Excel To Delimited

When to use

• The user asks to convert a local .xlsx or .xls workbook into .csv files.
• The user asks to convert a local .xlsx or .xls workbook into .tsv files.
• The workbook is large enough that one combined Markdown file would be unwieldy.
• The user wants machine-friendly per-sheet exports for later filtering or targeted reading.

When not to use

• The request is not about a local .xls or .xlsx file.
• The user has not provided a usable local file path.
• The user wants a single combined Markdown representation of the workbook instead; use excel-to-markdown.
• The task needs formulas recalculated, charts preserved, or pixel-perfect Office fidelity.

Workflow

1. Identify the local input path and confirm it ends in .xls or .xlsx.
2. If the path is missing or ambiguous, ask for the minimum clarification needed.
3. Accept an optional | format:csv or | format:tsv filter, defaulting to csv.
4. Prefer deterministic local parsing with Python packages in this order:
   • openpyxl for .xlsx
   • xlrd for .xls
5. For shell usage in the shared library, run python3 "{baseDir}/excel_to_delimited.py" ....
6. Check the required package before conversion:
   • python3 -m pip show openpyxl for .xlsx
   • python3 -m pip show xlrd for .xls
7. If the required package is missing, stop before conversion and explain exactly what needs to be installed.
8. Prefer setup instructions that match this shared library workflow and this OS:
   • Step 1: install spreadsheet helpers with python3 -m pip install openpyxl xlrd
   • Step 2: verify the packages with python3 -m pip show openpyxl xlrd
   • Step 3: retry the conversion request
9. By default, write the exported files into a sibling directory named from the workbook basename plus _csv or _tsv.
10. Preserve worksheet order by numbering output filenames and keep worksheet names visible in the filenames.
11. Do not invent cell contents or claim a successful conversion if the output directory was not created.

Output requirements

• State which file was processed.
• Return the output directory path.
• State which format was written when that is known.
• State clearly when required Python packages are missing and provide step-by-step setup instructions tailored to the missing package.
• Keep the output machine-friendly and sheet-oriented instead of collapsing everything into one large Markdown document.

Commands

Convert with default CSV output:

python3 "{baseDir}/excel_to_delimited.py" "/path/to/research-notes.xlsx"

Convert with TSV request syntax:

python3 "{baseDir}/excel_to_delimited.py" --request "/tmp/vendor-pricing.xls | format:tsv"

Install spreadsheet helpers:

python3 -m pip install openpyxl xlrd

Constraints

• Use the bundled helper instead of ad hoc workbook parsing.
• Preserve the source workbook and write separate per-sheet delimited files.
• Default the output directory to the same directory as the input file when not provided.
• If the input file does not exist, say so explicitly.
• If the required Python package is missing, explain that the conversion cannot run until it is installed.