If required, it is also possible to specify the calculated result of
6949       the formula using the optional last "value" parameter in
6950       "write_formula":
6951
6952           worksheet->write_formula('A1', '=2+2', num_format, 4);
6953
6954       The "value" parameter can be a number, a string, a boolean sting
6955       ('TRUE' or 'FALSE') or one of the following Excel error codes:
6956
6957           #DIV/0!
6958           #N/A
6959           #NAME?
6960           #NULL!
6961           #NUM!
6962           #REF!
6963           #VALUE!
6964
6965       It is also possible to specify the calculated result of an array
6966       formula created with "write_array_formula":
6967
6968           # Specify the result for a single cell range.
6969           worksheet->write_array_formula('A1:A1', '{=SUM(B1:C1*B2:C2)}', format, 2005);
6970
6971       However, using this parameter only writes a single value to the upper
6972       left cell in the result array. For a multi-cell array formula where the
6973       results are required, the other result values can be specified by using
6974       "write_number()" to write to the appropriate cell:
6975
6976           # Specify the results for a multi cell range.
6977           worksheet->write_array_formula('A1:A3', '{=TREND(C1:C3,B1:B3)}', format, 15);
6978           worksheet->write_number('A2', 12, format);
6979           worksheet->write_number('A3', 14, format);
6980

WORKING WITH VBA MACROS

6982       An Excel "xlsm" file is exactly the same as a "xlsx" file except that
6983       is includes an additional "vbaProject.bin" file which contains
6984       functions and/or macros. Excel uses a different extension to
6985       differentiate between the two file formats since files containing
6986       macros are usually subject to additional security checks.
6987
6988       The "vbaProject.bin" file is a binary OLE COM container. This was the
6989       format used in older "xls" versions of Excel prior to Excel 2007.
6990       Unlike all of the other components of an xlsx/xlsm file the data isn't
6991       stored in XML format. Instead the functions and macros as stored as
6992       pre-parsed binary format. As such it wouldn't be feasible to define
6993       macros and create a "vbaProject.bin" file from scratch (at least not in
6994       the remaining lifespan and interest levels of the author).
6995
6996       Instead a workaround is used to extract "vbaProject.bin" files from
6997       existing xlsm files and then add these to Excel::Writer::XLSX files.
6998
6999   The extract_vba utility
7000       The "extract_vba" utility is used to extract the "vbaProject.bin"
7001       binary from an Excel 2007+ xlsm file. The utility is included in the
7002       Excel::Writer::XLSX bin directory and is also installed as a standalone
7003       executable file:
7004
7005           $ extract_vba macro_file.xlsm
7006           Extracted: vbaProject.bin
7007
7008   Adding the VBA macros to a Excel::Writer::XLSX file
7009       Once the "vbaProject.bin" file has been extracted it can be added to
7010       the Excel::Writer::XLSX workbook using the "add_vba_project()" method:
7011
7012           $workbook->add_vba_project( './vbaProject.bin' );
7013
7014       If the VBA file contains functions you can then refer to them in
7015       calculations using "write_formula":
7016
7017           $worksheet->write_formula( 'A1', '=MyMortgageCalc(200000, 25)' );
7018
7019       Excel files that contain functions and macros should use an "xlsm"
7020       extension or else Excel will complain and possibly not open the file:
7021
7022           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'file.xlsm' );
7023
7024       It is also possible to assign a macro to a button that is inserted into
7025       a worksheet using the "insert_button()" method:
7026
7027           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'file.xlsm' );
7028           ...
7029           $workbook->add_vba_project( './vbaProject.bin' );
7030
7031           $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'my_macro' } );
7032
7033       It may be necessary to specify a more explicit macro name prefixed by
7034       the workbook VBA name as follows:
7035
7036           $worksheet->insert_button( 'C2', { macro => 'ThisWorkbook.my_macro' } );
7037
7038       See the "macros.pl" from the examples directory for a working example.
7039
7040       Note: Button is the only VBA Control supported by Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7041       Due to the large effort in implementation (1+ man months) it is
7042       unlikely that any other form elements will be added in the future.
7043
7044   Setting the VBA codenames
7045       VBA macros generally refer to workbook and worksheet objects. If the
7046       VBA codenames aren't specified then Excel::Writer::XLSX will use the
7047       Excel defaults of "ThisWorkbook" and "Sheet1", "Sheet2" etc.
7048
7049       If the macro uses other codenames you can set them using the workbook
7050       and worksheet "set_vba_name()" methods as follows:
7051
7052             $workbook->set_vba_name( 'MyWorkbook' );
7053             $worksheet->set_vba_name( 'MySheet' );
7054
7055       You can find the names that are used in the VBA editor or by unzipping
7056       the "xlsm" file and grepping the files. The following shows how to do
7057       that using libxml's xmllint <http://xmlsoft.org/xmllint.html> to format
7058       the XML for clarity:
7059
7060           $ unzip myfile.xlsm -d myfile
7061           $ xmllint --format `find myfile -name "*.xml" | xargs` | grep "Pr.*codeName"
7062
7063             <workbookPr codeName="MyWorkbook" defaultThemeVersion="124226"/>
7064             <sheetPr codeName="MySheet"/>
7065
7066       Note: This step is particularly important for macros created with non-
7067       English versions of Excel.
7068
7069   What to do if it doesn't work
7070       This feature should be considered experimental and there is no
7071       guarantee that it will work in all cases. Some effort may be required
7072       and some knowledge of VBA will certainly help. If things don't work out
7073       here are some things to try:
7074
7075       ·   Start with a simple macro file, ensure that it works and then add
7076           complexity.
7077
7078       ·   Try to extract the macros from an Excel 2007 file. The method
7079           should work with macros from later versions (it was also tested
7080           with Excel 2010 macros). However there may be features in the macro
7081           files of more recent version of Excel that aren't backward
7082           compatible.
7083
7084       ·   Check the code names that macros use to refer to the workbook and
7085           worksheets (see the previous section above). In general VBA uses a
7086           code name of "ThisWorkbook" to refer to the current workbook and
7087           the sheet name (such as "Sheet1") to refer to the worksheets. These
7088           are the defaults used by Excel::Writer::XLSX. If the macro uses
7089           other names then you can specify these using the workbook and
7090           worksheet "set_vba_name()" methods:
7091
7092                 $workbook>set_vba_name( 'MyWorkbook' );
7093                 $worksheet->set_vba_name( 'MySheet' );
7094

