Skip to main content

Worksheet

  • 4 minutes to read

A workbook consists of worksheets. A worksheet is a grid of cells organized into 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns. Each row is numbered (“1”, “2”, “3”, …, “1048576”), and each column is lettered (“A”, “B”, “C”, …, “XFD”). Row and column headings are displayed at the left and at the top of a worksheet, respectively.

Worksheet cells can contain data of different types, and formulas. These cells can be formatted. Proper cell formatting improves worksheet appearance, and allows end-users to read, find and understand worksheet data easily. When adjusting cell appearance, you can specify font, font size, character style (bold, italic or underline), text alignment, and different colors for the background and foreground. For details on formatting cells, see the Formatting Cells document, as well as the examples in the Formatting Cells section.

All worksheets in a workbook are stored within the WorksheetCollection, which you can access via the IWorkbook.Worksheets property. To get an individual worksheet, use WorksheetCollection.Item. Each worksheet is accessible by its unique name or position within the workbook (see the How to: Access a Worksheet example).

To set the active worksheet within a workbook, use the WorksheetCollection.ActiveWorksheet property (see the How to: Set an Active Worksheet example).

The Worksheet interface represents a worksheet. It provides a wide range of members to access and manage different worksheet elements. The following table lists the main properties and methods.

Property/Method

Description

Example

Worksheet.Rows

Returns the collection of all worksheet rows.

How to: Access a Row or Column

Worksheet.Columns

Returns the collection of all worksheet columns.

How to: Access a Row or Column

Worksheet.Cells

Returns the collection of all worksheet cells. You can use this property to format the entire worksheet at once, or access individual cells.

How to: Access a Cell in a Worksheet

Worksheet.Range

Provides access to a range of cells.

How to: Access a Range of Cells

Worksheet.SelectedCell, Worksheet.Selection

Specifies an active cell and range of cells selected in the worksheet.

How to: Obtain Selected Range and Active Cell

Worksheet.DefinedNames

Returns the collection of worksheet defined names associated with cells, cell ranges, formulas and constants.

How to: Create a Named Range of Cells

How to: Create Named Formulas

Worksheet.Hyperlinks

Returns the collection of hyperlinks contained in worksheet cells.

How to: Add a Hyperlink to a Cell

Worksheet.Shapes

Returns the collection of all graphics contained in the worksheet.

How to: Insert and Delete Pictures

How to: Modify Embedded Picture

Worksheet.Tables

Returns the collection of tables contained in the worksheet.

How to: Create a Table

Worksheet.GetUsedRange

Returns a worksheet cell range that contains data.

Worksheet.Name

Specifies the worksheet name.

How to: Rename a Worksheet

Worksheet.Index, Worksheet.Move

Control worksheet position within a workbook.

How to: Move a Worksheet to another Location

Worksheet.Visible, Worksheet.VisibilityType

Control worksheet visibility.

How to: Show and Hide a Worksheet

Worksheet.PrintOptions

Specifies options that affect how a worksheet is printed.

How to: Specify Print Settings

A worksheet view holds a set of display settings applied to a worksheet. To change these settings, modify the properties of the WorksheetView object that is accessed via the Worksheet.ActiveView property.

Property Description Example
WorksheetView.ViewType Specifies the worksheet view.
WorksheetView.Orientation Specifies worksheet page orientation (landscape or portrait). How to: Specify Print Settings
WorksheetView.Margins Specifies the margins of worksheet pages. Use the IWorkbook.Unit property to select the unit of measure for page margins.
WorksheetView.PaperKind Specifies the paper size of worksheet pages when the worksheet is printed. How to: Specify Print Settings
WorksheetView.ShowGridlines Controls the visibility of worksheet gridlines. How to: Show and Hide Gridlines
WorksheetView.ShowHeadings Specifies whether to show or hide row and column headings in a worksheet. How to: Show and Hide Row and Column Headers
WorksheetView.TabColor Specifies the worksheet tab color.
WorksheetView.Zoom Sets the zoom level for a worksheet view. How to: Zoom In and Out of a Worksheet