demo D128
Formula entry in Angular
A spreadsheet formula typed into a cell, and the evaluator reach limit
formulaFunctions
This grid accepts a formula typed into a cell, like =quantity*unitPrice or =VAT(total), evaluates it against the row's own fields, and stores the number it produces as the cell's value. It lets the grid stand in for a spreadsheet where users expect to compute in a cell, with a defined limit on how far a formula reaches.
This is the Angular version. A standalone component takes the whole configuration through one config input, surfaces grid events as outputs, and exposes the live grid on a getter for anything the inputs do not cover.
The configuration
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { bootstrapApplication } from '@angular/platform-browser';
import { createGrid } from '@toclocoinc/lattice-grid';
import '@toclocoinc/lattice-grid/css';
import { LatticeGridComponent, provideLattice } from '@toclocoinc/lattice-grid/angular';
const columns = [
{ field: 'description', title: 'Description', layout: { flex: 1, min: 160, pin: 'start' } },
{ field: 'quantity', title: 'Qty', type: 'number', edit: true, layout: { width: 100 } },
{ field: 'unitPrice', title: 'Unit price', type: 'number', edit: true,
format: { style: 'currency', currency: 'GBP' }, layout: { width: 140 } },
{ field: 'discount', title: 'Discount', type: 'number', edit: true,
format: { style: 'percent', decimals: 0 }, layout: { width: 140 } },
{ id: 'lineNet', title: 'Line net', type: 'number',
format: { style: 'currency', currency: 'GBP' }, layout: { width: 130 },
value: {
deps: ['quantity', 'unitPrice', 'discount'],
compute: (d) => d.quantity * d.unitPrice * (1 - d.discount),
} },
{ field: 'total', title: 'Total', type: 'number',
format: { style: 'currency', currency: 'GBP' },
layout: { width: 140, pin: 'end' }, total: 'sum',
// The total column takes a typed formula such as
// =ROUND(quantity * unitPrice * (1 - discount), 2), drawing on the built-in
// function library. The formula path lives in the number type's parse,
// which only sees what the editor produces, so a column that accepts
// formulas asks for the text editor here; the default number editor would
// hand back a plain number and the formula would never reach the evaluator.
edit: { enabled: true, editor: 'text' } },
];
const rows = [/* invoice lines: description, quantity, unitPrice, discount, total (empty) */];
@Component({
selector: 'app-root',
standalone: true,
imports: [LatticeGridComponent],
template: '<lattice-grid [config]="grid" style="display:block;height:540px"></lattice-grid>',
})
export class AppComponent {
grid = {
rowKey: 'id',
edit: true,
selection: 'multiple',
// Extra functions a formula may call. The number type's parse is handed
// them, so =VAT(...) resolves alongside the built-in library.
formulaFunctions: { VAT: (args: unknown[]) => Number(args[0]) * 1.2 },
columns: columns,
rows: rows,
};
}
bootstrapApplication(AppComponent, {
providers: [provideLattice({ createGrid })],
});Typing a formula into a cell
Formula entry lets a cell hold =quantity*unitPrice or =VAT(total) instead of a value typed by hand. The grid parses the formula, evaluates it against the row’s own fields, and writes the number it produces into the cell. A developer reaches for it wherever a grid stands in for a spreadsheet a user already expects to type into: budget lines, pricing sheets, a total worked out from the other columns on the row rather than pasted in by hand. Lattice Grid registers the functions a formula may call through formulaFunctions, so a column can expose a small, named set such as VAT alongside arithmetic without the evaluator accepting an unbounded expression language. Entry works like inline editing: a formula is typed straight into the cell, committed with Enter, and evaluated once against that row, and its result is stored as a plain number. When you want a value that keeps tracking its inputs as they change, a computed column does exactly that: give the column the fields it depends on and it recalculates whenever any of them is written. Lattice Grid tracks a bounded evaluator reach, so a formula reaching across too many fields fails predictably at the configured limit rather than recursing until the tab stalls, which matters for a data grid rendering tens of thousands of rows where a runaway calculation would otherwise block the main thread. A screen reader announces the evaluated result, not the formula text, so a non-sighted user hears the number a sighted user sees, with the formula itself available on request when the cell is focused for editing.
How do I add a formula to a grid cell?
Set the column’s formulaFunctions to the functions a formula is allowed to call, mark the column editable, then type a formula into a cell starting with =, referring to the row’s fields by name. Lattice Grid parses it, evaluates it against that row, and stores the result as the cell’s value. For a value that recalculates as its inputs change, use a computed column instead: declare the fields it depends on and the grid re-runs it whenever one of them is written. An evaluator reach limit caps how far a single formula can walk, so a malformed or excessive reference fails at that boundary rather than degrading performance across the grid.