How to Get Cell Value From Excel File in C#

In this article, we will discuss how you can get a specific cell's value from an Excel file using IronXL.

1. IronXL

IronXL is a powerful software library for .NET developers that provides a simple and efficient way to read, write, and manipulate Excel spreadsheets in their applications. It offers a range of features that make working with Excel files easy and efficient, including the ability to create, modify, and delete worksheets, read and write cell data, and even perform complex calculations using Excel formulas. With IronXL, developers can quickly and easily incorporate Excel functionality into their applications, saving time and streamlining their development process. Whether you're building a finance application or data analysis tool, or simply need to read and write Excel files in your application, IronXL provides a flexible and reliable solution.

2. Prerequisites

If you want to use the IronXL library to extract the value of a specific cell of an Excel file, you must fulfill certain prerequisites, which include:

• Installing Visual Studio on your computer as it's necessary to create a C# project.
• Installing ASP.NET on your system.
• Installing the IronXL library on your system to export data using it. You can obtain it by downloading the IronXL NuGet package from the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio.

3. Creating a New Project in Visual Studio

To use the IronXL library for Excel-related tasks, you must first create a .NET project in Visual Studio. While any version of Visual Studio can be used, it is advisable to opt for the most recent version. There are multiple project templates to choose from, including Windows Forms and ASP.NET, depending on your specific needs. This tutorial will use the Console Application project template to illustrate how to work with IronXL.

Create a new project window

After selecting the project type, provide a name for the project and choose its location along with the desired framework for the project, such as .NET Core 6.

Project configuration

Once the solution is created, the program.cs file will be opened, enabling you to enter code and construct/run the application.

Project with code open

With this new Visual Studio project now created, let's install IronXL.

4. Install IronXL

The IronXL Library can be downloaded and installed using a few different methods. But these two approaches are the simplest ones.

These are:

• Using NuGet packages in Visual Studio.
• Using the Visual Studio Command Line.

4.1 Using Visual Studio

To install the IronXL library, navigate to the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio. Simply open the NuGet Package Manager and search for IronXL in the Browse tab. Once you have located IronXL in the search results, select it and proceed with the installation. Once the installation is complete, you can start using the IronXL library in your project.

The below screenshot shows how to open the NuGet Package Manager in Visual Studio.

NuGet Package Manager

The following shows IronXL in search results:

IronXL search result

4.2 Using the Visual Studio Command-Line

Many developers prefer to install packages using a command line interface. To install IronXL using the command line, follow these steps:

• In Visual Studio, go to Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console.

• Enter the following line in the Package Manager Console tab:

  Install-Package IronXL.Excel

  Install-Package IronXL.Excel

  SHELL

Now the package will be downloaded and installed to the current project and will be ready to use.

Installing via command line

5. Get Specific Cell Values from an Excel File using IronXL

Retrieving the data stored in a specific cell of an Excel worksheet using IronXL is an uncomplicated process that requires only a few lines of code. With this software library, developers can easily access the desired Excel cell value within their program. The following code example will demonstrate how to use IronXL to obtain the value property with a cell address.

using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Linq;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load the Excel workbook
        WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

        // Access the first worksheet
        WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First();

        // Define a range
        var range = workSheet["B2:B2"]; // This specifies the cell range to read

        // Get the value stored in cell B2
        foreach (var cell in range)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Value in B2: {cell.Value}");
        }
    }
}

using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Linq;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load the Excel workbook
        WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

        // Access the first worksheet
        WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First();

        // Define a range
        var range = workSheet["B2:B2"]; // This specifies the cell range to read

        // Get the value stored in cell B2
        foreach (var cell in range)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Value in B2: {cell.Value}");
        }
    }
}

Imports IronXL
Imports System
Imports System.Linq

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Load the Excel workbook
		Dim workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

		' Access the first worksheet
		Dim workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First()

		' Define a range
		Dim range = workSheet("B2:B2") ' This specifies the cell range to read

		' Get the value stored in cell B2
		For Each cell In range
			Console.WriteLine($"Value in B2: {cell.Value}")
		Next cell
	End Sub
End Class

The above code example gets a value from cell B2 which will be printed to the console.

Output Console

5.1. Read Range of Values from an Excel Worksheet

By making some modifications to the code example provided above, it is possible to obtain a range of cell values from an Excel worksheet. This involves changing the range parameter passed to the WorkSheet object. Specifically, the range parameter must be updated to reflect the range of cells that contain the desired data.

using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Linq;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load the Excel workbook
        WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

        // Access the first worksheet
        WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First();

        // Define a new range covering B2 to B3
        var range = workSheet["B2:B3"];

        // Get values stored in the defined range
        foreach (var cell in range)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Value in {cell.Address}: {cell.Value}");
        }
    }
}

using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Linq;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Load the Excel workbook
        WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

        // Access the first worksheet
        WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First();

        // Define a new range covering B2 to B3
        var range = workSheet["B2:B3"];

        // Get values stored in the defined range
        foreach (var cell in range)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Value in {cell.Address}: {cell.Value}");
        }
    }
}

Imports IronXL
Imports System
Imports System.Linq

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Load the Excel workbook
		Dim workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

		' Access the first worksheet
		Dim workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.WorkSheets.First()

		' Define a new range covering B2 to B3
		Dim range = workSheet("B2:B3")

		' Get values stored in the defined range
		For Each cell In range
			Console.WriteLine($"Value in {cell.Address}: {cell.Value}")
		Next cell
	End Sub
End Class

The cell range is changed from [B2:B2] to [B2:B3]; this will print two values instead of just one in the console.

Output Console 2

6. Conclusion

Retrieving the value of a specific cell in an Excel worksheet using C# is a common task for many applications that work with Excel data. IronXL is a powerful software library for .NET developers that provides a simple and efficient way to read, write, and manipulate Excel spreadsheets in their applications. With IronXL, developers can quickly and easily incorporate Excel functionality into their applications, saving time and streamlining their development process.

By following the steps outlined in this article, developers can learn how to connect IronXL with their C# project, retrieve cell values programmatically, automate tasks that involve Excel data, and create more efficient and reliable applications. IronXL is a versatile and reliable solution for working with Excel files in C# Applications. Please visit those links to learn more about detailed operations on cell addresses or how to import Excel files.

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