Awesome
Notice: axlsx_rails renamed to caxlsx_rails
This gem has been renamed to match other gems in the Axlsx community organization: https://github.com/caxlsx
Axlsx-Rails — Spreadsheet templates for Rails
Notice: Community Axlsx Organization
To better maintain the Axlsx ecosystem, all related gems have been forked or moved to the following community organization:
Installation
In your Gemfile:
gem 'caxlsx'
gem 'caxlsx_rails'
See previous installations if needed.
Requirements
- Tested on Rails 4.2, 5.x, 6.x, and 7.x.
- For Rails 3.1 or 3.2 use version 3.0
- As of 0.5.0 requires Axlsx 2.0.1, but strongly suggests 2.1.0.pre, which requires rubyzip 1.1.0
- As of Rails 4.1 you must use
render_to_string
to render a mail attachment.
FYI
- This gem depends on caxlsx. See the blog or the examples page for usage.
- Check out axlsx_styler by sakovias for easier styles and borders!
Usage
Axlsx-Rails provides a renderer and a template handler. It adds the :xlsx
format and parses .xlsx.axlsx
templates. This lets you take all the caxlsx code out of your controller or model and place it inside the template, where view code belongs! See this blog post for a more complete walkthrough.
Controller
To use Axlsx-Rails set your instance variables in your controller and configure the response if needed:
class ButtonController < ApplicationController
def action_name
@buttons = Button.all
respond_to do |format|
format.xlsx
end
end
end
Template
Create the template with the .xlsx.axlsx
extension (action_name.xlsx.axlsx
for example.) Watch out for typos! In the template, use xlsx_package variable to create your spreadsheet:
wb = xlsx_package.workbook
wb.add_worksheet(name: "Buttons") do |sheet|
@buttons.each do |button|
sheet.add_row [button.name, button.category, button.price]
end
end
This is where you place all your caxlsx specific markup. Add worksheets, fill content, merge cells, add styles. See the caxlsx examples page to see what you can do.
Remember, like in erb
templates, view helpers are available to use the .xlsx.axlsx
template.
That's it. Call your action and your spreadsheet will be delivered.
Rendering Options
You can call render in any of the following ways:
# rendered, no disposition/filename header
render 'buttons'
# rendered from another controller, no disposition/filename header
render 'featured/latest'
# template and filename of 'buttons'
render xlsx: 'buttons'
# template from another controller, filename of 'latest_buttons'
render xlsx: 'latest_buttons', template: 'featured/latest'
Disposition
To specify a disposition (such as inline
so the spreadsheet is opened inside the browser), use the disposition
option:
render xlsx: "buttons", disposition: 'inline'
If render xlsx:
is called, the disposition defaults to attachment
.
File name
If Rails calls Axlsx through default channels (because you use format.xlsx {}
for example) you must set the filename using the response header:
format.xlsx {
response.headers['Content-Disposition'] = 'attachment; filename="my_new_filename.xlsx"'
}
If you use render xlsx:
the gem will try to guess the file name:
# filename of 'buttons'
render xlsx: 'buttons'
# filename of 'latest_buttons'
render xlsx: 'latest_buttons', template: 'featured/latest'
If that fails, pass the :filename
parameter:
render xlsx: "action_or_template", filename: "my_new_filename.xlsx"
Acts As Xlsx
If you use acts_as_xlsx, configure the active record normally, but specify the package in the template:
User.to_xlsx package: xlsx_package, (other options)
Note: As of 4/1/2014 Acts As Xlsx is not compatible with Rails 4.1, and generates a warning on 4.0. You may use my patched fork until it is remedied.
Axlsx Package Options
Axlsx provides three options for initializing a spreadsheet:
- :xlsx_author (String) - The author of the document
- :xlsx_created_at (Time) - Timestamp in the document properties (defaults to current time)
- :xlsx_use_shared_strings (Boolean) - This is passed to the workbook to specify that shared strings should be used when serializing the package.
To pass these to the new package, pass them to render :xlsx
or pass them as local variables.
