Array to XLSX Downloader

A lightweight, TypeScript-compatible npm library for converting array data to downloadable XLSX (Excel) files in the browser.

🌐 Browser-Only Library: This library is designed specifically for frontend applications and requires a browser environment to function. It will not work in Node.js, server-side rendering, or backend environments.

Features

• ✅ Convert arrays to XLSX files in the browser
• ✅ TypeScript support with full type definitions
• ✅ JavaScript compatible
• ✅ Supports array of objects and array of arrays
• ✅ Customizable filename and sheet name
• ✅ Custom headers support
• ✅ Custom Styling for headers
• ✅ Lightweight with minimal dependencies
• ✅ Client-side file download (no server required)
• ✅ Error handling and validation

Compatibility

✅ Works With (Frontend/Client-Side)

• React, Vue, Angular, Svelte applications
• Vanilla JavaScript/HTML projects
• Client-side bundlers (Webpack, Vite, Parcel)
• Browser environments with modern JavaScript support

❌ Does Not Work With (Backend/Server-Side)

• Node.js applications
• Server-side rendering (SSR)
• Next.js server-side functions
• Express.js or other backend frameworks
• Electron main process

Installation

npm install ssr-xlsx-export

🔗 Live Demo

Check out the interactive demo here:
👉 Live Demo on CodeSandbox

Usage

Basic Usage (JavaScript)

import { ArrayToXLSX } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

document.getElementById("download-report").addEventListener("click", () => {
  const reportData = [
    { name: "John Doe", age: 30, city: "New York" },
    { name: "Jane Smith", age: 25, city: "Los Angeles" },
    { name: "Bob Johnson", age: 35, city: "Chicago" },
  ];

  ArrayToXLSX(reportData, {
    filename: "styled-report",
    sheetName: "Styled Sheet",
    headers: ["Name", "Age", "City"],
    headerStyle: {
      font: { bold: true, color: { rgb: "FF0000" } },
      alignment: { horizontal: "center" },
    },
  });
});

headerStyle

You can customize header cells using the headerStyle property:

headerStyle: {
  font: { bold: true, color: { rgb: "FF0000" } },
  alignment: { horizontal: "center" },
}

TypeScript Usage

import { ArrayToXLSX, ArrayData, DownloadOptions } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

interface User {
  name: string;
  age: number;
  city: string;
}

const handleDownload = (data: User[]) => {
  const options: DownloadOptions = {
    filename: "user-report",
    sheetName: "Users",
    headers: ["Full Name", "Age", "City"],
    includeHeaders: true,
  };

  ArrayToXLSX(data, options);
};

React Example

import React, { useState } from "react";
import { ArrayToXLSX, createHeaderStyle } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

const ReportComponent = () => {
  const [reportData, setReportData] = useState([]);

  const handleDownloadReport = () => {
    // Your data fetching logic here
    const data = [
      { product: "Laptop", sales: 150, revenue: 75000 },
      { product: "Phone", sales: 300, revenue: 60000 },
      { product: "Tablet", sales: 200, revenue: 40000 },
    ];
    const headerStyle = createHeaderStyle("#4472C4", "#FFFFFF", true, 14);

    ArrayToXLSX(data, {
      filename: "sales-report",
      sheetName: "Q1 Sales",
      headers: ["Product Name", "Units Sold", "Total Revenue"],
      headerStyle,
    });
  };

  return <button onClick={handleDownloadReport}>Download Sales Report</button>;
};

export default ReportComponent;

Vue.js Example

<template>
  <button @click="downloadReport">Download Report</button>
</template>

<script>
import { ArrayToXLSX } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

export default {
  methods: {
    downloadReport() {
      const data = [
        { name: "Alice", score: 95, grade: "A" },
        { name: "Bob", score: 87, grade: "B" },
        { name: "Charlie", score: 92, grade: "A" },
      ];

      ArrayToXLSX(data, {
        filename: "student-grades",
        sheetName: "Grades",
      });
    },
  },
};
</script>

Array of Arrays Example

import { ArrayToXLSX } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

const matrixData = [
  ["Product", "Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
  ["Laptops", 120, 130, 140, 150],
  ["Phones", 200, 220, 210, 230],
  ["Tablets", 80, 90, 85, 95],
];

ArrayToXLSX(matrixData, {
  filename: "quarterly-sales",
  includeHeaders: false, // First row is already headers
});

API Reference

ArrayToXLSX(data, options)

Main function to convert array data to downloadable XLSX file.

