User Defined Spreadsheet Functions in Excel

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to create user-defined spreadsheet functions in Excel without VBA, using what-if data tables to enable reusable functions directly within spreadsheets.

Contribution

It proposes a novel approach to implement user-defined functions in Excel without VBA, reducing entry barriers for users.

Findings

Enables creation of UDFs without VBA

Uses data tables to simulate function calls

Improves accessibility for spreadsheet users

Abstract

Creating user defined functions (UDFs) is a powerful method to improve the quality of computer applications, in particular spreadsheets. However, the only direct way to use UDFs in spreadsheets is to switch from the functional and declarative style of spreadsheet formulas to the imperative VBA, which creates a high entry barrier even for proficient spreadsheet users. It has been proposed to extend Excel by UDFs declared by a spreadsheet: user defined spreadsheet functions (UDSFs). In this paper we present a method to create a limited form of UDSFs in Excel without any use of VBA. Calls to those UDSFs utilize what-if data tables to execute the same part of a worksheet several times, thus turning it into a reusable function definition.