C# + VB.NET: Work with Excel WorkSheets in VB .NET Work with Excel WorkSheets in VB .NET
using IronXL;

// Create new Excel spreadsheet
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX);

// Create worksheets (workSheet1, workSheet2, workSheet3)
WorkSheet workSheet1 = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet1");
WorkSheet workSheet2 = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet2");
WorkSheet workSheet3 = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet3");

// Set worksheet position (workSheet2, workSheet1, workSheet3)
workBook.SetSheetPosition("workSheet2", 0);

// Set active for workSheet3
workBook.SetActiveTab(2);

// Remove workSheet1
workBook.RemoveWorkSheet(1);

workBook.SaveAs("manageWorkSheet.xlsx");
Imports IronXL

' Create new Excel spreadsheet
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLSX)

' Create worksheets (workSheet1, workSheet2, workSheet3)
Private workSheet1 As WorkSheet = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet1")
Private workSheet2 As WorkSheet = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet2")
Private workSheet3 As WorkSheet = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("workSheet3")

' Set worksheet position (workSheet2, workSheet1, workSheet3)
workBook.SetSheetPosition("workSheet2", 0)

' Set active for workSheet3
workBook.SetActiveTab(2)

' Remove workSheet1
workBook.RemoveWorkSheet(1)

workBook.SaveAs("manageWorkSheet.xlsx")

IronXL library makes managing worksheet using C# code as easy as possible. The actions of create & delete worksheet, change worksheets position, set active worksheet in Excel file can be achieved without using Office Interop.

Create Worksheet

The CreateWorkSheet method allows creating worksheet possible. It requires the worksheet name as the only parameter.

Set Worksheet Position

SetSheetPosition method can be used to change or move worksheet position. The two parameters are required. The worksheet name as String and its index position as Integer.

Set Active Worksheet

Set active worksheet means to set which worksheet to be opened by default when the workbook is opened. To achieve this use SetActiveTab method with the index position of the worksheet.

Remove Worksheet

Removing the worksheet can also be done with IronXL. Use RemoveWorkSheet method along with index position of the worksheet. In the case of worksheet's position is unknown, the name of the worksheet can also be used to delete the worksheet.

Please note that all the index position mentioned above follows zero-based indexing.

C# + VB.NET: Read Excel Files without Interop Read Excel Files without Interop
using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Linq;

// Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

// Select worksheet at index 0
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.WorkSheets[0];

// Get any existing worksheet
WorkSheet firstSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Select a cell and return the converted value
int cellValue = workSheet["A2"].IntValue;

// Read from ranges of cells elegantly.
foreach (var cell in workSheet["A2:A10"])
{
    Console.WriteLine("Cell {0} has value '{1}'", cell.AddressString, cell.Text);
}

// Calculate aggregate values such as Min, Max and Sum
decimal sum = workSheet["A2:A10"].Sum();

// Linq compatible
decimal max = workSheet["A2:A10"].Max(c => c.DecimalValue);
Imports IronXL
Imports System
Imports System.Linq

' Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

' Select worksheet at index 0
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.WorkSheets(0)

' Get any existing worksheet
Private firstSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Select a cell and return the converted value
Private cellValue As Integer = workSheet("A2").IntValue

' Read from ranges of cells elegantly.
For Each cell In workSheet("A2:A10")
	Console.WriteLine("Cell {0} has value '{1}'", cell.AddressString, cell.Text)
Next cell

' Calculate aggregate values such as Min, Max and Sum
Dim sum As Decimal = workSheet("A2:A10").Sum()

' Linq compatible
Dim max As Decimal = workSheet("A2:A10").Max(Function(c) c.DecimalValue)

IronXL is an Excel Library for C# and .NET which allows developers to load/read Excel data from XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV Documents without using Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel. Although all the available file format can be read with Load method, LoadCSV method is recommended to use for CSV file format.

