Abstract: Spreadsheet cells are bound to external objects using a direct communication scheme having little processing overhead. A spreadsheet cell is bound to an object external to the spreadsheet, exposing a property or method of the object. The exposed property or method can then be used to update the value of the spreadsheet cell, either automatically when the exposed property changes, or in response to a request from the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is preferably a spreadsheet COM control, which is embedded in a web page that is preferably browsed with a Microsoft INTERNET EXPLORER™ browser. The external object is also preferably embedded in the web page and may include an automatic control that is used to acquire data over a network such as the Internet.