EXAMPLES

7096       See Excel::Writer::XLSX::Examples for a full list of examples.
7097
7098   Example 1
7099       The following example shows some of the basic features of
7100       Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7101
7102           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
7103
7104           use strict;
7105           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7106
7107           # Create a new workbook called simple.xlsx and add a worksheet
7108           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'simple.xlsx' );
7109           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
7110
7111           # The general syntax is write($row, $column, $token). Note that row and
7112           # column are zero indexed
7113
7114           # Write some text
7115           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Hi Excel!' );
7116
7117
7118           # Write some numbers
7119           $worksheet->write( 2, 0, 3 );
7120           $worksheet->write( 3, 0, 3.00000 );
7121           $worksheet->write( 4, 0, 3.00001 );
7122           $worksheet->write( 5, 0, 3.14159 );
7123
7124
7125           # Write some formulas
7126           $worksheet->write( 7, 0, '=A3 + A6' );
7127           $worksheet->write( 8, 0, '=IF(A5>3,"Yes", "No")' );
7128
7129
7130           # Write a hyperlink
7131           my $hyperlink_format = $workbook->add_format(
7132               color     => 'blue',
7133               underline => 1,
7134           );
7135
7136           $worksheet->write( 10, 0, 'http://www.perl.com/', $hyperlink_format );
7137
7138           $workbook->close();
7139
7140   Example 2
7141       The following is a general example which demonstrates some features of
7142       working with multiple worksheets.
7143
7144           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
7145
7146           use strict;
7147           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7148
7149           # Create a new Excel workbook
7150           my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'regions.xlsx' );
7151
7152           # Add some worksheets
7153           my $north = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'North' );
7154           my $south = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'South' );
7155           my $east  = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'East' );
7156           my $west  = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'West' );
7157
7158           # Add a Format
7159           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
7160           $format->set_bold();
7161           $format->set_color( 'blue' );
7162
7163           # Add a caption to each worksheet
7164           for my $worksheet ( $workbook->sheets() ) {
7165               $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Sales', $format );
7166           }
7167
7168           # Write some data
7169           $north->write( 0, 1, 200000 );
7170           $south->write( 0, 1, 100000 );
7171           $east->write( 0, 1, 150000 );
7172           $west->write( 0, 1, 100000 );
7173
7174           # Set the active worksheet
7175           $south->activate();
7176
7177           # Set the width of the first column
7178           $south->set_column( 0, 0, 20 );
7179
7180           # Set the active cell
7181           $south->set_selection( 0, 1 );
7182
7183           $workbook->close();
7184
7185   Example 3
7186       Example of how to add conditional formatting to an Excel::Writer::XLSX
7187       file. The example below highlights cells that have a value greater than
7188       or equal to 50 in red and cells below that value in green.
7189
7190           #!/usr/bin/perl
7191
7192           use strict;
7193           use warnings;
7194           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7195
7196           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'conditional_format.xlsx' );
7197           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
7198
7199
7200           # This example below highlights cells that have a value greater than or
7201           # equal to 50 in red and cells below that value in green.
7202
7203           # Light red fill with dark red text.
7204           my $format1 = $workbook->add_format(
7205               bg_color => '#FFC7CE',
7206               color    => '#9C0006',
7207
7208           );
7209
7210           # Green fill with dark green text.
7211           my $format2 = $workbook->add_format(
7212               bg_color => '#C6EFCE',
7213               color    => '#006100',
7214
7215           );
7216
7217           # Some sample data to run the conditional formatting against.
7218           my $data = [
7219               [ 34, 72,  38, 30, 75, 48, 75, 66, 84, 86 ],
7220               [ 6,  24,  1,  84, 54, 62, 60, 3,  26, 59 ],
7221               [ 28, 79,  97, 13, 85, 93, 93, 22, 5,  14 ],
7222               [ 27, 71,  40, 17, 18, 79, 90, 93, 29, 47 ],
7223               [ 88, 25,  33, 23, 67, 1,  59, 79, 47, 36 ],
7224               [ 24, 100, 20, 88, 29, 33, 38, 54, 54, 88 ],
7225               [ 6,  57,  88, 28, 10, 26, 37, 7,  41, 48 ],
7226               [ 52, 78,  1,  96, 26, 45, 47, 33, 96, 36 ],
7227               [ 60, 54,  81, 66, 81, 90, 80, 93, 12, 55 ],
7228               [ 70, 5,   46, 14, 71, 19, 66, 36, 41, 21 ],
7229           ];
7230
7231           my $caption = 'Cells with values >= 50 are in light red. '
7232             . 'Values < 50 are in light green';
7233
7234           # Write the data.
7235           $worksheet->write( 'A1', $caption );
7236           $worksheet->write_col( 'B3', $data );
7237
7238           # Write a conditional format over a range.
7239           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'B3:K12',
7240               {
7241                   type     => 'cell',
7242                   criteria => '>=',
7243                   value    => 50,
7244                   format   => $format1,
