The Problem (Q-score 10, ranked #46th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2014
I want to implement openXml sdk 2.5 into my project. I do everything in this link
using DocumentFormat.OpenXml;
using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging;
using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Spreadsheet;
using System.IO.Packaging;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
String fileName = @"C:OPENXMLBigData.xlsx";
// Comment one of the following lines to test the method separately.
ReadExcelFileDOM(fileName); // DOM
//ReadExcelFileSAX(fileName); // SAX
}
// The DOM approach.
// Note that the code below works only for cells that contain numeric values.
//
static void ReadExcelFileDOM(string fileName)
{
using (SpreadsheetDocument spreadsheetDocument = SpreadsheetDocument.Open(fileName, false))
{
WorkbookPart workbookPart = spreadsheetDocument.WorkbookPart;
WorksheetPart worksheetPart = workbookPart.WorksheetParts.First();
SheetData sheetData = worksheetPart.Worksheet.Elements<SheetData>().First();
string text;
int rowCount= sheetData.Elements<Row>().Count();
foreach (Row r in sheetData.Elements<Row>())
{
foreach (Cell c in r.Elements<Cell>())
{
text = c.CellValue.Text;
Console.Write(text + " ");
}
}
Console.WriteLine();
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
But i am not getting any row. It hasn’t entered loop. Note: I also set up openXml sdk 2.5 my computer
And I find below code this is work for numeric value.For string value it writes 0 1 2 …
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
var filePath = @"C:/OPENXML/BigData.xlsx";
using (var document = SpreadsheetDocument.Open(filePath, false))
{
var workbookPart = document.WorkbookPart;
var workbook = workbookPart.Workbook;
var sheets = workbook.Descendants<Sheet>();
foreach (var sheet in sheets)
{
var worksheetPart = (WorksheetPart)workbookPart.GetPartById(sheet.Id);
var sharedStringPart = workbookPart.SharedStringTablePart;
//var values = sharedStringPart.SharedStringTable.Elements<SharedStringItem>().ToArray();
string text;
var rows = worksheetPart.Worksheet.Descendants<Row>();
foreach (var row in rows)
{
Console.WriteLine();
int count = row.Elements<Cell>().Count();
foreach (Cell c in row.Elements<Cell>())
{
text = c.CellValue.InnerText;
Console.Write(text + " ");
}
}
}
}
Console.ReadLine();
}
Why this Range / Worksheet targeting trips people up
The question centers on reaching a specific cell, range, or workbook object. In Excel VBA, this is the #1 source of failures after activation events: every property (.Value, .Formula, .Address) behaves differently depending on whether the parent Workbook is explicit or implicit.
The Verified Solution — strong answer (top 25 %%) (+22)
57-line Excel VBA pattern (copy-ready)
Your approach seemed to work ok for me – in that it did “enter the loop”.
Nevertheless you could also try something like the following:
void Main()
{
string fileName = @"c:pathtomyfile.xlsx";
using (FileStream fs = new FileStream(fileName, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.ReadWrite))
{
using (SpreadsheetDocument doc = SpreadsheetDocument.Open(fs, false))
{
WorkbookPart workbookPart = doc.WorkbookPart;
SharedStringTablePart sstpart = workbookPart.GetPartsOfType<SharedStringTablePart>().First();
SharedStringTable sst = sstpart.SharedStringTable;
WorksheetPart worksheetPart = workbookPart.WorksheetParts.First();
Worksheet sheet = worksheetPart.Worksheet;
var cells = sheet.Descendants<Cell>();
var rows = sheet.Descendants<Row>();
Console.WriteLine("Row count = {0}", rows.LongCount());
Console.WriteLine("Cell count = {0}", cells.LongCount());
// One way: go through each cell in the sheet
foreach (Cell cell in cells)
{
if ((cell.DataType != null) && (cell.DataType == CellValues.SharedString))
{
int ssid = int.Parse(cell.CellValue.Text);
string str = sst.ChildElements[ssid].InnerText;
Console.WriteLine("Shared string {0}: {1}", ssid, str);
}
else if (cell.CellValue != null)
{
Console.WriteLine("Cell contents: {0}", cell.CellValue.Text);
}
}
// Or... via each row
foreach (Row row in rows)
{
foreach (Cell c in row.Elements<Cell>())
{
if ((c.DataType != null) && (c.DataType == CellValues.SharedString))
{
int ssid = int.Parse(c.CellValue.Text);
string str = sst.ChildElements[ssid].InnerText;
Console.WriteLine("Shared string {0}: {1}", ssid, str);
}
else if (c.CellValue != null)
{
Console.WriteLine("Cell contents: {0}", c.CellValue.Text);
}
}
}
}
}
}
I used the filestream approach to open the workbook because this allows you to open it with shared access – so that you can have the workbook open in Excel at the same time. The Spreadsheet.Open(… method won’t work if the workbook is open elsewhere.
Perhaps that is why your code didn’t work.
Note, also, the use of the SharedStringTable to get the cell text where appropriate.
When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)
Ranked #46th in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 93% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2014 and 2026
The answer is 12 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.