Convert Excel Spreadsheet File Format (XLS, XLSX) to CSV

If one works with spreadsheets eventually there will come a time when the information needs to be processed and converted to the plain text data format called Comma Separated Values (CSV). One off situations can typically be resolved by manually saving the document to CSV using the spreadsheet productivity software suite program of choice (e.g. LibreOffice Calc). Yet when it comes to repeatedly doing this it is more effective to use the command line to quickly convert the necessary spreadsheet documents. There are several Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) options available, but there are a few things to consider before one ventures into the conversion process. Difference Between File Formats Excel spreadsheet documents are commonly saved with the file extension of “XLSX” or “XLS” and are binary or Extensible Markup Language (XML) based. Each file stores a variety of data such as structured tables, formulas, pivot tables, charts, cell formatting, embedded objects, etc. This is all…