For example, to set the author name, pass the :xlsx_author
parameter to render :xlsx
or as a local variable:
render xlsx: "index", xlsx_author: "Elmer Fudd"
render "index", locals: {xlsx_author: "Elmer Fudd"}
Other examples:
render xlsx: "index", xlsx_created_at: 3.days.ago
render "index", locals: {xlsx_use_shared_strings: true}
Partials
Partials work as expected, but you must pass in relevant spreadsheet variables:
wb = xlsx_package.workbook
render :partial => 'cover_sheet', :locals => {:wb => wb}
wb.add_worksheet(name: "Content") do |sheet|
sheet.add_row ['Content']
end
With the partial simply using the passed variables:
wb.add_worksheet(name: "Cover Sheet") do |sheet|
sheet.add_row ['Cover', 'Sheet']
end
Mailers
To use an xlsx template to render a mail attachment, use the following syntax:
class UserMailer < ActionMailer::Base
def export(users)
xlsx = render_to_string layout: false, handlers: [:axlsx], formats: [:xlsx], template: "users/export", locals: {users: users}
attachment = Base64.encode64(xlsx)
attachments["Users.xlsx"] = {mime_type: Mime[:xlsx], content: attachment, encoding: 'base64'}
# For rails 4 use Mime::XLSX
# attachments["Users.xlsx"] = {mime_type: Mime::XLSX, content: attachment, encoding: 'base64'}
# self.instance_variable_set(:@_lookup_context, nil) # If attachments are rendered as content, try this and open an issue
...
end
end
- If the route specifies or suggests the
:xlsx
format you do not need to specifyformats
orhandlers
. - If the template (
users/export
) can refer to only one file (the xlsx.axlsx template), you do not need to specifyhandlers
, provided theformats
includes:xlsx
. - Specifying the encoding as 'base64' can avoid UTF-8 errors.
Scripts
To generate a template within a script, you need to instantiate an ActionView context. Here are two gists showing how to perform this:
Testing
There is no built-in way to test your resulting workbooks / templates. But here is a piece of code that may help you to find a way.
First, create a shared context
RSpec.shared_context 'axlsx' do
# all xlsx specs describe must be normalized
# "folder/view_name.xlsx.axlsx"
# allow to infer the template path
template_name = description
let(:template_path) do
['app', 'views', template_name]
end
# This helper will be used in tests
def render_template(locals = {})
axlsx_binding = Kernel.binding
locals.each do |key, value|
axlsx_binding.local_variable_set key, value
end
# define a default workbook and a default sheet useful when testing partial in isolation
wb = Axlsx::Package.new.workbook
axlsx_binding.local_variable_set(:wb, wb)
axlsx_binding.local_variable_set(:sheet, wb.add_worksheet)
# mimics an ActionView::Template class, presenting a 'source' method
# to retrieve the content of the template
filename = Rails.root.join(*template_path).to_s
template = Struct.new(:source).new(File.read(filename))
axlsx_binding.eval(AxlsxRails::TemplateHandler.new.call(template), filename)
axlsx_binding.local_variable_get(:wb)
end
end
Include it in your spec files:
require 'spec_helper'
require 'helpers/axlsx_context'
describe 'shared/_total_request.xlsx.axlsx' do
include_context 'axlsx'
before :each do
# all the instance variables here are the one used in 'shared/_total_request.xlsx.axlsx'
@widget = mock_model(Widget, name: 'My widget')
@message_counts = Struct.new(:count_all, :positives, :negatives, :neutrals).new(42, 23, 15, 25)
end
it 'has a title line mentioning the widget' do
wb = render_template
sheet = wb.sheet_by_name('Réf. Requête')
expect(sheet).to have_header_cells ['My widget : Messages de la requête']
end
it 'exports the message counts' do
wb = render_template
sheet = wb.sheet_by_name('Réf. Requête')
expect(sheet).to have_cells(['Toutes tonalités', 'Tonalité positive', 'Tonalité négative', 'Tonalité neutre']).in_row(2)
expect(sheet).to have_cells([42, 23, 15, 25]).in_row(3)
end
end
Matchers used
# encoding: UTF-8
require 'rspec/expectations'
module XlsxMatchers
RSpec::Matchers.define :have_header_cells do |cell_values|
match do |worksheet|
worksheet.rows[0].cells.map(&:value) == cell_values
end
failure_message do |actual|
"Expected #{actual.rows[0].cells.map(&:value)} to be #{expected}"
end
end
RSpec::Matchers.define :have_cells do |expected|
match do |worksheet|
worksheet.rows[@index].cells.map(&:value) == expected
end
chain :in_row do |index|
@index = index
end
failure_message do |actual|
"Expected #{actual.rows[@index].cells.map(&:value)} to include #{expected} at row #{@index}."