7245               }
7246           );
7247
7248           # Write another conditional format over the same range.
7249           $worksheet->conditional_formatting( 'B3:K12',
7250               {
7251                   type     => 'cell',
7252                   criteria => '<',
7253                   value    => 50,
7254                   format   => $format2,
7255               }
7256           );
7257
7258           $workbook->close();
7259
7260   Example 4
7261       The following is a simple example of using functions.
7262
7263           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
7264
7265           use strict;
7266           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7267
7268           # Create a new workbook and add a worksheet
7269           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'stats.xlsx' );
7270           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet( 'Test data' );
7271
7272           # Set the column width for columns 1
7273           $worksheet->set_column( 0, 0, 20 );
7274
7275
7276           # Create a format for the headings
7277           my $format = $workbook->add_format();
7278           $format->set_bold();
7279
7280
7281           # Write the sample data
7282           $worksheet->write( 0, 0, 'Sample', $format );
7283           $worksheet->write( 0, 1, 1 );
7284           $worksheet->write( 0, 2, 2 );
7285           $worksheet->write( 0, 3, 3 );
7286           $worksheet->write( 0, 4, 4 );
7287           $worksheet->write( 0, 5, 5 );
7288           $worksheet->write( 0, 6, 6 );
7289           $worksheet->write( 0, 7, 7 );
7290           $worksheet->write( 0, 8, 8 );
7291
7292           $worksheet->write( 1, 0, 'Length', $format );
7293           $worksheet->write( 1, 1, 25.4 );
7294           $worksheet->write( 1, 2, 25.4 );
7295           $worksheet->write( 1, 3, 24.8 );
7296           $worksheet->write( 1, 4, 25.0 );
7297           $worksheet->write( 1, 5, 25.3 );
7298           $worksheet->write( 1, 6, 24.9 );
7299           $worksheet->write( 1, 7, 25.2 );
7300           $worksheet->write( 1, 8, 24.8 );
7301
7302           # Write some statistical functions
7303           $worksheet->write( 4, 0, 'Count', $format );
7304           $worksheet->write( 4, 1, '=COUNT(B1:I1)' );
7305
7306           $worksheet->write( 5, 0, 'Sum', $format );
7307           $worksheet->write( 5, 1, '=SUM(B2:I2)' );
7308
7309           $worksheet->write( 6, 0, 'Average', $format );
7310           $worksheet->write( 6, 1, '=AVERAGE(B2:I2)' );
7311
7312           $worksheet->write( 7, 0, 'Min', $format );
7313           $worksheet->write( 7, 1, '=MIN(B2:I2)' );
7314
7315           $worksheet->write( 8, 0, 'Max', $format );
7316           $worksheet->write( 8, 1, '=MAX(B2:I2)' );
7317
7318           $worksheet->write( 9, 0, 'Standard Deviation', $format );
7319           $worksheet->write( 9, 1, '=STDEV(B2:I2)' );
7320
7321           $worksheet->write( 10, 0, 'Kurtosis', $format );
7322           $worksheet->write( 10, 1, '=KURT(B2:I2)' );
7323
7324           $workbook->close();
7325
7326   Example 5
7327       The following example converts a tab separated file called "tab.txt"
7328       into an Excel file called "tab.xlsx".
7329
7330           #!/usr/bin/perl -w
7331
7332           use strict;
7333           use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7334
7335           open( TABFILE, 'tab.txt' ) or die "tab.txt: $!";
7336
7337           my $workbook  = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'tab.xlsx' );
7338           my $worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
7339
7340           # Row and column are zero indexed
7341           my $row = 0;
7342
7343           while ( <TABFILE> ) {
7344               chomp;
7345
7346               # Split on single tab
7347               my @fields = split( '\t', $_ );
7348
7349               my $col = 0;
7350               for my $token ( @fields ) {
7351                   $worksheet->write( $row, $col, $token );
7352                   $col++;
7353               }
7354               $row++;
7355           }
7356
7357           $workbook->close();
7358
7359       NOTE: This is a simple conversion program for illustrative purposes
7360       only. For converting a CSV or Tab separated or any other type of
7361       delimited text file to Excel I recommend the more rigorous csv2xls
7362       program that is part of H.Merijn Brand's Text::CSV_XS module distro.
7363
7364       See the examples/csv2xls link here:
7365       <http://search.cpan.org/~hmbrand/Text-CSV_XS/MANIFEST>.
7366
7367   Additional Examples
7368       The following is a description of the example files that are provided
7369       in the standard Excel::Writer::XLSX distribution. They demonstrate the
7370       different features and options of the module. See
7371       Excel::Writer::XLSX::Examples for more details.
7372
7373           Getting started
7374           ===============
7375           a_simple.pl             A simple demo of some of the features.
7376           bug_report.pl           A template for submitting bug reports.
7377           demo.pl                 A demo of some of the available features.
7378           formats.pl              All the available formatting on several worksheets.
7379           regions.pl              A simple example of multiple worksheets.
7380           stats.pl                Basic formulas and functions.
7381
7382
7383           Intermediate
7384           ============
7385           autofilter.pl           Examples of worksheet autofilters.
7386           array_formula.pl        Examples of how to write array formulas.
7387           cgi.pl                  A simple CGI program.
7388           chart_area.pl           A demo of area style charts.
7389           chart_bar.pl            A demo of bar (vertical histogram) style charts.
7390           chart_column.pl         A demo of column (histogram) style charts.
7391           chart_line.pl           A demo of line style charts.
