Explore
Monolithic package capabilities
Features in the MNB PHPExcel mono library.
Compare every bundled format, reader and writer support, large-file tools, validation, security, reports, database imports, and application workflows.
- Formats
- 6 XLSX, XLS, CSV, JSON, XML, ODS
- Capabilities
- 63 Documented for this library
- Feature groups
- 5 Package-specific responsibilities
What you will learn
- Find the tutorial that owns a specific capability.
- Understand the common application use case for each feature.
- Filter capabilities by reading, imports, security, writing, or workflows.
File formats supported
Read and write support included in the main mnb/mnb-phpexcel package.
| Format | Extension | Best for | Reading | Writing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office Open XML | .xlsx | Excel 2007 and later | Supported | Supported | Native reader and writer with the richest workbook feature set. |
| BIFF8 binary workbook | .xls | Excel 97–2003 | Supported | Supported | Native reader and writer; advanced presentation features remain XLSX-only. |
| Delimited text | .csv / .tsv | Data exchange | Supported | Supported | Streaming, dialect detection, encoding conversion, and injection-safe output. |
| JSON documents | .json / .jsonl / .ndjson | APIs and data pipelines | Supported | Supported | Arrays, workbook-shaped objects, and line-delimited streaming. |
| XML documents | .xml | Structured interchange | Supported | Supported | Safe XML parsing, workbook-shaped documents, and schema mapping. |
| OpenDocument Spreadsheet | .ods | LibreOffice and OpenDocument | Supported | Not supported | Native forward-only reader. ODS writing is not included in v2.0.6. |
Features cross reference
Supported SupportedPartially supported Partially supportedNot supported Not supportedNot applicable Not applicable
Hover or focus a status symbol for a short explanation where a capability is only partially available.
Readers
Compare normalized reading capabilities across the supported input formats.
| Readers | Implementation notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | XLSX | XLS | CSV / TSV | JSON | XML | ODS | Notes |
| Forward row iteration | Supported | Supported | Supported | Partially supported: Top-level arrays and NDJSON stream; workbook-shaped objects may be materialized. | Supported | Supported | Process normalized rows without requiring a final PHP array. |
| Worksheet discovery and selection | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Partially supported: Available for workbook-shaped JSON documents. | Supported | Supported | CSV and TSV are single-table formats. |
| Header-row normalization | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Choose a 1-based header row and receive associative records. |
| Row slicing, offset, and limits | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Apply row boundaries before application processing. |
| Column projection | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Read only the columns needed by the current workflow. |
| Formulas and cached results | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Supported | Return formulas, cached values, or both for workbook formats. |
| Dates and typed scalar values | Supported | Supported | Partially supported: CSV values begin as text and may be normalized by application rules. | Supported | Partially supported: Typed casting is available through schema mapping. | Supported | Date conversion follows the source format and reader options. |
| Styles and number formats | Supported | Partially supported: Common BIFF8 formats and XF records are read. | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Use XLSX for complete workbook-style inspection. |
| Images, comments, and hyperlinks | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Rich media and review metadata are exposed by the XLSX reader. |
| Password-to-open encrypted input | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Standard and Agile encrypted XLSX files are supported. |
| Empty-row filtering and row counts | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Structured summaries separate source, empty, skipped, header, and returned rows. |
| Active/default worksheet helpers | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Partially supported: Workbook-shaped JSON only. | Supported | Supported | Use activeSheet(), sheetIfExists(), and sheetOrActive(). |
Writers
Compare native output capabilities. A partial mark identifies a deliberately smaller legacy-format feature set.
| Writers | Implementation notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | XLSX | XLS | CSV / TSV | JSON | XML | ODS | Notes |
| Basic row export | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Not supported | Write normalized application rows to the selected output format. |
| Multiple worksheets or named sections | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Supported | Supported | Not supported | CSV and TSV intentionally represent one table per file. |
| Formulas | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Native XLSX and BIFF8 writers can emit formulas and cached values. |
| Styles and number formats | Supported | Partially supported: Basic BIFF8 styles, formats, row heights, and column widths. | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Use XLSX for the broadest presentation control. |
| Merged cells | Supported | Supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Workbook formats preserve rectangular merged ranges. |
| Freeze panes and filters | Supported | Partially supported: Freeze panes are supported; richer filtering belongs to XLSX. | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Interactive worksheet controls are format-specific. |
| Validation and conditional formatting | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Native XLSX writing includes data validation and conditional rules. |
| Comments, hyperlinks, and images | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Rich workbook objects are written through XLSX. |
| Charts and pivot definitions | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Create range-based charts and pivot summaries in XLSX output. |
| Workbook and worksheet protection | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Protect workbook structure and worksheet editing in XLSX. |
| Password-to-open encryption | Supported | Not supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | Create AES-256 encrypted XLSX files. |
| Text formula-injection protection | Not applicable | Not applicable | Supported | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not supported | CSV and TSV output can escape values that spreadsheet programs may treat as formulas. |
Complete capability directory
Search every documented feature, filter by workflow area, and open the matching implementation guide.
