How To Automate Excel to Create a New Workbook from Delphi

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How To Automate Excel to Create a New Workbook

from Delphi
Article ID: 231614 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q231614

SUMMARY
This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate an Excel workbook using Automation from Delphi.

MORE INFORMATION
This article parallels other articles that describe the same process using different languages. For more information,
please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
219151 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/219151/EN-US/ ) How To Automate Microsoft Excel from Visual Basic
179706 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179706/EN-US/ ) How To Use MFC to Automate Excel and Create/Format a New
Workbook
219430 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/219430/EN-US/ ) How To Create and Format an Excel Workbook Using Visual
J++

Building the Automation Sample

1. Start Delphi. A new project should be created by default.
2. Add a button to Form1.
3. Replace the contents of the code window for Unit1 with the following:
unit Unit1; interface uses Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls,
Forms, Dialogs, StdCtrls; type TForm1 = class(TForm) Button1: TButton; procedure
Button1Click(Sender: TObject); procedure DisplayQuarterlySales(oWS : Variant); private {
Private declarations } public { Public declarations } end; var Form1: TForm1; Const
xlVAlignCenter = 4108; Const xlThin = 2; Const xlEdgeBottom = 9; Const xlDouble =
4119; Const xlThick = 4; Const xl3DColumn = 4100; Const xlColumns = 2; Const
xlLocationAsObject = 2; implementation uses ComObj; {$R *.DFM} procedure
TForm1.DisplayQuarterlySales(oWS : Variant); var oResizeRange, oChart, oSeries: Variant;
iNumQtrs,iRet : Integer; sMsg : String; begin // Determine how many quarters to display
data for for iNumQtrs := 4 downto 2 do begin sMsg := 'Enter sales data for ' +
IntToStr(iNumQtrs) + ' quarter(s)?'; if MessageDlg(sMsg,mtConfirmation,[mbYes,mbNo],0) =
mrYes then break; end; sMsg := 'Displaying data for ' + IntToStr(iNumQtrs) + '
quarter(s).'; MessageDlg(sMsg,mtInformation,[mbOK],0); // Starting at E1, fill headers
for the number of columns selected oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E1:' + Chr(Ord('E') +
iNumQtrs 1) + '1']; oResizeRange.Formula := '="Q" & COLUMN()4 & CHAR(10) & "Sales"';
// Change the orientation and WrapText properties for the headers
oResizeRange.Orientation := 38; oResizeRange.WrapText := True; // Fill the interior

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How To Automate Excel to Create a New Workbook from Delphi

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http://support.microsoft.com/kb/231614

color of the headers oResizeRange.Interior.ColorIndex := 36; // Fill the columns with a

formula and apply a number format oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E2:' + Chr(Ord('E') +
iNumQtrs 1) + '6']; oResizeRange.Formula := '=RAND()*100'; oResizeRange.NumberFormat
:= '$0.00'; // Apply borders to the Sales data and headers oResizeRange :=
oWS.Range['E1:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs 1) + '6']; oResizeRange.Borders.Weight :=
xlThin; // Add a totals formula for the sales data and apply a border oResizeRange :=
oWS.Range['E8:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs 1) + '8']; oResizeRange.Formula :=
'=SUM(E2:E6)'; oResizeRange.Borders.Item[xlEdgeBottom].LineStyle := xlDouble;
oResizeRange.Borders.Item[xlEdgeBottom].Weight := xlThick; // Add a chart for the
selected data oResizeRange := oWS.Range['E2:' + Chr(Ord('E') + iNumQtrs 1) + '6'];
oChart := oWS.Parent.Charts.Add; oChart.ChartWizard(oResizeRange,xl3DColumn,,xlColumns);
oResizeRange := oWS.Range['A2:A6']; oChart.SeriesCollection.Item[1].XValues :=
oResizeRange; iRet := oChart.SeriesCollection.Count; for iRet := 1 to iNumQtrs do begin
sMsg := '="Q' + IntToStr(iRet) + '"'; oChart.SeriesCollection.Item[iRet].Name := sMsg;
end; oChart.Location(xlLocationAsObject,oWS.Name); // Move the chart so as not to cover
your data oWS.Shapes.Item(1).Top := oWS.Rows.Item[10].Top; oWS.Shapes.Item(1).Left :=
oWS.Columns.Item[2].Left end; procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject); var oXL,
oWB, oSheet, oRng, VArray : Variant; begin // Start Excel and get Application Object oXL
:= CreateOleObject('Excel.Application'); oXL.Visible := True; // Get a new workbook oWB
:= oXL.Workbooks.Add; oSheet := oWB.ActiveSheet; // Add table headers going cell by cell
oSheet.Cells[1,1] := 'First Name'; oSheet.Cells[1,2] := 'Last Name'; oSheet.Cells[1,3]
:= 'Full Name'; oSheet.Cells[1,4] := 'Salary'; // Format A1:D1 as bold, vertical
alignment = center oSheet.Range['A1:D1'].Font.Bold := True;
oSheet.Range['A1:D1'].VerticalAlignment := xlVAlignCenter; // Create an array to set
multiple values at once VArray := VarArrayCreate([0,4,0,1],varVariant); VArray[0,0] :=
'John'; VArray[0,1] := 'Smith'; VArray[1,0] := 'Tom'; VArray[1,1] := 'Brown';
VArray[2,0] := 'Sue'; VArray[2,1] := 'Thomas'; VArray[3,0] := 'Jane'; VArray[3,1] :=
'Jones'; VArray[4,0] := 'Adam'; VArray[4,1] := 'Johnson'; // Fill A2:B6 with an array of
values oSheet.Range['A2:B6'] := VArray; // Fill C2:C6 with a relative formula (=A2 + ' '
+ B2) oRng := oSheet.Range['C2:C6']; oRng.Formula := '=A2 & " " & B2'; // Fill D2:D6
with a formula (=RAND()*100000) and apply format oRng := oSheet.Range['D2:D6'];
oRng.Formula := '=RAND()*100000'; oRng.NumberFormat := '$0.00'; // Autofit columns A:D
oRng := oSheet.Range['A1:D1']; oRng.EntireColumn.AutoFit; // Manipulate a variable
number of columns for Quarterly Sales Data DisplayQuarterlySales(oSheet); // Make sure
Excel is visible and give the user control // of Microsoft Excel's lifetime oXL.Visible
:= True; oXL.UserControl := True; end; end.
4. Press the F9 key to run the project. Click the button and Microsoft Excel should start and display a sample
worksheet.NOTE: Delphi is manufactured by Borland (Inprise Corporation), a vendor independent of Microsoft;
we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance of reliability. Contact Inprise for
any developer support regarding the Delphi language.

REFERENCES
For more information on Office Automation, please visit the Microsoft Office Development support site at:
http://support.microsoft.com/ofd (http://support.microsoft.com/ofd)

Properties
Article ID: 231614 - Last Review: January 24, 2007 - Revision: 4.5
APPLIES TO
Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition

Keywords: kbautomation kbhowto KB231614

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