**As of EPPlus 7.2 it can read and write fixed width text files. It supports two ways of doing it using either start positions of columns or the length of each column.**

## Basic Usage

### Saving Width of columns

Now let's create a workbook with a worksheet and add this data into it using the `ToText` method. In this case `ToText` will need an `ExcelOutputTextFormatFixedWidth` where we enter the lengths of each column. This is the default behavior.

```csharp
using (var p = new ExcelPackage())
{
    var ws = p.Workbook.Worksheets.Add("Sheet1");
    ExcelOutputTextFormatFixedWidth format = new ExcelOutputTextFormatFixedWidth();
    format.SetColumnLengths(16, 10, 16, 8, 1);
    ws.Cells["A1:E6"].ToText(myFile, format);
}
```

```vbnet
Using p As New ExcelPackage()
    Dim ws = p.Workbook.Worksheets.Add("Sheet1")
    Dim format As New ExcelOutputTextFormatFixedWidth()
    format.SetColumnLengths(16, 10, 16, 8, 1)
    ws.Cells("A1:E6").ToText(myFile, format)
End Using
```

- This will write the contents from cell A1 to E6
- Numbers will be right aligned. Text will be left aligned
- By default the space character will be the padding character.

### Saving Positions of columns

Now we will create a workbook with a worksheet and add data into it using `ToText` method, but this time we will use positions.

```csharp
using (var p = new ExcelPackage())
{
    var ws = p.Workbook.Worksheets.Add("Sheet1");
    ExcelTextFormatFixedWidth format = new ExcelTextFormatFixedWidth();
    format.SetColumnPositions(51, 0, 16, 26, 42, 50);
    format.ReadType = FixedWidthReadType.Positions;
    ws.Cells["A1:E6"].LoadFromText(myFile, format);
}
```

```vbnet
Using p As New ExcelPackage()
    Dim ws = p.Workbook.Worksheets.Add("Sheet1")
    Dim format As New ExcelTextFormatFixedWidth()
    format.SetColumnPositions(51, 0, 16, 26, 42, 50)
    format.ReadType = FixedWidthReadType.Positions
    ws.Cells("A1:E6").LoadFromText(myFile, format)
End Using
```

- This will write the contents from cell A1 to E6
- Numbers will be right aligned. Text will be left aligned
- By default the space character will be the padding character.

## ExcelOutputTextFormatFixedWidth

You have the same properties when loading a fixed width text file as when saving, but you also have some extra properties as documented under the [ToText](<https://epplussoftware.com/docs/import-export-data/export/totext/index.md>) article.

### UseTrailingMinus

You can write fixed width file with trailing minus sign for numerics by setting the property. This will put the minus sign after the number in the column.

## See Also

- [Export data](<https://epplussoftware.com/docs/import-export-data/export/index.md>)
- [ToText](<https://epplussoftware.com/docs/import-export-data/export/totext/index.md>)
- [Sample 2.3.2-C\#](<https://github.com/EPPlusSoftware/EPPlus.Samples.CSharp/blob/master/02-Import and export/03-Import export text files/Sample_2_3_2_ImportAndExportFixedWidthFiles.cs>)