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📑 Sheet Extractor

Extract specific sheets from multi-sheet Excel workbooks into separate files.

Overview

The Sheet Extractor tool allows you to extract individual sheets from an Excel workbook and save them as separate files. This is useful when you need to share specific unit data without revealing other sheets.

When to Use This Tool

Use this tool when you need to:

  • Share a single unit's results with a specific lecturer
  • Create standalone files from a combined workbook
  • Separate different data types into individual files
  • Archive specific sheets for records

Accessing the Tool

Tools → Sheet Extractor...

Step-by-Step Guide

Open the Dialog

Click Tools → Sheet Extractor... to open the extraction dialog.

Select Source File

Choose the Excel workbook containing the sheets you want to extract:

  1. Click Browse
  2. Navigate to and select the .xlsx file
  3. The sheet list populates automatically

Select Sheets to Extract

Choose which sheets to extract:

Selection Mode Description
Select All Extract every sheet in the workbook
Individual Selection Click checkboxes to select specific sheets
Deselect All Clear all selections

Sheet Preview

Hover over a sheet name to see a preview of its contents (first few rows).

Choose Output Options

Configure how extracted sheets are saved:

Option Description
Output Folder Where to save extracted sheets
Naming Pattern How to name the output files
Format Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv)

Naming Pattern Options:

  • {sheet_name} - Uses the sheet name as filename
  • {source}_{sheet_name} - Combines source filename with sheet name
  • {sheet_name}_{date} - Adds current date to filename

Extract

  1. Click Extract
  2. Progress bar shows extraction status
  3. Success message displays the number of sheets extracted
  4. Click Open Folder to view the files

Naming Patterns

Use these placeholders to customize output filenames:

Placeholder Replaced With Example
{sheet_name} Name of the sheet EMT3101
{source} Source workbook name consolidated
{date} Current date 2024-12-15
{index} Sheet number (1, 2, 3...) 1

Example Patterns:

Pattern Output
{sheet_name} EMT3101.xlsx
{source}_{sheet_name} consolidated_EMT3101.xlsx
Sheet_{index}_{sheet_name} Sheet_1_EMT3101.xlsx

Use Cases

  • Share with Lecturers

    Extract a specific unit's sheet to share results with the responsible lecturer without revealing other units' data.

  • Archiving

    Extract and archive specific sheets for departmental records or auditing purposes.

  • Data Migration

    Extract sheets to prepare data for import into other systems or databases.

  • Backup Specific Data

    Create standalone backups of critical sheets before making changes to the workbook.

Troubleshooting

No sheets listed

Problem: The sheet list is empty after selecting a file.

Solutions:

  1. Verify the file is a valid Excel workbook (.xlsx)
  2. Check that the file is not corrupted
  3. Ensure the file contains at least one sheet
  4. Try opening the file in Excel first to verify it works
Extraction fails for some sheets

Problem: Some sheets fail to extract while others succeed.

Solutions:

  1. Check if the sheet is protected or hidden
  2. Verify the sheet name doesn't contain invalid filename characters
  3. Ensure you have write permissions to the output folder
  4. Try extracting the problematic sheet individually
Formulas not preserved

Problem: Extracted sheets show values instead of formulas.

Note: This is expected behavior. Extracted sheets contain:

  • All values and formatting
  • Cell styles and colors
  • Column widths and row heights

Formulas are converted to values because cross-sheet references would break in standalone files.