Convert ADOC to XLSX

Why Convert ADOC to XLSX?

Converting AsciiDoc documents to XLSX (Excel) format transforms your documentation tables into fully-featured spreadsheets with formatting, formulas, and data analysis capabilities. While AsciiDoc excels at documentation, XLSX provides the powerful data manipulation features that business users and analysts need for working with tabular data.

AsciiDoc tables in technical documentation often contain valuable data: product specifications, pricing tables, configuration matrices, test results, or inventory lists. By converting to XLSX, you enable stakeholders to work with this data in familiar spreadsheet tools. They can sort, filter, add formulas, create charts, and perform analysis without manually recreating the data.

Unlike CSV or TSV which only store raw data, XLSX preserves formatting and supports advanced features. Headers can be styled, numbers can be formatted as currency, and the layout can match your documentation's appearance. This makes XLSX the preferred choice when you need to share data with business users who expect polished, professional spreadsheets.

The XLSX format also supports multiple worksheets in a single file. If your AsciiDoc document contains multiple tables, each can be placed on its own worksheet with appropriate names. This organizational capability makes XLSX ideal for comprehensive data exports from documentation that covers multiple topics or sections.

Key Benefits of Converting ADOC to XLSX:

• Rich Formatting: Styled headers, borders, colors, and cell formatting
• Formula Support: Add calculations, SUM, AVERAGE, and 500+ functions
• Data Analysis: Sort, filter, pivot tables, and conditional formatting
• Charts: Create visualizations from your documentation data
• Multiple Sheets: Organize tables from different sections
• Universal Access: Works with Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice
• Professional Output: Business-ready spreadsheets from documentation

Practical Examples

Example 1: Financial Report Table

Input AsciiDoc file (quarterly-report.adoc):

= Q4 Financial Summary

.Revenue by Region
[cols="1,>1,>1,>1"]
|===
|Region |Q3 Revenue |Q4 Revenue |Growth

|North America
|$2,450,000
|$2,890,000
|18%

|Europe
|$1,820,000
|$2,105,000
|16%

|Asia Pacific
|$980,000
|$1,245,000
|27%

|*Total*
|*$5,250,000*
|*$6,240,000*
|*19%*
|===

Output XLSX file (quarterly-report.xlsx):

Excel spreadsheet with:
+----------------+-------------+-------------+--------+
| Region         | Q3 Revenue  | Q4 Revenue  | Growth | <- Bold header
+----------------+-------------+-------------+--------+
| North America  | $2,450,000  | $2,890,000  | 18%    |
| Europe         | $1,820,000  | $2,105,000  | 16%    |
| Asia Pacific   | $980,000    | $1,245,000  | 27%    |
+----------------+-------------+-------------+--------+
| Total          | $5,250,000  | $6,240,000  | 19%    | <- Bold totals
+----------------+-------------+-------------+--------+

Features:
- Currency formatting on revenue columns
- Percentage formatting on growth column
- Header row with bold styling
- Ready for charts and analysis

Example 2: Product Specifications

Input AsciiDoc file (product-specs.adoc):

== Hardware Specifications

.Server Models Comparison
|===
|Model |CPU Cores |RAM (GB) |Storage (TB) |Price

|Entry-100
|4
|16
|1
|$1,999

|Standard-200
|8
|32
|2
|$3,499

|Enterprise-500
|16
|64
|4
|$6,999

|Ultimate-1000
|32
|128
|8
|$12,999
|===

Output XLSX file (product-specs.xlsx):

Excel spreadsheet with formatted data:
+-----------------+-----------+----------+-------------+---------+
| Model           | CPU Cores | RAM (GB) | Storage(TB) | Price   |
+-----------------+-----------+----------+-------------+---------+
| Entry-100       | 4         | 16       | 1           | $1,999  |
| Standard-200    | 8         | 32       | 2           | $3,499  |
| Enterprise-500  | 16        | 64       | 4           | $6,999  |
| Ultimate-1000   | 32        | 128      | 8           | $12,999 |
+-----------------+-----------+----------+-------------+---------+

