SharePoint Stuff

In this post we look at the ways in which you can embed a specific sheet from an Excel file directly into a page in SharePoint.

In SharePoint, the go-to option for displaying documents is to use the File & Media web part. Microsoft says that the File and Media web part simplifies the process of presenting various types of media content:

The File viewer web part can be used to insert a file on your page. File types you can insert include Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, PDFs, 3D models, videos, and more.

However, the web part is not-so-good when it comes to working with Excel files. When you connect the File and Media web part to an Excel file, there a some Excel specific properties that become available within, namely:

• Whether you want to display: the entire workbook, chart, table or a range.
• Show grid lines.
• Show row and column headers.
• Allow sorting and filtering of columns.

What’s missing from these options is the ability to select a sheet to display within the web part. In my example I wanted to embed the same spreadsheet, but displaying different sheets in each embedded “view” of the Excel file. There is quite a lot of information around how to this online, but I found that none of the answers worked within the context of the File and Media or Embed web part.

Solution

Here’s how I approached it:

• Navigate to the location in SharePoint where you Excel sheet is stored
• Open the Excel file in the browser
• Press File > Share > Embed this workbook

• In the embed window, select the sheet you want to display
• Under Interaction, ensure always start with this cell selected is ticked > double-check that the right sheet is displaying

• Some other settings to consider:
  • Appearance: Optionally choose to show/ hide grid lines, row and column headers and including a download link
  • Interaction: Choose whether to let people sort/ filter/ type into cells
  • Dimensions: Adjust the height/ width of the iframe the Excel file is displayed in

• Once you are happy with the settings available, copy the embed code from the window
• Open the page in SharePoint where you want to display the sheet > Edit the page
• Add a new Embed web part > Edit the properties of the web part
• Under website address or embed code > Paste in the embed code

• Save your page and republish. You should now see an embedded Excel file displaying the specific sheet you want to show. In my example, I am displaying mutliple sheets within the same Excel file in one SharePoint page.

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