DataSpreads / DataSpreads.ExcelModel

Excel API using .NET types only and a safe wrapper for C/COM API calls

Excel Model

Rewriting my old Excel utils and code from Joachim Loebb using XlResult pattern. We wrap all functions and properties that require C/COM API call into XlResult, which works like Task but executes on the main thread instead of a thread pool.

• XlResult is awaitable and works nicely inside async methods
• XlResult is disposable and is a struct
• XlResult Map() methods reuse cached results, mitigating COM object leakage (TODO tests)
• Result T is stored internally in a TaskCompletionSource.Task property. Since TCS is an object, copying XlResult will copy the reference to the TCS instance, while the reference to result T inside the Task remains unique. This simplifies managing COM objects.
• Currently XlResult always allocates TCS, even if already on the main thread. Frequent call to C/COM API should be grouped together inside a single lambda. Intended usage of XlResult is for heavy objects such as Workbooks, Ranges, etc.

Install

PM> Install-Package DataSpreads.ExcelModel -Pre

Sample

[ExcelFunction(IsMacroType = true)]
public static async Task<string> Hello([ExcelArgument(AllowReference = true)]object text) {
    var xlRef = text as ExcelReference;
    if (xlRef != null) {
        using (var result = XlResult.XlCall(XlCall.xlfReftext, xlRef, true)
            .Map(str => DSAddIn.XlApp.Evaluate((string)str) as Range)
            .Map(rng => rng.Value2.ToString())) {
            return await result;
        }
    }
    throw new Exception();
}

Goal

The goal is to make Excel VBA/COM-like API that exposes only .NET types, preferably using C API, but falling back on COM Interop internally and managing COM objects without exposing them. The API must be thread safe - both from concurrency and Excel-specific point of views:

• Concurrent access should not require locks, synchronization should be done internally.
• All C/COM API call are only made on the main Excel thread. Otherwise, C API throws almost always, while COM API returns HRESULT busy result when a user edits a cell content and in other cases.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! At the beginning, I will only add functionality that I frequently use, and XlResult usage could replace premature abstractions in most cases. If you want to add something, feel free to send a PR and add yourself to the authors list below.

This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.

(c) Victor Baybekov, 2016