Problem
A project has a budget table; each line has its own schedule; totals roll up. Flat sheets force that structure into many tabs, named ranges, and fragile lookups. The hierarchy lives in the user’s head, not in the document.
Approach
Nested structures — grid, table, list, dictionary (and live pivot summaries) — that can contain each other. A dictionary is a one-record table with named fields; a field is numbered values only. Formulas walk the tree with paths instead of only A1 on a single plane. The UI is keyboard-first so navigation depth doesn’t require a mouse tree widget.
Implementation stays deliberately small: static files, optional Supabase for private cloud blobs, no collaboration layer until the document model is boringly solid.
Status
- Portfolio experiment by Matt Ficarra on ficarra.app.
- Auth/storage shares the Spell Chess Supabase project (isolated from the portfolio requests inbox).
- Document format is
metagrid-v2; see Docs and Revision. - “Done enough” means the tree model is teachable in one page of docs and the ribbon only advertises real behavior.
Numbers that matter
| Thing | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure types | grid · table · list · dictionary · pivot |
| Documents | 1 tree per workbook |
| Export format | metagrid-v2 |
| App modules | model · formula · format · ui (ribbon, keytips, paint, …) |
Open the app
Sample workbook is preloaded. F1 for shortcuts.