Exporting data from Excel into Mathematica using clipboard

Question

I know that it's possible to import Excel data into Mathematica using the Import command, as we can see in this post. But sometimes I need just to do some fast calculation and it would be very nice if I could achieve it using clipboard, using something as simple as Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V. How could I perform that?

Answer 1

You can easily implement it in two steps.

1. You create an Excel macro in your personal.xlsb that you can use to execute some keybord shortcut to copy your selected data. I use CTRL+SHIFT+C.
2. Second you can create a Mathematica function to import this clipboard data (optional, but very usefull)

More information on how to handle your personal.xlsb here

How to implement it!

Below we have the Excel macro to copy to clipboard the selected Excel range using Mathematica format:

Private Sub Excel_To_Mathematica()

    'Program by:  Dana DeLouis  (Microsoft Excel MVP)
    'Modified by: Rodrigo Murta (Mathematica Addicted)
    'Changes by Murta:
    '   Usable for "," as decimal separator
    '   Eliminate bug for big and small Numbers
    '   Elminate Transpose line number limitations

      Dim ClipBoard As New DataObject

      Dim Nr As Long    '# of Rows
      Dim Nc As Long    '# of Columns
      Dim r As Long     ' Row Pointer
      Dim C As Long     ' Column Pointer
      Dim T()           'Temporary Storage
      Dim Tc()          'Temporary Storage
      Dim v As Variant  'Holds the data from Worksheet

      Dim s As String
      Dim ButtonClicked As Long
      Const DQ As String = """" 'Double Quotes: 4 of them!
      Dim transp                'Temp Array for Transpose Case


      Application.ScreenUpdating = False


    '// A little error checking first...
      If TypeName(selection) <> "Range" Then
          MsgBox "Select a Range first"
          Exit Sub
      End If

      If selection.Areas.Count > 1 Then
          MsgBox "Select only 1 area.  Macro will Exit"
          Exit Sub
      End If


    '// Load data into an Array
      If selection.Cells.Count = 1 Then
          ReDim v(1 To 1, 1 To 1)
          v(1, 1) = selection
      Else
          v = selection
      End If


    '// Get number of Rows & Columns
      Nr = UBound(v, 1)
      Nc = UBound(v, 2)

      If Nc = 1 And Nr > 1 Then
          ButtonClicked = MsgBox("Transform Vectors in Columns?", vbYesNo)
      End If

        '// Put quotes around text
          For r = 1 To Nr
              For C = 1 To Nc
                  If IsNumeric(v(r, C)) Then
                    v(r, C) = Replace(Replace(Format(v(r, C), "@"), ",", "."), "@", "")
                    v(r, C) = Replace(v(r, C), "E", "*10^")
                  Else
                    v(r, C) = DQ & v(r, C) & DQ
                  End If
              Next C
          Next r

          If ButtonClicked = vbYes Then

              ReDim tempArray(1 To Nr)
              For i = 1 To Nr
                tempArray(i) = v(i, 1)
              Next

              v = tempArray

              s = "{" & Join(v, ",") & "}"
          Else
              ReDim T(1 To Nr)
              ReDim Tc(1 To Nc)
              For r = 1 To Nr
                    For C = 1 To Nc
                        Tc(C) = v(r, C)
                    Next

                    T(r) = "{" & Join(Tc(), ",") & "}"
              Next
              s = Join(T, ",")
              If Nr > 1 Then s = "{" & s & "}"
          End If

      ClipBoard.SetText s
      ClipBoard.PutInClipboard
      Application.ScreenUpdating = True
      'Application.StatusBar = "data copied"
      'Application.StatusBar = False

    End Sub





    Private Function TransposeDim(v As Variant) As Variant
    ' Custom Function to Transpose a 1-based array (v)

        Dim x As Long, y As Long, Xupper As Long, Yupper As Long
        Dim tempArray()

        Xupper = UBound(v, 2)
        Yupper = UBound(v, 1)

        ReDim tempArray(1 To Xupper, 1 To Yupper)

        For x = 1 To Xupper
            For y = 1 To Yupper
                tempArray(x, y) = v(y, x)
            Next y
        Next x

        TransposeDim = tempArray

    End Function

If you want, you can create the Excel shortcut using this command in your ThisWorkbook object of you personal.xlsb file:

Private Sub Workbook_Open()

    Application.OnKey "^+c", "Excel_To_Mathematica" 'ctrl + shift + c

End Sub

Using the above macros, you are ok to past your data into Mathematica using CTRL+V, but some times, you have a big list, and you would like to make some variable to receive this information directly. So I use this Mathematica function my start up pack.

  getClipboardData[]:=  NotebookGet[ClipboardNotebook[]][[1, 1, 1]] // ToExpression

So, instead of CTRL+V my Excel data, I can write:

data = getClipboardData[]

I tested it 1M Excel lines without problems (that is the excel limit in 2010). I use Mathematica on Mac and Excel on Windows (using Parallels).

UPDATE

The code still works with Excel 2013

Answer 2

A very simple way to import tables of integers is like this:
add a few columns in Excel containing the separators "{", "," and "}," in between your columns of integers:

then paste in your workbook, and add a leading "{" and a trailing "}" and ... done.
(mind the superfluous comma at the end). Works in version 10.

