C#: Convert Excel XLS or XLSX Files to Markdown

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for data management; however, its proprietary format can pose challenges for sharing and integrating data into web workflows. In contrast, Markdown is a lightweight and widely supported markup language that simplifies text formatting for documentation, wikis, and platforms like GitHub.

By converting Excel files to Markdown, you can seamlessly incorporate structured data into technical documents, READMEs, and static websites. This article will guide you through the steps to programmatically convert Excel files to Markdown format using C# and the Spire.XLS for .NET library.

Install Spire.XLS for .NET

To begin with, you need to add the DLL files included in the Spire.XLS for .NET package as references in your .NET project. The DLL files can be either downloaded from this link or installed via NuGet.

PM> Install-Package Spire.XLS

Convert an Excel XLS or XLSX File to Markdown in C#

Developers can effortlessly convert Excel XLS or XLSX files to Markdown files by using the Workbook.SaveToMarkdown() method provided by Spire.XLS for .NET. The detailed steps are as follows.

• Create an object of the Workbook class.
• Load a sample Excel XLS or XLSX file into the Workbook object using the Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
• Save the Excel file as a Markdown file using the Workbook.SaveToMarkdown() method.

using Spire.Xls;

namespace ConvertExcelToMarkdown
{
    internal class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            // Create an object of the Workbook class
            Workbook workbook = new Workbook();
            // Load a sample Excel XLS file
            //workbook.LoadFromFile("Sample.xls");
            // Load a sample Excel XLSX file
            workbook.LoadFromFile("Sample.xlsx");

            // Save the Excel file as a Markdown file
            workbook.SaveToMarkdown("output.md");
            // Release the resources used by the Workbook object
            workbook.Dispose();
        }
    }
}

Get a Free License

To fully experience the capabilities of Spire.XLS for .NET without any evaluation limitations, you can request a free 30-day trial license.