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@zanuka zanuka commented Mar 15, 2025

Issue: GH-61123
When reading Excel files with pd.read_excel and specifying nrows=4, the behavior differs depending on whether there’s a blank row between tables. For a file with two tables (each with a header and 3 data rows), nrows=4 should yield a DataFrame with one header and 3 data rows (shape (3, n)). However:

  • In test1.xlsx (with a blank row), it correctly reads the first table (header + 3 rows).
  • In test2.xlsx (no blank row), it incorrectly includes the second table’s header as a data row, resulting in a shape of (4, n).

This inconsistency occurs because read_excel doesn’t properly respect table boundaries when tables are adjacent, despite the nrows limit.

Fix:

  • Modified pandas/io/excel/_base.py and related reader modules (_openpyxl.py, _pyxlsb.py, _xlrd.py) to ensure nrows limits reading to the specified number of rows, excluding subsequent table headers even when tables are adjacent.
  • Added a new test test_excel_read_tables_with_and_without_blank_row in pandas/tests/io/excel/test_readers.py to verify that nrows=4 consistently returns a DataFrame with shape (3, 2) (header + 3 data rows) for both cases.

Changes:

  • Updated Excel reader logic to stop at nrows without parsing beyond table boundaries.
  • Ensured consistent behavior across openpyxl, pyxlsb, and xlrd engines.
  • Squashed commits into a single commit for clarity.

Verification:

  • Tested with test1.xlsx (blank row) and test2.xlsx (no blank row).
  • Confirmed both now yield a DataFrame with shape (3, 2) and only the first table’s data.

Steps to Test:

  1. Run pytest pandas/tests/io/excel/test_readers.py::TestReaders::test_excel_read_tables_with_and_without_blank_row.
  2. Verify df1.shape == (3, 2) and df2.shape == (3, 2) match the expected output.

Related Files:

  • pandas/io/excel/_base.py
  • pandas/io/excel/_openpyxl.py
  • pandas/io/excel/_pyxlsb.py
  • pandas/io/excel/_xlrd.py
  • pandas/tests/io/excel/test_readers.py

Closes #61123

⚡️ Commit from Jolt AI ⚡️

Fix Excel Test Indentation (https://app.usejolt.ai/code-chat/0d4546cc-38b6-4754-ae0a-55afa71f01ab)

Description:
Fix Excel Test Indentation

⚡️ Commit from Jolt AI ⚡️

Fix Excel Test Indentation (https://app.usejolt.ai/code-chat/0d4546cc-38b6-4754-ae0a-55afa71f01ab)

Description:
Fix Excel Test Indentation

⚡️ Commit from Jolt AI ⚡️

Fix Excel Test Indentation (https://app.usejolt.ai/code-chat/0d4546cc-38b6-4754-ae0a-55afa71f01ab)

Description:
Fix Excel Test Indentation

fixes tests
@zanuka zanuka requested a review from rhshadrach as a code owner March 15, 2025 05:07
@zanuka zanuka closed this Mar 15, 2025
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DOC: read_excel nrows parameter reads extra rows when tables are adjacent (no blank row)

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