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Excel CRUD ​
Performs a wide range of read, write, and formatting operations on a local Excel workbook file.
Purpose ​
Use this task when a workflow needs to interact with an .xlsx file on disk — reading data from a worksheet, writing new rows, updating individual cells or ranges, applying formatting, managing worksheets, or running structural operations such as sort, filter, and pivot tables. The operation to perform is selected via the Mode field, which controls which additional fields are shown. All row and column indices are zero-based.
Inputs ​
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Dropdown | Yes | The operation to perform. Determines which additional fields are shown. |
| Excel File Path | Text | Yes | Absolute path to the .xlsx workbook file. |
| Worksheet Name | Text | Yes | The name of the worksheet (tab) to operate on. Not required for CREATE_WORKBOOK. For DELETE_WORKSHEET, this is the name of the sheet to delete. |
| Start Row | Text | No | Zero-based start row index (inclusive) for the read range. |
| End Row | Text | No | Zero-based end row index (inclusive) for the read range. Leave blank to read to the last row. |
| Start Column | Text | No | Zero-based start column index (inclusive) for the read range. |
| End Column | Text | No | Zero-based end column index (inclusive) for the read range. Leave blank to read to the last column. |
| Cell Values | Multi-line Text | No | JSON array of values for the new row (CREATE mode) or values to set after insertion (INSERT mode). |
| At Row Number | Text | No | Zero-based row index to write the new row to. If blank, the row is appended to the first empty row. |
| Rows | Multi-line Text | Yes (BULK_INSERT) | JSON array of arrays. Each inner array is one row of cell values (e.g. [["a","b"],["c","d"]]). |
| Start Row | Text | No | Row number to start inserting at. Leave blank to append after the last used row. (BULK_INSERT only — separate from the READ Start Row field.) |
| Row Number | Text | No | Zero-based row index. In INSERT mode this is the position to insert before; in UPDATE and related modes it targets a specific cell row. |
| Column Number | Text | No | Zero-based column index of the target cell. |
| Value | Text | No | New value to write to a single cell. |
| Cell Updates | Key-Value Pairs | No | Map of cell addresses (e.g. A1) to values for updating multiple cells at once. |
| Range Address | Text | No | A1-style cell range (e.g. A1:C3) used by UPDATE_RANGE, FORMAT, MERGE, SORT, and FILTER modes. |
| Values | Multi-line Text | No | 2D JSON array matching the size of the range, used to populate an UPDATE_RANGE operation. |
| Row Numbers | Multi-line Text | No | A single zero-based row index or a JSON array of indices specifying which rows to delete. |
| Column Identifiers | Multi-line Text | No | JSON array of column letters or zero-based indices specifying which columns to delete or auto-fit. |
| Formula | Text | No | Excel formula text to insert into the target cell (e.g. =SUM(A1:A10)). |
| Find Text | Text | No | Text to search for in the worksheet. |
| Replace Text | Text | No | Text to replace each match with. |
| Match Case | Checkbox | No | When checked, the find-and-replace search is case-sensitive. |
| Match Whole Cell | Checkbox | No | When checked, only cells whose entire content matches are replaced. |
| New Worksheet Name | Text | No | Name of the new worksheet to add. |
| Position | Text | No | Optional zero-based position at which to insert the new worksheet. |
| Bold | Checkbox | No | Apply bold formatting to the range. |
| Italic | Checkbox | No | Apply italic formatting to the range. |
| Underline | Checkbox | No | Apply underline formatting to the range. |
| Font Name | Text | No | Font family to apply (e.g. Arial). |
| Font Size | Text | No | Font point size to apply. |
| Background Color | Text | No | Cell background fill colour as a hex code or named colour. |
| Font Color | Text | No | Font colour as a hex code or named colour. |
| Number Format | Text | No | Number format mask to apply (e.g. 0.00, #,##0, dd-mmm-yyyy). |
| Wrap Text | Checkbox | No | Enable text wrapping in the formatted range. |
| Horizontal Alignment | Dropdown | No | Horizontal alignment to apply: General, Left, Center, or Right. |
| Unmerge | Checkbox | No | When checked, the range is unmerged instead of merged. |
| Sort Column | Text | No | Zero-based index of the column within the range to sort by. |
| Ascending | Checkbox | No | Sort order. Checked means ascending; unchecked means descending. |
| Filter Criteria | Multi-line Text | No | JSON object mapping zero-based column indices to filter criteria strings (e.g. {"0": "=North", "2": ">100"}). |
| Source Range | Text | No | A1-style range to copy or use as the pivot table data source. |
| Target Worksheet | Text | No | Destination worksheet name for COPY and PIVOT_TABLE modes. |
| Target Cell | Text | No | Top-left destination cell for COPY and PIVOT_TABLE modes (e.g. A1). |
| First Row As Header | Checkbox | No | When checked, the first row of the sheet is treated as column headers during EXPORT_DATATABLE. |
| Initial Worksheet Name | Text | No | Name to give the first worksheet when creating a new workbook. |
| Force Full Calculation | Checkbox | No | When checked, forces a complete workbook recalculation rather than a dependency-only pass. |
Visibility Rules ​
