Excel and CSV

Open .xlsx, .xls and .csv files in a grid with formulas, sheet tabs and charts, and ask the agent to update figures, add rows or build an analysis. This page covers editing, the formula and structure warnings, reviewing the agent's changes, and export.

A budget workbook open in Nebula Writer. The review bar shows Review workbook edit with Inspect changes, Discard and Keep, and the new row 9 and the changed total are highlighted in the grid.

Work in the grid#

Select a cell and type, or use the formula bar above the grid. Sheet tabs run along the bottom.

Key	What it does
F2	Edit the selected cell
Enter	Finish the edit
Tab / Shift+Tab	Finish the edit and move right or left
Delete (Backspace on Mac)	Clear the selected cells

The More toolbar actions menu (...) has Insert row below, Delete current row, Insert column right, Delete current column, Merge cells, and a Chart picker for a column, bar, line or pie chart of the selected cells.

Save with Cmd/Ctrl+S. Finish any cell edit before you close the file so the value is saved.

File types#

File	When you save
`.xlsx`	Saved in place as a workbook.
`.xls`	Can't be overwritten. Use Save As to make an `.xlsx` copy.
`.csv`	Saved as CSV.

A CSV file holds one table of plain values. It can't store formulas, formatting, charts or more than one sheet, so save as .xlsx when you need those.

Formula and structure warnings#

Two banners can appear above the grid:

Some formulas need attention. Nebula Writer can't calculate every Excel function, and the banner says how many of the workbook's formulas it can. A result it can't recalculate keeps the value saved in the file, and becomes unknown if you change its inputs. Open Show formula audit details to see which cells.
Review workbook structure before accepting these changes. This appears when a pending edit changes the workbook's structure, such as inserting or removing rows or columns, in a way that can shift ranges or other workbook settings. Check the listed items before you keep the edit.

Ask the agent#

Start by having it describe the workbook:

Prompt

Look at @forecast.xlsx and tell me which sheets hold inputs, formulas and summary tables. Point out named ranges, charts and any warnings. Don't edit the workbook.

Then ask for a bounded change:

Prompt

Update only the Q3 values on the Summary sheet from the Approved Forecast table. Keep formulas, chart ranges, number formats, hidden rows and every other sheet as they are.

For calculations and charts, the agent can also run Python. See Data and charts.

Review workbook edits#

The agent writes its edit to the workbook as it works and keeps a restore point. When it finishes, the review bar shows Review workbook edit and the changed cells are highlighted.

Choose Inspect changes to step through each changed cell with its Before and After values.
Choose Keep to keep the whole edit, or Discard to put the previous version of the workbook back.

A workbook edit is kept or discarded as one decision. You can't keep some cells and discard others. While the edit waits for review, Save copy and the export options are unavailable. See Review and undo.

Export#

In the ... menu, under Export:

PDF / Print saves a PDF. File → Export to PDF... (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E) does the same.
Spreadsheet (.xlsx) saves an .xlsx copy.
CSV (.csv) saves the values as a CSV file.

The PDF has every visible worksheet on Letter or A4 pages with fixed margins, and its text is rendered as images. Charts, drawings, saved print areas, scaling, headers and footers aren't included. For a print-ready PDF with charts, export from Excel.