Xlsx Reader

Overview

The Xlsx reader class loads Excel 2007 and later (.xlsx) files, which use the Office Open XML format. This is the most commonly used Excel format and supports all modern Excel features.

Class Information

Namespace: PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx Extends: BaseReader Implements: IReader Source: src/PhpSpreadsheet/Reader/Xlsx.php:49

Basic Usage

Simple File Loading

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;

$reader = new Xlsx();
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

// Access worksheet data
$sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
$data = $sheet->toArray();

Using IOFactory

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory;

// Auto-detect and load
$spreadsheet = IOFactory::load('data.xlsx');

// Or create specific reader
$reader = IOFactory::createReader('Xlsx');
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

Key Methods

__construct()

Creates a new Xlsx reader instance.

public function __construct();

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();

canRead()

Checks if the file can be read by this reader.

public function canRead(string $filename): bool;

filename

string

required

Path to the file to check

Returns: bool - True if the file is a valid XLSX file Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
if ($reader->canRead('data.xlsx')) {
    $spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');
}

load()

Loads a spreadsheet from an XLSX file.

public function load(string $filename, int $flags = 0): Spreadsheet;

filename

string

required

Path to the XLSX file to load

flags

int

default:"0"

Optional flags:

IReader::LOAD_WITH_CHARTS - Load charts from the file
IReader::READ_DATA_ONLY - Read only data, ignore formatting
IReader::IGNORE_EMPTY_CELLS - Skip empty cells
IReader::IGNORE_ROWS_WITH_NO_CELLS - Skip empty rows (Xlsx-specific)
IReader::ALLOW_EXTERNAL_IMAGES - Allow external images
IReader::CREATE_BLANK_SHEET_IF_NONE_READ - Create blank sheet if none read

Returns: Spreadsheet object Example:

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader;

$reader = new Xlsx();
$spreadsheet = $reader->load(
    'data.xlsx',
    IReader::READ_DATA_ONLY | IReader::IGNORE_EMPTY_CELLS
);

listWorksheetNames()

Returns worksheet names without loading the entire file.

public function listWorksheetNames(string $filename): array;

filename

string

required

Path to the XLSX file

Returns: Array of worksheet names Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$worksheetNames = $reader->listWorksheetNames('data.xlsx');
foreach ($worksheetNames as $name) {
    echo "Sheet: $name\n";
}

listWorksheetInfo()

Returns detailed worksheet information without loading the entire file.

public function listWorksheetInfo(string $filename): array;

filename

string

required

Path to the XLSX file

Returns: Array of worksheet information with keys:

worksheetName - Worksheet name
lastColumnLetter - Last column letter (e.g., ‘Z’)
lastColumnIndex - Last column index (0-based)
totalRows - Total number of rows
totalColumns - Total number of columns
sheetState - Visibility state (visible, hidden, veryHidden)

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$info = $reader->listWorksheetInfo('data.xlsx');
foreach ($info as $worksheet) {
    echo "Sheet: {$worksheet['worksheetName']}\n";
    echo "Rows: {$worksheet['totalRows']}, ";
    echo "Columns: {$worksheet['totalColumns']}\n";
    echo "State: {$worksheet['sheetState']}\n";
}

Configuration Methods

setReadDataOnly()

Sets whether to read only data values (no formatting).

public function setReadDataOnly(bool $readDataOnly): self;

readDataOnly

bool

required

True to read only data, false to read data and formatting

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setReadDataOnly(true);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

setReadEmptyCells()

Sets whether to read empty cells.

public function setReadEmptyCells(bool $readEmptyCells): self;

readEmptyCells

bool

required

True to read empty cells, false to skip them

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setReadEmptyCells(false);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

setIncludeCharts()

Sets whether to load charts from the file.

public function setIncludeCharts(bool $includeCharts): self;

includeCharts

bool

required

True to load charts, false to ignore them

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setIncludeCharts(true);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

setLoadSheetsOnly()

Specifies which worksheets to load.

