excel_to_json

Excel to JSON

A Flutter package that converts Excel (.xlsx) files to JSON format, making it easy to work with spreadsheet data in your Flutter applications.

🚀 Quick Example

import 'package:excel_to_json/excel_to_json.dart';

// Simple conversion
final converter = ExcelToJson();
final jsonString = await converter.convert(); // Opens file picker

// With custom configuration  
final converter = ExcelToJson(
  config: ExcelToJsonConfig(
    includeEmptyRows: true,
    verbose: true,
  ),
);
final result = await converter.convert();

Features

✅ Simple Integration - Easy to use API with just a few lines of code
✅ Multiple Worksheets - Supports Excel files with multiple sheets
✅ Type Safety - Handles various cell types (text, numbers, dates, formulas, booleans)
✅ Configurable - Customizable conversion options
✅ Error Handling - Comprehensive error reporting and logging
✅ Cross Platform - Works on Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop

Installation

Add this to your package's pubspec.yaml file:

dependencies:
  excel_to_json: ^1.5.0

Then run:

flutter pub get

Quick Start

Basic Usage

import 'package:excel_to_json/excel_to_json.dart';

void convertExcelToJson() async {
  final converter = ExcelToJson();
  
  try {
    final jsonString = await converter.convert();
    if (jsonString != null) {
      print('Conversion successful!');
      print(jsonString);
    } else {
      print('No file selected or conversion cancelled.');
    }
  } on ExcelToJsonException catch (e) {
    print('Conversion failed: ${e.message}');
  }
}

Advanced Usage with Configuration

import 'package:excel_to_json/excel_to_json.dart';

void convertWithConfig() async {
  const config = ExcelToJsonConfig(
    includeEmptyRows: true,        // Include rows with all empty cells
    useDateTimeStrings: false,     // Keep date objects as native types
    verbose: true,                 // Enable detailed logging
  );
  
  final converter = ExcelToJson(config: config);
  
  try {
    final jsonString = await converter.convert();
    if (jsonString != null) {
      // Process your JSON data
      final data = jsonDecode(jsonString);
      
      // Access worksheets by name
      final sheet1Data = data['Sheet1'] as List<dynamic>;
      for (final row in sheet1Data) {
        print('Row data: $row');
      }
    }
  } on ExcelToJsonException catch (e) {
    print('Error: ${e.message}');
    if (e.cause != null) {
      print('Caused by: ${e.cause}');
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

The ExcelToJsonConfig class provides several options to customize the conversion:

Option	Type	Default	Description
includeEmptyRows	bool	false	Include rows where all cells are empty
useDateTimeStrings	bool	true	Convert date/time values to strings
dateFormat	String?	null	Custom date format pattern (future feature)
verbose	bool	false	Enable detailed logging during conversion

Output Format

The package converts Excel files to JSON with the following structure:

{
  "Sheet1": [
    {
      "Name": "John Doe",
      "Age": 30,
      "Email": "john@example.com"
    },
    {
      "Name": "Jane Smith",
      "Age": 25,
      "Email": "jane@example.com"
    }
  ],
  "Sheet2": [
    {
      "Product": "Widget",
      "Price": 19.99,
      "InStock": true
    }
  ]
}

Each worksheet becomes a top-level property, and each row (except the header) becomes an object in the array.

Supported Cell Types

The package handles all standard Excel cell types:

• Text - String values
• Numbers - Integer and floating-point numbers
• Booleans - TRUE/FALSE values
• Dates - Date values (converted to strings by default)
• Times - Time values (converted to strings by default)
• DateTime - Combined date and time values
• Formulas - Formula expressions (shows the formula, not the result)
• Empty cells - Represented as null in JSON

Error Handling

The package provides detailed error information through the ExcelToJsonException class:

try {
  final result = await converter.convert();
} on ExcelToJsonException catch (e) {
  print('Conversion failed: ${e.message}');
  
  // Check if there's an underlying cause
  if (e.cause != null) {
    print('Underlying error: ${e.cause}');
  }
}

Platform Support

This package supports all platforms where Flutter runs:

• ✅ Android
• ✅ iOS
• ✅ Web
• ✅ Windows
• ✅ macOS
• ✅ Linux

Limitations

• Only supports .xlsx files (Excel 2007+ format)
• Does not support .xls files (Excel 97-2003 format)
• Formula results are not calculated (shows formula text instead)
• Charts, images, and other embedded objects are ignored

Example App

Check out the /example folder for a complete Flutter app demonstrating how to use this package.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone your fork: git clone https://github.com/yourusername/excel_to_json.git
3. Install dependencies: flutter pub get
4. Run tests: flutter test
5. Make your changes and add tests
6. Submit a pull request

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for a detailed list of changes.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you find this package helpful, please give it a ⭐ on GitHub and pub.dev!