7392           chart_pie.pl            A demo of pie style charts.
7393           chart_doughnut.pl       A demo of doughnut style charts.
7394           chart_radar.pl          A demo of radar style charts.
7395           chart_scatter.pl        A demo of scatter style charts.
7396           chart_secondary_axis.pl A demo of a line chart with a secondary axis.
7397           chart_combined.pl       A demo of a combined column and line chart.
7398           chart_pareto.pl         A demo of a combined Pareto chart.
7399           chart_stock.pl          A demo of stock style charts.
7400           chart_data_table.pl     A demo of a chart with a data table on the axis.
7401           chart_data_tools.pl     A demo of charts with data highlighting options.
7402           chart_data_labels.pl    A demo of standard and custom chart data labels.
7403           chart_clustered.pl      A demo of a chart with a clustered axis.
7404           chart_styles.pl         A demo of the available chart styles.
7405           chart_gauge.pl          A demo of a gauge style chart.
7406           colors.pl               A demo of the colour palette and named colours.
7407           comments1.pl            Add comments to worksheet cells.
7408           comments2.pl            Add comments with advanced options.
7409           conditional_format.pl   Add conditional formats to a range of cells.
7410           data_validate.pl        An example of data validation and dropdown lists.
7411           date_time.pl            Write dates and times with write_date_time().
7412           defined_name.pl         Example of how to create defined names.
7413           diag_border.pl          A simple example of diagonal cell borders.
7414           filehandle.pl           Examples of working with filehandles.
7415           headers.pl              Examples of worksheet headers and footers.
7416           hide_row_col.pl         Example of hiding rows and columns.
7417           hide_sheet.pl           Simple example of hiding a worksheet.
7418           hyperlink1.pl           Shows how to create web hyperlinks.
7419           hyperlink2.pl           Examples of internal and external hyperlinks.
7420           indent.pl               An example of cell indentation.
7421           macros.pl               An example of adding macros from an existing file.
7422           merge1.pl               A simple example of cell merging.
7423           merge2.pl               A simple example of cell merging with formatting.
7424           merge3.pl               Add hyperlinks to merged cells.
7425           merge4.pl               An advanced example of merging with formatting.
7426           merge5.pl               An advanced example of merging with formatting.
7427           merge6.pl               An example of merging with Unicode strings.
7428           mod_perl1.pl            A simple mod_perl 1 program.
7429           mod_perl2.pl            A simple mod_perl 2 program.
7430           outline.pl              An example of outlines and grouping.
7431           outline_collapsed.pl    An example of collapsed outlines.
7432           panes.pl                An example of how to create panes.
7433           properties.pl           Add document properties to a workbook.
7434           protection.pl           Example of cell locking and formula hiding.
7435           rich_strings.pl         Example of strings with multiple formats.
7436           right_to_left.pl        Change default sheet direction to right to left.
7437           sales.pl                An example of a simple sales spreadsheet.
7438           shape1.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet.
7439           shape2.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. With properties.
7440           shape3.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. Scaled.
7441           shape4.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. With modification.
7442           shape5.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. With connections.
7443           shape6.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. With connections.
7444           shape7.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. One to many connections.
7445           shape8.pl               Insert shapes in worksheet. One to many connections.
7446           shape_all.pl            Demo of all the available shape and connector types.
7447           sparklines1.pl          Simple sparklines demo.
7448           sparklines2.pl          Sparklines demo showing formatting options.
7449           stats_ext.pl            Same as stats.pl with external references.
7450           stocks.pl               Demonstrates conditional formatting.
7451           tab_colors.pl           Example of how to set worksheet tab colours.
7452           tables.pl               Add Excel tables to a worksheet.
7453           write_handler1.pl       Example of extending the write() method. Step 1.
7454           write_handler2.pl       Example of extending the write() method. Step 2.
7455           write_handler3.pl       Example of extending the write() method. Step 3.
7456           write_handler4.pl       Example of extending the write() method. Step 4.
7457           write_to_scalar.pl      Example of writing an Excel file to a Perl scalar.
7458
7459
7460           Unicode
7461           =======
7462           unicode_2022_jp.pl      Japanese: ISO-2022-JP.
7463           unicode_8859_11.pl      Thai:     ISO-8859_11.
7464           unicode_8859_7.pl       Greek:    ISO-8859_7.
7465           unicode_big5.pl         Chinese:  BIG5.
7466           unicode_cp1251.pl       Russian:  CP1251.
7467           unicode_cp1256.pl       Arabic:   CP1256.
7468           unicode_cyrillic.pl     Russian:  Cyrillic.
7469           unicode_koi8r.pl        Russian:  KOI8-R.
7470           unicode_polish_utf8.pl  Polish :  UTF8.
7471           unicode_shift_jis.pl    Japanese: Shift JIS.
7472