public function setLoadSheetsOnly(string|array|null $value): self;

value

string|array|null

required

Array of sheet names, single sheet name, or null for all sheets

Example:

// Load single sheet
$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setLoadSheetsOnly('Sheet1');
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

// Load multiple sheets
$reader->setLoadSheetsOnly(['Sheet1', 'Sheet3']);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

setLoadAllSheets()

Resets the reader to load all worksheets.

public function setLoadAllSheets(): self;

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setLoadSheetsOnly('Sheet1');
// ... later
$reader->setLoadAllSheets();
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

setReadFilter()

Sets a read filter to selectively load cells.

public function setReadFilter(IReadFilter $readFilter): self;

readFilter

IReadFilter

required

Object implementing IReadFilter interface

Example:

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter;

class MyFilter implements IReadFilter
{
    public function readCell(string $columnAddress, int $row, string $worksheetName = ''): bool
    {
        return $row >= 1 && $row <= 100; // Only rows 1-100
    }
}

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setReadFilter(new MyFilter());
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

Xlsx-Specific Features

setParseHuge()

Allows parsing of very large spreadsheets using LIBXML_PARSEHUGE option.

public function setParseHuge(bool $parseHuge): void;

parseHuge

bool

required

True to enable LIBXML_PARSEHUGE, false to disable

This option can lead to memory leaks and failures. Use only when necessary for very large files.

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setParseHuge(true);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('very_large_file.xlsx');

setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells()

Ignores rows that contain no cells (Xlsx-specific optimization).

public function setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells(bool $ignoreRowsWithNoCells): self;

ignoreRowsWithNoCells

bool

required

True to ignore empty rows, false to include them

Example:

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells(true);
$spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');

Supported Features

The Xlsx reader supports loading the following Excel features:

Cell data - Values, formulas, data types
Formatting - Fonts, colors, borders, fills, number formats
Styling - Cell styles, conditional formatting
Charts - All chart types (when setIncludeCharts(true))
Images - Embedded images and drawings
Sheet properties - Hidden sheets, grid lines, headers/footers
Page setup - Print settings, page margins, orientation
Data validation - Cell validation rules
Hyperlinks - Cell hyperlinks
Comments - Cell comments
Merged cells - Cell merges
Named ranges - Defined names
Tables - Excel tables
Auto filters - Filter definitions
Document properties - Title, author, keywords, etc.

Performance Optimization

Reading Large Files

For large XLSX files, use these optimization techniques:

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader;

$reader = new Xlsx();

// Read data only (skip formatting)
$reader->setReadDataOnly(true);

// Ignore empty cells
$reader->setReadEmptyCells(false);

// Ignore empty rows
$reader->setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells(true);

// Load with flags
$spreadsheet = $reader->load(
    'large_file.xlsx',
    IReader::READ_DATA_ONLY | 
    IReader::IGNORE_EMPTY_CELLS | 
    IReader::IGNORE_ROWS_WITH_NO_CELLS
);

Chunked Reading

Read large files in chunks using a read filter:

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;

class ChunkFilter implements IReadFilter
{
    private int $startRow;
    private int $endRow;

    public function __construct(int $startRow, int $chunkSize)
    {
        $this->startRow = $startRow;
        $this->endRow = $startRow + $chunkSize - 1;
    }

    public function readCell(string $columnAddress, int $row, string $worksheetName = ''): bool
    {
        return $row >= $this->startRow && $row <= $this->endRow;
    }
}

$reader = new Xlsx();
$reader->setReadDataOnly(true);

// Process in chunks of 1000 rows
for ($startRow = 1; $startRow <= 10000; $startRow += 1000) {
    $chunkFilter = new ChunkFilter($startRow, 1000);
    $reader->setReadFilter($chunkFilter);
    $spreadsheet = $reader->load('large_file.xlsx');
    
    // Process this chunk
    $sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
    foreach ($sheet->getRowIterator() as $row) {
        // Process row
    }
}

Error Handling

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Exception as ReaderException;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;

$reader = new Xlsx();

try {
    // Check if file can be read
    if (!$reader->canRead('data.xlsx')) {
        throw new Exception('File is not a valid XLSX file');
    }
    
    $spreadsheet = $reader->load('data.xlsx');
    
} catch (ReaderException $e) {
    echo 'Error loading XLSX file: ' . $e->getMessage();
} catch (\Exception $e) {
    echo 'General error: ' . $e->getMessage();
}

Security Considerations

XML External Entity (XXE) Protection

The Xlsx reader automatically uses the XmlScanner security scanner to protect against XXE attacks.

