How to use Worksheet.ProtectionMode in the xlwings API way

In Excel’s object model, the ProtectionMode property of a Worksheet object is a read-only property that indicates whether the worksheet is currently in a protected state. Specifically, it returns True if the worksheet is protected, and False if it is not. This property is useful for programmatically checking the protection status of a sheet before performing operations that might be restricted under protection, such as editing cells or modifying the sheet’s structure.

In the xlwings library, which provides a Pythonic way to interact with Excel via its COM interface, you can access the ProtectionMode property through the api property of a worksheet object. The api property exposes the underlying Excel object model, allowing direct access to native Excel properties and methods.

Syntax:
The xlwings API call to access the ProtectionMode property is straightforward:

worksheet.api.ProtectionMode

This returns a Boolean value (True or False). There are no parameters for this property as it is read-only. It simply reflects the current protection state set via Excel’s user interface or through other programmatic means (e.g., using worksheet.api.Protect() to enable protection).

Usage Example:
Here is a practical example demonstrating how to use the ProtectionMode property in xlwings to check and respond to a worksheet’s protection status. This can be part of a larger script that conditionally performs actions based on whether the sheet is protected.

import xlwings as xw

# Connect to an existing Excel workbook and select a specific worksheet
wb = xw.Book('example.xlsx')
ws = wb.sheets['Sheet1']

# Check the protection status of the worksheet
if ws.api.ProtectionMode:
    print("The worksheet is protected. Certain operations may be restricted.")
    # Optionally, you might want to unprotect the sheet temporarily for editing
    # ws.api.Unprotect(Password="your_password") # If a password is set
else:
    print("The worksheet is not protected. Proceeding with edits.")
    # Perform operations like writing data or formatting
    ws.range('A1').value = 'New Data'

# Example of toggling protection based on current status
if not ws.api.ProtectionMode:
    ws.api.Protect(Password="mypassword", DrawingObjects=True, Contents=True, Scenarios=True)
    print("Worksheet has now been protected.")
else:
    ws.api.Unprotect(Password="mypassword")
    print("Worksheet has been unprotected.")

# Close the workbook (save changes if needed)
wb.save()
wb.close()