LIMITATIONS

7474       The following limits are imposed by Excel 2007+:
7475
7476           Description                                Limit
7477           --------------------------------------     ------
7478           Maximum number of chars in a string        32,767
7479           Maximum number of columns                  16,384
7480           Maximum number of rows                     1,048,576
7481           Maximum chars in a sheet name              31
7482           Maximum chars in a header/footer           254
7483
7484           Maximum characters in hyperlink url (1)    2079
7485           Maximum number of unique hyperlinks (2)    65,530
7486
7487       (1) Versions of Excel prior to Excel 2015 limited hyperlink links and
7488       anchor/locations to 255 characters each. Versions after that support
7489       urls up to 2079 characters. Excel::Writer::XLSX versions >= 1.0.2
7490       support the new longer limit by default.
7491
7492       (2) Per worksheet. Excel allows a greater number of non-unique
7493       hyperlinks if they are contiguous and can be grouped into a single
7494       range. This isn't supported by Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7495

Compatibility with Spreadsheet::WriteExcel

7497       The "Excel::Writer::XLSX" module is a drop-in replacement for
7498       "Spreadsheet::WriteExcel".
7499
7500       It supports all of the features of Spreadsheet::WriteExcel with some
7501       minor differences noted below.
7502
7503           Workbook Methods            Support
7504           ================            ======
7505           new()                       Yes
7506           add_worksheet()             Yes
7507           add_format()                Yes
7508           add_chart()                 Yes
7509           add_shape()                 Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7510           add_vba_project()           Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7511           close()                     Yes
7512           set_properties()            Yes
7513           define_name()               Yes
7514           set_tempdir()               Yes
7515           set_custom_color()          Yes
7516           sheets()                    Yes
7517           set_1904()                  Yes
7518           set_optimization()          Yes. Not required in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7519           add_chart_ext()             Not supported. Not required in Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7520           compatibility_mode()        Deprecated. Not required in Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7521           set_codepage()              Deprecated. Not required in Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7522
7523
7524           Worksheet Methods           Support
7525           =================           =======
7526           write()                     Yes
7527           write_number()              Yes
7528           write_string()              Yes
7529           write_rich_string()         Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7530           write_blank()               Yes
7531           write_row()                 Yes
7532           write_col()                 Yes
7533           write_date_time()           Yes
7534           write_url()                 Yes
7535           write_formula()             Yes
7536           write_array_formula()       Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7537           keep_leading_zeros()        Yes
7538           write_comment()             Yes
7539           show_comments()             Yes
7540           set_comments_author()       Yes
7541           add_write_handler()         Yes
7542           insert_image()              Yes.
7543           insert_chart()              Yes
7544           insert_shape()              Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7545           insert_button()             Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7546           data_validation()           Yes
7547           conditional_formatting()    Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7548           add_sparkline()             Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7549           add_table()                 Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7550           get_name()                  Yes
7551           activate()                  Yes
7552           select()                    Yes
7553           hide()                      Yes
7554           set_first_sheet()           Yes
7555           protect()                   Yes
7556           set_selection()             Yes
7557           set_row()                   Yes.
7558           set_column()                Yes.
7559           set_default_row()           Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7560           outline_settings()          Yes
7561           freeze_panes()              Yes
7562           split_panes()               Yes
7563           merge_range()               Yes
7564           merge_range_type()          Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7565           set_zoom()                  Yes
7566           right_to_left()             Yes
7567           hide_zero()                 Yes
7568           set_tab_color()             Yes
7569           autofilter()                Yes
7570           filter_column()             Yes
7571           filter_column_list()        Yes. Not in Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7572           write_utf16be_string()      Deprecated. Use Perl utf8 strings instead.
7573           write_utf16le_string()      Deprecated. Use Perl utf8 strings instead.
7574           store_formula()             Deprecated. See docs.
7575           repeat_formula()            Deprecated. See docs.
7576           write_url_range()           Not supported. Not required in Excel::Writer::XLSX.
7577
7578           Page Set-up Methods         Support
7579           ===================         =======
7580           set_landscape()             Yes
7581           set_portrait()              Yes
7582           set_page_view()             Yes
7583           set_paper()                 Yes
7584           center_horizontally()       Yes
7585           center_vertically()         Yes
7586           set_margins()               Yes
7587           set_header()                Yes
7588           set_footer()                Yes
7589           repeat_rows()               Yes
7590           repeat_columns()            Yes
7591           hide_gridlines()            Yes
7592           print_row_col_headers()     Yes
7593           print_area()                Yes
7594           print_across()              Yes
7595           fit_to_pages()              Yes
7596           set_start_page()            Yes
7597           set_print_scale()           Yes
7598           set_h_pagebreaks()          Yes
7599           set_v_pagebreaks()          Yes
7600
7601           Format Methods              Support
7602           ==============              =======
7603           set_font()                  Yes
7604           set_size()                  Yes
7605           set_color()                 Yes
7606           set_bold()                  Yes
7607           set_italic()                Yes
7608           set_underline()             Yes
7609           set_font_strikeout()        Yes
7610           set_font_script()           Yes
7611           set_font_outline()          Yes
7612           set_font_shadow()           Yes
7613           set_num_format()            Yes
7614           set_locked()                Yes
7615           set_hidden()                Yes
7616           set_align()                 Yes
7617           set_rotation()              Yes
7618           set_text_wrap()             Yes
7619           set_text_justlast()         Yes
7620           set_center_across()         Yes
7621           set_indent()                Yes
7622           set_shrink()                Yes
7623           set_pattern()               Yes
7624           set_bg_color()              Yes
7625           set_fg_color()              Yes
7626           set_border()                Yes
7627           set_bottom()                Yes
7628           set_top()                   Yes
7629           set_left()                  Yes
7630           set_right()                 Yes
7631           set_border_color()          Yes
7632           set_bottom_color()          Yes
7633           set_top_color()             Yes
7634           set_left_color()            Yes
7635           set_right_color()           Yes
7636

REQUIREMENTS

7638       <http://search.cpan.org/search?dist=Archive-Zip/>.
7639
7640       Perl 5.8.2.
7641

