Adding charts to Excel files is one of the most common data visualization requirements in web applications. Spire.XLS for JavaScript runs entirely in the browser via WebAssembly, using a virtual file system (VFS) to manage input and output files — no backend server required. It supports creating a wide variety of chart types, including column charts, pie charts, doughnut charts, line charts, scatter charts, and more.

This article covers three core features:

• Create a Column Chart
• Create a Pie Chart
• Create a Doughnut Chart

For installation and project setup, refer to Integrating Spire.XLS for JavaScript in a React Project. The examples below assume Spire.XLS is installed and the WebAssembly module is initialized.

Create a Column Chart

Column charts are one of the most commonly used chart types for comparing values across categories. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can create a clustered column chart by first populating a worksheet with data, then adding a chart object, setting the chart type to ColumnClustered, and configuring the chart title, axes, and data labels. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the default worksheet.
2. Populate the worksheet with category labels and numeric data.
3. Add a chart to the worksheet using sheet.Charts.Add().
4. Set the chart's DataRange to the data range and specify the chart type as ExcelChartType.ColumnClustered.
5. Configure the chart position, title, axis titles, and legend.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to create a clustered column chart in React:

function App() {
  const createColumnChart = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Create a new workbook and get the default worksheet
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    const sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    sheet.Name = "ClusteredColumn";

    // Populate chart data
    sheet.Range.get("A1").Value = "Country";
    sheet.Range.get("A2").Value = "Cuba";
    sheet.Range.get("A3").Value = "Mexico";
    sheet.Range.get("A4").Value = "France";
    sheet.Range.get("A5").Value = "German";

    sheet.Range.get("B1").Value = "Jun";
    sheet.Range.get("B2").NumberValue = 6000;
    sheet.Range.get("B3").NumberValue = 8000;
    sheet.Range.get("B4").NumberValue = 9000;
    sheet.Range.get("B5").NumberValue = 8500;

    sheet.Range.get("C1").Value = "Aug";
    sheet.Range.get("C2").NumberValue = 3000;
    sheet.Range.get("C3").NumberValue = 2000;
    sheet.Range.get("C4").NumberValue = 2300;
    sheet.Range.get("C5").NumberValue = 4200;

    // Add a chart and set its data range
    const chart = sheet.Charts.Add();
    chart.DataRange = sheet.Range.get("A1:C5");
    chart.SeriesDataFromRange = false;

    // Set the chart position
    chart.LeftColumn = 1;
    chart.TopRow = 6;
    chart.RightColumn = 11;
    chart.BottomRow = 29;

    // Set the chart type to clustered column
    chart.ChartType = xlsModule.ExcelChartType.ColumnClustered;

    // Configure chart title
    chart.ChartTitle = "Sales market by country";
    chart.ChartTitleArea.IsBold = true;
    chart.ChartTitleArea.Size = 12;

    // Configure axis titles
    chart.PrimaryCategoryAxis.Title = "Country";
    chart.PrimaryCategoryAxis.Font.IsBold = true;
    chart.PrimaryCategoryAxis.TitleArea.IsBold = true;

    chart.PrimaryValueAxis.Title = "Sales(in Dollars)";
    chart.PrimaryValueAxis.HasMajorGridLines = false;
    chart.PrimaryValueAxis.MinValue = 1000;
    chart.PrimaryValueAxis.TitleArea.IsBold = true;
    chart.PrimaryValueAxis.TitleArea.TextRotationAngle = 90;

    // Configure data labels: show numeric value on each data point
    for (let i = 0; i < chart.Series.Length; i++) {
      let cs = chart.Series.get(i);
      cs.Format.Options.IsVaryColor = true;
      cs.DataPoints.DefaultDataPoint.DataLabels.HasValue = true; // Show value labels
    }

    // Set legend position
    chart.Legend.Position = xlsModule.LegendPositionType.Top;

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'ClusteredColumn.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Create Clustered Column Chart</h1>
      <button onClick={createColumnChart}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Clustered column chart created with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Create a Pie Chart

