Besides holding cell data, an Excel workbook is often used as a container for files: a quotation carries a Word version of the contract terms, a product sheet carries a PDF datasheet, and double-clicking the object opens the source file directly. Files embedded into a worksheet like this are OLE objects (Object Linking and Embedding). Inserting one by hand takes two steps in the Excel UI—Insert → Object—but doing it from code in the browser needs a dedicated API.Spire.XLS for JavaScript performs this work directly in the browser through WebAssembly, managing input and output files with a virtual file system (VFS) and requiring no backend service.

This article covers two key features:

• Insert an OLE Object in Excel
• Insert an OLE Object with a Custom Icon

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

Insert an OLE Object in Excel

OleObjects.Add inserts an external file into a worksheet. It takes three arguments: the file to embed, the icon the object shows on the sheet, and the link type—OleLinkType.Embed embeds the file into the workbook, OleLinkType.Link inserts it as a link. After the object is in place, Location decides which cell it is anchored to and ObjectType declares what was embedded, which is how Excel knows which program to use when the object is double-clicked. The steps are:

1. Create a new workbook and write a caption into a cell.
2. Open the workbook to be embedded and render its worksheet to an image, to use as the display icon.
3. Embed that Excel file into the worksheet with OleObjects.Add.
4. Set Location and ObjectType.
5. Save the workbook.

Here is a complete code example that inserts an Excel file into a worksheet as an OLE object in React:

function App() {
  const insertOleObject = 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;
    }

    // Load the font into VFS
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('ARIAL.TTF', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/font/`);

    // Load the Excel file to be embedded into VFS
    const embeddedFileName = 'OLEObjects.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(embeddedFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/data/`);

    // Create a new workbook and write the caption
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    const sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
    sheet.Range.get("A1").Text = "Here is an OLE object.";

    // Open the embedded workbook and render its worksheet to an image as the display icon
    const embeddedBook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    embeddedBook.LoadFromFile(embeddedFileName);
    const embeddedSheet = embeddedBook.Worksheets.get(0);
    embeddedSheet.PageSetup.LeftMargin = 0;
    embeddedSheet.PageSetup.RightMargin = 0;
    embeddedSheet.PageSetup.TopMargin = 0;
    embeddedSheet.PageSetup.BottomMargin = 0;
    const image = embeddedSheet.ToImage(1, 1, 19, 5);
    embeddedBook.Dispose();

    // Embed the Excel file into the worksheet; the file data is stored with the workbook
    const oleObject = sheet.OleObjects.Add(
      embeddedFileName,
      image,
      xlsModule.OleLinkType.Embed
    );

    // Anchor the object at cell B4 and declare it as an Excel worksheet
    oleObject.Location = sheet.Range.get("B4");
    oleObject.ObjectType = xlsModule.OleObjectType.ExcelWorksheet;

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = "InsertOLEObject.xlsx";
    workbook.SaveToFile({ fileName: outputFileName, version: xlsModule.ExcelVersion.Version2010 });

    // Release resources
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the result file from VFS and trigger the 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>Insert an OLE Object</h1>
      <button onClick={insertOleObject}>Start</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

The icon here is taken directly from the rendered embedded worksheet, so the OLE object shows its own content on the sheet. Switching ObjectType to values such as OleObjectType.WordDocument or OleObjectType.AdobeAcrobatDocument declares other kinds of embedded files.

Running it, the effect of inserting a workbook as an OLE object:

Insert an OLE Object with a Custom Icon

ToImage has to open a workbook and render a row/column range every time, which suits cases where the object should present its own content; when a single icon should be applied to every attachment, reading a ready-made picture is simpler, and the same picture can be reused across attachments. The second argument of OleObjects.Add accepts both kinds of input. The steps are:

1. Load the icon image and the attachment file into VFS.
2. Create a new workbook and read the icon image into a stream with new xlsModule.Stream.
3. Insert the attachment as an embedded object with OleObjects.Add, passing the icon stream.
4. Set Location and ObjectType.
5. Save the workbook.

