"DirectExcel" is an easy way to read and write spreadsheets in pure PHP.

There are dozens of libraries for reading/writing spreadsheets but they are far too complicated. DirectExcel makes things simpler by providing just 2 functions for reading and writing data.

• Tiny size
• Single class file
• Zero dependencies
• Object-oriented usage
• Easy to use (just 2 functions)
• One function to create and download spreadsheets
• Simply works with arrays

Just copy the class.directexcel.php and the fonts directory into your working path, where it is easily accessible by your PHP script.

<?php

require_once("class.directexcel.php");

// single function read
$data = DirectExcel::readArray("inventions.xlsx");

header("content-type: text/plain");
echo "Reading inventions.xlsx\n\n";

// show the data
print_r($data);

?>

<?php

require_once("class.directexcel.php");

// sample data is in array
$data = array(
	"Aircrafts" => array(
		array(
			"Name" => "SR-71 BlackBird",
			"Speed" => "Mach 3+",
		),
		array(
			"Name" => "F-22 Raptor",
			"Speed" => "Mach 1.82",
		),
	),
	"Aircraft Carrier" => array(
		array(
			"Name" => "USS Nimitz",
			"Classification" => "CVN-68",
		),
		array(
			"Name" => "USS Gerald R. Ford",
			"Classification" => "CVN-78",
		),
		array(
			"Name" => "USS Ronald Reagan",
			"Classification" => "CVN-76",
		),
	)
);

// single function write
DirectExcel::write($data, "firepower.xlsx");

header("content-type: text/plain");
echo "Excel file written successfully: \nfirepower.xlsx";

?>

You'll find plenty more to play with in the examples folder.

To make things simpler, this class was created to work with arrays. The array format for reading and writing is...

<?php
$data = array(
	"Worksheet1" => array(
		array(
			"Column1" => "Cell 1 information",
			"Column2" => "Cell 2 information",
			// more columns...
		),
		// more rows...
	),
	// more worksheets...
);
?>

CSVs are usually used as an easy way to read/write into excel format. But CSV has a lot of inherent issues.

• When CSVs get exported into a spreadsheet software, their columns are shrinked.
• Multiline cells look unreadable.
• Phone numbers in cells get messed up. (e.g. +92-353-5338954 becomes -5338968).
• Only one worksheet is supported per CSV file.
• And it's not professional enough if you're using it on your site.

• Currently this class only supports the modern .xlsx format. The legacy .xls format is not supported.
• This class was created during a 6 hour hackathon. A lot of testing is yet to be done.

Please submit bug reports, suggestions and pull requests to the GitHub issue tracker. I would be happy if someone helps in its testing and extending its functionalities.

This software is licenced under the LGPL 2.1. Please read LICENSE for information on the software availability and distribution.