Pie charts are ideal for displaying the proportional distribution of data across categories. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can create a pie chart by specifying the chart type as Pie when adding the chart, then binding category labels and data values. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the default worksheet.
2. Populate the worksheet with category labels and numeric values.
3. Add a chart with ExcelChartType.Pie using sheet.Charts.Add().
4. Set the chart data range and bind category labels and values.
5. Configure the chart position, title, and data labels.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to create a pie chart in React:

function App() {
  const createPieChart = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Create a new workbook and get the default worksheet
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    sheet.Name = "Pie Chart";

    // Populate chart data
    sheet.Range.get("A1").Value = "Year";
    sheet.Range.get("A2").Value = "2002";
    sheet.Range.get("A3").Value = "2003";
    sheet.Range.get("A4").Value = "2004";
    sheet.Range.get("A5").Value = "2005";

    sheet.Range.get("B1").Value = "Sales";
    sheet.Range.get("B2").NumberValue = 4000;
    sheet.Range.get("B3").NumberValue = 6000;
    sheet.Range.get("B4").NumberValue = 7000;
    sheet.Range.get("B5").NumberValue = 8500;

    // Add a pie chart
    let chart = sheet.Charts.Add({ chartType: xlsModule.ExcelChartType.Pie });
    chart.DataRange = sheet.Range.get("B2:B5");
    chart.SeriesDataFromRange = false;

    // Set the chart position
    chart.LeftColumn = 1;
    chart.TopRow = 6;
    chart.RightColumn = 9;
    chart.BottomRow = 25;

    // Configure chart title
    chart.ChartTitle = "Sales by year";
    chart.ChartTitleArea.IsBold = true;
    chart.ChartTitleArea.Size = 12;

    // Bind category labels and values
    let cs = chart.Series.get(0);
    cs.CategoryLabels = sheet.Range.get("A2:A5");
    cs.Values = sheet.Range.get("B2:B5");
    cs.DataPoints.DefaultDataPoint.DataLabels.HasValue = true; // Show value labels

    chart.PlotArea.Fill.Visible = false;

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'Pie.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Create Pie Chart</h1>
      <button onClick={createPieChart}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Pie chart created with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Create a Doughnut Chart

A doughnut chart is similar to a pie chart but with a hollow center, which can display multiple data series. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can create a doughnut chart by setting the chart type to Doughnut and configuring percentage data labels. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the default worksheet.
2. Populate the worksheet with category labels and numeric values.
3. Add a chart and set its ChartType to ExcelChartType.Doughnut.
4. Configure the chart position, title, and percentage data labels.
5. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to create a doughnut chart in React:

function App() {
  const createDoughnutChart = async () => {
    // Get the Spire.XLS WASM module
    const xlsModule = window.wasmModule?.spirexls;

    // Check if the module is ready
    if (!xlsModule) {
      alert('Spire.Xls is not ready yet');
      return;
    }

    // Create a new workbook and get the default worksheet
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Populate chart data
    sheet.Range.get("A1").Value = "Country";
    sheet.Range.get("A1").Style.Font.IsBold = true;
    sheet.Range.get("A2").Value = "Cuba";
    sheet.Range.get("A3").Value = "Mexico";
    sheet.Range.get("A4").Value = "France";
    sheet.Range.get("A5").Value = "German";
    sheet.Range.get("B1").Value = "Sales";
    sheet.Range.get("B1").Style.Font.IsBold = true;
    sheet.Range.get("B2").NumberValue = 6000;
    sheet.Range.get("B3").NumberValue = 8000;
    sheet.Range.get("B4").NumberValue = 9000;
    sheet.Range.get("B5").NumberValue = 8500;

    // Add a doughnut chart
    let chart = sheet.Charts.Add();
    chart.ChartType = xlsModule.ExcelChartType.Doughnut;
    chart.DataRange = sheet.Range.get("A1:B5");
    chart.SeriesDataFromRange = false;

    // Set the chart position
    chart.LeftColumn = 4;
    chart.TopRow = 2;
    chart.RightColumn = 12;
    chart.BottomRow = 22;

    // Configure chart title
    chart.ChartTitle = "Market share by country";
    chart.ChartTitleArea.IsBold = true;
    chart.ChartTitleArea.Size = 12;

