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Excel Formula Analyzer

Standalone React app for loading Excel workbooks, parsing structure, browsing formulas by sheet, searching formulas, cell editing with dependency recalculation, and exporting modified workbooks.

  • React 19
  • TypeScript
  • Vite
  • Tailwind CSS
  • xlsx
  • ECharts
  • Lucide React

01

Problem

Understanding and debugging Excel formula dependencies across large workbooks required manual inspection sheet-by-sheet without search or recalculation tooling.

02

Solution

Built a single-page Excel formula analyzer with drag-and-drop load, formula sidebar with search, formula/value toggle, cell editing with dependency recalculation, and modified workbook export.

03

Architecture

React 19 + TypeScript + Vite SPA with xlsx parsing, ECharts for visualization, and custom ExcelDataManager for formula dependency tracking and recalculation.

04

Business impact

Accelerates Excel formula debugging and analysis for complex business spreadsheets.

Decisions

Technical decisions

  1. 01Client-side xlsx parsing for zero-backend simplicity
  2. 02Custom dependency graph over third-party formula engines for control
  3. 03Single-page app without routing for focused UX

Features

Feature breakdown

  • Drag-and-Drop Load
  • Formula Sidebar
  • Formula Search
  • Cell Editing
  • Dependency Recalculation
  • Export Modified Workbook

Responsibilities

  • Built ExcelDataManager for workbook parsing and formula dependency graphs
  • Implemented IntegratedExcelEditor with formula sidebar and search
  • Developed cell editing with automatic dependency recalculation
  • Created export pipeline for modified .xlsx files

Challenges

  • Building reliable formula dependency graphs across cross-sheet references
  • Implementing recalculation that handles Excel function semantics correctly

Performance considerations

  • Lazy formula parsing per sheet
  • Debounced recalculation on cell edits

Lessons learned

  • Formula dependency tracking is the hardest part — get the graph right before UI polish
  • Standalone SPA approach keeps the tool focused without backend complexity

Future roadmap

  • Multi-sheet navigation improvements
  • Formula syntax highlighting and error detection
  • Integration with Froxcel and Stacklogix platforms
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