SPEED AND MEMORY USAGE

7643       "Spreadsheet::WriteExcel" was written to optimise speed and reduce
7644       memory usage. However, these design goals meant that it wasn't easy to
7645       implement features that many users requested such as writing formatting
7646       and data separately.
7647
7648       As a result "Excel::Writer::XLSX" takes a different design approach and
7649       holds a lot more data in memory so that it is functionally more
7650       flexible.
7651
7652       The effect of this is that Excel::Writer::XLSX is about 30% slower than
7653       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel and uses 5 times more memory.
7654
7655       In addition the extended row and column ranges in Excel 2007+ mean that
7656       it is possible to run out of memory creating large files. This was
7657       almost never an issue with Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7658
7659       This memory usage can be reduced almost completely by using the
7660       Workbook "set_optimization()" method:
7661
7662           $workbook->set_optimization();
7663
7664       This also gives an increase in performance to within 1-10% of
7665       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel, see below.
7666
7667       The trade-off is that you won't be able to take advantage of any new
7668       features that manipulate cell data after it is written. One such
7669       feature is Tables.
7670
7671   Performance figures
7672       The performance figures below show execution speed and memory usage for
7673       60 columns x N rows for a 50/50 mixture of strings and numbers.
7674       Percentage speeds are relative to Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7675
7676           Excel::Writer::XLSX
7677                Rows  Time (s)    Memory (bytes)  Rel. Time
7678                 400      0.66         6,586,254       129%
7679                 800      1.26        13,099,422       125%
7680                1600      2.55        26,126,361       123%
7681                3200      5.16        52,211,284       125%
7682                6400     10.47       104,401,428       128%
7683               12800     21.48       208,784,519       131%
7684               25600     43.90       417,700,746       126%
7685               51200     88.52       835,900,298       126%
7686
7687           Excel::Writer::XLSX + set_optimisation()
7688                Rows  Time (s)    Memory (bytes)  Rel. Time
7689                 400      0.70            63,059       135%
7690                 800      1.10            63,059       110%
7691                1600      2.30            63,062       111%
7692                3200      4.44            63,062       107%
7693                6400      8.91            63,062       109%
7694               12800     17.69            63,065       108%
7695               25600     35.15            63,065       101%
7696               51200     70.67            63,065       101%
7697
7698           Spreadsheet::WriteExcel
7699                Rows  Time (s)    Memory (bytes)
7700                 400      0.51         1,265,583
7701                 800      1.01         2,424,855
7702                1600      2.07         4,743,400
7703                3200      4.14         9,411,139
7704                6400      8.20        18,766,915
7705               12800     16.39        37,478,468
7706               25600     34.72        75,044,423
7707               51200     70.21       150,543,431
7708

DOWNLOADING

7710       The latest version of this module is always available at:
7711       <http://search.cpan.org/search?dist=Excel-Writer-XLSX/>.
7712

INSTALLATION

7714       The module can be installed using the standard Perl procedure:
7715
7716                   perl Makefile.PL
7717                   make
7718                   make test
7719                   make install    # You may need to be sudo/root
7720

DIAGNOSTICS

7722       Filename required by Excel::Writer::XLSX->new()