Here is a complete code example that inserts a PDF attachment with a custom icon in React:

function App() {
  const insertOleObjectWithIcon = 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;
    }

    // Load the font into VFS
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('ARIAL.TTF', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/font/`);

    // Load the icon image and the attachment into VFS
    const iconFileName = 'OLEIcon.png';
    const attachmentFileName = 'Attachment.pdf';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(iconFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/data/`);
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(attachmentFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/static/data/`);

    // Create a new workbook
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    const sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Read the icon image as a stream to use as the display icon of the OLE object
    const iconStream = new xlsModule.Stream(iconFileName);

    // Embed the PDF attachment into the worksheet
    const oleObject = sheet.OleObjects.Add(
      attachmentFileName,
      iconStream,
      xlsModule.OleLinkType.Embed
    );

    // Anchor the object at cell B4 and declare it as a PDF document
    oleObject.Location = sheet.Range.get("B4");
    oleObject.ObjectType = xlsModule.OleObjectType.AdobeAcrobatDocument;

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = "InsertOLEObjectWithIcon.xlsx";
    workbook.SaveToFile({ fileName: outputFileName, version: xlsModule.ExcelVersion.Version2010 });

    // Release resources
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the result file from VFS and trigger the 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>Insert an OLE Object with a Custom Icon</h1>
      <button onClick={insertOleObjectWithIcon}>Start</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Running it, the effect of inserting a PDF attachment with a custom icon as an OLE object:

FAQ

Only a blank icon shows up on the sheet after inserting?

Cause: The second argument of OleObjects.Add decides the icon an OLE object shows on the sheet. When the image comes from ToImage, a region that falls outside the used range of the worksheet yields a blank picture, so the inserted object also shows only blank space.

Solution: Keep the region inside the part of the sheet that actually has content, or use a ready-made image file instead:

// Use a fixed picture as the icon, independent of the worksheet content
const iconStream = new xlsModule.Stream('OLEIcon.png');
const oleObject = sheet.OleObjects.Add('Attachment.pdf', iconStream, xlsModule.OleLinkType.Embed);
oleObject.Location = sheet.Range.get("B4");
oleObject.ObjectType = xlsModule.OleObjectType.AdobeAcrobatDocument;

What happens if ObjectType is set to something else?

Cause: ObjectType is not merely a comment—its value is written into the progId field of the workbook, and Excel uses that identifier to find the right program when the object is double-clicked. The same PDF attachment declares a progId of Acrobat Document under OleObjectType.AdobeAcrobatDocument; declare it as OleObjectType.ExcelWorksheet and the progId becomes Worksheet, so Excel attempts to open the PDF with Excel itself, and the object will not open.

Solution: Set ObjectType to the real type of the embedded file. The common values are:

// Declare the real file type so Excel opens it with the right program
oleObject.ObjectType = xlsModule.OleObjectType.AdobeAcrobatDocument;

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.

Shapes are graphic elements in Excel that enhance the visual appeal of a worksheet and convey information intuitively, such as arrows, rectangles, ovals, and stars. With shapes, you can add annotations, process-flow indicators, or decorative elements next to your data, making reports more vivid and easier to read. 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 provides a complete API for adding shapes and customizing their appearance (such as fill, rotation angle, text, and shadow), reading text and images from shapes, and deleting specified or all shapes.

This article covers three core features:

• Add Shapes to Excel
• Read Text and Images from Excel Shapes
• Delete Shapes in Excel

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.

Add Shapes to Excel

Adding shapes to Excel can highlight key data and beautify the layout of a worksheet. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can add a shape and set its position (row, column) and size (width, height) at once using the PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape() method, and then customize its appearance through the shape's properties — set solid, gradient, texture, or picture fill via Fill, add text via Text, set the rotation angle via Rotation, apply a shadow effect via Shadow, and control visibility via Visible. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the default worksheet.
2. Add shapes using PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape(), setting the shape type, position, and size through the parameters.
3. Set solid, gradient, texture, or picture fill for the shapes via the Fill property.
4. Add text to a shape via the Text property, and set the rotation angle via the Rotation property.
5. Set a shadow effect for a shape via the Shadow property.
6. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to add and customize various shapes in React:

function App() {
  const addShapes = 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;
    }

    // Load the picture into the virtual file system (VFS)
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('SpireXls.png', '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/image/`);

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

    // Add a triangle shape and fill it with a solid color
    let triangle = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape(2, 2, 100, 100, xlsModule.PrstGeomShapeType.Triangle);
    triangle.Fill.ForeColor = xlsModule.Color.get_Yellow();
    triangle.Fill.FillType = xlsModule.ShapeFillType.SolidColor;
    // Add text to the triangle and set its rotation angle
    triangle.Text = 'Triangle';
    triangle.Rotation = 45;

    // Add a heart shape and fill it with a gradient color
    let heart = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape(2, 5, 100, 100, xlsModule.PrstGeomShapeType.Heart);
    heart.Fill.ForeColor = xlsModule.Color.get_Red();
    heart.Fill.FillType = xlsModule.ShapeFillType.Gradient;
    // Set the shadow style for the heart
    heart.Shadow.Angle = 90;
    heart.Shadow.Distance = 10;
    heart.Shadow.Size = 150;
    heart.Shadow.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_Gray();
    heart.Shadow.Blur = 30;
    heart.Shadow.Transparency = 1;
    heart.Shadow.HasCustomStyle = true;