    // Show percentage data labels
    for (let i = 0; i < chart.Series.Count; i++) {
      chart.Series.get(i).DataPoints.DefaultDataPoint.DataLabels.HasPercentage = true;
    }

    // Set legend position
    chart.Legend.Position = xlsModule.LegendPositionType.Top;

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'CreateDoughnutChart.xlsx';
    workbook.SaveToFile(outputFileName);
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the file from VFS and trigger download
    const fileArray = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(outputFileName);
    const blob = new Blob([fileArray], { type: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet' });
    const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
    const a = document.createElement('a');
    a.href = url;
    a.download = outputFileName;
    a.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Create Doughnut Chart</h1>
      <button onClick={createDoughnutChart}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Doughnut chart created with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Chart Type Reference

The examples above covered column charts, pie charts, and doughnut charts. In addition, Spire.XLS supports all standard Excel chart types, which are defined in the Spire.Xls.ExcelChartType enumeration. The complete list of 81 chart types is as follows:

FAQ

How to show values or percentages on pie/doughnut chart labels

Solution: Choose the appropriate label property based on your needs:

// Show value labels
cs.DataPoints.DefaultDataPoint.DataLabels.HasValue = true; // Show value labels
// Or show percentage labels
cs.DataPoints.DefaultDataPoint.DataLabels.HasPercentage = true;

Legend in the generated Excel file is truncated or not fully displayed

Cause: The chart area is too small to accommodate all legend items, or the legend position setting causes overlap with the chart data area.

Solution: Increase the vertical range of the chart or adjust the legend position:

// Increase chart height
chart.BottomRow = 35;
// Or adjust legend position
chart.Legend.Position = xlsModule.LegendPositionType.Bottom;

Get a Free License

Spire.XLS for JavaScript offers a 30-day full-featured free trial license with no functional limitations. Apply here to evaluate before purchasing.

Export Excel charts and shapes as standalone images is a critical feature for enhancing data visualization workflows. Converting charts and shapes into image formats enables seamless integration of dynamic data into reports, dashboards, or presentations, ensuring compatibility across platforms where Excel files might not be natively supported. By programmatically generating images from Excel charts and shapes within web applications using Spire.XLS for JavaScript API, developers can automate export workflows, ensure consistent visualization, and deliver dynamically updated visuals to end-users without extra manual processing steps.

In this article, we will explore how to use Spire.XLS for Java Script to save charts and shapes in Excel workbooks as images using JavaScript in React applications.

• Save Excel Charts to Images with JavaScript
• Save Excel Shapes to Images with JavaScript

Install Spire.XLS for JavaScript

To get started with saving Excel charts and shapes as images in a React application, you can either download Spire.XLS for JavaScript from our website or install it via npm with the following command:

npm i spire.office

The downloaded product package has been integrated Spire.Doc for JavaScript，Spire.XLS for JavaScript，Spire.PDF for JavaScript，Spire.Presentation for JavaScript. To use the functionality of Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you need to copy the corresponding files (spire.xls.js, Spire.Xls.Wasm.zip, spire.common.js, Spire.Common.Wasm.zip, and _framework) to the project's "public" folder. At the same time, in order to ensure text rendering, the related font files can be added with custom paths. In the following example, the font addition path is: public\static\font.

For more details, refer to the documentation: How to Integrate Spire.XLS for JavaScript in a React Project

Save Excel Charts to Images with JavaScript

By processing Excel files using the Spire.XLS WebAssembly module, we can utilize the Workbook.SaveChartAsImage() method to save a specific chart from an Excel worksheet as an image and store it in the virtual file system (VFS). The saved image can then be downloaded or used for further processing.