Start Row is only shown when Mode is set to READ. End Row is only shown when Mode is set to READ. Start Column is only shown when Mode is set to READ. End Column is only shown when Mode is set to READ. Cell Values is only shown when Mode is set to CREATE or INSERT. At Row Number is only shown when Mode is set to CREATE. Rows is only shown when Mode is set to BULK_INSERT. Start Row (BULK_INSERT) is only shown when Mode is set to BULK_INSERT. Row Number is only shown when Mode is set to INSERT, UPDATE, ADD_FORMULA, or GET_CELL. Column Number is only shown when Mode is set to UPDATE, ADD_FORMULA, or GET_CELL. Value is only shown when Mode is set to UPDATE. Cell Updates is only shown when Mode is set to UPDATE_CELLS. Range Address is only shown when Mode is set to UPDATE_RANGE, FORMAT, MERGE, SORT, or FILTER. Values is only shown when Mode is set to UPDATE_RANGE. Row Numbers is only shown when Mode is set to DELETE. Column Identifiers is only shown when Mode is set to DELETE_COLUMNS or AUTOFIT. Formula is only shown when Mode is set to ADD_FORMULA. Find Text is only shown when Mode is set to FIND_REPLACE. Replace Text is only shown when Mode is set to FIND_REPLACE. Match Case is only shown when Mode is set to FIND_REPLACE. Match Whole Cell is only shown when Mode is set to FIND_REPLACE. New Worksheet Name is only shown when Mode is set to ADD_WORKSHEET. Position is only shown when Mode is set to ADD_WORKSHEET. Bold is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Italic is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Underline is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Font Name is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Font Size is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Background Color is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Font Color is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Number Format is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Wrap Text is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Horizontal Alignment is only shown when Mode is set to FORMAT. Unmerge is only shown when Mode is set to MERGE. Sort Column is only shown when Mode is set to SORT. Ascending is only shown when Mode is set to SORT. Filter Criteria is only shown when Mode is set to FILTER. Source Range is only shown when Mode is set to COPY or PIVOT_TABLE. Target Worksheet is only shown when Mode is set to COPY or PIVOT_TABLE. Target Cell is only shown when Mode is set to COPY or PIVOT_TABLE. First Row As Header is only shown when Mode is set to EXPORT_DATATABLE. Initial Worksheet Name is only shown when Mode is set to CREATE_WORKBOOK. Force Full Calculation is only shown when Mode is set to CALCULATE.
Operations ​
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| READ | Reads a range of rows and columns from the worksheet and returns the data. |
| CREATE | Writes a new row of values to the worksheet, either appending or at a specific row index. |
| INSERT | Inserts a blank row at the specified index and optionally populates it with values. |
| BULK_INSERT | Inserts multiple rows in a single operation. Accepts all rows as a JSON array of arrays and writes them in one pass — significantly faster than calling INSERT in a loop. Optionally specify a starting row; otherwise rows are appended after the last used row. |
| UPDATE | Sets a new value on a single cell identified by row and column index. |
| UPDATE_CELLS | Updates multiple cells at once using a cell-address-to-value map. |
| UPDATE_RANGE | Writes a 2D array of values into an A1-style cell range. |
| DELETE | Deletes one or more rows by their zero-based index. |
| DELETE_COLUMNS | Deletes one or more columns by letter or zero-based index. |
| ADD_FORMULA | Inserts an Excel formula string into a specific cell. |
| GET_CELL | Retrieves the value of a single cell by row and column index. |
| FIND_REPLACE | Finds and replaces text across the entire worksheet with optional case and whole-cell matching. |
| ADD_WORKSHEET | Adds a new worksheet to the workbook at an optional position. |
| DELETE_WORKSHEET | Deletes the worksheet named in the Worksheet Name field. |
| FORMAT | Applies font, colour, alignment, and number formatting to a cell range. |
| MERGE | Merges a cell range, or unmerges it when the Unmerge option is checked. |
| AUTOFIT | Auto-fits the width of specified columns. |
| SORT | Sorts the data within a range by a specified column, ascending or descending. |
| FILTER | Applies auto-filter criteria to a range based on column-index-to-criteria mappings. |
| COPY | Copies a cell range to a target cell on a destination worksheet. |
| PIVOT_TABLE | Creates a pivot table from a source range, placed at a target cell on a destination worksheet. |
| EXPORT_DATATABLE | Exports the worksheet data as a structured table object for use in downstream tasks. |
| CREATE_WORKBOOK | Creates a new Excel workbook file with a single named worksheet. |
| CALCULATE | Triggers formula recalculation across the entire workbook. |
Outputs ​
The outputs vary by mode. All modes return a Message describing the result.
READ Mode Outputs ​
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| ExcelData | An array of row objects. Each row is a dictionary of column name → value. The first row of the worksheet is used as column headers. |
| RowCount | The number of data rows returned (excludes the header row). |
| ColumnCount | The number of columns in the data. |
| ColumnMap | A dictionary mapping each column name to its Excel column number (e.g. {"Status": 3, "Due Date": 4}). Useful when you need to pass a column number to the UPDATE mode. |
| WorksheetName | The name of the worksheet that was read. |
| WorksheetNames | A list of all worksheet names in the workbook. |
Row metadata ​
Each row object in ExcelData includes a _RowNumber property containing the actual Excel row number for that row. This is essential when you need to update or delete specific rows after filtering — pass _RowNumber directly to the UPDATE mode's Row Number field.
For example, if you read an Excel file and then use Array Operations to filter the rows, each result still carries its _RowNumber so you know exactly which Excel row to target.
BULK_INSERT Mode Outputs ​
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| InsertedRowCount | The number of rows that were inserted. |
| FirstRowIndex | The row number of the first inserted row. |
| LastRowIndex | The row number of the last inserted row. |
Other Mode Outputs ​
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| CellValue | The value of the retrieved cell (GET_CELL mode). |
| FilePath | The file path of the workbook that was created (CREATE_WORKBOOK mode). |
| WorksheetName | The name of the worksheet that was created or modified (CREATE_WORKBOOK, ADD_WORKSHEET modes). |
| DataTable | A structured table object (EXPORT_DATATABLE mode). |
| FilterCriteria | The filter criteria that were applied (FILTER mode). |