# How to Read the Values of Merged Cells in a Worksheet

## Environment

| Version    | Product             | Author                                                                          |
| ---------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 2024.1.124 | RadSpreadProcessing | [Desislava Yordanova](https://www.telerik.com/blogs/author/desislava-yordanova) |

## Description

Learn how to read spreadsheet documents that contain [merged cells](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/libraries/radspreadprocessing/features/merge-unmerge-cells) and retrieve the correct values stored in the merged cells.

## Solution

[RadSpreadProcessing](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/libraries/radspreadprocessing/overview) allows you to [identify merged cells](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/libraries/radspreadprocessing/features/merge-unmerge-cells) and extract their values no matter which cell of the merged region is accessed.
The following example iterates through the cells in the used range of the worksheet. If a cell is part of a merged region, the code obtains the value from the top-left cell of the merged region.

```csharp
            string fileName = "Sample.xls";
            if (!File.Exists(fileName))
            {
                throw new FileNotFoundException(String.Format("File {0} was not found!", fileName));
            }

            Telerik.Windows.Documents.Spreadsheet.Model.Workbook workbook;
            IWorkbookFormatProvider formatProvider = new Telerik.Windows.Documents.Spreadsheet.FormatProviders.Xls.XlsFormatProvider();

            using (Stream input = new FileStream(fileName, FileMode.Open))
            {
                workbook = formatProvider.Import(input);
            }

            Worksheet worksheet = workbook.Sheets[0] as Worksheet;
            CellRange usedCellRange = worksheet.UsedCellRange;
            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
            for (int rowIndex = usedCellRange.FromIndex.RowIndex; rowIndex <= usedCellRange.ToIndex.RowIndex; rowIndex++)
            {
                sb.AppendLine("ROW " + (rowIndex + 1));
                for (int columnIndex = usedCellRange.FromIndex.ColumnIndex; columnIndex <= usedCellRange.ToIndex.ColumnIndex; columnIndex++)
                {
                    CellSelection selection = worksheet.Cells[rowIndex, columnIndex];
                    CellIndex currentCellIndex = new CellIndex(rowIndex, columnIndex);
                    CellRange mergedCellRange;
                    if (worksheet.Cells.TryGetContainingMergedRange(currentCellIndex, out mergedCellRange))
                    {
                        selection= worksheet.Cells[mergedCellRange.FromIndex];
                    } 
                    ICellValue value = selection.GetValue().Value;
                    CellValueFormat format = selection.GetFormat().Value;
                    CellValueFormatResult formatResult = format.GetFormatResult(value);
                    string result = formatResult.InfosText;
                    if (result != null && result != string.Empty)
                    {
                        sb.AppendLine(result);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        sb.AppendLine("-");
                    }
                }
            }

            string path = @"MyTest.txt";
            File.Delete(path);
            if (!File.Exists(path))
            {
                using (StreamWriter sw = File.CreateText(path))
                {
                    sw.WriteLine(sb.ToString());
                }
            }
            Process.Start(new ProcessStartInfo() { FileName = path, UseShellExecute = true });
```

This approach ensures that you correctly read the values of merged cells in a worksheet by always retrieving the value from the top-left cell of the merged region.

![Merged Cells Value](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/assets/fe0646f50ab1e382896d399dd196e2bb/read-xls-file-merged-cells-radspreadprocessing.png)

## See Also

* [Merge Cells in SpreadProcessing](https://www.telerik.com/document-processing-libraries/documentation/libraries/radspreadprocessing/features/merge-unmerge-cells)