delete_sheet_columns
Remove specified columns from an Excel worksheet to clean data or adjust spreadsheet structure. Specify sheet name, starting column, and number of columns to delete.
Instructions
Delete one or more columns starting at the specified column.
Args:
sheet_name: Name of worksheet
start_col: Column number to start deleting from
session_id: Session ID from open_workbook (preferred)
filepath: Path to Excel file (legacy, deprecated)
count: Number of columns to delete
Note: Use session_id for better performance. filepath parameter is deprecated.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| sheet_name | Yes | ||
| start_col | Yes | ||
| session_id | No | ||
| filepath | No | ||
| count | No |
Output Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| result | Yes |
Implementation Reference
- src/xlwings_mcp/server.py:1527-1582 (registration)Registration of the delete_sheet_columns tool via @mcp.tool() decorator. Defines input schema through parameters and docstring. Dispatches to appropriate implementation based on session_id (preferred) or legacy filepath.
@mcp.tool() def delete_sheet_columns( sheet_name: str, start_col: int, session_id: Optional[str] = None, filepath: Optional[str] = None, count: int = 1 ) -> str: """ Delete one or more columns starting at the specified column. Args: sheet_name: Name of worksheet start_col: Column number to start deleting from session_id: Session ID from open_workbook (preferred) filepath: Path to Excel file (legacy, deprecated) count: Number of columns to delete Note: Use session_id for better performance. filepath parameter is deprecated. """ try: # Support both new (session_id) and old (filepath) API if session_id: # New API: use session session = SESSION_MANAGER.get_session(session_id) if not session: return ERROR_TEMPLATES['SESSION_NOT_FOUND'].format( session_id=session_id, ttl=10 # Default TTL is 10 minutes (600 seconds) ) with session.lock: from xlwings_mcp.xlwings_impl.rows_cols_xlw import delete_sheet_columns_xlw_with_wb result = delete_sheet_columns_xlw_with_wb(session.workbook, sheet_name, start_col, count) elif filepath: # Legacy API: backwards compatibility logger.warning("Using deprecated filepath parameter. Please use session_id instead.") full_path = get_excel_path(filepath) from xlwings_mcp.xlwings_impl.rows_cols_xlw import delete_sheet_columns_xlw result = delete_sheet_columns_xlw(full_path, sheet_name, start_col, count) else: return ERROR_TEMPLATES['PARAMETER_MISSING'].format( param1='session_id', param2='filepath' ) if "error" in result: return f"Error: {result['error']}" return result["message"] except (ValidationError, SheetError) as e: return f"Error: {str(e)}" except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Error deleting columns: {e}") raise - Core handler implementation for filepath-based deletion of sheet columns using xlwings COM API. Handles file opening, sheet access, column letter conversion, deletion loop, saving, and cleanup.
def delete_sheet_columns_xlw( filepath: str, sheet_name: str, start_col: int, count: int = 1 ) -> Dict[str, Any]: """ Delete one or more columns in Excel using xlwings. Args: filepath: Path to Excel file sheet_name: Name of worksheet start_col: Column number to start deletion (1-based) count: Number of columns to delete Returns: Dict with success message or error """ app = None wb = None # Initialize COM for thread safety (Windows) _com_initialize() try: logger.info(f"Deleting {count} columns starting from column {start_col} in {sheet_name}") # Check if file exists if not os.path.exists(filepath): return {"error": f"File not found: {filepath}"} # Open Excel app and workbook app = xw.App(visible=False, add_book=False) wb = app.books.open(filepath) # Check if sheet exists sheet_names = [s.name for s in wb.sheets] if sheet_name not in sheet_names: return {"error": f"Sheet '{sheet_name}' not found"} sheet = wb.sheets[sheet_name] # Convert column number to letter def col_num_to_letter(n): string = "" while n > 0: n, remainder = divmod(n - 1, 26) string = chr(65 + remainder) + string return string col_letter = col_num_to_letter(start_col) # Delete columns using xlwings # Delete multiple times since we delete one at a time for i in range(count): col_to_delete = sheet.range(f"{col_letter}:{col_letter}") col_to_delete.api.Delete() # Save the workbook wb.save() logger.info(f"✅ Successfully deleted {count} columns starting from column {col_letter}") return { "message": f"Successfully deleted {count} columns starting from column {col_letter}", "sheet": sheet_name, "start_col": start_col, "count": count } except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Error deleting columns: {e}") return {"error": str(e)} finally: if wb: wb.close() if app: app.quit() - Session-based core handler for deleting sheet columns using existing workbook object. Used by the main tool when session_id is provided. Includes column letter conversion and deletion via xlwings API.
def delete_sheet_columns_xlw_with_wb( wb, sheet_name: str, start_col: int, count: int = 1 ) -> Dict[str, Any]: """Session-based version using existing workbook object. Args: wb: Workbook object from session sheet_name: Name of worksheet start_col: Column number to start deletion (1-based) count: Number of columns to delete Returns: Dict with success message or error """ try: logger.info(f"🗑️ Deleting {count} columns starting from column {start_col} in {sheet_name}") # Check if sheet exists sheet_names = [s.name for s in wb.sheets] if sheet_name not in sheet_names: return {"error": f"Sheet '{sheet_name}' not found"} sheet = wb.sheets[sheet_name] # Convert column number to letter def col_num_to_letter(n): string = "" while n > 0: n, remainder = divmod(n - 1, 26) string = chr(65 + remainder) + string return string col_letter = col_num_to_letter(start_col) # Delete columns using xlwings # Delete multiple times since we delete one at a time for i in range(count): col_to_delete = sheet.range(f"{col_letter}:{col_letter}") col_to_delete.api.Delete() # Save the workbook wb.save() logger.info(f"✅ Successfully deleted {count} columns starting from column {col_letter}") return { "message": f"Successfully deleted {count} columns starting from column {col_letter}", "sheet": sheet_name, "start_col": start_col, "count": count } except Exception as e: logger.error(f"Error deleting columns: {e}") return {"error": str(e)} - Helper function to convert column number (1-based) to Excel column letter (A, B, ..., Z, AA, etc.). Used in both handler implementations.
def col_num_to_letter(n): string = "" while n > 0: n, remainder = divmod(n - 1, 26) string = chr(65 + remainder) + string return string