end
end
end
Troubleshooting
Mispellings
It is easy to get the spelling wrong in the extension name, the format.xlsx statement, or in a render call. Here are some possibilities:
- If it says your template is missing, check that its extension is
.xlsx.axlsx
. - If you get the error
uninitialized constant Mime::XSLX
you have usedformat.xslx
instead offormat.xlsx
, or something similar.
Using axlsx_rails in API mode
In API mode Rails does not include ActionView, so axlsx_rails will not work. To render axlsx_rails templates you must include ActionView::Rendering in your controller and override render_to_body:
class MyController < ActionController::API
include ActionView::Rendering
def show
respond_to do |format|
format.xlsx
end
end
private
def render_to_body(options)
_render_to_body_with_renderer(options) || super
end
end
See issue 107
Mailer Attachments: No content, cannot read, Invalid Byte Sequence in UTF-8
If you are having problems with rendering a template and attaching it to a template, try a few options:
- Make sure the attachment template does not have the same name as the mailer.
- After you have rendered the template to string, and before you call the mailer, execute
self.instance_variable_set(:@_lookup_context, nil)
. If you must do this, please open an issue. - If you get Invalid Byte Sequence in UTF-8, pass
encoding: 'base64'
with the attachment:
class UserMailer < ActionMailer::Base
def export(users)
xlsx = render_to_string handlers: [:axlsx], formats: [:xlsx], template: "users/export", locals: {users: users}
attachments["Users.xlsx"] = {mime_type: Mime[:xlsx], content: xlsx, encoding: 'base64'}
# For Rails 4 use Mime::XLSX
# attachments["Users.xlsx"] = {mime_type: Mime::XLSX, content: xlsx, encoding: 'base64'}
# self.instance_variable_set(:@_lookup_context, nil) # If attachments are rendered as content, try this and open an issue
...
end
end
If you get these errors, please open an issue and share code so the bug can be isolated. Or comment on issue #29 or #25.
The unparsed template is returned, or something similar
Have you followed other tutorials for serving Excel from Rails? Have you declared the MIME type already? These may be incompatible with caxlsx_rails (which declares the MIME type for you.) Remove any vestiges of other tutorials from your code and try again.
Generated Files Can't Be Opened or Invalid Byte Sequence in UTF-8
Both these errors appear to be caused by Rails applying a layout to the template. Passing layout: false
to render :xlsx
should fix this issue. Version 0.5.0 attempts to fix this issue.
If you get this error, please open an issue and share code so the bug can be isolated.
Rails 4.2 changes
Before Rails 4.2 you could call:
render xlsx: "users/index"
And caxlsx_rails could adjust the paths and make sure the template was loaded from the right directory. This is no longer possible because the paths are cached between requests for a given controller. As a result, to display a template in another directory you must use the :template
parameter (which is normal Rails behavior anyway):
render xlsx: "index", template: "users/index"
If the request format matches you should be able to call:
render "users/index"
This is a breaking change if you have the old syntax!
Turbolinks
If you are using turbolinks, you may need to disable turbolinks when you link to your spreadsheet:
# turbolinks 5:
link_to 'Download spreadsheet', path_to_sheet, data: {turbolinks: false}
Rails 7 Unknown Format
In Rails 7, if you get an error of "Unknown Format" you may need to add (format: "xlsx")
to the named route.
