Show HN: Stop writing Excel like it's assembly

5 points by evandwight 3 years ago · 5 comments · 1 min read

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I suck at excel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nbkaYsR94c

I would write the equivalent of:

     /* Tax rate */

     var b1 = 50%;

     /* Salary */

     var b2 = 120000;

     var b3 = b1 * b2;

When excel lets you write:

     var tax_rate = 50%;

     var salary = 120000;

     var b3 = tax_rate * salary;

I just didn't know any better. This class of problem can be solved by a linter and auto-formatter to automatically detect and use excel best practices. Which also helps you learn best practices.

Stop reading and writing excel like it's assembly. Upgrade your excel to the modern era.

If you have suggestions or recommendations I'd love to hear them. I just saw the above video linked on HN and thought I can solve this! The current version is extremely simple/naïve/ugly.

sargstuff 3 years ago

"Does it support / work with / used with" concepts:

* a) VR "excel" version

   https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/minecraft-in-microsoft-excel/

* b) Turing machines / autonoma are assembly?

   https://www.felienne.com/archives/2974

   https://verdagon.dev/blog/yak-shave-language-engine-game

* c) Way to make the files generated in bit more readable!

   https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/2d-an-exploration-of-drawing-as-programming-language-featuring-ideas-from-lambda-calculus/overview

   or perhaps convert to a 3d version of 'block/cell programming"-> https://www.julian-h.de/sketch/cuboino-extending-physical-games-an-example/

* d) Convert lambda functions to "normal, named functions"??

  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/lambda-the-ultimatae-excel-worksheet-function/

* e) colors to text?

   https://direct.mit.edu/leon/article-abstract/48/4/375/45993/Light-Pattern-Writing-Code-with-Photographs?redirectedFrom=fulltext#.VsXePvkrKUk 

   http://lightpattern.info/

* f) objectart to text?

    objectart : https://esolangs.org/wiki/ObjectArt

    piet "normal" text? (https://www.dangermouse.net/esoteric/piet.html

* g) Naming pixels?

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBX2QQHlQ_I

* h) Naming blocks?

   https://www.julian-h.de/sketch/cuboino-extending-physical-games-an-example/

*i) midi code linter ??

   https://www.techspot.com/news/83912-microsoft-excel-spreadsheet-allows-you-create-play-own.html

evandwightOP 3 years ago

Wow! No, probably not. I don't scan macros or other plugins.
I only have 1 recommendation right now and it's super simple: look at formula references to find interesting cells then check for a label to the left.
It's all heuristics and easily broken. It doesn't need to be perfect to help though.
Sidenote: I can't believe excel formulas are Turing complete now! Excel is truly a beast!
- sargstuff 3 years ago
  
  Use to be some humor about excel being limited to cells, because [1] hypercards were copyrighted. Might be confusing that with [2] Hypernews / [3] vipercard though.
  Complexity/cost not withstanding, visually merging snapshot of program(s)s done in [4] and visually 'linting" in relevent documentation/comments as a real time AR overlay might be more interesting.
  ************
  [1] https://hypercard.org/ [2] http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/hyperlook/index.html [3] https://www.vipercard.net/ [4] https://dynamicland.org/

japborst 3 years ago

For an avid Excel/GSheets user and programmer, this is amazing! When is a GSheets version coming ;-)

sargstuff 3 years ago

For gsheets, depends on one's language tolerance. "using python in google sheets" & just use system call for above examples. ;)
For excel:
Lean proof of concept https://matt-rickard.com/spreadsheets-and-lisp
Extended proof of concept for thinking outside the [cell box] : https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/En...

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