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Excel to XML API Documentation

Overview

The Excel to XML API converts Excel files (.xls, .xlsx) into structured XML format.
It supports multiple sheets, optional header rows, and customizable XML tag names.
The API can process data synchronously (direct upload) or asynchronously (remote file URL or uploaded file reference).

Base URL:
https://api.apidatatools.com/excel-to-xml-api

Endpoint (POST)

POST https://api.apidatatools.com/excel-to-xml-api

Headers

Header Type Required Description
x-api-key string Yes Your API key for authentication
x-source-type string Optional Input source type: body, url, or file (default: body)
x-has-header string Optional "0", "false", or "no" disables header row detection
x-sheet-name string Optional Process only the specified sheet name
x-sheet-index integer Optional Process only the specified sheet index (0-based)
x-tab-space integer Optional Number of spaces for XML indentation (default: 2)
x-root-name string Optional Root XML element name (default: root)
x-row-name string Optional Row XML element name (default: row)

Accepted File Extensions

Mode Allowed Extensions
Body / URL / File .xls, .xlsx

Input Example (Body Mode)

Binary Excel content must be Base64-encoded when sent in the request body.

Headers: 

x-source-type: body
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

Body: Binary Excel file data

Input Example (URL Mode)

Headers: 

x-source-type: url
Content-Type: application/json
x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

Body: 

{
  "url": "https://example.com/data/sample.xlsx"
}

Input Example (File Mode)

Headers: 

x-source-type: file
Content-Type: application/json
x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

Body: 

{
  "file": "user123/upl_abc123/sample.xlsx"
}

Example Request

Synchronous (Body Input)

curl -X POST "https://api.apidatatools.com/excel-to-xml-api" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "x-source-type: body" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
  --data-binary "@sample.xlsx"

Asynchronous (Remote File URL)

curl -X POST "https://api.apidatatools.com/excel-to-xml-api" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "x-source-type: url" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url": "https://example.com/data/sample.xlsx"}'

Asynchronous (Input File)

curl -X POST "https://api.apidatatools.com/excel-to-xml-api" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "x-source-type: file" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"file": "user123/upl_abc123/sample.xlsx"}'

Example Response

Successful (Body Mode)

Status Code: 200 OK 

{
  "status": "success",
  "request_id": "b1e2f3a4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab",
  "file": "https://downloads.apidatatools.com/apidatatools_convert_abc123.xml",
  "preview": "<root>\n  <sheet name=\"Sheet1\">...</sheet>\n</root>"
}

Async Job Accepted

Status Code: 202 Accepted 

{
  "status": "accepted",
  "job_id": "job-1234567890abcdef",
  "status_url": "https://api.apidatatools.com/jobs/job-1234567890abcdef",
  "request_id": "b1e2f3a4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab"
}

Error Handling

Error Code HTTP Status Description Example
INVALID_EXCEL_CONTENT_TYPE 400 Input is not valid Excel bytes {"status":"error","error":"INVALID_EXCEL_CONTENT_TYPE","details":{"message":"Excel content must be raw bytes."}}
EXCEL_READ_FAILED 400 Excel file could not be read {"status":"error","error":"EXCEL_READ_FAILED","details":{"message":"Failed to read Excel file."}}
EXCEL_TO_XML_CONVERSION_FAILED 400 Conversion to XML failed {"status":"error","error":"EXCEL_TO_XML_CONVERSION_FAILED","details":{"message":"Failed to convert Excel to XML."}}
XML_SERIALIZATION_FAILED 400 XML serialization failed {"status":"error","error":"XML_SERIALIZATION_FAILED","details":{"message":"Failed to serialize XML."}}
INVALID_BODY_ENCODING 400 Base64 decoding failed {"status":"error","error":"INVALID_BODY_ENCODING","details":{"message":"Failed to base64-decode binary body."}}
EMPTY_BODY 400 Missing request body {"status":"error","error":"EMPTY_BODY","details":{"message":"Request body is empty."}}
PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE 413 Body exceeds plan limit {"status":"error","error":"PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE","details":{"message":"Request body exceeds limit."}}
INVALID_URL 400 Invalid or missing URL {"status":"error","error":"INVALID_URL","details":{"message":"Missing or invalid 'url'."}}
URL_UNREACHABLE 400 Could not reach remote file {"status":"error","error":"URL_UNREACHABLE","details":{"message":"Could not reach URL"}}
URL_NOT_OK 400 Remote file returned non-200 status {"status":"error","error":"URL_NOT_OK","details":{"message":"URL returned HTTP 404"}}
FILE_TOO_LARGE 413 File exceeds plan limit {"status":"error","error":"FILE_TOO_LARGE","details":{"message":"Remote file exceeds plan limit."}}
INVALID_FILE 400 Invalid file reference {"status":"error","error":"INVALID_FILE","details":{"message":"Missing or invalid 'file'."}}
INVALID_FILE_EXTENSION 400 Unsupported file extension {"status":"error","error":"INVALID_FILE_EXTENSION","details":{"message":"Invalid or unsupported file extension"}}
INTERNAL_ERROR 500 Unexpected internal error {"status":"error","error":"INTERNAL_ERROR","details":{"message":"Failed to process your request"}}

Async Job Status

Endpoint:
GET https://api.apidatatools.com/jobs/{job_id}

Response Examples:

Queued / Processing

{
  "job_id": "job-1234567890abcdef",
  "status": "queued",
  "message": "Your job is being processed.",
  "retry_after": 2,
  "created_at": 1712345678,
  "updated_at": 1712345678
}

Completed Successfully

{
  "job_id": "job-1234567890abcdef",
  "status": "success",
  "created_at": 1712345678,
  "updated_at": 1712345690,
  "result": {
    "status": "success",
    "file": "https://downloads.apidatatools.com/apidatatools_convert_abc123.xml",
    "request_id": "b1e2f3a4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab",
    "preview": "<root><sheet name=\"Sheet1\">...</sheet></root>"
  }
}

Failed

{
  "job_id": "job-1234567890abcdef",
  "status": "failed",
  "created_at": 1712345678,
  "updated_at": 1712345680,
  "error": {
    "code": "EXCEL_READ_FAILED",
    "message": "Failed to read Excel file.",
    "details": {
      "message": "Excel file is corrupted."
    }
  }
}

Notes for Developers

  • The API supports three input modes:
  • Body: Direct upload (synchronous)
  • URL: Remote file (asynchronous)
  • File: Pre-uploaded file (asynchronous)
  • For asynchronous jobs, use the returned status_url to poll job progress.
  • The preview field in responses contains the first 100 KB of the generated XML for quick inspection.
  • Ensure correct Excel MIME type and Base64 encoding when using body mode.
  • Headers such as x-root-name and x-row-name allow customization of XML structure.
  • Always include x-api-key for authentication.