Working with Excel in Swift: A Complete Guide to Libraries and Tools for iOS/macOS

Working with Excel in Swift (iOS/macOS): Library Overview and Code Examples

Processing tabular data is one of the key tasks in modern applications. On Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, watchOS) there is no built-in support for the Excel format (.xlsx), so developers use third-party libraries. In this article, we will look at three main approaches and libraries for working with Excel in Swift: CoreXLSX, SwiftExcel, and XLConnect. You will learn how to read, create, and edit files, and also get ready-made code examples.

1. CoreXLSX — reading and writing .xlsx files

CoreXLSX is the most popular library for working with Excel in Swift. It supports reading and writing files in the Office Open XML (OOXML) format. The library is written in pure Swift and requires no external dependencies.

Installation via Swift Package Manager

// In Package.swift add:dependencies: [    .package(url: "https://github.com/CoreOffice/CoreXLSX.git", from: "0.14.0")]

Reading an Excel file

import CoreXLSX

guard let filePath = Bundle.main.path(forResource: "data", ofType: "xlsx") else {    print("File not found")    return}

let file = try XLSXFile(filepath: filePath)let sharedStrings = try file?.parseSharedStrings()let worksheets = try file?.parseWorksheetPaths()

for worksheetPath in worksheets ?? [] {    let worksheet = try file?.parseWorksheet(at: worksheetPath)    let rows = worksheet?.data?.rows ?? []        for row in rows {        for cell in row.cells {            if let sharedStrings = sharedStrings {                let reference = cell.reference                let value = cell.stringValue(sharedStrings) ?? cell.value ?? ""                print("Cell \\(reference): \\(value)")            }        }    }}

Creating a new file

import CoreXLSX

let path = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory.appendingPathComponent("newFile.xlsx")let file = XLSXFile(filepath: path.path)

// Create a worksheetlet worksheet = Worksheet(data: DataSheet(rows: [    Row(cells: [        Cell(reference: "A1", value: "Name"),        Cell(reference: "B1", value: "Age")    ]),    Row(cells: [        Cell(reference: "A2", value: "Anna"),        Cell(reference: "B2", value: "25")    ])]))

try file?.write(worksheet: worksheet, at: "xl/worksheets/sheet1.xml")

2. SwiftExcel — a lightweight alternative

SwiftExcel is a minimalistic library for creating Excel files. It does not support reading existing files, but it is great for generating reports and exporting data.

Installation via CocoaPods

pod 'SwiftExcel'

Example of creating a table

import SwiftExcel

let workbook = Workbook()let sheet = workbook.createSheet(named: "Report")

// Fill in headerssheet.write(value: "Product", column: 1, row: 1)sheet.write(value: "Price", column: 2, row: 1)sheet.write(value: "Quantity", column: 3, row: 1)

// Datasheet.write(value: "Laptop", column: 1, row: 2)sheet.write(value: 1500.00, column: 2, row: 2)sheet.write(value: 10, column: 3, row: 2)

// Savelet path = FileManager.default.temporaryDirectory.appendingPathComponent("report.xlsx")try workbook.save(to: path)print("File saved: \\(path)")

3. XLConnect — working with Excel via OpenXML (macOS)

XLConnect is a library for macOS that uses the OpenXML format directly. It supports complex operations: merging cells, styles, formulas, and charts.

Installation via Carthage

github "SwiftStudies/XLConnect" ~> 2.0

Example with formulas and styles

import XLConnect

let workbook = Workbook()let sheet = try workbook.createShee