README of exshell2csv, Version 0.2.1.

Abstract

exshell2csv: Small script to convert Excel to CSV, written in shell script only. No additional packages are required.

Background

I wanted convert Excel (*.xlsx file) to CSV in command line. I found softwares and packages to do this but these sowtwares are too large. Who want to install new packages just to convert? Why there is no small script to do that? So I wrote this.

Suggestion: STOP Using EXCEL
I want to write documents: Use Markdown.
I want to do something like a spreadsheet: Use R.
I want to write documents with a spreadsheet: Use R Markdown.
I surely have to use a spreadsheet: Use (GNU) Emacs Org-mode.

Installation

Clone repository and put exshell2csv on a PATH.

And add permission: Run chmod +x /path/to/exshell2csv.

Usage

Show Usage: Run exshell2csv or exshell2csv -h.
Show list of sheet ids and sheet names: Run exshell2csv /path/to/excel.xlsx. Output is [SHEET ID]: [SHEET NAME].
Convert Excel file’s sheet number [SHEET ID] to CSV: Run exshell2csv /path/to/excel.xlsx [SHEET ID]. Not [SHEET NAMS] but [SHEET ID]. Output to STDOUT.

If you are Microsoft Windows user, maybe you have to run exshell2csv [APGUMENTS] | awk "{gsub("$", "\\r"); print}" due to carriage ruturn difference. I’ve never checked if this code is required or not.

NOTE

I’ve never read documentation of Open Document Format. Some features will be wrong.

Some values will be not formated because some format features are not implemented. It is hard to check default format styles of Ecxcel, so there are only 2 format styles are supported.

And custom styles (defined in xl/styles.xml) is also unsupported. I don’t know how to read xl/styles.xml. (xl/ will be created by unzip /path/to/excel.xlsx.)

Customize

You can add format style yourself:

Record cell number of line and column as [LINE] and [COLUMN] where value you want to format is on.
Run exshell2csv.sh /path/to/excel.xlsx [SHEET ID] | sed -n '/^l/d; /^[COLUMN] [LINE]/p'. You have to replace arguments of exshell2csv.sh and [COLUMN] and [LINE] to 1.’s cell’s ones.

Output is [COLUMN] [LINE] [FORMAT ID] [VALUES]. It means format style [FORMAT ID] will format [VALUES] as which you want.

Write format awk script in [CUSTOM FORMAT STYLE] file like this:

else if ($3==[FORMAT ID]) {
  VALUES = after(4);
  VALUES = YourFormatScript(VALUES);
  cell[$2, $1] = VALUES;
}

You can define new functions in [USER FUNCTIONS] file and use it. See Build section. Function after, ALPH_advance, ALPH_lt, and fdate were already defined.

Dependencies

/bin/sh (Bourne Shell)

I don’t know does this script work on Ubuntu or not because Ubuntu’s /bin/sh is dash.
sed
awk (nawk or gawk)
unzip

Build

This section shows how to make one script file from exshell2csv.sh, exshell2csv.awk, [CUSTOM FORMAT STYLE] (option), and [USER FUNCTIONS] (option).

Following commands are required run in same directory with exshell2csv.sh and exshell2csv.awk.

make.sh’s first argument is output path. WARNING: If output path is exist, path will be overwritten.

plain

Run make.sh [OUTPUT PATH] and make customizeless exshell2csv. [OUTPUT PATH] will be overwritten.

test

You shold test if scripts work fine before build.

Run sh exshell2csv.sh /path/to/excel.xlsx [SHEET ID] | awk -f exshell2csv.awk to test plain exshell2csv.

For using custom format style, run followings:
sed -e '/# CUSTOMIZE AREA #/r[CUSTOM FORMAT STYLE]' -e '$r[USER FUNCTIONS]' exshell2csv.awk > yourexshell2csv.awk
sh exshell2csv.sh /path/to/excel.xlsx [SHEET ID] | awk -f yourexshell2csv.awk
yourexshell2csv.awk will be overwritten.

customize

If you want to add format style, run make.sh [OUTPUT PATH] [CUSTOM FORMAT STYLE].

Or if you want to add functions, run make.sh [OUTPPUT PATH] [CUSTOM FORMAT STYLE] [USER FUNCTIONS].

[OUTPUT PATH] will be overwritten.

See also: Customize section in NOTE section.

Q&A

Why couldn’t I use a sheet name to select the sheet?

Due to risk of a number sheet name.

There are cells which have diference between original Excel and output CSV

CSV’s value on the cells are inner expression of Excel. The feature to format inner expression to string as same as Excel is not implemented. See NOTE section.

Reference

Similar Projects

There are many softwares or packages to convert Excel to CSV.

:Microsoft Excel:

Excel can convert Excel file to CSV.

TODO: Add similar projects and hyper links.

Issue

If you have questions or feedbacks, or found bugs, typographical errors, wrong English or codes, or something else, pleas use GitHub issue feel free.

Knowledge Bugs

leap year: Excel judges year 1900 is a leap year. But this script is not. This is Excel’s bug (due to compatibility). I didn’t implement this because I don’t know the details.

License

This project is under the GNU General Public License Version 3.

minamotorin / exshell2csv