The detailed steps are as follows:

• Load the Spire.Xls.js file to initialize the WebAssembly module.
• Fetch the Excel file and font files into the VFS using the window.spire.FetchFileToVFS() method.
• Create a Workbook instance using the new wasmModule.Workbook() method.
• Load the Excel file into the Workbook instance using the Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
• Retrieve a specific worksheet or iterate through all worksheets using the Workbook.Worksheets.get() method.
• Iterate though the charts and save them as images using the Workbook.SaveChartAsImage() method, specifying the worksheet and chart index as parameters.
• Save the images to the VFS using the image.Save() method.
• Download the images or use them as needed.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import JSZip from 'jszip';

function App() {
  const [wasmModule, setWasmModule] = useState(null);
  // Load Spire.XLS
  useEffect(() => {
    (async () => {
      try {
        const publicUrl = process.env.PUBLIC_URL || '';
        const spireModule = await import(/* webpackIgnore: true */ `${publicUrl}/spire.xls.js`);
        const rawModule = spireModule.default || spireModule;
        window.wasmModule = typeof rawModule === 'function'
          ? await rawModule({ locateFile: p => p.endsWith('.wasm') ? `${publicUrl}/${p}` : p })
          : rawModule;
        setWasmModule(window.wasmModule);
      } catch (error) {
        console.error('Failed to load spire.xls.js WASM module:', error);
      }
    })();
  }, []);

  // Function to convert charts to images
  const SaveExcelChartAsImage = async () => {
    const wasmModule = window.wasmModule.spirexls;

    if (wasmModule) {
      // Load font into virtual file system (VFS)
      await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('Arial.ttf', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/font/`);

      // Load Excel file into virtual file system (VFS)
      const inputFileName = 'in.xlsx';
      await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(inputFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/data/`);

      // Create an images folder in the VFS
      const imageFolderName = `Images`;
      window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.mkdirTree(imageFolderName);

      // Create a new workbook
      const workbook = new wasmModule.Workbook();

      // Load the Excel file from VFS
      workbook.LoadFromFile(inputFileName);

      // Iterate through each worksheet in the workbook
      for (let i = 0; i < workbook.Worksheets.Count; i++) {
        // Get the current worksheet
        const sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(i);
        // Iterate through each chart in the worksheet
        for (let j = 0; j < sheet.Charts.Count; j++) {
          // Save the current chart to an image
          let image = workbook.SaveChartAsImage({ worksheet: sheet, chartIndex: j })
          // Save the image to the VFS
          let filePath = `${imageFolderName}/${sheet.Name}_chart-${j}.png`;
          image.Save(filePath);
        }
      }

      // Recursive function to add a directory and its contents to a ZIP
      const addFilesToZip = (folderPath, zipFolder) => {
        const items = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readdir(folderPath);
        items.filter(item => item !== "." && item !== "..").forEach((item) => {
          const itemPath = `${folderPath}/${item}`;

          try {
            // Try to read file data
            const fileData = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(itemPath);
            zipFolder.file(item, fileData);
          } catch (error) {
            if (error.code === 'EISDIR') {
              // If it is a directory, create a new folder in the ZIP and recurse into it
              const zipSubFolder = zipFolder.folder(item);
              addFilesToZip(itemPath, zipSubFolder);
            } else {
              // Handle other errors
              console.error(`Error processing ${itemPath}:`, error);
            }
          }
        });
      };

      // Package the image folder into a ZIP file
      const zip = new JSZip();
      addFilesToZip(imageFolderName, zip);

      // Generate a Blob from the resulting ZIP file and trigger download
      zip.generateAsync({ type: "blob" })
        .then(function (content) {
          const link = document.createElement('a');
          link.href = URL.createObjectURL(content);
          link.download = 'chartToimg.zip';
          document.body.appendChild(link);
          link.click();
          document.body.removeChild(link);
          URL.revokeObjectURL(link.href);
        }).catch(function (err) {
          console.error("Error generating ZIP file:", err);
        });
    }
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Save Excel Charts as Images Using JavaScript in React</h1>
      <button onClick={SaveExcelChartAsImage} disabled={!wasmModule}>
        Export Charts
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Save Excel Shapes to Images with JavaScript

We can retrieve shapes from an Excel worksheet using the Worksheet.PrstGeomShapes.get() method and save them as images using the shape.SaveToImage() method. The images can then be stored in the virtual file system (VFS) and downloaded or used for further processing.

