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Here are some features that would be nice in Excel: 1. Programmability in something other than VBA (Python?). 2. Online spreadsheets like Google. 3. Bett

Here are some features that would be nice in Excel: 1. Programmability in something other than VBA (Python?). 2. Online spreadsheets like Google. 3. Better search and replace. 4. Ability to reference tables through URLs so they could show up in blogs and in HTML. Something like this: http://ycspreadsheets.com/joe/doc1.ss?s=1&block=a1:c10. This should produce HTML that some javascript can replace in my blog with the table pulled out of the spreadsheet. 5. Ability to pull and reference data dynamically from online sources. For example, imagine a spreadsheet cell that pulled the current stock price of GOOG every time it was viewed. And the rest of the spreadsheet would naturally update automatically.

FreeRadical 18y ago
I thought number 5 was already possible in excel :/
- jaxn 18y ago
  It is already possible in Excel, but it is very poorly documented. I have a few sheets that I use which pull from a non-ODBC URL using http. It populates a range of cells with new data automatically each time the spreadsheet is opened. (on a Mac too).
joe_the_user 18y ago
"Ability to pull and reference data dynamically from online sources. For example, imagine a spreadsheet cell that pulled the current stock price of GOOG every time it was viewed. And the rest of the spreadsheet would naturally update automatically." Yes. This feature implemented well would create a really cool app. What would be even more interesting would a situation where several different sheets could pull data from each using a clever protocol to avoid the churning of values. Imagine different enterprises which each had online sheets describing their current production abilities and current supply needs. With a clever protocol, their production processes be semi-automatically coordinated (and remember, semi-automatic, some throttling is necessary to prevent self-referential cells from feeding back in an unhelpful way).
- gruseom 18y ago
  Could the "clever protocol" simply be: refresh the numbers when the user refreshes a page?
  - gsiener 18y ago
    The issue with this is that Excel refreshes the active workbook by default after every change. Any quant or someone dealing with huge sheets of formulas learn that you can change this behavior to default to refresh via shift+F9 (I think)
    - gruseom 18y ago
      That's for local changes. I think what we're talking about here is a sheet (at one URL) referencing a completely different sheet (at some other URL). The equivalent in Excel, I suppose, would be one .xls file referencing another.
aneesh 18y ago
2. The next version of Excel will be online. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_14)
martin 18y ago
#1 is possible using COM automation. You can write an app that interfaces with Excel via COM, or integrate your own functionality into Excel by developing a COM add-in. #5 can be done in Excel by implementing an RTD server (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP030662371033.aspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP030662371033.aspx). An interesting example is here: http://fransking.blogspot.com/2007/03/yfquotertd-real-time-data-service-for.html http://fransking.blogspot.com/2007/03/yfquotertd-real-time-d...
kirubakaran 18y ago
1. Already doable to a significant extent http://www.google.com/search?q=excel+python http://www.google.com/search?q=excel+python 2. Well, Google does this :) 3. Follows from 1. 4. Good idea, but why not just use this: http://www.google.com/search?q=spreadsheet+widget http://www.google.com/search?q=spreadsheet+widget Or http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=55244&topic=15170 http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=55244&#3... 5. Already easily doable in Excel http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6115870.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=tr http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6115870.h... In Google Spreadsheet, just use: =GoogleFinance("GOOG"; "price") ------ And I hope Google is working on a REPL for Google Docs where you can interactively run any language on your spreadsheet. :-)
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  Can't you accomplish #2 via Sharepoint or Office Online? I know there are some options if you click Windows Logo > Publish in Excel 2007.
  - kirubakaran 18y ago
    I think so. But I don't think the published spreadsheet can be edited online.
- pg 18y ago
  Actually a repl might be just the thing in a spreadsheet.
  - kirubakaran 18y ago
    I just learned that this sort of exists: http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python-console.shtml http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python... [ credit : http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=430129 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=430129 ]
carterschonwald 18y ago
what about being able to specify linear algebraic manipulations of part of the spread sheets, that would go a long way to make many things easier (sort of a mini matlab, but done right)
- jaxn 18y ago
  There is an equation tool in Excel for this purpose.
lunchbox 18y ago
(1) can be done with Visual Studio Tools for Office: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Tools_for_Office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Tools_for_Office
bocajuniors 18y ago
Gnumeric is programmable in Python
- kirubakaran 18y ago
  Awesome! Thanks. http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python-console.shtml http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python...
gpjt 18y ago
"Programmability in something other than VBA (Python?)." Resolver One is a spreadsheet that has that: http://www.resolversystems.com/products/programmability.php http://www.resolversystems.com/products/programmability.php OpenOffice Calc has some kind of Python programmability too, though I don't know how good it is.
igorhvr 18y ago
#1 is really important - VBA is an awful language. My two cents: add support for arbitrary precision math. Sometimes you need it, and when you do, you really need it.

