Features — Metagrid

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Grid

Free-form cells with A1 addresses. Any cell can hold a nested structure. Grows when you type past the edge.

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Table

Named fields, field formulas, optional nested structure type, validation, sort/filter. Headers are structural chrome. Transpose flips fields ↔ records (records as columns).

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Field

Numbered values (1…n). One column of values — good for validation sources and simple sequences. This is the structure formerly called List.

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Dictionary

Named fields + values (one record). Green Name|Value layout — a list with custom field names. Convert ↔ 1-row / transposed table.

Agent API

One HTTP endpoint for language models. Tables as JSON, paths as names. Catalog is self-describing: GET /api/metagrid. Keys live in Settings.

Nesting

Space opens the structure in the current cell, or inserts a table if empty. On a text URL it opens the link. On a list-validated data cell it opens the allowed-values dropdown. On field headers / dictionary Name cells / transposed field gutters it opens the field menu (Filter, Sort, Type, Format, Hide field, …).
Drag headers to rearrange rows and columns. Grab a row number or column letter / field name and drop it where it should go.
Esc goes up one level (after clearing copy marquee / dialogs / keytips).
Table field structure — with Type Any (default), insert list/table only in that cell. Field ☰ → Type → Toggles → Structures linked across records (or Type → Structure) makes insert fill every record of the field. Shared schema also shares the types of fields inside those nested tables.
Shared nested fields — nested table/list/dictionary cells in one field share schema; rename or add a field in one and siblings update. Lock formulas also shares formulas.
Dictionary = one-record table — convert list/dictionary ↔ table (honors “records as columns” preference). Formula refs need no row selector on a single-record shape.
From a field — navigate the spreadsheet to pick a field or table column as the source.
Path in the top bar is a dotted directory — Workbook.School.Teachers.'Full Name'.2 — starting with the workbook name (not Root). Click a segment to jump up. A numeric field is quoted so it cannot be read as a record: '12'.12. Apostrophes in a name are doubled.

Formulas

Start with =. Formula bar shows live text; ƒx highlights formula mode.
Slash commands — start with /. Formulas pull; commands push. The cell shows the command name; Space runs it. /SUBMIT(Form, Orders) appends then clears the form. See Slash commands.
Cursor vs point — F2 opens a formula in cursor mode (arrows move the caret). Arrow keys (or F4) enter point mode. Every new point session homes at the formula cell.
Refs — A1 / ranges; table Total = whole column, Total. = this row; paths Budget.Total; parent climb ..Field; names #spend.
Power — 3^2 is 9 (also POWER / POW). Dots climb; ^ is never a path operator.
Element-wise lists — scalar funcs/ops map over lists: ABS(Data) keeps size; same-length pairs zip (Data^Data); scalars broadcast (Data+1).
Rename-safe — renaming a header or list index rewrites every formula that referenced it.
Column formulas on tables apply to every data row (context row is implicit).
Functions — numeric aggregate, math, logic, text. Autocomplete yields to real field names; Tab accepts a function, Enter commits the cell. See Docs.
FILTER / GROUPBY / table SORT / UNIQUE — table in, table out. =FILTER(Orders, Orders.Region="West"), =GROUPBY(Orders, "Region", "Revenue"). Stats: MEDIAN, STDEV, PERCENTILE, RANK, CORREL, SUMPRODUCT.
Cycle detection → #CYCLE. Dependency graph invalidates dependents on edit (full clear on undo history push).
Auto vs manual calc (Formulas tab). F9 forces full recalc.