Answer 3

@Murta's method has served me well for several years now, but this seems to be broken under x64 Office installations in Windows 8+. For me (on Windows 10 x64 and Office 2016 x64), the routine places random unicode characters in the clipboard.

I've scoured the web and found a solution. Place the following code in the same Module as @Murta's routines.

Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (Destination As Any, Source As Any, ByVal Length As LongPtr)
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GlobalUnlock Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hMem As LongLong) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GlobalLock Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hMem As LongLong) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GlobalAlloc Lib "kernel32" (ByVal wFlags As Long, ByVal dwBytes As LongLong) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GlobalSize Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hMem As LongPtr) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function CloseClipboard Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function OpenClipboard Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As LongLong) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function EmptyClipboard Lib "user32" () As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function lstrcpy Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrcpyA" (ByVal lpString1 As Any, ByVal lpString2 As String) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function GetClipboardData Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Long) As LongPtr
Private Declare PtrSafe Function SetClipboardData Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Long, ByVal hMem As LongLong) As LongLong
Private Declare PtrSafe Function EnumClipboardFormats Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Long) As Long
Private Declare PtrSafe Function IsClipboardFormatAvailable Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Long) As Long

Public Enum eCBFormat
    CF_TEXT = 1
    CF_BITMAP = 2
    CF_METAFILEPICT = 3
    CF_SYLK = 4
    CF_DIF = 5
    CF_TIFF = 6
    CF_OEMTEXT = 7
    CF_DIB = 8
    CF_PALETTE = 9
    CF_PENDATA = 10
    CF_RIFF = 11
    CF_WAVE = 12
    CF_UNICODETEXT = 13
    CF_ENHMETAFILE = 14
    CF_HDROP = 15
    CF_LOCALE = 16
    CF_MAX = 17
    CF_OWNERDISPLAY = &H80
    CF_DSPTEXT = &H81
    CF_DSPBITMAP = &H82
    CF_DSPMETAFILEPICT = &H83
    CF_DSPENHMETAFILE = &H8E
    CF_PRIVATEFIRST = &H200
    CF_PRIVATELAST = &H2FF
    CF_GDIOBJFIRST = &H300
    CF_GDIOBJLAST = &H3FF
End Enum
Const GHND = &H42

Public Function ClipBoard_HasFormat(ByVal phWnd As LongLong, ByVal peCBFormat As eCBFormat) As Boolean
    Dim lRet    As Long

  If OpenClipboard(phWnd) > 0 Then
    lRet = EnumClipboardFormats(0)
    If lRet <> 0 Then
      Do
        If lRet = peCBFormat Then
          ClipBoard_HasFormat = True
          Exit Do
        End If
        lRet = EnumClipboardFormats(lRet)
      Loop While lRet <> 0
    End If
    CloseClipboard
  Else
    'Problem: Cannot open clipboard
  End If
End Function

Public Function ClipBoard_GetTextData(ByVal phWnd As LongLong) As String
  Dim hData       As LongPtr
  Dim lByteLen    As LongPtr
  Dim lPointer    As LongPtr
  Dim lSize       As LongLong
  Dim lRet        As Long
  Dim abData()    As Byte
  Dim sText       As String

  lRet = OpenClipboard(phWnd)
  If lRet > 0 Then
    hData = GetClipboardData(eCBFormat.CF_TEXT)
    If hData <> 0 Then
      lByteLen = GlobalSize(hData)
      lSize = GlobalSize(hData)
      lPointer = GlobalLock(hData)
      If lSize > 0 Then
        ReDim abData(0 To CLng(lSize) - CLng(1)) As Byte
        CopyMemory abData(0), ByVal lPointer, lSize
        GlobalUnlock hData
        sText = StrConv(abData, vbUnicode)
      End If
    Else
      'Problem: Cannot open clipboard
    End If
    CloseClipboard
  End If

  ClipBoard_GetTextData = sText
End Function

Public Function ClipBoard_SetData(psData As String) As Boolean
    Dim hGlobalMemory   As LongLong
    Dim lpGlobalMemory  As LongPtr
    Dim hClipMemory     As LongLong
    Dim fOK             As Boolean

  fOK = True

  ' Allocate moveable global memory.
    hGlobalMemory = GlobalAlloc(GHND, LenB(psData) + 1)
  If hGlobalMemory = 0 Then
    Exit Function
  End If
  ' Lock the block to get a far pointer
  ' to this memory.
  lpGlobalMemory = GlobalLock(hGlobalMemory)
  ' Copy the string to this global memory.
  lpGlobalMemory = lstrcpy(lpGlobalMemory, psData)
  ' Unlock the memory.
  If GlobalUnlock(hGlobalMemory) <> 0 Then
    fOK = False
    GoTo OutOfHere2
  End If
  ' Open the Clipboard to copy data to.
  If OpenClipboard(0&) = 0 Then
    fOK = False
    Exit Function
  End If
  ' Clear the Clipboard.
  Call EmptyClipboard
  ' Copy the data to the Clipboard.
  hClipMemory = SetClipboardData(eCBFormat.CF_TEXT, hGlobalMemory)

OutOfHere2:
   Call CloseClipboard
   ClipBoard_SetData = fOK
End Function

Then change Murta's function to include ClipBoard_SetData (s) instead of

ClipBoard.SetText s
ClipBoard.PutInClipboard

References: 1, 2