Abstract: A spreadsheet application or other application supporting formulaic cells that automatically provides support for a number of diverse formulaic functions. The automatically provided diverse formulaic functions include a function returning the value of the formula logic if the logic can be evaluated without an error. Another function finds a value in a formulaic cell that is in the same row as a particular value from the first column and the same column as a particular value in the first row. Other functions allow a selection of a set of multiple lookup rows and columns for matching the values used as variables in the function. The spreadsheet application is further configured to automatically supply other functions in addition to those described.

Abstract: A spreadsheet application or other application supporting formulaic cells that automatically provides support for a number of diverse formulaic functions. The automatically provided diverse formulaic functions include a function returning the value of the formula logic if the logic can be evaluated without an error. Another function finds a value in a formulaic cell that is in the same row as a particular value from the first column and the same column as a particular value in the first row. Other functions allow a selection of a set of multiple lookup rows and columns for matching the values used as variables in the function. The spreadsheet application is further configured to automatically supply other functions in addition to those described.

Abstract: A spreadsheet application or other application supporting formulaic cells that automatically provides support for a number of diverse formulaic functions. The automatically provided diverse formulaic functions include a function returning the value of the formula logic if the logic can be evaluated without an error. Another function finds a value in a formulaic cell that is in the same row as a particular value from the first column and the same column as a particular value in the first row. Other functions allow a selection of a set of multiple lookup rows and columns for matching the values used as variables in the function. The spreadsheet application is further configured to automatically supply other functions in addition to those described.

Abstract: Individual cells within a spreadsheet may contain an extensible value as defined by an extensible value type. The extensible value type is a user defined value type that is incorporated into the spreadsheet as a supported data type. Generally, the extensible data types provide support for types that are not internally defined by a spreadsheet. When the extensible value type is defined, an associated set of functions are developed to operate on the type. These functions are added to the set of base functions supported by the spreadsheet. The functions, therefore, behave in a substantially similar manner to the set of base spreadsheet functions. The extensible values that are contained within the cells may be acted upon in the same way that supported base types are acted upon.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method and system of processing chain calculations in spreadsheet applications utilizing multiple processors, each having a separate recalculation engine. A single calculation chain may be reordered into a unified chain where supporting and dependent formulas are organized into a tree hierarchy of child chains. The unified chain is further divided into dependency levels, where entries in each dependency level may be moved to a next dependency level during reordering. If an entry within a dependency level is dependent upon another entry not found within its own child chain, the unified chain is ordered such that an entry is only dependent upon an entry in a prior dependency level. Further, dependency levels allow a control thread to perform control-thread-only operations while maintaining multi-thread processing capabilities.

Abstract: The present invention provides several database formulas that can manipulate large sets of data. Each database formula is customizable and repeatable without user intervention. Thus, users may enter numerous options that can cover the user's desire for data output in certain forms or formats, select a set of input data, and consistently receive a set of output data. In some embodiments, the user may refer to the set of data semantically instead of specifying a range of cells to use in the database formula. Referring to the data semantically allows the database formulas to adjust to changes in the range of cells new data may occupy.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention involve a method of concurrent processing of chain calculations using multiple processors each having a separate recalculation engine in a spreadsheet program. The operations basically include first determining a number of available processors, then allocating a recalculation engine to each available processor, distributing the formulas between the recalculation engines, and then concurrently evaluating the formulas distributed to each recalculation engine when a recalc operation is called for in the spreadsheet program.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new type of structured name within a spreadsheet program that allows users to refer to tables, columns of data within tables, headers of tables, totals from tables, PivotTables®, and portions of PivotTable® data by the data's headers. Embodiments of the present invention comprise a method for referring to a set of data that comprises receiving one or more semantic designations, wherein the one or more semantic designations name a set of context information that describes one or more items of data in a data structure, automatically creating a structural reference, and associating the context information with the structural reference.

Abstract: A user can click on a spreadsheet cell to enter edit mode and alter the contents of the cell. Edit mode can be exited through a click and drag maneuver. The click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but also selects a range of cells. The click and drag is performed by depressing a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned Over the edit cell, moving the mouse while holding the mouse button depressed, and releasing the mouse button when the end of the desired range of cells is reached. The range of selected cells starts with the edit cell and continues to the cell over which the mouse indicator was positioned when the mouse button was released.

Abstract: Editing cells within a spreadsheet to change the contents of a spreadsheet. To enter edit mode and alter the contents of a cell, the user first selects a cell by single clicking a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned above the cell. The user then initiates another single click when the mouse indicator is positioned above the selected cell. Once edit mode is active, the user may change the contents of the cell from within the web browser window as desired. Edit mode can be exited through one of three methods: an “exit and save” signal, an “exit and discard” signal, or a click and drag maneuver. The exit and save signal prompts the invention to save all changes to the cell that the user has made. The exit and discard signal prompts the invention to discard any changes made to the cell by the user, revert to the pre-edit mode contents of the edit cell, and exit edit mode. Finally, a click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but selects a range of cells.

Abstract: Editing cells within a spreadsheet to change the contents of a spreadsheet. To enter edit mode and alter the contents of a cell, the user first selects a cell by single clicking a mouse button while the mouse indicator is positioned above the cell. The user then initiates another single click when the mouse indicator is positioned above the selected cell. Once edit mode is active, the user may change the contents of the cell from within the web browser window as desired. Edit mode can be exited through one of three methods: an “exit and save” signal, an “exit and discard” signal, or a click and drag maneuver. The exit and save signal prompts the invention to save all changes to the cell that the user has made. The exit and discard signal prompts the invention to discard any changes made to the cell by the user, revert to the pre-edit mode contents of the edit cell, and exit edit mode. Finally, a click and drag maneuver not only exits edit mode, but selects a range of cells.