7723           A filename must be given in the constructor.
7724
7725       Can't open filename. It may be in use or protected.
7726           The file cannot be opened for writing. The directory that you are
7727           writing to may be protected or the file may be in use by another
7728           program.
7729
7730       Can't call method "XXX" on an undefined value at someprogram.pl.
7731           On Windows this is usually caused by the file that you are trying
7732           to create clashing with a version that is already open and locked
7733           by Excel.
7734
7735       The file you are trying to open 'file.xls' is in a different format
7736       than specified by the file extension.
7737           This warning occurs when you create an XLSX file but give it an xls
7738           extension.
7739

WRITING EXCEL FILES

7741       Depending on your requirements, background and general sensibilities
7742       you may prefer one of the following methods of getting data into Excel:
7743
7744       ·   Spreadsheet::WriteExcel
7745
7746           This module is the precursor to Excel::Writer::XLSX and uses the
7747           same interface. It produces files in the Excel Biff xls format that
7748           was used in Excel versions 97-2003. These files can still be read
7749           by Excel 2007 but have some limitations in relation to the number
7750           of rows and columns that the format supports.
7751
7752           Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
7753
7754       ·   Win32::OLE module and office automation
7755
7756           This requires a Windows platform and an installed copy of Excel.
7757           This is the most powerful and complete method for interfacing with
7758           Excel.
7759
7760           Win32::OLE
7761
7762       ·   CSV, comma separated variables or text
7763
7764           Excel will open and automatically convert files with a "csv"
7765           extension.
7766
7767           To create CSV files refer to the Text::CSV_XS module.
7768
7769       ·   DBI with DBD::ADO or DBD::ODBC
7770
7771           Excel files contain an internal index table that allows them to act
7772           like a database file. Using one of the standard Perl database
7773           modules you can connect to an Excel file as a database.
7774
7775       For other Perl-Excel modules try the following search:
7776       <http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&query=excel>.
7777

READING EXCEL FILES

7779       To read data from Excel files try:
7780
7781       ·   Spreadsheet::ParseXLSX
7782
7783           A module for reading data from XLSX files. It also imports most, if
7784           not all, of the metadata to be found in Excel XLSX files.  As its
7785           author describes it: "This module is an adaptor for
7786           Spreadsheet::ParseExcel that reads XLSX files. For documentation
7787           about the various data that you can retrieve from these classes,
7788           please see Spreadsheet::ParseExcel,
7789           Spreadsheet::ParseExcel::Workbook,
7790           Spreadsheet::ParseExcel::Worksheet, and
7791           Spreadsheet::ParseExcel::Cell."
7792
7793       ·   Spreadsheet::XLSX
7794
7795           A module for reading formatted or unformatted data from XLSX files.
7796
7797           Spreadsheet::XLSX
7798
7799       ·   SimpleXlsx
7800
7801           A lightweight module for reading data from XLSX files.
7802
7803           SimpleXlsx
7804
7805       ·   Spreadsheet::ParseExcel
7806
7807           This module can read data from an Excel XLS file but it doesn't
7808           support the XLSX format.
7809
7810           Spreadsheet::ParseExcel
7811
7812       ·   Win32::OLE module and office automation (reading)
7813
7814           See above.
7815
7816       ·   DBI with DBD::ADO or DBD::ODBC.
7817
7818           See above.
7819
7820       For other Perl-Excel modules try the following search:
7821       <http://search.cpan.org/search?mode=module&query=excel>.
7822

