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shuguroff/libxl-php
===================

PHP extension for reading/writing Excel files (XLS/XLSX) via LibXL library

1.3.0(2mo ago)30PHP-3.01CPHP >=8.2

Since Feb 27Pushed 2mo agoCompare

[ Source](https://github.com/shuguroff/libxl_php8)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/shuguroff/libxl-php)[ RSS](/packages/shuguroff-libxl-php/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 1mo ago

READMEChangelog (1)DependenciesVersions (2)Used By (0)

libxl\_php8 - PHP Extension for LibXL
=====================================

[](#libxl_php8---php-extension-for-libxl)

PHP extension for reading and writing Excel files using the [LibXL](http://www.libxl.com/) library.

About This Fork
---------------

[](#about-this-fork)

This is a modernized fork with **PHP 7.4+ and 8.x support** and compatibility with **LibXL 5.x**.

**Minimum requirement: PHP 7.4.** For older PHP versions use the repositories of the previous authors (see below).

### Changes in This Fork

[](#changes-in-this-fork)

- **PHP 8.x Compatibility:**

    - Added `zend_bool` typedef for PHP 8 (uses native `bool`)
    - Replaced deprecated `z/` specifier in `zend_parse_parameters` with `z` + `ZVAL_DEREF`
    - Fixed object memory allocation using `zend_object_alloc()` (PHP 7.3+)
    - Replaced deprecated `zval_dtor()` with `zval_ptr_dtor()`
    - Added `PHP_FE_END` macro for function entry terminators
    - Switched from `E_WARNING` to `ExcelException`
    - Added XLSX format checks for XLSX-only features
    - Memory safety fixes (writeError NULL check, ZVAL\_UNDEF)
    - Named constants for formatting limits
- **LibXL 5.x Compatibility:**

    - Fixed `const char**` type incompatibility in `xlFilterColumnGetCustomFilter`
- **Docker Support:**

    - Added `Dockerfile` for building and testing
    - Added `docker-compose.yml` for multi-version PHP testing (7.4, 8.2–8.5)

### Migration performed by

[](#migration-performed-by)

**Claude** (Anthropic AI Assistant) - code analysis, PHP 8 migration, LibXL 5.x compatibility fixes, Docker configuration.

---

Original Authors & Repositories
-----------------------------------

[](#original-authors--repositories)

This project is based on the work of many contributors:

AuthorContribution**[Ilia Alshanetsky](https://github.com/iliaal)**Original author, main development**[Johannes Mueller](https://github.com/johmue)**Major contributor**[Jan Ehrhardt](https://github.com/Jan-E)**PHP 7/8 support, maintenance**[doPhp](https://github.com/doPhp)**Excel extension fork**Philip Hofstetter**Contributions**Stephan Fischer**Contributions**Pierre Joye**Contributions**Sebastian Brandt**Contributions### Original Repositories

[](#original-repositories)

- **Original:** [https://github.com/iliaal/php\_excel](https://github.com/iliaal/php_excel)
- **PHP 7/8 Fork:** [https://github.com/Jan-E/php\_excel](https://github.com/Jan-E/php_excel)
- **doPhp Fork:**

---

Requirements
------------

[](#requirements)

- PHP 7.4+
- [LibXL](http://www.libxl.com/) 3.6.0+ (commercial library, trial version available)

Installation
------------

[](#installation)

Both PIE and PECL methods require the [LibXL](http://www.libxl.com/) library to be installed on your system first (see [Requirements](#requirements)).

### Installation via PIE (Recommended)

[](#installation-via-pie-recommended)

[PIE](https://github.com/php/pie) is the modern PHP extension installer:

```
pie install shuguroff/libxl-php \
    --with-libxl-incdir=/opt/libxl/include_c \
    --with-libxl-libdir=/opt/libxl/lib64
```

### Installation via PECL

[](#installation-via-pecl)

Download the `.tgz` package from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/shuguroff/libxl_php8/releases) and install:

```
pecl install https://github.com/shuguroff/libxl_php8/releases/download/v1.3.0/excel-1.3.0.tgz
```

If you need to pass configure options:

```
pecl install excel-1.3.0.tgz --configureoptions \
    'with-libxl-incdir="/opt/libxl/include_c" with-libxl-libdir="/opt/libxl/lib64"'
```

### Building from Source

[](#building-from-source)

#### 1. Clone the Repository

[](#1-clone-the-repository)

```
git clone https://github.com/shuguroff/libxl_php8.git
cd libxl_php8
```

