What is the best way to read Excel (XLS) files with Python (not CSV files).
Is there a built-in package which is supported by default in Python to do this task?
ベストアンサー1
I highly recommend xlrd for reading .xls
files. But there are some limitations(refer to xlrd github page):
Warning
This library will no longer read anything other than .xls files. For alternatives that read newer file formats, please see http://www.python-excel.org/.
The following are also not supported but will safely and reliably be ignored:
- Charts, Macros, Pictures, any other embedded object, including embedded worksheets. - VBA modules - Formulas, but results of formula calculations are extracted. - Comments - Hyperlinks - Autofilters, advanced filters, pivot tables, conditional formatting, data validation
Password-protected files are not supported and cannot be read by this library.
voyager mentioned the use of COM automation. Having done this myself a few years ago, be warned that doing this is a real PITA. The number of caveats is huge and the documentation is lacking and annoying. I ran into many weird bugs and gotchas, some of which took many hours to figure out.
UPDATE:
For newer .xlsx
files, the recommended library for reading and writing appears to be openpyxl (thanks, Ikar Pohorský).