Introduction

You can use GoodGrids to create Excel files from data. You need to provide an example Excel file that will serve as a template for creating Excel files.

We refer to the example Excel file as a template. It is a regular .xlsx file (not a proper Excel template .xltx file).

The Excel template must contain two rows and as many columns as your data will contain. These rows define the format for how your Excel files will look. You can change the color, size, and formatting of the cells, rows, and columns in the template file.

Example

If you upload the following Excel template,

and then send the following CSV file to the API:

Account name,State,# of sales last week,$ in sales last week
Merchants'R'Us,AL,2,334.57
Kerbolite Inc.,WY,21,1523.00
Catty LLC,NY,256,43323.10

GoodGrids will create the following Excel file:

Download example Excel template Download example CSV data

Header Template

The first row of the template file defines how the resulting Excel file header will look. You should provide the headings for your columns in this row.

Data Row Template

The second row of the template defines how each data row in the resulting Excel file will look.

The row will be copied and its styling applied to each row of your data. If your data contains 1,200 rows, the second row styling will be applied to each of the 1,200 rows in your exported Excel file.

Footer Row Template

You can provide an optional third row in your template. This will be inserted after all your data rows.

It can contain formulas that use the data rows. For example, if you want the 3rd column to have a footer that sums all the data rows, you would include a formula in the C3 cell =SUM(C2:C2). This formula range will be extended to cover all the data rows when the final Excel file is prepared.