Selecting Worksheet

WorkSheet represents one page or tab within the WorkBook. Each WorkSheet can be selected to read and manipulate.

  • By worksheet's index position in worksheet collection: workBook.WorkSheets [0]
  • By worksheet's name as parameter in GetWorkSheet method: workBook.GetWorkSheet("workSheet")
  • By DefaultWorkSheet property from workbook: workBook.DefaultWorkSheet
  • Please note that this option will get the first worksheet in the workbook. If there were no worksheets, it will create and return a new worksheet with the name "Sheet1".

Furthermore, each individual Range, Row, and Column can be selected from WorkSheet to access/modify Cell's data and apply formula.

Navigate to Select Excel Range to know more about selecting Range, Row, and Column.

C# + VB.NET: Create a new Excel File Create a new Excel File
using IronXL;

// Create new Excel WorkBook document
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Create();

// Convert XLSX to XLS
WorkBook xlsWorkBook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLS);

// Create a blank WorkSheet
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("new_sheet");

// Add data and styles to the new worksheet
workSheet["A1"].Value = "Hello World";
workSheet["A1"].Style.WrapText = true;
workSheet["A2"].BoolValue = true;
workSheet["A2"].Style.BottomBorder.Type = IronXL.Styles.BorderType.Double;

// Save the excel file as XLS, XLSX, CSV, TSV, JSON, XML, HTML and streams
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
Imports IronXL

' Create new Excel WorkBook document
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Create()

' Convert XLSX to XLS
Private xlsWorkBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Create(ExcelFileFormat.XLS)

' Create a blank WorkSheet
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.CreateWorkSheet("new_sheet")

' Add data and styles to the new worksheet
Private workSheet("A1").Value = "Hello World"
Private workSheet("A1").Style.WrapText = True
Private workSheet("A2").BoolValue = True
Private workSheet("A2").Style.BottomBorder.Type = IronXL.Styles.BorderType.Double

' Save the excel file as XLS, XLSX, CSV, TSV, JSON, XML, HTML and streams
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xlsx")

The IronXL library can be used to create Excel documents from XLS and XLSX formats. Using IronXL intuitive APIs to edit and populate your workbook. Accessing Cell's value with Value property. Cell's style can also be changed using IronXL.

The Style properties below can all be configured:

  • DiagonalBorder
  • Indention
  • Rotation
  • FillPattern
  • VerticalAlignment
  • HorizontalAlignment
  • DiagonalBorderDirection
  • WrapText
  • ShrinkToFit
  • TopBorder
  • RightBorder
  • LeftBorder
  • BackgroundColorFont
  • BottomBorder
  • SetBackgroundColor

Please note that for CSV, TSV, JSON, and XML file format each file will be created corresponding to each sheet. The naming convention would be fileName.sheetName.format. In the example above the output for CSV format would be sample.new_sheet.csv

C# + VB.NET: Convert Spreadsheet File Types Convert Spreadsheet File Types
using IronXL;
using System.IO;

// Import any XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

// Export the excel file as XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, TSV, JSON, XML
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xls");
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xlsx");
workBook.SaveAs("sample.tsv");
workBook.SaveAsCsv("sample.csv");
workBook.SaveAsJson("sample.json");
workBook.SaveAsXml("sample.xml");

// Export the excel file as Html, Html string
workBook.ExportToHtml("sample.html");
string htmlString = workBook.ExportToHtmlString();

// Export the excel file as Binary, Byte array, Data set, Stream
byte[] binary = workBook.ToBinary();
byte[] byteArray = workBook.ToByteArray();
System.Data.DataSet dataSet = workBook.ToDataSet(); // Allow easy integration with DataGrids, SQL and EF
Stream stream = workBook.ToStream();
Imports IronXL
Imports System.IO

' Import any XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

' Export the excel file as XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV, TSV, JSON, XML
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xls")
workBook.SaveAs("sample.xlsx")
workBook.SaveAs("sample.tsv")
workBook.SaveAsCsv("sample.csv")
workBook.SaveAsJson("sample.json")
workBook.SaveAsXml("sample.xml")