Below are the detailed steps:

• Load the Spire.Xls.js file to initialize the WebAssembly module.
• Fetch the Excel file and font files into the VFS using the window.spire.FetchFileToVFS() method.
• Create a Workbook instance using the new wasmModule.Workbook() method.
• Load the Excel file into the Workbook instance using the Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
• Retrieve a specific worksheet or iterate through all worksheets using the Workbook.Worksheets.get() method.
• Get a shape from the worksheet or iterate through all shapes using the Worksheet.PrstGeomShapes.get() method.
• Save the shapes as images using the shape.SaveToImage() method.
• Save the images to the VFS using the image.Save() method.
• Download the images or use them as needed.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import JSZip from 'jszip';

function App() {
  const [wasmModule, setWasmModule] = useState(null);
  // Load Spire.XLS
  useEffect(() => {
    (async () => {
      try {
        const publicUrl = process.env.PUBLIC_URL || '';
        const spireModule = await import(/* webpackIgnore: true */ `${publicUrl}/spire.xls.js`);
        const rawModule = spireModule.default || spireModule;
        window.wasmModule = typeof rawModule === 'function'
          ? await rawModule({ locateFile: p => p.endsWith('.wasm') ? `${publicUrl}/${p}` : p })
          : rawModule;
        setWasmModule(window.wasmModule);
      } catch (error) {
        console.error('Failed to load spire.xls.js WASM module:', error);
      }
    })();
  }, []);

  // Function to convert shapes to images
  const SaveExcelShapeAsImage = async () => {
    const wasmModule = window.wasmModule.spirexls;

    if (wasmModule) {
      // Load font into virtual file system (VFS)
      await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('Arial.ttf', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/font/`);

      // Load Excel file into virtual file system (VFS)
      const inputFileName = 'Shape.xlsx';
      await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(inputFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/data/`);

      // Create an images folder in the VFS
      const imageFolderName = `Images`;
      window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.mkdirTree(imageFolderName);

      // Create a new workbook
      const workbook = new wasmModule.Workbook();

      // Load the Excel file from VFS
      workbook.LoadFromFile(inputFileName);

      // Iterate through each worksheet in the workbook
      for (let i = 0; i < workbook.Worksheets.Count; i++) {
        // Get the current worksheet
        const sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(i);
        // Iterate through each shape in the worksheet
        for (let j = 0; j < sheet.PrstGeomShapes.Count; j++) {
          // Get the current shape
          const shape = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(j);
          // Save the shape to an image
          const image = shape.SaveToImage();
          // Save the image to the VFS
          let filePath = `${imageFolderName}/${sheet.Name}_shape-${j}.png`;
          image.Save(filePath);
        }
      }

      // Recursive function to add a directory and its contents to a ZIP
      const addFilesToZip = (folderPath, zipFolder) => {
        const items = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readdir(folderPath);
        items.filter(item => item !== "." && item !== "..").forEach((item) => {
          const itemPath = `${folderPath}/${item}`;

          try {
            // Try to read file data
            const fileData = window.dotnetRuntime.Module.FS.readFile(itemPath);
            zipFolder.file(item, fileData);
          } catch (error) {
            if (error.code === 'EISDIR') {
              // If it is a directory, create a new folder in the ZIP and recurse into it
              const zipSubFolder = zipFolder.folder(item);
              addFilesToZip(itemPath, zipSubFolder);
            } else {
              // Handle other errors
              console.error(`Error processing ${itemPath}:`, error);
            }
          }
        });
      };

      // Package the image folder into a ZIP file
      const zip = new JSZip();
      addFilesToZip(imageFolderName, zip);

      // Generate a Blob from the resulting ZIP file and trigger download
      zip.generateAsync({ type: "blob" })
        .then(function (content) {
          const link = document.createElement('a');
          link.href = URL.createObjectURL(content);
          link.download = 'shapeToimg.zip';
          document.body.appendChild(link);
          link.click();
          document.body.removeChild(link);
          URL.revokeObjectURL(link.href);
        }).catch(function (err) {
          console.error("Error generating ZIP file:", err);
        });
    }
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Save Excel Shapes as Images Using JavaScript in React</h1>
      <button onClick={SaveExcelShapeAsImage} disabled={!wasmModule}>
        Export Shapes
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Get a Free License

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