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exceljasper-reportsapache-poijxl

Difference between JExcelApiExporter and JRXlsExporter

I am using JasperReports to create report in .xls format. I found that there are similar classes JExcelApiExporter and JRXlsExporter with almost same functionality.

Is there any difference between these two classes? Which one should I use?

Solution

  • They both can export to excel format, however their implementations are completely different:

    • JExcelApiExporter uses Java Excel API who says is a "Java API to read, write, and modify Excel spreadsheets";
    • JRXlsExporter uses Apache POI who says is "the Java API for Microsoft Documents".

    These APIs have similarities and differences (see this answer in another question). You should consider your needs and try them both to decide for yourself. For example, I conducted one experiment and one of the .xls had less bytes than the other and had a different color on a field (blue vs gray)...