Excel

Excel

Excel is a read-only Construct 3 plugin for loading saved workbook values from files imported in the project Files folder. Read individual cells, worksheet metadata, matching rows, headers, ranges, and complete worksheet areas without modifying the original workbook.

Key Features

• Load .xlsx.txt and .xlsm.txt workbooks from Construct Project Files.
• Read cells by A1 address or zero-based row and column indexes.
• Return cached formula results without exposing formula text or recalculating formulas.
• Read worksheet names, dimensions, active worksheet information, formatted cell text, and cell types.
• Find a value by an exact column header.
• Find the first row whose first column exactly matches a supplied string.
• Return rows, ranges, and worksheet areas as JSON arrays.
• Use loading, failure, and worksheet-change conditions with stable error expressions.

Important File Naming

If Excel created Store.xlsx, rename the complete file name to Store.xlsx.txt before importing it into Construct Project Files. Rename only the file; do not export it as plain text. The internal data must remain a real Excel workbook.

For a simpler workflow, copy the example Store.xlsx.txt file, rename it to Store2.xlsx.txt, open it with Excel, edit it, and save it directly.

Typical Usage

At the start of the layout, use Load project Excel file. After On workbook loaded is triggered, use expressions such as Cell, ValueAt, ValueByHeader, or FindRowByFirstColumn to read the saved data.

Project Files Workflow

For convenient external editing, save the Construct project as a folder project. Right-click the main Files folder in the Project Bar and enable Auto reload all on preview. After editing and saving the workbook in Excel, start Preview again to use the latest saved contents.

Compatibility

• Requires Construct 3 r450 or newer.
• Uses Construct Addon SDK version 2.
• Single-global, non-visual plugin.
• Uses .xlsx.txt and .xlsm.txt Project File names for underlying Excel workbooks.

Limitations

• No workbook editing, creation, or export.
• No formula text or formula recalculation.
• No ordinary text files, legacy .xls files, password-protected workbooks, arbitrary URL loading, or local file picker.
• Macros are never executed.
• JSON output is limited to 250000 cells per call.

What's Included

• The installable Excel Construct 3 addon release package.
• An English PDF user guide covering setup, expressions, Project Files workflow, and troubleshooting.