## Basics
Creating a new PHPExcel Object.  
```
$this->PHPExcel = new PHPExcel();
```

### Sheets
  
A new sheet can be added to the excel file using:  
`$this->activeSheet = $this->PHPExcel->createSheet();`  
and the sheet title can be set or renamed using:  
`$this->activeSheet->setTitle($title);`  
  
  
Getting the active sheet:  
`$this->activeSheet = $this->PHPExcel->getActiveSheet();`  
  
Setting the active sheet:  
```
$sheetIndex = 2;
$this->PHPExcel->setActiveSheetIndex($sheetIndex)
```


  
Setting the width of a specific column.  
```
$this->activeSheet
    ->getColumnDimension($colString)
    ->setWidth($width);
```
   
Setting the default column width/row height for an entire sheet.  
```
$this->activeSheet
    ->getDefaultColumnDimension()
    ->setWidth($width);
    
$this->activeSheet
    ->getDefaultRowDimension()
    ->setRowHeight($height);
```

## Styles    
Setting default styles for the active sheet
```
$this->activeSheet
    ->getDefaultStyle()
    ->applyFromArray($this->defaultStyle);
```

## Writing to cells
Text can be added to a cell using `setCellValue($colRow, $data)`  
`$colRow` - The column and row to write to (i.e. 'A2')  
`$data` - The data to write  
  
```
    $this->activeSheet->setCellValue($colRow, $data);       
```

```
    $this->activeSheet->setCellValueByColumnAndRow($column, $row, $data);  
```

```
    $this->activeSheet->setCellValueExplicit($coord, $value, $dataType);  
    $this->activeSheet->setCellValueExplicitByColumnAndRow($col, $row, $value, $dataType);  
```

#### Writing from arrays
A 2-dimensional array can be written to the current sheet usng `fromArray($twoDimArray)`  
* `$twoDimArray` - the 2D array to be written  
* `$useWhenNull` - what to use if there is a null value  
* `$topLeftCorner` -  where the top left corner should be.  
  
```
$this->activeSheet->fromArray($sheet);  
$this->activeSheet->fromArray($sheet, "", $colRow);  
```
  
Or the array can be written manually by looping through the array and calling `setCellValue`    
```
foreach($rows as $row => $columns) {
    foreach($columns as $column => $data) {
        $this->activeSheet->setCellValue($column.$row, $data);
    }
}
```