Converting an Excel file to a Formula View involves viewing or exporting the underlying formulas used in the cells, rather than the resulting values that those formulas generate. This can be especially helpful for auditing, debugging, or understanding how the spreadsheet operates.
What is Formula View?
Formula View in Excel displays the formulas used in each cell, rather than the results those formulas produce.
This view can help you track down errors, see how calculations are performed, or simply understand the structure of the workbook.
How to Switch to Formula View in Excel:
On Desktop Excel (Windows/Mac):
Keyboard Shortcut: Press Ctrl + ~ (Tilde, usually located under the Esc key). This will toggle between Formula View and Normal View.
Menu Option:
Go to the Formulas tab in the Ribbon.
Click on Show Formulas in the Formula Auditing section.
This will switch the entire sheet to Formula View.
In Excel Online:
Formula view is not directly available in Excel Online, but you can manually select cells to view their formulas in the formula bar.
Converting Excel to Formula View Using Python:
If you need to extract formulas from an Excel file programmatically, you can use Python with the openpyxl library (for .xlsx files) or the xlrd library (for .xls files). Below is an example using openpyxl to extract formulas and save them to a new CSV or text file.
Python Script Example:
Install openpyxl:
bash
pip install openpyxl
Script to Extract Formulas from Excel:
python
import openpyxl
# Function to extract formulas from Excel and write to a file
def excel_to_formula_view(excel_file, output_file):
# Load the workbook and select the active sheet
workbook = openpyxl.load_workbook(excel_file)
sheet = workbook.active
# Open the output file in write mode
with open(output_file, 'w') as file:
# Iterate over each row and column in the sheet
for row in sheet.iter_rows():
row_formulas = []
for cell in row:
# Write the formula to the row list, if available
if cell.formula:
row_formulas.append(cell.formula)
else:
row_formulas.append(cell.value)
# Write the row formulas or values to the file
file.write(",".join(map(str, row_formulas)) + "\n")
# Example usage
excel_to_formula_view('your_excel_file.xlsx', 'output_formulas.txt')
Explanation:
The script loads an Excel file and iterates over each cell.
It checks if a formula exists in the cell using cell.formula. If a formula is present, it extracts it; otherwise, it writes the cell's value.
It writes all extracted formulas (or values) into a text file or CSV (output_formulas.txt).
Output Example:
If the Excel file contains a formula in cell A1 like =SUM(B1:B5), the output text file will have:
makefile
=SUM(B1:B5), , ,
If the cell contains only a value, it will store the actual value in the output file.
Other Approaches:
Manually Viewing Formulas in Excel:
You can manually go through the workbook and check the formula bar (above the spreadsheet) for each formula, but this can be tedious for large files.
Use Excel's Formula Auditing:
Trace Precedents or Trace Dependents: These tools in the Formulas tab help you visualize the relationships between cells that are referenced in formulas. This can help you get a clearer understanding of how formulas are structured across the sheet.
VBA Macro (Advanced Excel Option):
If you are comfortable with VBA, you can create a macro that extracts all formulas from a workbook and outputs them in a separate sheet or file.
VBA Macro Example:
vba
Sub ExtractFormulas()
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim cell As Range
Dim formulaSheet As Worksheet
Set formulaSheet = ThisWorkbook.Sheets.Add
formulaSheet.Name = "Formula View"
For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Sheets
If ws.Name <> formulaSheet.Name Then
For Each cell In ws.UsedRange
If cell.HasFormula Then
formulaSheet.Cells(cell.Row, cell.Column).Value = cell.Formula
End If
Next cell
End If
Next ws
End Sub
Summary:
Formula View in Excel allows you to see the formulas behind the data rather than the results.
Excel's Show Formulas button or the shortcut Ctrl + ~ allows you to switch to Formula View easily.
You can programmatically extract formulas from Excel files using Python with libraries like openpyxl.
Advanced options like VBA macros can also be used for deeper automation.