Features:
- Numeric columns ready for calculations
- Add formulas like =MAX(B:B) for max cores
- Create comparison charts
- Apply conditional formatting for price ranges

Example 3: Project Timeline

Input AsciiDoc file (project-plan.adoc):

.Project Milestones
|===
|Phase |Task |Start Date |End Date |Owner

|Planning
|Requirements Gathering
|2024-01-15
|2024-02-01
|Alice

|Development
|Core Module
|2024-02-05
|2024-03-15
|Bob

|Development
|API Integration
|2024-03-01
|2024-04-01
|Carol

|Testing
|QA Validation
|2024-04-01
|2024-04-20
|Dave
|===

Output XLSX file (project-plan.xlsx):

Excel spreadsheet with date handling:
+-------------+----------------------+------------+------------+-------+
| Phase       | Task                 | Start Date | End Date   | Owner |
+-------------+----------------------+------------+------------+-------+
| Planning    | Requirements         | 2024-01-15 | 2024-02-01 | Alice |
| Development | Core Module          | 2024-02-05 | 2024-03-15 | Bob   |
| Development | API Integration      | 2024-03-01 | 2024-04-01 | Carol |
| Testing     | QA Validation        | 2024-04-01 | 2024-04-20 | Dave  |
+-------------+----------------------+------------+------------+-------+

Features:
- Date columns formatted as dates
- Calculate duration with =End-Start formulas
- Create Gantt charts from data
- Filter by phase or owner

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is XLSX format?

A: XLSX is Microsoft Excel's modern spreadsheet format, introduced with Office 2007. It's based on the Office Open XML standard (ISO/IEC 29500) and is actually a ZIP archive containing XML files for data, formatting, and metadata. XLSX is the industry standard for spreadsheets and is supported by Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, and many other applications.

Q: Why choose XLSX over CSV for conversion?

A: XLSX offers significant advantages over CSV: formatting (fonts, colors, borders), formulas and calculations, multiple worksheets, charts, and data validation. If you need to share data with business users who will work with it in Excel, XLSX provides a professional, ready-to-use spreadsheet rather than raw data that needs formatting.

Q: Will my AsciiDoc table formatting be preserved?

A: The conversion preserves the structure and content of your tables. Headers are typically styled (bold), and the column layout is maintained. However, specific AsciiDoc formatting like text colors or cell backgrounds may be converted to Excel equivalents or default styles. The goal is to create a professional, usable spreadsheet from your documentation data.

Q: Can I add formulas to the converted XLSX file?

A: Yes! Once converted, you have a fully functional Excel file. You can add any Excel formulas (SUM, AVERAGE, VLOOKUP, etc.), create calculated columns, add charts, apply conditional formatting, or perform any other Excel operation. The conversion provides the data; you can enhance it with Excel's full feature set.

Q: What happens if my ADOC file has multiple tables?

A: Multiple tables from your AsciiDoc document can be converted to separate worksheets within the same XLSX file. Each table may be placed on its own named sheet, or tables can be arranged sequentially on a single sheet with spacing between them. This keeps related data organized in one Excel file.

Q: Can I open XLSX files without Microsoft Excel?

A: Absolutely! XLSX is widely supported: Google Sheets (import/export), LibreOffice Calc (free, open-source), Apple Numbers (Mac/iOS), WPS Office, and many other spreadsheet applications. You can also work with XLSX files programmatically using Python (openpyxl, pandas), JavaScript, Java, and other languages.

Q: Is XLSX better than the older XLS format?

A: Yes, XLSX is significantly better than the legacy XLS format. XLSX files are smaller (ZIP compression), more reliable (better corruption recovery), based on open standards, and support larger worksheets (1 million+ rows vs 65,536 in XLS). The older XLS format is only needed for compatibility with Excel 97-2003.

Q: How are numbers and dates handled in the conversion?

A: The converter attempts to detect numeric values, currencies, percentages, and dates in your AsciiDoc tables and format them appropriately in Excel. Numbers become numeric cells (enabling calculations), dates become date-formatted cells, and currencies display with proper symbols. This makes the spreadsheet immediately useful for analysis.