FreeRadical 18y ago

I thought number 5 was already possible in excel :/

jaxn 18y ago
It is already possible in Excel, but it is very poorly documented. I have a few sheets that I use which pull from a non-ODBC URL using http. It populates a range of cells with new data automatically each time the spreadsheet is opened. (on a Mac too).

joe_the_user 18y ago

"Ability to pull and reference data dynamically from online sources. For example, imagine a spreadsheet cell that pulled the current stock price of GOOG every time it was viewed. And the rest of the spreadsheet would naturally update automatically." Yes. This feature implemented well would create a really cool app. What would be even more interesting would a situation where several different sheets could pull data from each using a clever protocol to avoid the churning of values. Imagine different enterprises which each had online sheets describing their current production abilities and current supply needs. With a clever protocol, their production processes be semi-automatically coordinated (and remember, semi-automatic, some throttling is necessary to prevent self-referential cells from feeding back in an unhelpful way).

gruseom 18y ago
Could the "clever protocol" simply be: refresh the numbers when the user refreshes a page?
- gsiener 18y ago
  The issue with this is that Excel refreshes the active workbook by default after every change. Any quant or someone dealing with huge sheets of formulas learn that you can change this behavior to default to refresh via shift+F9 (I think)
  - gruseom 18y ago
    That's for local changes. I think what we're talking about here is a sheet (at one URL) referencing a completely different sheet (at some other URL). The equivalent in Excel, I suppose, would be one .xls file referencing another.

aneesh 18y ago

2. The next version of Excel will be online. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office_14)

martin 18y ago

#1 is possible using COM automation. You can write an app that interfaces with Excel via COM, or integrate your own functionality into Excel by developing a COM add-in. #5 can be done in Excel by implementing an RTD server (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP030662371033.aspx http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP030662371033.aspx). An interesting example is here: http://fransking.blogspot.com/2007/03/yfquotertd-real-time-data-service-for.html http://fransking.blogspot.com/2007/03/yfquotertd-real-time-d...

kirubakaran 18y ago

1. Already doable to a significant extent http://www.google.com/search?q=excel+python http://www.google.com/search?q=excel+python 2. Well, Google does this :) 3. Follows from 1. 4. Good idea, but why not just use this: http://www.google.com/search?q=spreadsheet+widget http://www.google.com/search?q=spreadsheet+widget Or http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=55244&topic=15170 http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=55244&#3... 5. Already easily doable in Excel http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6115870.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=tr http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6115870.h... In Google Spreadsheet, just use: =GoogleFinance("GOOG"; "price") ------ And I hope Google is working on a REPL for Google Docs where you can interactively run any language on your spreadsheet. :-)

mattmaroon 18y ago
Can't you accomplish #2 via Sharepoint or Office Online? I know there are some options if you click Windows Logo > Publish in Excel 2007.
- kirubakaran 18y ago
  I think so. But I don't think the published spreadsheet can be edited online.
pg 18y ago
Actually a repl might be just the thing in a spreadsheet.
- kirubakaran 18y ago
  I just learned that this sort of exists: http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python-console.shtml http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python... [ credit : http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=430129 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=430129 ]

carterschonwald 18y ago

what about being able to specify linear algebraic manipulations of part of the spread sheets, that would go a long way to make many things easier (sort of a mini matlab, but done right)

jaxn 18y ago
There is an equation tool in Excel for this purpose.

lunchbox 18y ago

(1) can be done with Visual Studio Tools for Office: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Tools_for_Office http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Studio_Tools_for_Office

bocajuniors 18y ago

Gnumeric is programmable in Python

kirubakaran 18y ago
Awesome! Thanks. http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python-console.shtml http://projects.gnome.org/gnumeric/doc/sect-extending-python...

gpjt 18y ago

"Programmability in something other than VBA (Python?)." Resolver One is a spreadsheet that has that: http://www.resolversystems.com/products/programmability.php http://www.resolversystems.com/products/programmability.php OpenOffice Calc has some kind of Python programmability too, though I don't know how good it is.

igorhvr 18y ago

#1 is really important - VBA is an awful language. My two cents: add support for arbitrary precision math. Sometimes you need it, and when you do, you really need it.