    // Add an arrow shape
    let arrow = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape(10, 2, 100, 100, xlsModule.PrstGeomShapeType.CurvedRightArrow);

    // Add a cloud shape and fill it with a picture
    let cloud = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.AddPrstGeomShape(10, 5, 100, 100, xlsModule.PrstGeomShapeType.Cloud);
    cloud.Fill.CustomPicture({ im: new xlsModule.Stream('SpireXls.png'), name: 'SpireXls.png' });

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'AddShapes.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>Add Shapes</h1>
      <button onClick={addShapes}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Shapes added to Excel with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Read Text and Images from Excel Shapes

Reading the text and images from shapes helps you extract the data inside shapes in batch, or reuse and archive shape resources. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can load an Excel file containing shapes, get a specified shape by index via PrstGeomShapes.get(), then read its text content via the Text property and get its fill picture via Fill.Picture. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file containing shapes.
2. Get the worksheet via workbook.Worksheets.get().
3. Get a specified shape by index using sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get().
4. Read the text in the shape via the Text property.
5. Read the fill picture in the shape via the Fill.Picture property.
6. Save the read text and image as txt and png files.

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to read text and images from shapes in React (the example loads the AddShapes.xlsx file generated in the previous section):

function App() {
  const readShapes = 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;
    }

    // Load the sample file containing shapes into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'AddShapes.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the first worksheet
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Get the first shape (triangle) and read the text inside it
    let triangle = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(0);
    let text = triangle.Text;

    // Get the fourth shape (cloud) and read the picture inside it
    let cloud = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(3);
    let image = cloud.Fill.Picture;
    const imageFileName = 'ExtractImageFromShape.png';
    image.Save(imageFileName);

    workbook.Dispose();

    // Save the read text to a txt file and trigger download
    const textFileName = 'ExtractTextFromShape.txt';
    const textBlob = new Blob([`The text in the first shape is: ${text}`], { type: 'text/plain;charset=utf-8' });
    const textUrl = URL.createObjectURL(textBlob);
    const a1 = document.createElement('a');
    a1.href = textUrl;
    a1.download = textFileName;
    a1.click();
    URL.revokeObjectURL(textUrl);

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

  return (
    <div style={{ textAlign: 'center', height: '300px' }}>
      <h1>Read Text and Image from Shapes</h1>
      <button onClick={readShapes}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Text and images read from Excel shapes with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

Delete Shapes in Excel

When shapes are no longer needed, deleting them in time keeps the worksheet clean and reduces the file size. With Spire.XLS for JavaScript, you can delete a specified shape via the Remove() method, or iterate through the shape collection and call Remove() on each shape to clear all shapes in a worksheet. The steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and load an existing Excel file containing shapes.
2. Get the worksheet via workbook.Worksheets.get().
3. Get a specified shape using sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(), and call its Remove() method to delete the shape.
4. Save the workbook to an Excel file using SaveToFile().

Below is a complete code example demonstrating how to delete shapes in React (the example loads the AddShapes.xlsx file generated in the previous section):

function App() {
  const deleteShapes = 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;
    }

    // Load the sample file containing shapes into the virtual file system (VFS)
    let excelFileName = 'AddShapes.xlsx';
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS(excelFileName, '', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}data/`);

    // Create a workbook object and load the existing file
    const workbook = new xlsModule.Workbook();
    workbook.LoadFromFile({ fileName: excelFileName });

    // Get the first worksheet
    let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);

    // Delete the first shape in the worksheet
    sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(0).Remove();

    // Delete all the shapes in the worksheet
    // for (let i = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.Count - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
    //   sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(i).Remove();
    // }

    // Save the workbook
    const outputFileName = 'DeleteShapes.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>Delete Shapes</h1>
      <button onClick={deleteShapes}>
        Generate
      </button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Specified shape deleted from Excel with Spire.XLS for JavaScript

FAQ

How to get the name and type of a shape?

Cause: When a worksheet contains many shapes, you may need to identify and locate shapes by their name or type rather than by index.

Solution: Read the Name and PrstShapeType properties of the shape to get its name and type:

// Get the worksheet
let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
// Get the first shape
let shape = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(0);
// Get the name of the shape
let shapeName = shape.Name;
// Get the type of the shape
let shapeType = shape.PrstShapeType;

How to check whether a shape is currently visible?

Cause: After loading shapes from a file, you may need to determine whether a shape is hidden so that you can decide whether to process it further.

Solution: Read the Visible property of the shape to know its visibility state:

// Get the worksheet
let sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get(0);
// Get the first shape
let shape = sheet.PrstGeomShapes.get(0);
// Check whether the shape is visible
let isVisible = shape.Visible;

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.