Editing Your Grid: Formulas, Formatting, and Charts

The editor, end to end

The Editor is where the real work happens: a live grid with a toolbar, a name box, and a formula bar. This guide walks through everything you do day to day in a workbook, and points to the deep-dive articles when you want more detail on a specific feature.

Anatomy of the editor

• The grid — rows and columns of cells. Each sheet starts at 120 rows by 40 columns and grows as you work.
• Name box — the small box at the far left of the formula bar that always shows the selected cell's address (like B7).
• Formula bar (fx) — shows the value or formula in the selected cell, and is where you review what a cell really contains.
• Toolbar — Save, formatting controls (bold, italic, alignment, fill color), Insert chart, CSV import, and CSV/XLSX download.

1. Enter and edit data

1. Click a cell and start typing to enter a value.
2. Press Enter to commit and move down, or Tab to commit and move right.
3. To edit an existing cell without retyping, select it and press F2 (or double-click).
4. Press Escape to cancel an edit and restore the original value.
5. Select a range with click-and-drag or Shift + Arrow, then press Delete to clear it.

2. Calculate with formulas

Start any formula with =. StretchSheets supports SUM, AVG/AVERAGE, IF, and VLOOKUP, along with A1 ranges (A1:C10), arithmetic (+ - * /), and comparison operators (> < >= <= = <>).

• =B2-C2 subtracts one cell from another.
• =SUM(D2:D50) totals a column.
• =IF(D2>500,"Priority","Standard") flags a row conditionally.

For the full reference and examples, see Formulas and Functions.

3. Format for readability

Select a cell or range and apply:

• Bold (Ctrl/Cmd + B) and Italic (Ctrl/Cmd + I).
• Alignment and Fill color from the toolbar.
• Column width and row height by dragging header boundaries.

A header row is frozen by default so your titles stay visible as you scroll. For more, see Formatting Cells and Freezing Panes.

4. Visualize with charts

Select a range of labels and numbers, click Insert chart, and StretchSheets adds a chart (bar by default; line and pie are also supported). See Adding Charts to a Workbook.

5. Save your work

Click Save in the toolbar. Your content is persisted, and StretchSheets automatically captures a version snapshot of the previous state so you can look back later.

A realistic example

You open a blank workbook to track weekly sales. In row 1 you enter Rep, Deals, Revenue and bold the header with Ctrl + B. You fill in five reps and their numbers, then in C7 you type =SUM(C2:C6) for total revenue and in B7 =SUM(B2:B6) for total deals. You select A2:A6 and C2:C6 and click Insert chart to compare revenue by rep. Finally you widen the Rep column, apply a fill color to the header, and click Save. In a couple of minutes you've gone from empty grid to a formatted, calculated, charted report.

Tips

• Learn the rhythm: type, Tab across a row, Enter down to the next — it's far faster than clicking.
• Use the name box to confirm where you are before pasting or entering a formula.
• Save often; every save is also a restore point via version history.
• Build the data first, then format and chart last, so styling doesn't get in the way of entry.

Troubleshooting

• A formula shows as text. It must begin with =.
• Formatting or a chart disappeared after reload. Make sure you clicked Save before leaving.
• The grid feels cramped. Drag column/row boundaries to resize, and rely on the frozen header row to keep context.

Where to go next

• Formulas and Functions — every supported function in depth.
• Formatting Cells and Freezing Panes — styling and freeze panes.
• Adding Charts to a Workbook — bar, line, and pie charts.
• Version History and Snapshots — how your restore points work.