can't merge cells after table creation with Excel::Writer::XLSX

Question

If I try to merge two cells say C7 and C8 after a table is created in excel, the data, format gets corrupted. All the table formatting vanishes. Is it a limitation of the module?

Solution

Is it a limitation of the module?

No. It is a limitation of Excel. You cannot merge cells in a table.

Nevertheless, Excel::Writer::XLSX should probably issue a warning or prevent this from happening. I'll look into that.

Comments

[CuriousOne]

It shows some warning before opening the Excel. But if you still open it after clicking OK, all formatting is lost..

[jmcnamara]

Yes. That is true. Excel strips out any data that it cannot handle or that is present in the wrong context. After that, it still tries to read as much valid data as it can.

[CuriousOne]

So there is no other way to merge the cells after table creation?

[jmcnamara]

Not according to Microsoft: "You cannot merge cells that are inside an Excel table".