#### 2a. Using Docker (Recommended for Testing)

[](#2a-using-docker-recommended-for-testing)

Requires [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) with Docker Compose.

```
# Download LibXL for Linux (x86_64)
curl -L -o libxl.tar.gz "https://www.libxl.com/download/libxl-lin-5.1.0.tar.gz"
tar -xzf libxl.tar.gz
mv libxl-5.1.0 libxl
rm libxl.tar.gz

# Build and test on a specific PHP version
docker compose build php83
docker compose up php83

# Or test on all PHP versions (7.4, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5)
docker compose build
docker compose up
```

To build with a LibXL license:

```
LIBXL_LICENSE_NAME="Your Name" LIBXL_LICENSE_KEY="your-key" docker compose build
docker compose up
```

#### 2b. Manual Build on Linux

[](#2b-manual-build-on-linux)

Install prerequisites:

```
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install php-dev libxml2-dev make gcc

# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
sudo dnf install php-devel libxml2-devel make gcc
```

Download and install LibXL:

```
curl -L -o libxl.tar.gz "https://www.libxl.com/download/libxl-lin-5.1.0.tar.gz"
tar -xzf libxl.tar.gz
sudo mv libxl-5.1.0 /opt/libxl
rm libxl.tar.gz

# Make the library available system-wide
sudo ln -sf /opt/libxl/lib64/libxl.so /usr/lib/libxl.so
sudo ldconfig
```

Build and install the extension:

```
phpize
./configure \
    --with-excel \
    --with-libxl-incdir=/opt/libxl/include_c \
    --with-libxl-libdir=/opt/libxl/lib64
make
sudo make install
```

Enable the extension:

```
# Find your php.ini
php --ini | head -1

# Add the extension (adjust path to your php.ini)
echo "extension=excel.so" | sudo tee /etc/php/conf.d/excel.ini
```

**Library directory by platform:**

PlatformDirectoryLinux x86\_64`lib64`Linux ARM64`lib-aarch64`Linux ARM32`lib-armhf`Linux x86`lib`#### 2c. Manual Build on macOS

[](#2c-manual-build-on-macos)

Install prerequisites:

```
# If using Homebrew PHP
brew install php

# Or ensure phpize is available
phpize --version
```

Download and extract LibXL for macOS:

```
curl -L -o libxl.tar.gz "https://www.libxl.com/download/libxl-mac-5.1.0.tar.gz"
tar -xzf libxl.tar.gz
mv libxl-5.1.0 libxl-mac
rm libxl.tar.gz
```

**Fix the library install name** (required on macOS, otherwise the extension will fail to load silently):

```
# Check the current install name (will likely show just "libxl.dylib" without a path)
otool -D libxl-mac/lib/libxl.dylib

# Set the full absolute path as install name
install_name_tool -id "$(pwd)/libxl-mac/lib/libxl.dylib" libxl-mac/lib/libxl.dylib

# Re-sign the library (required after modification on macOS)
codesign -f -s - libxl-mac/lib/libxl.dylib
```

Build the extension:

```
phpize
./configure \
    --with-excel \
    --with-libxl-incdir="$(pwd)/libxl-mac/include_c" \
    --with-libxl-libdir="$(pwd)/libxl-mac/lib"
make
```

Verify it loads:

```
php -d "extension=$(pwd)/modules/excel.so" -m | grep excel
```

Install:

```
# Copy to the PHP extensions directory
cp modules/excel.so "$(php-config --extension-dir)/excel.so"

# Find your php.ini and add the extension
php --ini | head -1
# Add this line to your php.ini:
#   extension=excel.so
```

> **Note:** The absolute path to `libxl-mac/lib/libxl.dylib` is embedded in `excel.so`. If you move the `libxl-mac` directory, you will need to rebuild the extension.

Updating LibXL
--------------

[](#updating-libxl)

The PHP extension is compiled and linked against a specific version of LibXL. When you update the LibXL library, you **must rebuild** the extension from scratch.

**Docker:**

```
# Replace the libxl directory with the new version, then rebuild
docker compose build php83
docker compose up php83
```

**Manual (native):**

```
make clean
phpize --clean
phpize
./configure --with-libxl-incdir=/path/to/libxl/include_c \
            --with-libxl-libdir=/path/to/libxl/lib
make
make install
```

> Simply replacing the `.so`/`.dylib` file without rebuilding is **not supported** — ABI changes between LibXL versions may cause crashes or undefined behavior.

Quick Start
-----------

[](#quick-start)

```