XLPack for Python/Matplotlib

1. Introduction

XLPack for Python (hereinafter abbreviated as XLPack PY) and XLPack for Matplotlib (hereinafter abbreviated as XLPack MPL) are programs that enable calling Python and Matplotlib from Excel VBA (this is an experimental version currently under development).

These are being developed as the visualization component that, when combined with the numerical computation library XLPack, enables everything from calculation to result display within Excel VBA. They are intended to provide visualizations that are difficult to achieve in Excel, such as animations and 3D displays.

These software tools are recommended for users who have experience with Python and Matplotlib and possess a certain level of knowledge. There are many excellent explanations of Python and Matplotlib available in books and online, so please refer to those resources.

At present, the experimental version under development is released as is (it runs on Windows 10/11, Excel (64-bit), and requires Python 3.13 or later (64-bit)). There are many versions of Python, NumPy, and Matplotlib, and we have not been able to verify all possible combinations. In addition, some parts of the software are still unstable.

The experimental version is provided “as is” and no support services are available.

The major known issues in the current version are as follows:

– Opening multiple Matplotlib windows simultaneously may cause instability.
– If an error occurs within Python or Matplotlib, Excel VBA may become unstable.

2. How to use XLPack PY/MPL

Please refer to the following manuals.

XLPack for Python User’s Manual
XLPack for Python Installation Manual

XLPack for Matplotlib User’s Manual
XLPack for Matplotlib Reference Manual
XLPack for Matplotlib Installation Manual

3. Example programs

Short usage examples for individual XLPack MPL functions can be found in the reference manual for each function, or from the following.

XLPack for Matplotlib Example Programs

For more detailed examples using 3D visualization and animation, please refer to the followings.

Example (1) 3D visualization (Laplace equation)
Example (2) Animation (Simple pendulum)
Example (3) Animation (Arenstorf orbits)

4. Reference Information

The software versions used for verification are as follows.

 
  Package         Version
  --------------- ------------------
  python          3.14.4 and 3.13.13
  matplotlib      3.10.8
  numpy           2.4.4
  scipy           1.17.1