HOWTO: Automate Excel to Create a New Workbook from Delphi

ID: Q231614

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
Microsoft Excel 2000

SUMMARY

This article demonstrates how to create and manipulate an Excel 97 or Excel 2000 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:

Q219151 HOWTO: Automate Excel 97 from Visual Basic

Q179706 HOWTO: Use MFC to Automate Excel and Create/Format a New Workbook

Q219430 HOWTO: Create and Format an Excel Workbook Using Visual J++

Building the Automation Sample

Start Delphi. A new project should be created by default.

Add a button to Form1.

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 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.

Press the F9 key to run the project. Click the button and Microsoft Excel should start and display a sample worksheet.

NOTE:

REFERENCES

For more information on Office Automation, please visit the Microsoft Office Development support site at:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/officedev/


Keywords          : kbAutomation kbExcel kbGrpDSO 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000,97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: June 30, 1999