Apache poi - print layout, more than one print area in the same sheet

Question

I'm trying to develop a complex report, and I need to set up the print areas for the excel file. I must divide the xls file in 3 part, but if I do setPrintArea(..) the new area subscribe the old and the result is that I have in the print preview only the last page. How can I set more than one print area? This is the code:

protected void createCustomerSheet(String label) {
    createSheet(label);
    getCurrentSheet().getPrintSetup().setPaperSize(PrintSetup.A4_PAPERSIZE);
    getCurrentSheet().getPrintSetup().setFitHeight((short)1);
    getCurrentSheet().getPrintSetup().setFitWidth((short)1);
    getCurrentSheet().setAutobreaks(true);
    getCurrentSheet().setFitToPage(true);
}

then I call 3 times

 wb.setPrintArea(activeSheetIndex, startColumn, endColumn, startRow, endRow);

I also tried to add break rows, but it doesn't work..

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Excel maintains only one print area for a spreadsheet. So Apache POI's Excel API provides the ability to set one print area.

It sounds like you might be trying to define different pages of a report. If so, you'll need to set row and/or column breaks in each Sheet in which you want this done. Use the following methods of Sheet, assuming sheet is your Sheet instance:

sheet.setAutobreaks(false);
sheet.setRowBreak(rowIndex);
sheet.setColumnBreak(columnIndex);

You may call each of those last 2 methods multiple times to establish multiple breaks.

Answer 2

You can set multiple print ranges like this:

try (final Workbook wb = new HSSFWorkbook(new FileInputStream("in.xls"))) {
    wb.setPrintArea(0,  "$E$6:$F$12,$H$16:$I$25,$J$18:$L$26");
    wb.write(new FileOutputStream("out.xls"));
}