goxcel

Template-driven Excel generation library for Go

Generate Excel (.xlsx) files from human-readable grid templates. Combines Markdown-like syntax with programmatic Excel generation power.

Architecture Overview

System Architecture

The architecture follows Clean Architecture principles with clear separation of concerns:

• Input Layer: GXL templates and data files (JSON/YAML)
• Application Layer: CLI tool and Go library interface
• Config Layer: Dependency injection with BaseConfig and Logger
• Controller Layer: Command handlers and request routing
• Business Logic: Usecase layer (Book → Sheet → Cell)
• Data Access: Repository layer for parsing and writing
• Models: Strongly-typed data structures (GXL AST, XLSX models)
• Output Layer: Generated Excel files

Processing Flow

The processing follows this sequence:

1. Parse: Read GXL template and parse into AST
2. Load: Read JSON/YAML data file
3. Render: Transform template + data into workbook
   • BookUsecase orchestrates sheet rendering
   • SheetUsecase processes nodes (Grid, For, Anchor)
   • CellUsecase expands expressions and infers types
4. Generate: Create OOXML structure with styles
5. Write: Output .xlsx file

Why goxcel?

• Visual Templates: Grid-oriented templates that look like your Excel output
• Data-Driven: Separate data from layout using JSON contexts
• Pure Go: No external dependencies, no C libraries
• Type-Safe: Strong typing with compile-time safety
• Extensible: Formulas, merges, images, charts, and more

Features

✅ Grid templates with pipe-delimited syntax
✅ Value interpolation ({{ expr }})
✅ Control structures (For loops, conditionals)
✅ Excel formulas
✅ Cell merging
✅ Components (Images, Shapes, Charts)
✅ Structured logging
✅ CLI tool

Quick Example

Template (.gxl):

<Sheet name="Sales">
<Grid>| Product | Qty | Price |</Grid>
<For each="item in items">
<Grid>| {{ item.name }} | {{ item.qty }} | {{ item.price }} |</Grid>
</For>
</Sheet>

Data (JSON):

{"items": [{"name": "Apple", "qty": 10, "price": 100}]}

Generate:

goxcel generate --template report.gxl --data data.json --output report.xlsx

Next Steps

• New? Quick Start
• Vision? Mission & Strategy
• Details? Specification

Status & License

Active development. Core features stable. MIT License.