Changing cell color using apache poi

Question

I\'m using Apache POI to read data in a spreadsheet of part numbers. I look up the part number in our database, if we have a CAD drawing of the part I color the part number

Answer 1

For apache POI 3.9 you can use the code bellow:

HSSFCellStyle style = workbook.createCellStyle()
style.setFillForegroundColor(HSSFColor.YELLOW.index)
style.setFillPattern((short) FillPatternType.SOLID_FOREGROUND.ordinal())

The methods for 3.9 version accept short and you should pay attention to the inputs.

Answer 2

To create your cell styles see: http://poi.apache.org/spreadsheet/quick-guide.html#CustomColors.

Custom colors

HSSF:

HSSFWorkbook wb = new HSSFWorkbook();
HSSFSheet sheet = wb.createSheet();
HSSFRow row = sheet.createRow((short) 0);
HSSFCell cell = row.createCell((short) 0);
cell.setCellValue("Default Palette");

//apply some colors from the standard palette,
// as in the previous examples.
//we'll use red text on a lime background

HSSFCellStyle style = wb.createCellStyle();
style.setFillForegroundColor(HSSFColor.LIME.index);
style.setFillPattern(HSSFCellStyle.SOLID_FOREGROUND);

HSSFFont font = wb.createFont();
font.setColor(HSSFColor.RED.index);
style.setFont(font);

cell.setCellStyle(style);

//save with the default palette
FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream("default_palette.xls");
wb.write(out);
out.close();

//now, let's replace RED and LIME in the palette
// with a more attractive combination
// (lovingly borrowed from freebsd.org)

cell.setCellValue("Modified Palette");

//creating a custom palette for the workbook
HSSFPalette palette = wb.getCustomPalette();

//replacing the standard red with freebsd.org red
palette.setColorAtIndex(HSSFColor.RED.index,
        (byte) 153,  //RGB red (0-255)
        (byte) 0,    //RGB green
        (byte) 0     //RGB blue
);
//replacing lime with freebsd.org gold
palette.setColorAtIndex(HSSFColor.LIME.index, (byte) 255, (byte) 204, (byte) 102);

//save with the modified palette
// note that wherever we have previously used RED or LIME, the
// new colors magically appear
out = new FileOutputStream("modified_palette.xls");
wb.write(out);
out.close();

XSSF:

 XSSFWorkbook wb = new XSSFWorkbook();
    XSSFSheet sheet = wb.createSheet();
    XSSFRow row = sheet.createRow(0);
    XSSFCell cell = row.createCell( 0);
    cell.setCellValue("custom XSSF colors");

    XSSFCellStyle style1 = wb.createCellStyle();
    style1.setFillForegroundColor(new XSSFColor(new java.awt.Color(128, 0, 128)));
    style1.setFillPattern(CellStyle.SOLID_FOREGROUND);

Answer 3

Short version: Create styles only once, use them everywhere.

Long version: use a method to create the styles you need (beware of the limit on the amount of styles).

private static Map<String, CellStyle> styles;

private static Map<String, CellStyle> createStyles(Workbook wb){
        Map<String, CellStyle> styles = new HashMap<String, CellStyle>();
        DataFormat df = wb.createDataFormat();

        CellStyle style;
        Font headerFont = wb.createFont();
        headerFont.setBoldweight(Font.BOLDWEIGHT_BOLD);
        headerFont.setFontHeightInPoints((short) 12);
        style = createBorderedStyle(wb);
        style.setAlignment(CellStyle.ALIGN_CENTER);
        style.setFont(headerFont);
        styles.put("style1", style);

        style = createBorderedStyle(wb);
        style.setAlignment(CellStyle.ALIGN_CENTER);
        style.setFillForegroundColor(IndexedColors.LIGHT_CORNFLOWER_BLUE.getIndex());
        style.setFillPattern(CellStyle.SOLID_FOREGROUND);
        style.setFont(headerFont);
        style.setDataFormat(df.getFormat("d-mmm"));
        styles.put("date_style", style);
        ...
        return styles;
    }

you can also use methods to do repetitive tasks while creating styles hashmap

private static CellStyle createBorderedStyle(Workbook wb) {
        CellStyle style = wb.createCellStyle();
        style.setBorderRight(CellStyle.BORDER_THIN);
        style.setRightBorderColor(IndexedColors.BLACK.getIndex());
        style.setBorderBottom(CellStyle.BORDER_THIN);
        style.setBottomBorderColor(IndexedColors.BLACK.getIndex());
        style.setBorderLeft(CellStyle.BORDER_THIN);
        style.setLeftBorderColor(IndexedColors.BLACK.getIndex());
        style.setBorderTop(CellStyle.BORDER_THIN);
        style.setTopBorderColor(IndexedColors.BLACK.getIndex());
        return style;
    }

then, in your "main" code, set the style from the styles map you have.

Cell cell = xssfCurrentRow.createCell( intCellPosition );       
cell.setCellValue( blah );
cell.setCellStyle( (CellStyle) styles.get("style1") );

Answer 4

checkout the example here

http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk/src/examples/src/org/apache/poi/ss/examples/BusinessPlan.java

style.setFillForegroundColor(IndexedColors.LIGHT_CORNFLOWER_BLUE.getIndex());

Answer 5

I believe it is because cell.getCellStyle initially returns the default cell style which you then change.

Create styles like this and apply them to cells:

cellStyle = (XSSFCellStyle) cell.getSheet().getWorkbook().createCellStyle();

Although as the previous poster noted try and create styles and reuse them.

There is also some utility class in the XSSF library that will avoid the code I have provided and automatically try and reuse styles. Can't remember the class 0ff hand.