how to extract data from one excel workbook and output to another using python xlrd/xlwt?

Question

I am trying to write a script which will automate a copy/paste of employee time sheets from several files to one compiled file. Since they are time sheets with project codes some cells are left blank where an employee worked on a different project that day. Also the files have been converted from xlsx(2007) to .csv.xls which xlrd seems to open just fine.

I do know how to open and create a book object but my knowledge of this module is very limited so I thought maybe a general algorithm would be helpful:

import xlrd, xlwt

put all following in for or while loop to iterate through files:
book = xlrd.open_workbook('mybook.csv.xls')
extract data; store data for ouput
use for loop to iterate over data, output to final sheet
open next file, repeat process storing each output below the previous

I am looking for anything that will help me find the answers, not just code. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

This might help ... it reproduces your data as closely as possible (dates remain as dates, empty cells don't become text cells with 0-length contents, booleans and error cells don't become number cells).

from xlrd import XL_CELL_EMPTY, XL_CELL_TEXT, XL_CELL_NUMBER,
    XL_CELL_DATE, XL_CELL_BOOLEAN, XL_CELL_ERROR, open_workbook
from xlwt import Row, easyxf, Workbook

method_for_type = {
    XL_CELL_TEXT:    Row.set_cell_text,
    XL_CELL_NUMBER:  Row.set_cell_number,
    XL_CELL_DATE:    Row.set_cell_number,
    XL_CELL_ERROR:   Row.set_cell_error,
    XL_CELL_BOOLEAN: Row.set_cell_boolean,
    }

date_style = easyxf(num_format_str='yyyy-mm-dd')
other_style = easyxf(num_format_str='General')

def append_sheet(rsheet, wsheet, wrowx=0):
    for rrowx in xrange(rsheet.nrows):
        rrowvalues = rsheet.row_values(rrowx)
        wrow = wsheet.row(wrowx)
        for rcolx, rtype in enumerate(rsheet.row_types(rrowx)):
            if rtype == XL_CELL_EMPTY: continue
            wcolx = rcolx
            wmethod = method_for_type[rtype]
            wstyle = date_style if rtype == XL_CELL_DATE else other_style
            wmethod(wrow, wcolx, rrowvalues[rcolx], wstyle) 
        wrowx += 1
    return wrowx

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import sys, xlrd, xlwt, glob
    rdpattern, wtfname = sys.argv[1:3]
    wtbook = Workbook()
    wtsheet = wtbook.add_sheet('guff')
    outrowx = 0
    for rdfname in glob.glob(rdpattern):
        rdbook = open_workbook(rdfname)
        rdsheet = rdbook.sheet_by_index(0)
        outrowx = append_sheet(rdsheet, wtsheet, outrowx)
        print outrowx
    wtbook.save(wtfname)