Batch Spreadsheet for C Programmers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a batch spreadsheet environment for C programmers that uses plain text command files to generate spreadsheets, supporting C-like formulas, cycles, user-defined functions, and integration with GUIs for enhanced interaction.

Contribution

It presents a novel batch processing spreadsheet system that integrates C programming language features, including cyclic formulas and dynamic linking, for advanced computational and visualization capabilities.

Findings

Supports cyclic and converging formulas for iterative algorithms

Allows user-defined functions in C via dynamic linking

Enables GUI integration for interaction and plotting

Abstract

A computing environment is proposed, based on batch spreadsheet processing, which produces a spreadsheet display from plain text input files of commands, similar to the way documents are created using LaTeX. In this environment, besides the usual spreadsheet rows and columns of cells, variables can be defined and are stored in a separate symbol table. Cell and symbol formulas may contain cycles, and cycles which converge can be used to implement iterative algorithms. Formulas are specified using the syntax of the C programming language, and all of C's numeric operators are supported, with operators such as ++, +=, etc. being implicitly cyclic. User-defined functions can be written in C and are accessed using a dynamic link library. The environment can be combined with a GUI front-end processor to enable easier interaction and graphics including plotting.