A clue to the "format" that Rails is responding with is to look at your log file or console after you click the HTML link or submit your form. You should see Processing by Controller#action as XLSX
.
Code Examples
Scenario 1 - HTML Link within index.html.erb
link_to "Download as Excel", my_named_route_path(format: "xlsx")
Scenario 2 - Using form_with()
form_with method: :post, url: my_named_route_path(format: :xlsx) do |f|
What to do
If you are having problems, try to isolate the issue. Use the console or a script to make sure your data is good. Then create the spreadsheet line by line without Axlsx-Rails to see if you are having caxlsx problems. If you can manually create the spreadsheet, create an issue and we will work it out.
Previous Installations
In your Gemfile:
gem 'rubyzip', '>= 1.2.1'
gem 'axlsx', git: 'https://github.com/randym/axlsx.git', ref: 'c8ac844'
gem 'axlsx_rails'
If rubyzip 1.0.0
is needed:
gem 'rubyzip', '= 1.0.0'
gem 'axlsx', '= 2.0.1'
gem 'axlsx_rails'
If rubyzip >= 1.1.0
is needed:
gem 'rubyzip', '~> 1.1.0'
gem 'axlsx', '2.1.0.pre'
gem 'axlsx_rails'
Dependencies
Authors
Contributors
Many thanks to contributors:
Change log
June 18, 2024: 0.6.4 release
- Convert to Github actions
- Improve tests
- Fix broken templates with comments as their last line
March 8, 2022: 0.6.3 release
- Exclude rspec directory (#149)[https://github.com/caxlsx/caxlsx_rails/pull/149]
December 18, 2019: 0.6.2 release
- Release under caxlsx_rails
December 18, 2019: 0.6.1 release
- Deprecate axlsx_rails name, release under caxlsx_rails
- Switch to using caxlsx 3.0 gem
September 5, 2019: 0.6.0 release
- Improved Rails 6.0 compatibility re MIME type
May 1st, 2018: 0.5.2 release
- Improved Rails 5 compatibility re MIME type
March 29th, 2017: 0.5.1 release
- Fix stack trace line numbers
- Thanks to BenoitHiller
July 26st, 2016: 0.5.0 release
- Support for Rails 5
- Tested on on Rails 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, and 5.0
- Bug fixes for unreadable files and UTF-8 errors
July 13th, 2015: 0.4.0 release
- Support for Rails 4.2
- Removal of forced default_formats (url format must match)
- Tested only on Rails 4.1 and 4.2
- For Rails 3.2 or below, use 0.3.0
November 20th, 2014: 0.3.0 release
- Support for Rails 4.2.beta4.
- Removal of shorthand template syntax (
render xlsx: 'another/directory'
)
September 4, 2014: 0.2.1 release
- Rails 4.2.beta1 no longer includes responder. This release checks for the existence of responder before configuring a default responder.
- Rails 4.2 testing, though not yet on Travis CI
- Author, created_at, and use_shared_strings parameters for Axlsx::Package.new
April 9, 2014: 0.2.0 release
- Require Axlsx 2.0.1, which requires rubyzip 1.0.0
- Better render handling and testing, which might break former usage
- Rails 4.1 testing
- Mailer example update (use render_to_string not render)
October 11, 2013
- Handle (and test) respond_to override
October 4, 2013
- Added coveralls
- Raised testing to axlsx 2.0.1, roo 1.12.2, and rubyzip 1.0.0
July 25, 2013
- Documentation improved
- Testing for generating partial in mailer
January 18, 2013: 0.1.4 release
- Now supports Rails 4 (thanks Envek)
- If you call render :xlsx on a request without :xlsx format, it should force the :xlsx format. Works on Rails 3.2+.
December 6, 2012: 0.1.3 release
- Fix for absolute template paths
July 25, 2012: 0.1.2 release
- Partials tested
July 19, 2012: 0.1.1 release
July 17, 2012: 0.1.0 release
- Tests completed
- Acts_as_xlsx tested, example in docs
July 12, 2012: 0.0.1 release
- Initial posting.
- It works, but there are no tests! Bad programmer!