Editing shell

Excel-like selection, shift-expand (including multi field gutters on transposed tables), Ctrl+arrow edge jump, fill down/right.
Structure vs data: Delete on data cells clears values only. Delete a header or row gutter to remove a field/record. Copy/paste of data overwrites; paste inserts structure only from gutter or header-only copies.
Copy/cut/paste ranges (internal + system TSV). Paste plain JSON to build nested lists/tables/grids. After cutting a structure, Space or Insert wraps a new structure in that cell so you can paste inside it.
Insert from a grid selection. Select a block on a grid, then Insert → Table, Dictionary, or Field. The cells move into that structure (table: rows × columns; field: reading order; dictionary: Name/Value when the block is two columns, or a header row plus one record). The structure sits on the top-left cell.
Find across the whole tree; replace within current structure.
Alt keytips: tab → section → command in a metasheet (Alt, I, T still inserts a table). Arrows exit keytips and move the sheet. Esc steps back one level.
Ribbon: Insert (default) / Formulas / Commands / Queries / Data / Forms / Access, then the structure you are in (Table, Dictionary, Field, Pivot Table, Chart, Grid, or Form). The ribbon column is a sheet of those commands (same UI as the workbook). Click a tab, then a row — or press Space. Edit on the ribbon lets you pin /COPY(…) cells. Profile, field ☰, and the empty-cell picker still open as a floating metasheet.
Forms — Insert → Form, then point at the cell where results are saved: an empty cell gets a new table, a table gets each record appended. Edit is a draft with Save and Cancel and two views: Table view (one column per question, with fixed rows: name, question, type, required, hidden, options, and the show/hide rules underneath) and Form view — a palette of field types, the form settings and collapsible sections on a canvas, and a properties panel for the selected item. Fill, then Submit (bottom right), adds a record; Go to Table and Go to Form switch between the two. Hidden fields are not written.
Undo/redo (history snapshots, capped).
Checkboxes; file cells; command cells (type / or Commands → Library). Click or Space runs them. /COPY is cell→cell; /SUBMIT(Form, Orders) appends a form onto a table then clears the form. Formulas stay pull-only.
chart and pivot as nested types (Insert, then Space to open). Chart: bar / line / pie from a table, list, or formula result (FILTER / GROUPBY).
Protect sheet — local read-only toggle (not password ACL).

Data tools

Sort A→Z / Z→A on tables and lists.
Filter with contains / equals / comparisons / empty — UI hides rows; formulas still see them.
Validation: number, integer, text, checkbox, or values from another list.
Sample table insert (Data → Sample table) for a quick nested demo dataset.
5k-row demo grid to stress virtualization.

Number & date formats

Field menu → Format (not a ribbon tab) — follows the field type: number/date codes on Number, font/alignment on Text, plus Excel-like conditional formatting (green→red / red→green color scales and highlight duplicates).
Dates — Excel serial days (fractional day = time). Typing M/D dates stores serials with your default format.
Display only: stored values and formulas are unchanged. Formula bar shows the raw value or formula.
Field header / transposed field selection applies a field format; data selection is per-cell. List Value header formats all list values.

Persistence

Local — autosave in localStorage (key metagrid:local-v2) without sign-in.
Cloud — Metagrid accounts (email is the login, user_id is the identity). Link extra emails and phone numbers under Settings → Sending addresses so /EMAIL and /TEXT can send from a chosen inbox or number. Sheets and members live in a dedicated Supabase project, not Spell Chess.
Access — ribbon tab. Default: you are the sole user, in Admin (all permissions). Everyone can view by default (changeable). Permissions table: User/Group, Kind, View, Edit, Grant Access. View as is a dropdown of users/groups whose access is a subset of yours. Live view only — the JSON still contains hidden parts.
Export / Import — JSON workbooks replace the document; any other file inserts into the selected cell (text as text; images/PDFs/binaries as file cells — Space to open, image thumbs, PDF form bindings to sheet formulas). Excel/CSV → Dictionary of sheets (grid by default; table only when purely tabular with calculated-column-safe formulas). Queries store API URL + credentials in the workbook; From API… fetches JSON/CSV (Bearer, X-API-Key, query param, and other common styles) and Refresh is explicit. Target cells show a #n badge matching the row in Queries ▸ Manage (click to jump there). See Docs → Import.
Copy app link — clipboard URL to the app (not a shared document ACL).

Performance

Viewport virtualization for large grids (row/col windows + overscan).
Sparse cell maps — empty cells cost almost nothing until written.
Formula result cache with reverse dependency edges for invalidation.

Use it

Shortcuts live in-app under F1. Docs cover the model in more depth.

Open app Docs