Read Cell
Description
The Read Cell activity retrieves the value contained in a worksheet cell and stores it for use in subsequent workflow activities.
The cell can be identified using a cell address or by specifying row and column indexes.
Common settings
Use Process Data to bind supported inputs to workflow values or upstream outputs. See Common Activity Features for shared execution, error-handling, and output-persistence settings. Availability depends on the activity.
Design-Time Configuration
Workbook Configuration
This activity requires an Excel workbook.
Learn more → Excel Workbook Configuration
Worksheet Selection
This activity operates on a worksheet within the workbook.
Learn more → Excel Worksheet Selection
Cell Selection
Selects the cell whose value should be read.
The cell can be identified using either a cell address or a combination of row and column indexes.
Learn more → Worksheet Data Selection
Preserve Format
Controls how the cell value is returned. In the current runtime, True converts the underlying typed value to text; False returns the cell's display text, including its number formatting. The default is True.
For example, a numeric value stored as 0.25 with percentage formatting can be returned as underlying text 0.25 or display text 25%. Test the setting with the workbook's formats before parsing returned text as a number or date.
Behavior
The activity reads the value stored in the selected cell and returns it as text.
If the cell contains a formula, the calculated result of the formula is returned rather than the formula expression itself.
To retrieve the formula expression, use the Read Cell Formula activity.
Outputs
Cell Value
Returns the value contained in the selected cell.
The returned value is provided as a string.
Execution settings
Configure Wait All Incoming when execution paths converge, and On Error for failure handling. Select Inherit where available to use the workflow-level error policy.