When creating flowcharts, relationship diagrams, or data annotations, inserting lines into an Excel worksheet is a common requirement. Spire.XLS for JavaScript provides rich line APIs for creating various line types (straight lines, curved lines, elbow connectors, etc.) and arrow-tipped connectors. All operations are performed directly in the browser based on WebAssembly, with no backend service required.

This article covers two core features:

• Insert Different Types of Lines
• Insert Arrow-Tipped Lines

For installation and project configuration, 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.

Insert Different Types of Lines

The sheet.Lines.AddLine() method inserts line shapes at a specified position. Using the LineShapeType enum, you can create various line types: straight lines (Line), curved lines (CurveLine), elbow connectors (ElbowLine), and inverted lines (LineInv). The appearance of lines can be customized through properties such as DashStyle (dash style), Color (color), and Weight (thickness).

The main steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the first worksheet.
2. Call the Worksheet.Lines.AddLine() method, passing position parameters and LineShapeType to specify the line type.
3. Customize line appearance through the DashStyle, Color, Weight, and EndArrowHeadStyle properties.
4. Save the workbook with the Workbook.SaveToFile() method.

Here is a complete code example showing how to insert four different types of lines into Excel in React:

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

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

    // Load the font into the VFS for text measurement and column auto-fit
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('ARIAL.TTF', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/font/`);

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

    // Add a straight line - solid, CadetBlue, weight 2, with arrow
    let line1 = sheet.Lines.AddLine({ row: 10, column: 2, width: 200, height: 1, lineShapeType: xlsModule.LineShapeType.Line });
    line1.DashStyle = xlsModule.ShapeDashLineStyleType.Solid;
    line1.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_CadetBlue();
    line1.Weight = 2;
    line1.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;

    // Add a curved line - dotted, OrangeRed, weight 2
    let line2 = sheet.Lines.AddLine({ row: 12, column: 2, width: 200, height: 1, lineShapeType: xlsModule.LineShapeType.CurveLine });
    line2.DashStyle = xlsModule.ShapeDashLineStyleType.Dotted;
    line2.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_OrangeRed();
    line2.Weight = 2;

    // Add an elbow connector - DashDotDot, Purple, weight 2
    let line3 = sheet.Lines.AddLine({ row: 14, column: 2, width: 200, height: 1, lineShapeType: xlsModule.LineShapeType.ElbowLine });
    line3.DashStyle = xlsModule.ShapeDashLineStyleType.DashDotDot;
    line3.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_Purple();
    line3.Weight = 2;

    // Add an inverted line - Dashed, Green, weight 2
    let line4 = sheet.Lines.AddLine({ row: 16, column: 2, width: 200, height: 1, lineShapeType: xlsModule.LineShapeType.LineInv });
    line4.DashStyle = xlsModule.ShapeDashLineStyleType.Dashed;
    line4.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_Green();
    line4.Weight = 2;

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

    // Release resources
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the saved file from the 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>Add Line Shapes</h1>
      <button onClick={addLineShapes}>Start</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Effect of inserting different line types:

Insert Arrow-Tipped Lines

The sheet.TypedLines.AddLine() method inserts arrow-tipped lines. Unlike Lines.AddLine(), TypedLines supports precise positioning using pixel coordinates or row/column coordinates, and supports setting different arrow head styles on both ends (beginning BeginArrowHeadStyle and end EndArrowHeadStyle).

The main steps are as follows:

1. Create a Workbook object and get the first worksheet.
2. Call the Worksheet.TypedLines.AddLine() method to create a line.
3. Set line position through the Top, Left, Width, and Height properties (in pixels).
4. Set arrow styles on both ends through BeginArrowHeadStyle and EndArrowHeadStyle.
5. Specify the line type through LineShapeType (straight, elbow, curved, etc.).
6. Save the workbook with the Workbook.SaveToFile() method.

Here is a complete code example showing how to insert six different types of arrow lines into Excel in React:

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

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

    // Load the font into the VFS for text measurement and column auto-fit
    await window.spire.FetchFileToVFS('ARIAL.TTF', '/Library/Fonts/', `${process.env.PUBLIC_URL}/font/`);

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

    // Add a double-arrow line - solid blue
    let line = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line.Top = 10;
    line.Left = 20;
    line.Width = 100;
    line.Height = 0;
    line.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_Blue();
    line.BeginArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;
    line.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;

    // Add a single-arrow line - solid red
    let line_1 = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line_1.Top = 50;
    line_1.Left = 30;
    line_1.Width = 100;
    line_1.Height = 100;
    line_1.Color = xlsModule.Color.get_Red();
    line_1.BeginArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineNoArrow;
    line_1.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;

    // Add an elbow arrow connector
    let line3 = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line3.LineShapeType = xlsModule.LineShapeType.ElbowLine;
    line3.Width = 30;
    line3.Height = 50;
    line3.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;
    line3.Top = 100;
    line3.Left = 50;

    // Add an elbow double-arrow connector
    let line2 = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line2.LineShapeType = xlsModule.LineShapeType.ElbowLine;
    line2.Width = 50;
    line2.Height = 50;
    line2.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;
    line2.BeginArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrow;
    line2.Left = 120;
    line2.Top = 100;

    // Add a curved arrow connector
    line3 = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line3.LineShapeType = xlsModule.LineShapeType.CurveLine;
    line3.Width = 30;
    line3.Height = 50;
    line3.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrowOpen;
    line3.Top = 100;
    line3.Left = 200;

    // Add a curved double-arrow connector
    line2 = sheet.TypedLines.AddLine();
    line2.LineShapeType = xlsModule.LineShapeType.CurveLine;
    line2.Width = 30;
    line2.Height = 50;
    line2.EndArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrowOpen;
    line2.BeginArrowHeadStyle = xlsModule.ShapeArrowStyleType.LineArrowOpen;
    line2.Left = 250;
    line2.Top = 100;

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

    // Release resources
    workbook.Dispose();

    // Read the saved file from the 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>Add Arrow Lines</h1>
      <button onClick={addArrowLines}>Start</button>
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

Effect of inserting arrow-tipped lines:

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I retrieve and modify existing lines in a worksheet?

Reason: An Excel file with existing lines was imported, but it's unclear how to read or modify them.

Solution: Traverse the sheet.Shapes collection to retrieve line shape objects, then modify their properties via the ILineShape interface. For example, sheet.Shapes.get(0) gets the first shape, and after confirming it's a line type, you can modify properties like color, dash style, etc.

How do I delete lines from an Excel worksheet?

Reason: Need to remove excess lines that were created or imported.

Solution: Use sheet.Shapes.Remove(index) to delete a line object at a specified index from the shapes collection, or iterate through the Shapes collection to delete them one by one based on name or type conditions.

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