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Read from Excel worksheet

Sophie avatar
Written by Sophie
Updated over a week ago

Definition and Usage

Retrieve the value of a cell or range of cells from an Excel worksheet. This command allows you to extract data from specific locations within an Excel file, supporting single cell retrieval, row data, column data, or a defined range of cells.


Parameter Values

Input parameters

Parameter

Description

Possible Values

Required

Options / Notes

Excel instance

Please select an Excel instance to identify the instance to operate on

Yes

Must be created via the "Launch Excel" or "Get active Excel worksheet" command

Worksheet name

Specify the worksheet name

No

Leave blank to use the active worksheet

Read from

Read Excel file by cell/row/column/range

A single cell, A single row, A single column, A range of cells

Yes

Row

Specify the row number

Conditional

Required when reading a single cell or row; Use 1 for the first row, or -1 for the last row

Column

Specify the column using either a number or a letter

Conditional

Required when reading a single cell or column; Use 1 for first column, -1 for last, or letters (A, B, C)

Start row

Specify the starting row number

Conditional

Required when reading a range; Use 1 for first row, -1 for last row

End row

Specify the ending row number

Conditional

Required when reading a range; Use 1 for first row, -1 for last row

Start column

Specify the starting column

Conditional

Required when reading a range; Use number or letter format

End column

Specify the ending column

Conditional

Required when reading a range; Use number or letter format

Advanced settings

Parameter Name

Description

Possible Values

Required

Options / Notes

Read values as displayed

Read the value shown in Excel instead of the raw format

True/False

No

When checked, retrieves formatted values as they appear in Excel

Error handling

Parameter Name

Description

Throw error & stop

When an error occurs, the action will trigger an error and stop the execution of the entire app.

Retry command

If an error occurs, the action will retry the command in an attempt to resolve the issue and continue the process.

Ignore error & continue

When an error occurs, the action will be ignored, and the workflow will continue without interruption.

Variables produced

This action produces a variable that stores the retrieved data from the Excel worksheet. The data type will vary based on the "Read from" selection:

  • When reading a single cell: Returns a single value

  • When reading a row or column: Returns a list of values

  • When reading a range: Returns a two-dimensional array of values


Using Variables in Conditions

You can use variables in parameter fields where the {x} icon appears. This allows you to dynamically specify parameters like worksheet names, row numbers, or column references using previously defined variables. When using variables, ensure that the variable type matches the expected input type for the parameter.


Notes

  • Before using this command, ensure that a valid Excel instance is open and accessible.

  • When specifying row or column values, you can use positive numbers (counting from the beginning) or negative numbers (counting from the end).

  • For columns, you can use either numeric format (1, 2, 3) or alphabetic format (A, B, C).

  • The "Read values as displayed" option is useful when you need the formatted values (like dates or currencies) rather than the raw cell data.

  • If the specified cell or range doesn't exist, the command may return an error or empty values depending on your error handling settings.

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