Data processing in spreadsheet worksheets
AssigneeSigma Sciences Limited
InventorRobert Laurie Smith Devine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and methods for defining spreadsheet worksheet functions capable of returning more than one output value to a worksheet with the layout of the returned values being customizable through the use of named ranges on the worksheet. The mapping of an output value to a destination cell (or range) is achieved by using a naming convention, wherein the name of the output parameter as defined in the worksheet function or in an interactive coding environment is automatically mapped to a worksheet range having the same name.
Claims24
A computerized method of data processing comprising:
- providing a spreadsheet engine for use by a computing device and including a spreadsheet workbook having one or more spreadsheet worksheets;
- providing an execution engine for execution of computer software code for use by the computing device, the execution engine managing and executing the computer software code in the form of an application, script or linked library used by the computing device and providing at least an output dispatcher;
- and
- retrieving names and values of variables defined in the computer software code, each variable having a respective variable name;
- the output dispatcher comprising name-matching functionality that matches the variable names defined in the computer software code to one or more worksheet named ranges each having a respective worksheet range name;
- wherein each of the named worksheet ranges are name-matched at runtime to the respective variable name defined within the computer software code, where a worksheet named range is a cell range that can be addressed by the spreadsheet engine via the worksheet range name assigned to the respective worksheet named range.
A data processing system comprising a spreadsheet engine stored in a computer-readable medium of a computing device having one or more processors, the spreadsheet engine including a spreadsheet workbook having one or more spreadsheet worksheets, the data processing system further comprising an execution engine stored in the computer-readable medium of the computing device for execution of computer software code for use by the computing device, the execution engine managing and executing the computer software code in the form of an application, script or linked library used by the computing device and providing at least an output dispatcher, and the data processing system further comprising a means for retrieving names and values of variables defined in the computer software code, each variable having a respective variable name;
- the output dispatcher comprising name-matching functionality that matches the variable names defined in the computer software code to one or more worksheet named ranges each having a respective worksheet range name;
- wherein each of the named worksheet ranges are name-matched at runtime to the respective variable name defined within the computer software code, where a worksheet named range is a cell range that can be addressed by the spreadsheet engine via the worksheet range name assigned to the respective worksheet named range.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium and instructions, that, when executed on a computing device, enable it to function as a data processing system comprising a spreadsheet engine stored in the computer-readable medium of the computing device having one or more processors, the spreadsheet engine including a spreadsheet workbook having one or more spreadsheet worksheets, the data processing system further comprising an execution engine stored in the computer-readable medium of the computing device for execution of computer software code for use by the computing device, the execution engine managing and executing the computer software code in the form of an application, script or linked library used by the computing device and providing at least an output dispatcher, and the data processing system further comprising a means for retrieving names and values of variables defined in the computer software code, each variable having a respective variable name;
- the output dispatcher comprising name-matching functionality that matches the variable names defined in the computer software code to one or more worksheet named ranges each having a respective worksheet range name;
- wherein each of the named worksheet ranges are name-matched at runtime to the respective variable name defined within the computer software code, where a worksheet named range is a cell range that can be addressed by the spreadsheet engine via the worksheet range name assigned to the respective worksheet named range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.