Method for building a spreadsheet template with dynamic data transfer capabilities to a remote application

Abstract

A method for creating a spreadsheet template to facilitate creation of a spreadsheet is disclosed. The method comprises marking a cell in the range of cells as being a potential record cell; and creating a save map to define attributes to be assembled into a record for an actual record cell.

1 . A computer-implemented method for generating a spreadsheet template, comprising:
 marking at least one cell in a spreadsheet as being a potential record cell;   selectively converting said at least one cell into an actual record cell; and   creating a save map to define attributes to be assembled into a record for each potential record cell   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said selective converting is based on at least one condition associated with each cell marked as a potential record cell, the condition to control when said cell becomes an actual record cell. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said selective converting is performed by default if no condition is associated with a potential record cell. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising defining a repeating range of cells in the spreadsheet, each cell in the range to store like data, and marking a first cell in the repeating range of cells as a potential record cell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein defining the repeating range of cells comprises defining a repeat attribute to control a direction in which cells in the repeating range of cells are repeated relative to the first cell in the range. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising configuring cells in the repeating range of cells to repeat on a row-by-row basis, wherein each new cell that is based on the first cell is itself marked as being a potential record cell. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein each new cell that is based on the first cell as the potential record cell also inherits the at least one condition associated with the first cell. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one condition comprises a condition that a specified cell in the range of cells has an input data value greater than zero. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising creating a record construction component comprising logic to identify an actual record cell and to construct a database record based on the save map and an actual record cell. 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a system causes the system to perform a method, comprising:
 marking at least one cell in a spreadsheet as being a potential record cell;   selectively converting said at least one cell into an actual record cell is based on satisfaction of a condition associated with said cell, the condition to control when said cell becomes and actual record cell; wherein said converting is performed by default for cells marked as potential record cells but have no condition associated therewith; and   creating a save map to define attributes to be assembled into a record for an actual record cell.   
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises defining a repeating range of cells in the spreadsheet, each cell in the range to store like data, and marking a first cell in the repeating range of cells as a potential record cell. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein defining the repeating range of cells comprises defining a repeat attribute to control a direction in which cells in the repeating range of cells are repeated relative to the first cell in the range. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises configuring cells in the repeating range of cells to repeat on a row-by-row basis, wherein each new cell that is based on the first cell is itself marked as being a potential record cell 
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein each new cell that is based on the first cell also inherits the at least one condition associated with the first cell. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one condition comprises the condition that a specified cell in the range of cells has an input data value greater than zero. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises creating a record construction component comprising logic to identify an actual record cell and to construct a database record based on the save map and an actual record cell. 
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the system causes the system to perform a method for creating a spreadsheet template to facilitate creation of a spreadsheet, comprising:
 marking at least one cell in a spreadsheet as being a potential record cell; 
 selectively converting said at least one cell into an actual record cell based on satisfaction of at least one condition associated with said cell, the condition to control when a potential record cell becomes an actual record cell; wherein said converting is performed by default if no condition is associated with said cell; and 
 creating a save map to define attributes to be assembled into a record for an actual record cell. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises defining a repeating range of cells in the spreadsheet, each cell in the range to store like data, and marking a first cell in the repeating range of cells as a potential record cell. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein defining the repeating range of cells comprises defining a repeat attribute to control a direction in which cells in the repeating range of cells are repeated relative to the first cell in the range. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the method further comprises configuring cells in the repeating range of cells to repeat on a row-by-row basis, wherein each new cell that is based on the first cell is itself marked as being a potential record cell.