Creating and managing structured data in an electronic spreadsheet

A method for automatically expanding a list in an electronic spreadsheet, the method comprising:

• determining that at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to the list, wherein determining that at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to the list further comprises:
• determining that the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a header row in the list, the header row comprising at least one field name;
• and
• determining that the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a data row in the list, the data row comprising at least one cell containing data;
• automatically expanding the list to include the at least one previously blank newly edited cell, wherein automatically expanding the list to include the at least one previously blank newly edited cell comprises automatically expanding the list to include a new column containing the at least one previously blank newly edited cell;
• if the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a header row in the list, then determining whether a data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell duplicates an existing field name in the header row in the list;
• if the data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is identical to an existing field name in the header row in the list, then changing the data entry to a unique field name;
• if the data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is not identical to an existing field name in the header row in the list, then assigning the data entry as a field name for the new column;
• and
• if the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a data row in the list, then automatically generating a field name for the new column.

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for displaying an automatically created list in an electronic spreadsheet, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a user request for selecting a cell range in the electronic spreadsheet, the cell range including one or more cells in one or more columns for displaying data;
• identifying a list range for the selected cell range in the electronic spreadsheet, wherein identifying a list range for the selected cell range comprises:
• determining the number of cells in the selected cell range;
• if the selected cell range contains two or more cells, then identifying the list range as the selected cell range;
• and
• if the selected cell range contains exactly one cell, then identifying the list range based on the location of the cell in a current region of the electronic spreadsheet;
• determining a header row for the list range, wherein determining a header row for the list range comprises:
• determining whether the list range includes a field name for each column in the cell range;
• and
• if the identified list range does not include any field names, then automatically generating a field name for each column in the cell range, wherein the automatically generated field names comprise the header row for the list range;
• generating a border for surrounding the list range to create the list;
• and
• displaying the automatically created list on the display device.

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method for automatically expanding a list in an electronic spreadsheet, comprising the steps of:

• determining that at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to the list, wherein determining that at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to the list further comprises:
• determining that the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a header row in the list, the header row comprising at least one field name;
• determining that the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a data row in the list, the data row comprising at least one cell containing data;
• if the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a header row in the list, then determining whether a data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell duplicates an existing field name in the header row in the list;
• if the data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is identical to an existing field name in the header row in the list, then changing the data entry to a unique field name;
• if the data entry in the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is not identical to an existing field name in the header row in the list, then assigning the data entry as a field name for the new column;
• and
• if the at least one previously blank newly edited cell is adjacent to a data row in the list, then automatically generating a field name for the new column;
• and
• automatically expanding the list to include the at least one previously blank newly edited cell, wherein automatically expanding the list to include the at least one previously blank newly edited cell comprises automatically expanding the list to include a new column containing the at least one previously blank newly edited cell.