External Images

Be cautious when enabling external images:

$reader = new Xlsx();

// Use with caution - can expose to security risks
$reader->setAllowExternalImages(true);

// Better: use a whitelist callback
$reader->setIsWhitelisted(function(string $path): bool {
    // Only allow specific domains
    return str_starts_with($path, 'https://trusted-domain.com/');
});

Complete Example

use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx;
use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Exception as ReaderException;

// Create reader
$reader = new Xlsx();

// Configure reader
$reader->setReadDataOnly(true);
$reader->setLoadSheetsOnly(['Sales', 'Inventory']);

try {
    // Verify file
    if (!$reader->canRead('report.xlsx')) {
        throw new Exception('Invalid XLSX file');
    }
    
    // Load file
    $spreadsheet = $reader->load('report.xlsx');
    
    // Access data
    $sheet = $spreadsheet->getSheetByName('Sales');
    $highestRow = $sheet->getHighestRow();
    $highestColumn = $sheet->getHighestColumn();
    
    echo "Loaded {$highestRow} rows and {$highestColumn} columns\n";
    
    // Process data
    for ($row = 1; $row <= $highestRow; $row++) {
        $value = $sheet->getCell("A{$row}")->getValue();
        // Process value
    }
    
} catch (ReaderException $e) {
    echo 'Reader error: ' . $e->getMessage();
}

Core Classes

Readers

Writers

Calculation

Styling

Charts & Graphics

Overview

Class Information

Basic Usage

Simple File Loading

Using IOFactory

Key Methods

__construct()

canRead()

load()

listWorksheetNames()

listWorksheetInfo()

Configuration Methods

setReadDataOnly()

setReadEmptyCells()

setIncludeCharts()

setLoadSheetsOnly()

setLoadAllSheets()

setReadFilter()

Xlsx-Specific Features

setParseHuge()

setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells()

Supported Features

Performance Optimization

Reading Large Files

Chunked Reading

Error Handling

Security Considerations

XML External Entity (XXE) Protection

External Images

Complete Example

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Core Classes

Readers

Writers

Calculation

Styling

Charts & Graphics

​Overview

​Class Information

​Basic Usage

​Simple File Loading

​Using IOFactory

​Key Methods

​__construct()

​canRead()

​load()

​listWorksheetNames()

​listWorksheetInfo()

​Configuration Methods

​setReadDataOnly()

​setReadEmptyCells()

​setIncludeCharts()

​setLoadSheetsOnly()

​setLoadAllSheets()

​setReadFilter()

​Xlsx-Specific Features

​setParseHuge()

​setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells()

​Supported Features

​Performance Optimization

​Reading Large Files

​Chunked Reading

​Error Handling

​Security Considerations

​XML External Entity (XXE) Protection

​External Images

​Complete Example

​Related Documentation

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Class Information

Basic Usage

Simple File Loading

Using IOFactory

Key Methods

__construct()

canRead()

load()

listWorksheetNames()

listWorksheetInfo()

Configuration Methods

setReadDataOnly()

setReadEmptyCells()

setIncludeCharts()

setLoadSheetsOnly()

setLoadAllSheets()

setReadFilter()

Xlsx-Specific Features

setParseHuge()

setIgnoreRowsWithNoCells()

Supported Features

Performance Optimization

Reading Large Files

Chunked Reading

Error Handling

Security Considerations

XML External Entity (XXE) Protection

External Images

Complete Example

Related Documentation