Parameters

• data: ArrayData - Array of objects or array of arrays
• options: DownloadOptions - Configuration options (optional)

Options

interface DownloadOptions {
  filename?: string; // Default: 'report'
  sheetName?: string; // Default: 'Sheet1'
  headers?: string[]; // Custom column headers
  includeHeaders?: boolean; // Default: true
}

Utility Functions

validateArrayData(data: any): boolean

Validates if the provided data is in the correct format for conversion.

import { validateArrayData } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

const data = [{ name: "John", age: 30 }];
if (validateArrayData(data)) {
  console.log("Data is valid for XLSX conversion");
}

csvToArray(csvString: string, delimiter?: string): string[][]

Converts a CSV string to array format suitable for XLSX conversion.

import { csvToArray, ArrayToXLSX } from "ssr-xlsx-export";

const csvData = `Name,Age,City
John Doe,30,New York
Jane Smith,25,Los Angeles`;

const arrayData = csvToArray(csvData);
ArrayToXLSX(arrayData, {
  filename: "csv-converted-data",
});

Data Formats Supported

Array of Objects

[
  { name: "John", age: 30, city: "NYC" },
  { name: "Jane", age: 25, city: "LA" },
];

Array of Arrays

[
  ["Name", "Age", "City"],
  ["John", 30, "NYC"],
  ["Jane", 25, "LA"],
];

Error Handling

The library includes comprehensive error handling:

try {
  ArrayToXLSX(data, options);
  console.log("Download initiated successfully!");
} catch (error) {
  console.error("Download failed:", error.message);

  // Handle specific error cases
  if (error.message.includes("browser environment")) {
    alert("This feature only works in web browsers");
  }
}

Common errors:

• Empty or invalid data array
• Browser environment not detected (when used in Node.js)
• XLSX generation failures
• Invalid data format

Browser Compatibility

This library works in all modern browsers that support:

• Blob API - For creating file data
• URL.createObjectURL - For creating download URLs
• File download functionality - For triggering downloads
• ES6+ JavaScript features

Supported Browsers

• Chrome 52+
• Firefox 52+
• Safari 10+
• Edge 79+
• Opera 39+

Environment Requirements

• Browser Environment: Must run in a web browser
• JavaScript: ES6+ support required
• Module System: ES modules or CommonJS

Dependencies

• xlsx: For Excel file generation and manipulation

Installation & Setup

# Install the package
npm install ssr-xlsx-export

# For TypeScript projects, types are included
# No need for @types/ssr-xlsx-export

Troubleshooting

"Download functionality is only available in browser environments"

This error occurs when trying to use the library in a Node.js environment. The library is designed for frontend use only.

Solution: Use this library only in client-side code (React components, Vue components, vanilla JS in browsers).

Download not working in some browsers

Ensure your browser supports the Blob API and file downloads. Some corporate firewalls or browser extensions might block automatic downloads.

Large files causing memory issues

For very large datasets (10,000+ rows), consider:

• Processing data in chunks
• Using streaming solutions for server-side processing
• Implementing pagination for large reports

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/SriRakeshKumar/ssr-xlsx-export.git

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the library
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Create a Pull Request

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

1. Check the Browser Compatibility section
2. Ensure you're using the library in a browser environment
3. File an issue on the GitHub repository with:
   • Browser version
   • Error message
   • Sample code that reproduces the issue

Note: This is a client-side library designed for browser environments. For server-side Excel generation in Node.js, consider using libraries like exceljs or xlsx directly with file system operations.