BUGS

7824       ·   Memory usage is very high for large worksheets.
7825
7826           If you run out of memory creating large worksheets use the
7827           "set_optimization()" method. See "SPEED AND MEMORY USAGE" for more
7828           information.
7829
7830       ·   Perl packaging programs can't find chart modules.
7831
7832           When using Excel::Writer::XLSX charts with Perl packagers such as
7833           PAR or Cava you should explicitly include the chart that you are
7834           trying to create in your "use" statements. This isn't a bug as such
7835           but it might help someone from banging their head off a wall:
7836
7837               ...
7838               use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
7839               use Excel::Writer::XLSX::Chart::Column;
7840               ...
7841
7842       If you wish to submit a bug report run the "bug_report.pl" program in
7843       the "examples" directory of the distro.
7844
7845       The bug tracker is on Github:
7846       <https://github.com/jmcnamara/excel-writer-xlsx/issues>.
7847

TO DO

7849       The roadmap is as follows:
7850
7851       ·   New separated data/formatting API to allow cells to be formatted
7852           after data is added.
7853
7854       ·   More charting features.
7855

REPOSITORY

7857       The Excel::Writer::XLSX source code in host on github:
7858       <http://github.com/jmcnamara/excel-writer-xlsx>.
7859

MAILING LIST

7861       There is a Google group for discussing and asking questions about
7862       Excel::Writer::XLSX. This is a good place to search to see if your
7863       question has been asked before:
7864       <http://groups.google.com/group/spreadsheet-writeexcel>.
7865

DONATIONS and SPONSORSHIP

7867       If you'd care to donate to the Excel::Writer::XLSX project or sponsor a
7868       new feature, you can do so via PayPal: <http://tinyurl.com/7ayes>.
7869

SEE ALSO

7871       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel:
7872       <http://search.cpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-WriteExcel>.
7873
7874       Spreadsheet::ParseExcel:
7875       <http://search.cpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-ParseExcel>.
7876
7877       Spreadsheet::XLSX: <http://search.cpan.org/dist/Spreadsheet-XLSX>.
7878

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

7880       The following people contributed to the debugging, testing or
7881       enhancement of Excel::Writer::XLSX:
7882
7883       Rob Messer of IntelliSurvey gave me the initial prompt to port
7884       Spreadsheet::WriteExcel to the XLSX format. IntelliSurvey
7885       (<http://www.intellisurvey.com>) also sponsored large files
7886       optimisations and the charting feature.
7887
7888       Bariatric Advantage (<http://www.bariatricadvantage.com>) sponsored
7889       work on chart formatting.
7890
7891       Eric Johnson provided the ability to use secondary axes with charts.
7892       Thanks to Foxtons (<http://foxtons.co.uk>) for sponsoring this work.
7893
7894       BuildFax (<http://www.buildfax.com>) sponsored the Tables feature and
7895       the Chart point formatting feature.
7896

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY

7898       Because this software is licensed free of charge, there is no warranty
7899       for the software, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Except
7900       when otherwise stated in writing the copyright holders and/or other
7901       parties provide the software "as is" without warranty of any kind,
7902       either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied
7903       warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The
7904       entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is with
7905       you. Should the software prove defective, you assume the cost of all
7906       necessary servicing, repair, or correction.
7907
7908       In no event unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing
7909       will any copyright holder, or any other party who may modify and/or
7910       redistribute the software as permitted by the above licence, be liable
7911       to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental, or
7912       consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the
7913       software (including but not limited to loss of data or data being
7914       rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a
7915       failure of the software to operate with any other software), even if
7916       such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of such
7917       damages.
7918

LICENSE

7920       The Perl Artistic Licence <http://dev.perl.org/licenses/artistic.html>.
7921

AUTHOR

7923       John McNamara jmcnamara@cpan.org
7924
7925           Wilderness for miles, eyes so mild and wise
7926           Oasis child, born and so wild
7927           Don't I know you better than the rest
7928           All deception, all deception from you
7929
7930           Any way you run, you run before us
7931           Black and white horse arching among us
7932           Any way you run, you run before us
7933           Black and white horse arching among us
7934
7935             -- Beach House
7936
7938       Copyright MM-MMXX, John McNamara.
7939
7940       All Rights Reserved. This module is free software. It may be used,
7941       redistributed and/or modified under the same terms as Perl itself.
7942
7943
7944
7945perl v5.32.0                      2020-08-24            Excel::Writer::XLSX(3)
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