Reference
Practical Recipes
Copy-ready starting points for focused spreadsheet tasks and production workflows.
Start from the job you need to finish.
Each recipe links to the focused guide that owns the full behavior, edge cases, and production notes. Use this page as a fast task index rather than a second copy of the documentation.
Get the workbook data you actually need.
Start here for focused reads, protected XLSX files, and workbook media or metadata.
Read selected columns
Project only the fields needed by an import instead of loading every worksheet column.
Read an encrypted workbook
Pass the workbook password through ReaderOptions and keep password handling explicit.
Extract workbook images
Inventory image anchors and extract workbook media safely.
Move spreadsheet data into application workflows safely.
Use these recipes for database imports, background workers, resumability, and reusable import templates.
Import products by SKU
Use update and unique_by rules with failed-row reporting for idempotent product imports.
Queue a large import
Move long-running spreadsheet work to a durable filesystem or PDO-backed worker.
Resume a failed import
Persist a manifest so interrupted large-file work can restart safely.
Create an import template
Generate examples, instructions, and validation rules for users before they upload data.
Create workbook output and move it to the user.
Start here for reporting, protected output, scheduled delivery, and browser downloads.
Create a pivot summary
Build a source worksheet and attach a native pivot for report-oriented output.
Protect a finance report
Combine encryption with workbook and worksheet protection for sensitive output.
Email a daily report
Generate a workbook and deliver it as a MIME attachment from a scheduled workflow.
Download XLSX in a browser
Send correct binary headers and clean temporary files after the response is complete.
Prove generated workbook output before shipping it.
Use validation as the final production boundary instead of assuming a written file is a valid XLSX package.