| Feature | What it does | Typical use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Import Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) | Read spreadsheet data | Bulk data upload | Open guide |
| Export Excel | Generate downloadable Excel files | Reports | Open guide |
| Read Multiple Sheets | Access all worksheets | Complex business files | Open guide |
| Read Specific Sheet | Load only one worksheet | Faster imports | Open guide |
| Read Cell Values | Get individual cell data | Data extraction | Open guide |
| Read Rows & Columns | Iterate through records | Database import | Open guide |
| Read Formulas | Get Excel formulas | Financial calculations | Open guide |
| Get Calculated Values | Return formula results | Reports | Open guide |
| Read Formatting | Font, color, borders | Template processing | Open guide |
| Read Images | Extract embedded images | Product catalogs | Open guide |
| Read Hyperlinks | Import URLs | Resource management | Open guide |
| Read Comments | Extract cell comments | Review systems | Open guide |
| Read Merged Cells | Detect merged ranges | Invoice templates | Open guide |
| Read Hidden Rows/Columns | Include or exclude hidden data | Admin files | Open guide |
| Read Date Cells | Convert Excel dates | Attendance and payroll | Open guide |
| Read Rich Text | Preserve formatting | Documentation | Open guide |
| Feature | What it does | Typical use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Validate Data | Required fields and formats | Data import validation | Open guide |
| Skip Empty Rows | Ignore blank rows | Cleaner imports | Open guide |
| Detect Duplicate Records | Compare before insert | Customer imports | Open guide |
| Batch Database Insert | Insert thousands of rows | ERP and CRM | Open guide |
| Update Existing Records | Match by ID | Product updates | Open guide |
| Import Users | Employee or customer upload | HR systems | Open guide |
| Import Products | SKU and pricing | Ecommerce | Open guide |
| Import Orders | Sales records | ERP | Open guide |
| Import Inventory | Stock management | Warehouse | Open guide |
| Import Students | School management | Education | Open guide |
| Import Attendance | Employee or student attendance | HR and schools | Open guide |
| Import Marks | Exam results | Education | Open guide |
| Import Contacts | CRM import | Sales | Open guide |
| Import Locations | GPS or city data | Maps | Open guide |
| Import Blog Posts | CMS migration | Websites | Open guide |
| Import Images with Paths | Media library values | Ecommerce | Open guide |
| Import Categories | Product hierarchy | Ecommerce | Open guide |
| Feature | What it does | Typical use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read Password Protected Files | Open secured XLSX files | Enterprise | Open guide |
| Handle Large Files | Stream reading | Millions of rows | Open guide |
| Progress Tracking | Show upload progress | Better UX | Open guide |
| Error Reporting | Row-level errors | User feedback | Open guide |
| Logging | Import history | Auditing | Open guide |
| Preview Before Import | Show first few rows | User verification | Open guide |
| Mapping Columns | Map Excel columns to database fields | Flexible imports | Open guide |
| Auto Detect Headers | Identify column names | Smart imports | Open guide |
| CSV Support | Read and write CSV files | Data exchange | Open guide |
| TSV Support | Read tab-separated files | Legacy systems | Open guide |
| Feature | What it does | Typical use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generate Templates | Create import templates | User downloads | Open guide |
| Auto Resize Columns | Improve export readability | Reporting | Open guide |
| Style Excel | Colors, fonts and borders | Professional reports | Open guide |
| Add Charts | Generate charts | Dashboards | Open guide |
| Add Images | Add a company logo | Reports | Open guide |
| Freeze Panes | Improve worksheet usability | Large sheets | Open guide |
| Filters | Add worksheet filters | Reports | Open guide |
| Conditional Formatting | Highlight values | Analytics | Open guide |
| Pivot Table Support | Analyze data | Business intelligence | Open guide |
| Password Protect Output | Encrypt and protect reports | Finance | Open guide |
| Feature | What it does | Typical use | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple File Import | Import many Excel files | Batch processing | Open guide |
| Queue Processing | Background imports | Large applications | Open guide |
| AJAX Upload | Upload without page reload | Modern UI | Open guide |
| API Integration | Receive Excel through an API | Automation | Open guide |
| Email Generated Excel | Send report attachments | Daily reports | Open guide |
| Scheduled Imports | Run cron-based imports | ERP synchronization | Open guide |
| Scheduled Exports | Generate daily reports | Management | Open guide |
| Data Transformation | Convert and normalize values | ETL pipelines | Open guide |
| Encoding Handling | Detect and convert encodings | Multilingual apps | Open guide |
| Unicode Support | Support all languages | Global applications | Open guide |
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