' Export the excel file as Html, Html string
workBook.ExportToHtml("sample.html")
Dim htmlString As String = workBook.ExportToHtmlString()

' Export the excel file as Binary, Byte array, Data set, Stream
Dim binary() As Byte = workBook.ToBinary()
Dim byteArray() As Byte = workBook.ToByteArray()
Dim dataSet As System.Data.DataSet = workBook.ToDataSet() ' Allow easy integration with DataGrids, SQL and EF
Dim stream As Stream = workBook.ToStream()

The IronXL library enable a very convenience and safe way to convert from commonly used spreadsheet file format to the require format to be used in the next process of your .Net project. The available formats are shown below:

Load

  • XLS
  • XLSX
  • XLSM
  • XLTX
  • CSV
  • TSV

Export

  • XLS, XLSX, XLSM, CSV and TSV
  • JSON
  • XML
  • HTML
  • In code data types:
  • HTML string
  • Binary
  • Byte array
  • Data set
  • Memory stream

Exporting Excel into System.Data.DataSet and System.Data.DataTable objects allow easy interoperability or integration with DataGrids, SQL and EF.

You can download a file project from this link.

C# + VB.NET: Excel to SQL via System.Data.DataSet Excel to SQL via System.Data.DataSet
using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Data;

// Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

// Convert the whole Excel WorkBook to a DataSet
DataSet dataSet = workBook.ToDataSet();

foreach (DataTable table in dataSet.Tables)
{
    Console.WriteLine(table.TableName);

    // Enumerate by rows or columns first at your preference
    foreach (DataRow row in table.Rows)
    {
        for (int i = 0 ; i < table.Columns.Count ; i++)
        {
            Console.Write(row[i]);
        }
    }
}
Imports IronXL
Imports System
Imports System.Data

' Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

' Convert the whole Excel WorkBook to a DataSet
Private dataSet As DataSet = workBook.ToDataSet()

For Each table As DataTable In dataSet.Tables
	Console.WriteLine(table.TableName)

	' Enumerate by rows or columns first at your preference
	For Each row As DataRow In table.Rows
		For i As Integer = 0 To table.Columns.Count - 1
			Console.Write(row(i))
		Next i
	Next row
Next table

Convert any XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV file to a System.Data.DataTable for full interoperability with System.Data.SQL or to populate a DataGrid. This DataTable object can contain collection of tables, relationships, and constraints.

C# + VB.NET: Excel to SQL and DataGrid via DataTable Excel to SQL and DataGrid via DataTable
using IronXL;
using System;
using System.Data;

// Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
WorkBook workBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx");

// Select default sheet
WorkSheet workSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet;

// Convert the worksheet to DataTable
DataTable dataTable = workSheet.ToDataTable(true);

// Enumerate by rows or columns first at your preference
foreach (DataRow row in dataTable.Rows)
{
    for (int i = 0 ; i < dataTable.Columns.Count ; i++)
    {
        Console.Write(row[i]);
    }
}
Imports IronXL
Imports System
Imports System.Data

' Supported for XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV
Private workBook As WorkBook = WorkBook.Load("sample.xlsx")

' Select default sheet
Private workSheet As WorkSheet = workBook.DefaultWorkSheet

' Convert the worksheet to DataTable
Private dataTable As DataTable = workSheet.ToDataTable(True)

' Enumerate by rows or columns first at your preference
For Each row As DataRow In dataTable.Rows
	For i As Integer = 0 To dataTable.Columns.Count - 1
		Console.Write(row(i))
	Next i
Next row

Convert XLSX, XLS, XLSM, XLTX, CSV and TSV file to a System.Data.DataTable for full interoperability with System.Data.SQL or to populate a DataGrid.

Input true to ToDataTable method to set the first row as column names of the table. The DataTable can populate a DataGrid.

