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Bundling Sheets with RequireJS

RequireJS is a JavaScript file and module loader. It includes an in-browser loader as well as a static optimizer.

SheetJS is a JavaScript library for reading and writing data from spreadsheets.

This demo uses RequireJS and SheetJS to export data. We'll explore how to load SheetJS in a site using RequireJS and how to use the r.js optimizer to create a bundled site.

The Live demo loads RequireJS from the CDN, uses it to load the standalone script from the SheetJS CDN, and uses the XLSX variable to create a button click handler that creates a workbook.

This demo focuses on integration details with the RequireJS loader.

The demos follow the "Export Tutorial", which covers SheetJS library usage in more detail.

Tested Deployments

This demo was tested in the following environments:

RequireJSDate
2.3.62024-03-01
2.1.222023-12-04

Integration Details​

The SheetJS Standalone scripts comply with AMD define semantics. They support RequireJS and the r.js optimizer out of the box.

Config​

The RequireJS config should set the xlsx alias in the paths property.

SheetJS CDN​

The SheetJS CDN URL can be directly referenced in a path alias:

require.config({
  baseUrl: ".",
  name: "app",
  paths: {
    xlsx: "https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-0.20.2/package/dist/xlsx.full.min"
  }
});

Vendoring​

After downloading the SheetJS standalone script, a relative path can be used in the path alias. For example, if the standalone script was downloaded in the same directory as the HTML page, the path should be ./xlsx.full.min:

require.config({
  baseUrl: ".",
  name: "app",
  paths: {
    xlsx: "./xlsx.full.min"
  }
});

Usage​

Once the alias is set, "xlsx" can be required from app scripts:

require(["xlsx"], function(XLSX) {
  /* use XLSX here */
  console.log(XLSX.version);
});

Within the callback, the XLSX variable exposes the functions listed in the "API Reference" section of the documentation.

Complete Example​

This demo will explore the standalone RequireJS script and the r.js optimizer.

Standalone RequireJS​

  1. Download the SheetJS Standalone script and move to the project directory:
curl -LO https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-0.20.2/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js
  1. Save the following to index.html:
index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head></head>
  <body>
    <h1>SheetJS Presidents Demo</h1>
    <button id="xport">Click here to export</button>
    <script src="http://requirejs.org/docs/release/2.3.6/comments/require.js"></script>
    <script>
/* Wire up RequireJS */
require.config({
  baseUrl: ".",
  name: "SheetJSRequire",
  paths: {
    xlsx: "./xlsx.full.min"
  }
});
    </script>
    <script src="SheetJSRequire.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

To change the RequireJS version, change the version in the highlighted line. For example, the following script corresponds to RequireJS 2.1.22:

    <script src="http://requirejs.org/docs/release/2.1.22/comments/require.js"></script>
  1. Save the following to SheetJSRequire.js:
SheetJSRequire.js
require(["xlsx"], function(XLSX) {
  document.getElementById("xport").addEventListener("click", function() {
    /* fetch JSON data and parse */
    var url = "https://docs.sheetjs.com/executive.json";
    fetch(url).then(function(res) { return res.json(); }).then(function(raw_data) {

    /* filter for the Presidents */
    var prez = raw_data.filter(function(row) { return row.terms.some(function(term) { return term.type === "prez"; }); });

    /* sort by first presidential term */
    prez.forEach(function(row) { row.start = row.terms.find(function(term) {return term.type === "prez"; }).start; });
    prez.sort(function(l,r) { return l.start.localeCompare(r.start); });

    /* flatten objects */
    var rows = prez.map(function(row) { return {
      name: row.name.first + " " + row.name.last,
      birthday: row.bio.birthday
    }; });

    /* generate worksheet and workbook */
    var worksheet = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(rows);
    var workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
    XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, "Dates");

    /* fix headers */
    XLSX.utils.sheet_add_aoa(worksheet, [["Name", "Birthday"]], { origin: "A1" });

    /* calculate column width */
    var max_width = rows.reduce(function(w, r) { return Math.max(w, r.name.length); }, 10);
    worksheet["!cols"] = [ { wch: max_width } ];

    /* create an XLSX file and try to save to Presidents.xlsx */
    XLSX.writeFileXLSX(workbook, "Presidents.xlsx");
    });
  });
});

The r.js optimizer does not handle async functions or ES6 arrow functions.

To demonstrate compatibility with older RequireJS releases, SheetJSRequire.js uses normal functions and traditional Promise chains.

  1. Start a local HTTP server:
npx http-server .
  1. Load the displayed URL (typically http://localhost:8080/) in a web browser.

Click on "Click here to export" to generate a file.

r.js Optimizer​

  1. Create build.js configuration for the optimizer:
build.js
({
  baseUrl: ".",
  name: "SheetJSRequire",
  paths: {
    xlsx: "./xlsx.full.min"
  },
  out: "SheetJSRequire.min.js"
});
  1. Run the r.js optimizer to create SheetJSRequire.min.js:
npx -p [email protected] r.js -o build.js

To change the RequireJS version, change the version in the command. For example, the following command uses RequireJS 2.1.22 to generate an optimized script:

npx -p [email protected] r.js -o build.js
  1. Save the following to optimized.html:
optimized.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head></head>
  <body>
    <h1>SheetJS Presidents Demo</h1>
    <button id="xport">Click here to export</button>
    <script src="http://requirejs.org/docs/release/2.3.6/comments/require.js"></script>
    <script src="SheetJSRequire.min.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

To change the RequireJS version, change the version in the highlighted line. For example, the following script corresponds to RequireJS 2.1.22:

    <script src="http://requirejs.org/docs/release/2.1.22/comments/require.js"></script>
  1. Open optimized.html in the browser (http://localhost:8080/optimized.html)

Click on "Click here to export" to generate a file.