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The Spreadsheet element
The Spreadsheet element

Learn how to use the advanced functionalities from the spreadsheet element

Eynav Haltzi avatar
Written by Eynav Haltzi
Updated over 9 months ago

The spreadsheet element of the ELN offers basic Excel functions and exclusive advanced options. 

To add a spreadsheet element to your experiments and protocols, click on ‘Add spreadsheet’ located at the top of every section:

Spreadsheet functions

The toolbar is divided into tabs. Each tab gathers a variety of tools and Excel-like applications.

1. Home Tab

The Home tab allows you to cut, copy, and paste, as well as set cell formatting and conditional formatting. You can add and format tables, sort, filter, and search.

Number formatting for different number presentations, such as number, date, fraction, or scientific, are available-

Conditional formatting to easily visualize patterns when having a well-populated datasheet-

The Format function allows you automatically resize the rows and columns in a worksheet using AutoFit, hide rows and columns, format rows and columns headers and sheet protection options.

There is also an option to protect specific cells within the element or leave some cells editable after protecting the whole element.

The Editing menu includes basic calculation formulas, auto-fill options, Sort & Filter, and Find functions.

The filter sort & function offers Number, Text, Date, Color, and Custom filters based on the data type of the cells.

The filter dialog helps you to filter by item, sort the list of items, hide filtered rows, as well as clear any applied filter condition on a column.

2. Insert tab

A wide range of elements are available- tables, charts, graphs, illustrations, and hyperlinks.

Charts for data visualization and analysis- select the data for visualization and then select the required chart type.

Chart formatting possibilities are available, such as colours, borders, size, and text formatting as well as chart title and legends addition.

The spreadsheet element offers a wide range of chart elements you can add to your chart, such as chart and axis titles, error bars, gridlines, data labels, legends, and trendlines. The addition of chart elements is available from the chart element addition menu.

How to edit chart and axis titles:

  1. Add a title (either chart title or axis title)

  2. From the 'Add chart element' menu, click on the 'More titles option'

  3. Edit the text in the text editor at the opened menu on the right side of the spreadsheet

Hyperlink to link a URL address inside your spreadsheet-
Select a cell to insert the hyperlink, define the text presented as the hyperlink and select the required URL or email address to be linked.
Color setting of the hyperlink as well as the color after the link has been accessed, is available.
Screen tip to be presented while the mouse pointer hovers over the hyperlink is available as well.

3. Formulas tab

The spreadsheet element offers various functions and formulas, such as basic arithmetic, financial, and array formulas.


As in Excel, the spreadsheet element offers a formula bar where formulas can be written into a cell, and the cell’s content can be seen.

Functions and formulas can be used in the table in the same way as in Excel. You can see the list of available formulas using the ‘Insert function’ tab.

VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, and XMATCH functions are also available, you can easily find them in the lookup and reference tab.

Array formulas have the following limitations:

  • Array formulas are not supported in ranges that contain merged cells

  • The formula cannot be changed in part of the range

  • Cut and copy apply to the entire range

  • Columns and rows cannot be inserted or removed from part of the range

Users can view all the formulas in the cells using the Show formulas tab-

4. Data tab

The Data tab allows you to sort, filter, group, validate data, load or save schema, and bind a table using a template.

5. View tab

The View tab allows you to hide or show headers, gridlines, the tab strip, and the new tab option. You can also zoom and freeze rows and columns.

6. Settings tab

The Settings tab allows you to set options for the sheet or the entire workbook. You can set options for the tab and scroll bars. You can specify the number of columns and rows and frozen rows and columns. You can also set the selection policy.

7. General options

Export - Save a copy of the spreadsheet to a .XLSX .CSV file or a PDF document.

Adjust the number of rows to view on the page by dragging with your mouse via the arrows icon at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

   Add a new sheet but clicking on the + icon 

To see the full documentation from our third party - click here.

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