In what scenarios is it necessary to use a template file for formatting data in Excel output with PHP?

When you need to format data in Excel output with PHP, using a template file can be necessary when you want to apply specific styles, headers, or formatting to the output. This can be particularly useful when generating reports or exporting data that needs to be presented in a specific way in Excel.

// Load the template Excel file
$templateFile = 'template.xlsx';
$spreadsheet = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::load($templateFile);

// Get the active sheet in the template file
$sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();

// Set data in specific cells
$sheet->setCellValue('A1', 'Name');
$sheet->setCellValue('B1', 'Age');

// Apply styles or formatting as needed
$styleArray = [
    'font' => [
        'bold' => true,
    ],
    'alignment' => [
        'horizontal' => \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Style\Alignment::HORIZONTAL_CENTER,
    ],
];
$sheet->getStyle('A1:B1')->applyFromArray($styleArray);

// Save the modified Excel file
$writer = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createWriter($spreadsheet, 'Xlsx');
$writer->save('output.xlsx');