You can download a file project from this link.

Direct Support from Our VB .NET Development Team

The Iron Visual Basic .NET product development team is available to support your questions. Get in touch to make the most of our library in your project.

Raise a Ticket

Work with Excel Files in VB.NET

Quick way to work with Excel Worksheets in Visual Basic VB.NET. Works in VB .NET Core and Azure with no special dependencies and no need to install MS Office or Interop.

Works with VB .NET, C#, .NET, XLSX, .NET Core

See Full Function List

Read & Write Excel Files in VB.NET

IronXL allows you to read Excel data from Spreadsheets in your .NET APPs. Read & Edit XLS/XLSX/CSV/TSV - Save & Export to XLS/XLSX/CSV/TSV/JSON.

More

Native SQL Support

Move Data between Excel, SQL and GridViews by accessing worksheets as System.Data.DataSet and System.Data.DataTable objects.

Get Started

Update Excel Data in Visual Basic .NET

Works with Microsoft Excel formulas - recalculate if a worksheet it updated. Easy to use WorkSheet [“A1:B10”] syntax. Sort by Ranges, Columns and Rows.

More

Style Excel Sheet Cells with VB

Set Font, Size, Background, Border, Alignment and Number format.

Get Started Now
Visual Studio - VB Create Excel Spreadsheet .NET Library - for Excel document Creation and Editing.

Install into Microsoft Visual Studio

IronXL gives you Excel generation and editing tools. Install directly from NuGet or download the DLL.

PM > Install-Package IronXL.Excel Download VB.NET DLL
Supports:
  • .NET Core 2.0 and above
  • .NET Framework 4.0 and above support C#, VB, F#
  • Microsoft Visual Studio. .NET Development IDE Icon
  • NuGet Installer Support for Visual Studio
  • JetBrains ReSharper C# language assistant compatible
  • Microsoft Azure C# .NET  hosting platform compatible

Licensing & Pricing

Free community development licenses. Licenses from $749.

Project C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

Project

Developer C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

Developer

Organization C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

Organization

Agency C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

Agency

SaaS C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

SaaS

OEM C# + VB.NET Library Licensing

OEM

View Full License Options  

Excel Spreadsheet Tutorials for VB .NET

How to Create Excel Files in VB

VB Excel ASP.NET

Jonas Schmidt - C# Developer

How to Create Excel Files in .NET

See How Jonas uses IronXL to generate Excel Files without using Office Interop...

View Jonas' Excel File Generation Tutorial
Reading and Writing Excel Tutorial + Code Examples in C# & VB.NET

C# Excel XLS

Elijah Williams - Product Development Engineer

Open and Edit Excel Files in VB.NET

Elijah shares a no-nonsense approach to reading Excel data into C# Applications...

See Elijah's Excel Reading & Editing Tutorial
Tutorial + Code Examples VB.NET PDF Creation and Editing | VB.NET & ASP.NET PDF

C# Excel Data

Rebecca White - .NET Solution Director

How to Read Excel Files into .NET Apps.

Rebecca's code walkthrough for reading Excel data into a .NET application...

Read Becky's C# Tutorial
Professional developers use IronXL for...

Accounting and Finance Systems

  • # Receipts
  • # Reporting
  • # Invoice Printing
Add Excel Support to ASP.NET Accounting and Finance Systems

Business Digitization

  • # Documentation
  • # Ordering & Labelling
  • # Paper Replacement
C# Business Digitization Use Cases

Enterprise Content Management

  • # Content Production
  • # Document Management
  • # Content Distribution
.NET CMS Excel Support

Data and Reporting Applications

  • # Performance Tracking
  • # Trend Mapping
  • # Reports
C# Excel Reports
Iron Software Enterprise .NET Component Developers

Thousands of corporations, governments, SMEs and developers alike trust Iron software products.

Iron's team have over 10 years experience in the .NET software component market.

Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon
Iron Customer Icon