Seamless Grid and Canvas Integration in a Spreadsheet Application

A computer-implemented method of utilizing spreadsheet objects in an electronic canvas, comprising:

• displaying a data object in a grid-structured spreadsheet, the data object being positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;
• receiving a pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is removed from the one or more cells in which it is positioned;
• and
• depositing the pulled data object on a canvas-like user interface such that the deposited data object may be moved freely on the canvas-like user interface.

A system for managing data in an electronic spreadsheet, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more processors operable to:
• display a data object in a grid-structured spreadsheet, the data object being positioned in one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;
• receive a pulling of the data object out of the grid-structured spreadsheet such that the pulled data object is removed from the one or more cells in which it is positioned;
• deposit the pulled data object on the grid-structured spreadsheet such that it is not positioned in one or more cells and such that the deposited pulled data object may be moved freely on the grid-structured spreadsheet without being positioned in any one or more cells of the grid-structured spreadsheet;
• and
• create a structured reference between any data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet such that relationships between data items or computational functions in or associated with the pulled data object and corresponding data items or computational functions in or associated with the grid-structured spreadsheet are maintained after the data object is pulled from the grid-structured spreadsheet.