How to use Workbook.OpenXML in the xlwings API way

In Excel object model, the OpenXML property of the Workbook object provides a way to access the underlying Open XML representation of a workbook. This is particularly useful for developers who need to perform custom XML manipulations, such as reading or modifying specific parts of the workbook’s structure that are not directly exposed through the standard Excel object model. The OpenXML property returns a string that contains the raw XML data of the workbook in the Office Open XML format, enabling advanced automation and integration scenarios. In xlwings, this functionality can be accessed via the api property, which exposes the native Excel object model.

The syntax for accessing the OpenXML property in xlwings is straightforward. Since xlwings uses the underlying COM object model, you can call it directly on a workbook object. The property does not take any parameters and returns a string. Here’s the basic format:

workbook.openxml

In this syntax, workbook refers to an xlwings Book object that represents an open workbook. The openxml property is accessed through the api attribute to get the native Excel Workbook object’s OpenXML property. Note that this property is read-only in the context of xlwings, meaning you can retrieve the XML data but not set it directly through this property. To modify the XML, you would typically use additional libraries like openpyxl or lxml to parse and edit the string, then save it back if needed.

For example, consider a scenario where you need to extract custom XML data from an Excel workbook to analyze metadata or embedded schemas. Using xlwings, you can open a workbook and retrieve its Open XML representation. Here’s a code instance:

import xlwings as xw

# Open an existing workbook
wb = xw.Book('example.xlsx')

# Access the OpenXML property via the api
openxml_data = wb.api.OpenXML

# Print or process the XML data (first 500 characters for brevity)
print(openxml_data[:500])

# You can also save the XML to a file for further analysis
with open('workbook_openxml.xml', 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    f.write(openxml_data)

# Close the workbook if needed
wb.close()